Rutgers and Wisconsin rise in NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll
by Jason Bryant, NWCA
Manheim, Pennsylvania – Saturday’s inaugural Garden State Grapple in Newark, New Jersey was the culprit behind a couple of key moves in the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
Rutgers improved to 8-0 with wins over Hofstra and then-No. 14 North Carolina, while Wisconsin improved to 4-0 with wins over the Pride and Tar Heels as well. Rutgers moved up one spot to No. 14, while Wisconsin jumped three spots to No. 16. North Carolina (3-4) slid five spots to No. 19. The top ten teams remained unchanged.
Top-ranked Iowa (2-0) saw its scheduled dual with Oregon State axed due to the Beavers’ travel issues getting into Iowa from the West Coast. A quick audible saw the Hawkeyes quickly schedule Army West Point for a Sunday dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which resulted in a 36-7 victory. Fifth-ranked Oklahoma State improved to 3-0 after a 45-0 win over visiting Drexel.
Ohio State (3-0) was the only other Top 10 team in action last week, shutting out Division II Notre Dame College 51-0.
This week: Nearly a third of the Division I teams will be competing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, so that leaves another slim week of dual meets with ranked teams. On Thursday, No. 6 NC State hosts Gardner-Webb. Friday sees second-ranked Penn State head across the state to take on Penn, while Rutgers looks to improve to 9-0 with a trip to American. Lehigh takes on Lock Haven on Saturday, while three ranked teams clash in Columbia as No. 3 Missouri will host a tri-meet with No. 10 Virginia Tech and No. 17 Northern Iowa. Sunday’s action features Lehigh at Penn State and Iowa at Iowa State in a pair of longtime rivalry duals.
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
November 30, 2021
Rutgers improved to 8-0 with wins over Hofstra and then-No. 14 North Carolina, while Wisconsin improved to 4-0 with wins over the Pride and Tar Heels as well. Rutgers moved up one spot to No. 14, while Wisconsin jumped three spots to No. 16. North Carolina (3-4) slid five spots to No. 19. The top ten teams remained unchanged.
Top-ranked Iowa (2-0) saw its scheduled dual with Oregon State axed due to the Beavers’ travel issues getting into Iowa from the West Coast. A quick audible saw the Hawkeyes quickly schedule Army West Point for a Sunday dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which resulted in a 36-7 victory. Fifth-ranked Oklahoma State improved to 3-0 after a 45-0 win over visiting Drexel.
Ohio State (3-0) was the only other Top 10 team in action last week, shutting out Division II Notre Dame College 51-0.
This week: Nearly a third of the Division I teams will be competing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, so that leaves another slim week of dual meets with ranked teams. On Thursday, No. 6 NC State hosts Gardner-Webb. Friday sees second-ranked Penn State head across the state to take on Penn, while Rutgers looks to improve to 9-0 with a trip to American. Lehigh takes on Lock Haven on Saturday, while three ranked teams clash in Columbia as No. 3 Missouri will host a tri-meet with No. 10 Virginia Tech and No. 17 Northern Iowa. Sunday’s action features Lehigh at Penn State and Iowa at Iowa State in a pair of longtime rivalry duals.
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
November 30, 2021
| Rank | Team (First) | Record | Points | Conference | Previous |
| 1 | Iowa (14) | (2-0) | 350 | Big Ten | 1 |
| 2 | Penn State | (3-0) | 336 | Big Ten | 2 |
| 3 | Missouri | (3-0) | 315 | Big 12 | 3 |
| 4 | Michigan | (3-0) | 310 | Big Ten | 4 |
| 5 | Oklahoma State | (3-0) | 294 | Big 12 | 5 |
| 6 | NC State | (1-0) | 274 | ACC | 6 |
| 7 | Arizona State | (1-0) | 273 | Pac-12 | 7 |
| 8 | Ohio State | (3-0) | 251 | Big Ten | 8 |
| 9 | Nebraska | (3-0) | 235 | Big Ten | 9 |
| 10 | Virginia Tech | (1-1) | 220 | ACC | 10 |
| 11 | Cornell | (1-0) | 206 | EIWA | 11 |
| 12 | Minnesota | (2-0) | 191 | Big Ten | 12 |
| 13 | Iowa State | (1-1) | 179 | Big 12 | 13 |
| 14 | Rutgers | (8-0) | 176 | Big Ten | 15 |
| 15 | Purdue | (6-0) | 139 | Big Ten | 17 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | (4-0) | 126 | Big Ten | 19 |
| 17 | Northern Iowa | (0-0) | 124 | Big 12 | 16 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | (2-1) | 107 | Big 12 | 18 |
| 19 | North Carolina | (3-4) | 86 | ACC | 14 |
| 20 | Princeton | (0-1) | 69 | EIWA | 21 |
| 21 | Illinois | (0-0) | 67 | Big Ten | 20 |
| 22 | Lehigh | (2-1) | 54 | EIWA | 22 |
| 23 | Pittsburgh | (3-1) | 45 | ACC | 23 |
| 24 | Northwestern | (0-0) | 36 | Big Ten | 25 |
| 25 | Stanford | (1-2) | 34 | Pac-12 | 24 |
Others Receiving Votes: Campbell 13, Wyoming 11, Central Michigan 9, Cal Poly 7, Michigan State 5, Appalachian State 3, Virginia 3, Oregon State 2.
Dropped Out: None
Upcoming Coaches Poll Release Dates for 2021-22: Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Dec. 21, Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 18, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 15, Feb. 22.
Mid-Major Poll Release Dates to be announced.