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Penn State once again unanimous No. 1 after big win over Ohio State; Nittany Lions win 85th straight, set new indoor attendance record

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by National Wrestling Coaches Association

NWCA Division I Men's Coaches Poll for February 17, 2026

NWCA Division I Men's Coaches Poll for February 17, 2026

Manheim, Pennsylvania –With a dominant 36-5 win over second-ranked Ohio State on Friday, top-ranked Penn State extended its dual meet win streak to 85 in a row and set a new indoor dual meet attendance record, putting 16,006 fans inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
 
The Nittany Lions improved to 14-0 and are a unanimous No. 1 heading into the final week of the regular season as the most recent NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday. Penn State is the lone unbeaten team left in Division I men's wrestling this season.
 
Ohio State rebounded with a 29-16 win over Maryland. Third-ranked Oklahoma State battled to a 19-12 win over No. 6 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, while Iowa State went 2-0 with a 32-7 win over then-No. 18 West Virginia and a 28-6 victory over then-No. 15 Northern Iowa.
 
Nebraska picked up two ranked wins, beating then-No. 11 Illinois 28-11 and then-No. 20 Indiana 34-5. Iowa won 19-17 over then-No. 10 Michigan and also topped Purdue 32-6. NC State defeated Duke 32-7, and Minnesota beat Michigan State 37-6.
 
Rutgers went 2-0, beating Michigan State 29-9 and Princeton 24-9. West Virginia earned a 23-13 win over Northern Iowa. Missouri beat then-No. 16 Oklahoma 23-14, while Wyoming added two wins with victories over Northern Colorado 25-10 and then-No. 16 Oklahoma 24-10.
 
Lehigh went 2-0 with wins over Penn 24-14 and Bucknell 24-16. Wisconsin knocked off then-No. 10 Michigan 19-17, and Stanford beat then-No. 12 Pittsburgh 21-12. Oregon State closed the week with a 20-11 win over North Dakota State.
 
Ranked teams are back in action this week, beginning with 11th-ranked Rutgers at Hofstra on Wednesday. Friday's schedule includes No. 20 Stanford at 12th-ranked North Carolina, Virginia at No. 15 Pittsburgh, and Duke at sixth-ranked Virginia Tech. Saturday features No. 17 West Virginia at Lock Haven, plus No. 5 Nebraska at Utah Valley.
 
Sunday's slate includes 16th-ranked Wisconsin at Northern Iowa, No. 14 Missouri at fourth-ranked Iowa State, and a ranked matchup with No. 7 Iowa at third-ranked Oklahoma State.
 
Methodology: The NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, 24 points for a second-place vote, 23 points for a third-place vote, and so on, through to one point for a 25th-place vote. The poll is based on dual meet results.

NWCA DIVISION I MEN'S WRESTLING COACHES POLL
FEBRUARY 17, 2026
 
RankTeam (First)RecordPointsConferencePrevious
1Penn State (16)(14-0)400Big Ten1
2Ohio State(18-1)384Big Ten2
3Oklahoma State(14-1)368Big 123
4Iowa State(11-2)350Big 124
5Nebraska(12-6)328Big Ten5
6Virginia Tech(10-3)313ACC6
7Iowa(12-5)311Big Ten7
8NC State(14-4)291ACC8
9Minnesota(11-5)267Big Ten9
10Illinois(12-5)249Big Ten11
11Rutgers(13-5)226Big Ten14
12North Carolina(9-4)201ACC13
13Michigan(8-6)200Big Ten10
14Missouri(12-7)181Big 1217
15Pittsburgh(10-4)173ACC12
16Wisconsin(12-4)152Big Ten21
17West Virginia(10-5)146Big 1218
18Northern Iowa(10-8)118Big 1215
19South Dakota State(12-4)117Big 1219
20Stanford(6-6)93ACC23
21Indiana(8-5)75Big Ten20
22Lehigh(11-6)69EIWA22
23Wyoming(8-5)66Big 1224
24Oklahoma(9-6)62Big 1216
25Oregon State(7-2)28Pac-1225
 
Others Receiving Votes:Columbia 14, Rider 14, Lock Haven 4.
Dropped Out:None.
2025-26 Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Release Dates
Feb. 24

2025-26 Division I Mid-Major Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Release Dates
Feb. 25