Penn State finishes at No. 1 in final NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll of the year
by Jason Bryant, NWCA
Manheim, Pennsylvania – The nation’s lone unbeaten Division I wrestling program – Penn State – ended the season ranked top the final NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll of the 2021-22 season released Wednesday.
As usual, the Big Ten dominated the Top 25 with 11 of its 14 programs ranked to close out the season including five of the top seven teams. The Big 12 followed with six programs ranked, while the ACC and EIWA had three apiece. The Mid-American Conference and Pac-12 each had one team ranked to close the year.
Conference tournament weekend takes place the first weekend in March with all seven conference qualifiers taking place.
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
February 23, 2022
| Rank | Team (First) | Record | Points | Conference | Previous |
| 1 | Penn State (14) | (17-0) | 350 | Big Ten | 1 |
| 2 | Iowa | (14-1) | 335 | Big Ten | 2 |
| 3 | Michigan | (12-1) | 317 | Big Ten | 3 |
| 4 | NC State | (13-1) | 314 | ACC | 4 |
| 5 | Iowa State | (15-1) | 293 | Big 12 | 5 |
| 6 | Ohio State | (9-3) | 278 | Big Ten | 6 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | (12-2) | 257 | Big Ten | 8 |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | (9-5) | 254 | ACC | 7 |
| 9 | Missouri | (11-4) | 234 | Big 12 | 9 |
| 10 | Cornell | (12-3) | 213 | EIWA | 11 |
| 11 | Nebraska | (6-5) | 209 | Big Ten | 10 |
| 12 | Arizona State | (9-4) | 192 | Pac-12 | 13 |
| 13 | Oklahoma State | (13-4) | 191 | Big 12 | 12 |
| 14 | Rutgers | (16-5) | 158 | Big Ten | 14 |
| 15 | Michigan State | (10-4) | 155 | Big Ten | 16 |
| 16 | Purdue | (10-5) | 127 | Big Ten | 15 |
| 17 | Northern Iowa | (7-7) | 120 | Big 12 | 17 |
| 18 | Penn | (8-2) | 92 | EIWA | 19 |
| 19 | Minnesota | (4-6) | 86 | Big Ten | 18 |
| 20 | Northwestern | (7-4) | 73 | Big Ten | 23 |
| 21 | Central Michigan | (12-4) | 70 | MAC | 21 |
| 22 | Princeton | (6-5) | 57 | EIWA | 20 |
| 23 | North Carolina | (8-6) | 53 | ACC | 22 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | (8-6) | 33 | Big 12 | 24 |
| 25 | South Dakota State | (13-4) | 19 | Big 12 | 25 |
Others Receiving Votes: Lehigh 17, Oregon State 15, Appalachian State 14, Pittsburgh 14, North Dakota state 4, Cal Poly 3, Campbell 3.
Dropped Out: None