Big Ten co-champs Iowa, Penn State close out year atop NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll

Manheim, Pennsylvania – A shortened 2020-21 Division I wrestling season came to a close with Iowa going wire-to-wire as the top dual meet team in the nation as the final NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday.

Match cancellations and no non-conference schedule left the top-ranked Hawkeyes with only five duals on the season – same as second-ranked Penn State. ACC regular season champions Virginia Tech finished the regular season third, followed by one-loss Michigan at No. 4 and unbeaten Missouri at No. 5. Oklahoma State, like Missouri, also finished 10-0. The Cowboys ended the season at No. 6.

The Big Ten closed out with nine teams in the Top 25, followed by the Big 12 with six teams and the ACC with five.

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. Teams who are not competing this season are not included in the voting process.

NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll
February 23, 2021

Rank	Team (First)	Record	Points	Conf.	Previous
1	Iowa (14)	(5-0)	350	Big Ten	1
2	Penn State	(5-0)	336	Big Ten	2
3	Virginia Tech	(9-0)	313	ACC	3
4	Michigan	(5-1)	303	Big Ten	4
5	Missouri	(10-0)	296	MAC	5
6	Oklahoma State	(10-0)	283	Big 12	6
7	NC State	(6-1)	264	ACC	7
8	Nebraska	(7-1)	259	Big Ten	8
9 (tie)	Minnesota	(7-2)	230	Big Ten	9
9 (tie)	Arizona State	(6-0)	230	Pac-12	10
11	Illinois	(5-3)	201	Big Ten	11
12	Ohio State	(5-4)	200	Big Ten	12
13	Iowa State	(9-3)	183	Big 12	13
14	North Carolina	(5-2)	174	ACC	14
15	Northern Iowa	(4-4)	148	Big 12	15
16	Pittsburgh	(3-4)	134	ACC	16
17	Navy	(5-1)	106	EIWA	18
18	Purdue	(3-5)	103	Big Ten	17
19	Oklahoma	(5-5)	87	Big 12	19
20	Virginia	(3-3)	85	ACC	20
21	Central Michigan	(5-2)	58	MAC	21
22	Campbell	(8-1)	50	SoCon	22
23	Michigan State	(2-5)	36	Big Ten	23
24	Rider	(4-1)	30	MAC	24
25	Wyoming	(3-3)	22	Big 12	NR

Others Receiving Votes: Rutgers 18, Northwestern 16, Appalachian State 11, West Virginia 7, Hofstra 6, Binghamton 3, Lehigh 3, Northern Colorado 2, Wisconsin 1, Stanford 1, North Dakota State 1
Dropped Out: No. 25 Wisconsin (1-6)