Penn State wrestling remains No. 1 in coaches poll — but Buckeyes gain some ground

After another week without action, the Nittany Lions remain the favorite in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll, with 397 points to Ohio State’s 387.

Penn State’s points remain unchanged from last week’s, as the Buckeyes gained another point after their 26-9 Big Ten-opening dual against Indiana. Penn State still has 13 No. 1 votes to Ohio State’s 3.

The Nittany Lions will get their chance at the Hoosiers on Sunday at Rec Hall.

With limited action this week due to finals and the end of the semester, the top 10 teams — Penn State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Lehigh, N.C. State, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia Tech — remain unchanged.

Rutgers dropped one spot to No. 17 after the Hawkeyes handed the Scarlet Knights their second consecutive loss, and Pitt dropped off the board after losing to West Virginia, making room for Navy’s first top-25 appearance since 2008.

This week’s InterMat NCAA Division I rankings also remain largely the same.

The Nittany Lions still boast four No. 1-ranked wrestlers in Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165) and Bo Nickal (184), a No. 2 in Mark Hall (174) and a No. 3 in Nick Nevills at heavyweight. Anthony Cassar remains at the No. 9 spot at 195.

Penn State’s Corey Keener, who last saw action during the Keystone Classic on Nov. 19, where he suffered an apparent injury, dropped from No. 18 to 19, where he’s tied with North Carolina’s Zach Sherman.

Penn State is still without ranked wrestlers at 125 and 141. Jered Cortez will have a chance to crack the top 20 this week when he takes on Indiana’s No. 12-ranked Cole Weaver. Weaver is coming off his first loss of the season, an 8-2 decision to Ohio State’s Joey McKenna.

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Penn State wrestling remains No. 1 in coaches poll — but Buckeyes gain some ground."