10 Penn State wrestlers remain ranked following another undefeated regular season
Penn State’s 10 wrestlers remain ranked with the Nittany Lions waiting for the postseason to begin.
The Nittany Lions have five wrestlers ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes in Beau Bartlett (141 pounds), Levi Haines (157 pounds), Carter Starocci (174 pounds), Aaron Brooks (197 pounds) and Greg Kerkvliet (285 pounds).
The Nittany Lions also have four wrestlers in the top 10 — Braeden Davis (ninth, 125 pounds); Tyler Kasak (ninth, 149 pounds); Mitchell Mesenbrink (fifth, 165 pounds); Bernie Truax (sixth, 184 pounds) — while Aaron Nagao (133 pounds) is ranked 11th.
The team continues to be ranked atop the NWCA top 25 poll, as it finished off an unbeaten regular season at 12-0. The Nittany Lions shut out Edinboro in their only match this week, 55-0. It did not come without worry for the team, however, after Starocci suffered an injury in his bout. The team has not publicly updated what his status is moving forward.
The Big Ten as a whole has continued its dominance, with five schools ranked in the top 10 and seven overall in the top 25. Iowa is the highest-ranked Big Ten team behind Penn State at No. 2, with Nebraska (No. 3), Ohio State (No. 6), Michigan (No. 9), Minnesota (No. 12) and Rutgers (No. 14) also ranked.
NWCA Coaches Poll
Released Tuesday, Feb. 27
| Rank | Team (Record) | Points |
| 1 | Penn State (12-0) | 350 |
| 2 | Iowa (12-2) | 327 |
| 3 | Nebraska (12-2) | 326 |
| 4 | Oklahoma State (14-1) | 309 |
| 5 | Iowa State (13-2) | 292 |
| 6 | Ohio State (15-2) | 278 |
| 7 | NC State (16-2) | 259 |
| 8 | Cornell (12-4) | 243 |
| 9 | Michigan (8-4) | 234 |
| 10 | Missouri (10-4) | 221 |
| 11 | South Dakota State (13-4) | 218 |
| 12 | Minnesota (11-2) | 201 |
| 13 | Virginia Tech (9-4) | 183 |
| 14 | Rutgers (12-5) | 169 |
| 15 | Northern Iowa (8-6) | 151 |
| 16 | Arizona State (7-6) | 127 |
| 17 | Lehigh (7-4) | 124 |
| 18 | Arkansas-Little Rock (15-5) | 117 |
| 19 | West Virginia (10-5) | 91 |
| 20 | Stanford (10-4) | 79 |
| 21 | Oregon State (7-5) | 63 |
| 22 | Campbell (14-3) | 52 |
| 23 | Pittsburgh (10-8) | 44 |
| 24 | Appalachian State (10-3) | 31 |
| 25 | Penn (6-5) | 17 |
Others Receiving Votes: Oklahoma 12, Cal Poly 10, Indiana 10, Northern Illinois 7, North Carolina 4, Army West Point 1.
Dropped out: No. 25 Oklahoma (5-7).
