Pair of Penn State wrestlers climb Intermat rankings as team stays No. 1 in NWCA Poll
Another season has come and gone with Penn State’s wrestling team sitting atop the National Wrestling Coaches Association Top 25.
The Nittany Lions received all the first-place votes every single week of the poll to establish their dominance.
Joining Penn State in the top five are Iowa, Oklahoma State, Northern Iowa and Nebraska, in that order. The Hawkeyes had been the No. 3 team in the country after losing to the Nittany Lions on Jan. 31. But Iowa topped the Cowboys on Sunday, 21-16, to hand Oklahoma State its first and lone loss of the year. The Panthers finished the season in their highest ranking ever for the program.
When it came to the Nittany Lions’ individual Intermat rankings, all remained the same but two.
Luke Lilledahl and Braeden Davis each were able to move up one spot in their respective weight classes to keep Penn State with all 10 wrestlers ranked in the top 10.
Lilledahl moved up to No. 8 at 125 pounds with Davis advancing to No. 6 at 133 pounds.
The Nittany Lions have four wrestlers ranked No. 1 in Beau Bartlett (141 pounds), Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Carter Starocci (184). They have four other wrestlers coming in No. 2 in Shayne Van Ness (149), Levi Haines (174), Josh Barr (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (285).
With the regular season behind it, Penn State now shifts its focus toward the Big Ten Championships slated for March 8-9 at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
NWCA Top 25 Poll
| Rank | Team (First) | Record | Points | Previous |
| 1 | Penn State (16) | (15-0) | 400 | 1 |
| 2 | Iowa | (14-1) | 383 | 3 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | (13-1) | 367 | 2 |
| 4 | Northern Iowa | (14-1) | 354 | 4 |
| 5 | Nebraska | (11-3) | 333 | 5 |
| 6 | Minnesota | (10-2) | 320 | 6 |
| 7 | Ohio State | (13-3) | 300 | 8 |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | (9-2) | 279 | 10 |
| 9 | NC State | (11-2) | 268 | 7 |
| 10 | Cornell | (11-1) | 252 | 9 |
| 11 | Rutgers | (14-5) | 233 | 11 |
| 12 | Iowa State | (12-5) | 232 | 12 |
| 13 | South Dakota State | (14-4) | 217 | 13 |
| 14 | Illinois | (9-4) | 196 | 14 |
| 15 | Little Rock | (17-3) | 181 | 15 |
| 16 | North Carolina | (9-6) | 147 | 16 |
| 17 | Pittsburgh | (10-6) | 145 | 18 |
| 18 | Stanford | (10-5) | 135 | 17 |
| 19 | Michigan | (7-5) | 114 | 19 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | (8-4) | 94 | 20 |
| 21 | Lehigh | (7-4) | 79 | 21 |
| 22 | Indiana | (8-5) | 57 | 22 |
| 23 | Army West Point | (8-3) | 47 | 24 |
| 24 | West Virginia | (10-7) | 23 | 23 |
| 25 | Missouri | (5-10) | 16 | 25 |
Others receiving votes: Penn 9, Wyoming 8, Campbell 6, Navy 2, Oregon State 2, Northern Colorado 1.
