Big Ten powers Penn State, Iowa, Michigan remain undefeated and atop NWCA Coaches Top 25 Poll

Manheim, Pennsylvania - The top three teams in the nation are a combined 25-0 this season in dual meets and all three are from the Big Ten. Penn State (8-0), Iowa (10-0) and Michigan (7-0) came in 1-2-3 in the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.


With Penn State idle, Iowa topped then-No. 11 Northwestern 27-9 at sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Michigan beat a pair of ranked teams, winning 25-10 in front of a nearly 5,000 fans at then-No. 21 Michigan State’s Jenison Fieldhouse on Friday and then topping then-No. 14 Wisconsin 27-6.


It also sets the stage for a gigantic No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 3 Michigan matchup this coming Friday in University Park at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Iowa State (10-2) headed West to top host Utah Valley 31-9 and NC State wrapped up its non-conference schedule at 10-0 with a 30-6 win over visiting Army West Point. Cornell topped rival Lehigh 18-15 in one of the most storied rivalries in the EIWA. Ohio State remained seventh after beating visiting Rutgers 27-12 at the Covelli Center. Arizona State dropped a 24-12 home dual to visiting Princeton. The Sun Devils (2-3) dropped two spots to No. 10 this week. Virginia Tech (6-2) moved up a spot to No. 8 after a 23-11 win at then-No. 22 Appalachian State. Missouri (6-2) moved up a spot after a Western swing that saw the Tigers top Air Force 35-9 and Wyoming 28-10.


Nebraska (6-2) was the biggest mover within the rankings this week. The Huskers moved to No. 11 after wins over then-No. 11 Northwestern 21-15 and then-No. 12 Minnesota 21-9.

The Big Ten also saw a new team enter the rankings this week. Indiana (6-1) opened the week with a win over then-No. 23 Maryland on criteria and followed with a 24-16 win over then-No. 18 Rutgers. Indiana comes into the rankings this week tied for No. 21 and the Hoosiers are ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since February 2016.

This Week
Friday: No. 3 Michigan is at No. 1 Penn State in the week’s biggest dual and the Nittany Lions will do it at the Bryce Jordan Center, which holds the attendance record for a single dual meet across indoor facilities. No. 11 Nebraska will head to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and take on second-ranked Iowa. The Hawkeyes have drawn over 14,000 fans for each of their home duals already this season after selling out all of last season. Fifth-ranked NC State will head to Blacksburg and take on eighth-ranked Virginia Tech in the ACC’s fiercest rivalry. Seventh-ranked Ohio State heads to Maryland and No. 10 Arizona State heads to Cal Poly.

Saturday: Sixth-ranked Cornell will head through New England to face Harvard and Brown. No. 19 Lehigh will head to Annapolis to take on Navy, while No. 17 North Dakota State will host Wyoming.

Sunday: No. 20 Michigan State heads to Happy Valley to take on top-ranked Penn State, Wyoming finishes its swing through the Dakotas with a stop at No. 18 South Dakota State. Maryland is at No. 25 Illinois, Purdue is at No. 13 Minnesota, No. 3 Michigan is at No. 24 Rutgers, Utah Valley is at No. 17 North Dakota State, No. 23 West Virginia is at No. 12 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Iowa is at No. 16 Wisconsin and No. 10 Arizona State is at Stanford.


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

January 17, 2023


Rank/Team (First)/Record/Points/Conf./Previous

1 Penn State (8-0) 349 Big Ten 1

2 Iowa (10-0) 336 Big Ten 2

3 Michigan (7-0) 315 Big Ten 3 (tie)

4 Iowa State (10-2) 307 Big 12 3 (tie)

5 NC State (10-0) 302 ACC 5

6 Cornell (5-2) 273 EIWA 6

7 Ohio State (8-1) 272 Big Ten 7

8 Virginia Tech (6-2) 249 ACC 9

9 Missouri (6-2) 240 Big 12 10

10 Arizona State (2-3) 199 Pac-12 8

11 Nebraska (6-2) 194 Big Ten 16

12 Oklahoma State (6-1) 188 Big 12 13

13 Minnesota (8-2) 185 Big Ten 12

14 Northwestern (2-2) 173 Big Ten 11

15 Northern Iowa (4-2) 166 Big 12 15

16 Wisconsin (6-4) 144 Big Ten 14

17 North Dakota State (6-2) 128 Big 12 17

18 South Dakota State (7-2) 102 Big 12 19

19 Lehigh (5-6) 90 EIWA 20

20 Michigan State (7-2) 60 Big Ten 21

21 (tie) Appalachian State (5-2) 43 SoCon 22

21 (tie) Indiana (6-1) 43 Big Ten NR

23 West Virginia (7-1) 40 Big 12 24

24 Rutgers (8-3) 35 Big Ten 18

25 Illinois (4-3) 33 Big Ten 25 (tie)

Dropped Out: No. 23 Maryland (8-2), No. 25 (tie) Pittsburgh (6-2).

Others Receiving Votes: Pittsburgh 31, Maryland 16, Oregon State 12, Stanford 11, North Carolina 7, Penn 4, Northern Colorado 2, Princeton 1.