Penn State wrestling tops NWCA preseason coaches poll. See the full rankings
With the 2025-2026 wrestling season right around the corner, the National Wrestling Coaches Association released its preseason Top 25 poll on Wednesday.
It’s no surprise which team is at the top with Penn State, who was a unanimous choice, coming off winning its fourth straight NCAA title.
The Nittany Lions are also on a 71-match winning streak, which is the current record for the Division I era of the NCAA in college wrestling. However, the streak is five shy of the overall college wrestling record, which was set by Oklahoma State from 1937 to 1951.
The Big Ten as a conference has eight teams ranked — four of which are the top four teams in the country.
Behind Penn State is Nebraska (No. 2), Iowa (No. 3) and Ohio State (No. 4). The other ranked conference teams are Minnesota (No. 9), Michigan (No. 11), Rutgers (No. 15) and Illinois (No. 16).
The Big 12 also has eight teams ranked in the top 25 in Oklahoma State (No. 5), Iowa State (No. 6), Northern Iowa (No. 13), South Dakota State (No. 17), Missouri (No. 18), Oklahoma (No. 19), West Virginia (No. 20) and Wyoming (No. 25).
NWCA Top 25
| Team | Points | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Penn State | 400 | Big Ten |
| 2. Nebraska | 379 | Big Ten |
| 3. Iowa | 363 | Big Ten |
| 4. Ohio State | 330 | Big Ten |
| 5. Oklahoma State | 328 | Big 12 |
| 6. Iowa State | 321 | Big 12 |
| 7. North Carolina State | 279 | ACC |
| 8. Lehigh | 274 | EIWA |
| 9. Minnesota | 263 | Big Ten |
| 10. Virginia Tech | 257 | ACC |
| 11. Michigan | 215 | Big Ten |
| 12. Cornell | 214 | Ivy |
| 13. Northern Iowa | 199 | Big 12 |
| 14. Stanford | 198 | ACC |
| 15. Rutgers | 189 | Big Ten |
| 16. Illinois | 187 | Big Ten |
| 17. South Dakota State | 135 | Big 12 |
| 18. Missouri | 123 | Big 12 |
| 19. Oklahoma | 104 | Big 12 |
| 20. West Virginia | 83 | Big 12 |
| 21. Pittsburgh | 81 | ACC |
| 22. Little Rock | 78 | Pac 12 |
| 23. North Carolina | 55 | ACC |
| 24. Army West Point | 38 | EIWA |
| 25. Wyoming | 29 | Big 12 |
Others receiving votes: Purdue 20, Penn 19, Wisconsin 11, Arizona State 5, Navy 5, Indiana 4, Lock Haven 4, Cal Poly 3, Columbia 3, Maryland 2, Oregon State 1, Rider 1
