Penn State wrestling’s Luke Lilledahl moves up in rankings as Nittany Lions stay No. 1
Penn State’s wrestling team is taking a two-week break after a dominating performance at the Black Knight Invitational at Army West Point.
Although the Nittany Lions’ next competition isn’t until Dec. 8 when they travel to Lehigh, they remained No. 1 in the the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Top 25 poll, which came out Tuesday. They earned all the first-place votes from coaches.
The top 10 saw a little bit of shake-up with Missouri falling out of the No. 9 spot, giving way for Minnesota to move into that void. The Golden Gophers saw heavyweight Gable Steveson return to their lineup, and they had a pair of shutouts against North Dakota State (39-0) and Campbell (44-0).
Northern Iowa jumped up four spots to round out the top 10, with the top eight remaining the same in Penn State, Iowa, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Ohio State, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech and Michigan.
With Minnesota joining the top 10, it gives the Big Ten half of the top 10 teams. Illinois, who is 5-0 this year, moved into the top 15 at No. 13 after beating the Tigers (23-14) and North Carolina (24-14).
Rutgers is the only other Big Ten team ranked at No. 17. The Scarlet Knights give the conference eight ranked teams, which matches the Big 12 for the most.
Lilledahl moves up, Davis falls
A little over a week ago, true freshman Luke Lilledahl made his collegiate debut for the Nittany Lions.
He received a forfeit against Drexel, but then rolled to the 125-pound title at the Black Knight Invitational. With his success came a new ranking — No. 16.
Lilledahl leaped 17 spots to his new spot.
Braeden Davis suffered an injury in the dual against the Dragons, and sat out the tournament. It cost him some ranking spots as he dropped to No. 10 from No. 7.
Penn State’s other wrestlers all remained in their same spots from last week’s rankings.
NWCA Top 25 Poll
| Rank | Points |
| 1. Penn State (1-0) | 400 |
| 2. Iowa (4-0) | 384 |
| 3. Oklahoma State (4-0) | 359 |
| 4. Nebraska (3-0) | 353 |
| 5. Ohio State (3-0) | 337 |
| 6. NC State (5-0) | 316 |
| 7. Virginia Tech (3-0) | 309 |
| 8. Michigan (3-0) | 278 |
| 9. Minnesota (3-0) | 272 |
| 10. Northern Iowa (1-0) | 231 |
| 11. Cornell (1-0) | 229 |
| 12. Iowa State (1-2) | 217 |
| 13. Illinois (5-0) | 213 |
| 14. South Dakota State (1-1) | 196 |
| 15. Missouri (1-2) | 187 |
| 16. Stanford (4-1) | 160 |
| 17. Rutgers (3-2) | 143 |
| 18. West Virginia (3-0) | 127 |
| 19. Pittsburgh (2-0) | 112 |
| 20. Little Rock (3-0) | 107 |
| 21. Lehigh (1-1) | 76 |
| 22. Oklahoma (2-0) | 70 |
| 23. Oregon State (1-2) | 26 |
| 24. North Carolina (3-2) | 23 |
| 25. Arizona State (3-2) | 22 |
Others receiving votes: Indiana 13, Maryland 12, Army West Point 11, Northern Colorado 9, Wyoming 6, Cal Poly 1, George Mason 1.
