Iowa ranked first, Cal Poly ranked in latest NWCA poll for first time in a decade
by Jason Bryant, NWCA
Manheim, Pennsylvania – With first semester finals in full swing most places, the Division I wrestling calendar was pretty slim last week, leading to very little movement in the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
Three top 10 teams were victorious in the past week – fourth-ranked Oklahoma State rolled over then-No. 17 Oklahoma 31-3 at the first of two annual Bedlam duals, while fifth-ranked NC State powered past Appalachian State 25-10 and seventh-ranked Ohio State won eight out of 10 bouts to hammer then-No. 22 Pittsburgh 30-7.
Rutgers improved to 10-0, the best start in program history, with a 26-9 win over Army West Point. Rutgers currently leads Division I in dual meet victories. No. 23 Illinois saw its first action of the season, sweeping a tri-meet at SIU Edwardsville. The Fighting Illini beat host SIUE 35-6 and Chattanooga 19-12.
Cal Poly entered this week’s poll at No. 25. It’s the first time the Mustangs have made an appearance in the Top 25 since February 23, 2011. Cal Poly has yet to wrestle a dual this season, but various rankings services have as many as six Mustang wrestlers ranked.
This week: Another light week in terms of ranked teams in action until we get to Monday and Tuesday. On Friday, Oklahoma State will head to the Front Range to face Air Force before heading north to face Wyoming later in the day in Laramie. Also on Friday, No. 20 North Carolina will head across the state to take on host Appalachian State. On Saturday, No. 9 Nebraska hosts South Dakota State and on Sunday, No. 15 Purdue will face No. 13 Iowa State in Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser and Purdue head coach Tony Ersland.
Starting Monday, December 20, the Collegiate Wrestling Duals hosted by Journeymen Wrestling will take place on the campus of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida. The event will feature 12 Division I teams – nine of which are ranked in the Top 25 – in a pooled dual meet competition. Teams in action will be No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Penn State, No. 5 NC State, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 8 Virginia Tech, No. 10 Missouri, No. 11 Cornell, No. 17 Lehigh and No. 22 Northern Iowa. Binghamton, Central Michigan and Hofstra are also scheduled to compete.
Note: Due to the number of ranked programs involved in the Collegiate Duals in Florida on Monday and Tuesday of next week, the next poll will be released on Thursday, December 23 and will be the final poll of the 2021 calendar year. The next subsequent poll will be released on January 4, 2022.
Methodology: The NWCA Division I 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 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 Wrestling Coaches Poll
December 14, 2021
| Rank | Team (First) | Record | Points | Conference | Previous |
| 1 | Iowa (13) | (3-0) | 349 | Big Ten | 1 |
| 2 | Penn State (1) | (5-0) | 336 | Big Ten | 2 |
| 3 | Michigan | (3-0) | 314 | Big Ten | 3 |
| 4 | Oklahoma State | (4-0) | 310 | Big 12 | 4 |
| 5 | NC State | (3-0) | 289 | ACC | 5 |
| 6 | Arizona State | (1-0) | 286 | Pac-12 | 6 |
| 7 | Ohio State | (4-0) | 262 | Big Ten | 7 |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | (3-1) | 243 | ACC | 8 |
| 9 | Nebraska | (3-0) | 242 | Big Ten | 9 |
| 10 | Missouri | (4-1) | 226 | Big 12 | 10 |
| 11 | Cornell | (1-0) | 206 | EIWA | 11 |
| 12 | Rutgers | (10-0) | 205 | Big Ten | 12 |
| 13 | Iowa State | (2-1) | 173 | Big 12 | 13 |
| 14 | Minnesota | (1-1) | 162 | Big Ten | 14 |
| 15 | Purdue | (6-0) | 154 | Big Ten | 15 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | (4-0) | 152 | Big Ten | 16 |
| 17 | Lehigh | (3-2) | 106 | EIWA | 18 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | (2-2) | 90 | Big 12 | 17 |
| 19 | Princeton | (0-1) | 66 | EIWA | 21 |
| 20 | North Carolina | (3-4) | 65 | ACC | 19 |
| 21 | Pittsburgh | (3-2) | 52 | ACC | 22 |
| 22 | Northern Iowa | (0-2) | 51 | Big 12 | 20 |
| 23 | Illinois | (2-0) | 49 | Big Ten | 23 |
| 24 | Northwestern | (0-0) | 40 | Big Ten | 24 |
| 25 | Cal Poly | (0-0) | 26 | Pac-12 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Central Michigan 25, Campbell 19, Wyoming 17, Stanford 16, Virginia 7, Michigan State 5, Appalachian State 4, North Dakota State 2, Oregon State 1.
Dropped Out: No. 25 Wyoming (0-0).
Upcoming Coaches Poll Release Dates for 2021-22: Dec. 23, Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 18, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 15, Feb. 22.
Mid-Major Poll Release Dates to be announced.
Questions related to historical polls can be sent to Jason Bryant at jason@bryantwrestling.com