Kicking off: Usual suspects atop first NWCA Division I Coaches Poll of 2021-22 season
Manheim, Pennsylvania – After winning the school’s first NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship since 2010, Iowa starts the season ranked No. 1 in the first NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, released on Monday.
The Hawkeyes went 5-0 in last year’s shortened season and returns everyone from its championships season. Rival Penn State, which also finished 5-0 last season, comes in ranked second. The Big Ten boasts 11 ranked teams in the Top 25 and half of the Top 10.
Missouri finished 10-0 last season and has made the move back to the Big 12 after winning nine straight Mid-American Conference championships. The Tigers moved to the MAC after the school left the Big 12 as an all-sports member in 2012-13 for the Southeastern Conference, which doesn’t sponsor wrestling. The Tigers left the Big 12 as its conference champions in the 2011-12 season.
Michigan, which boasts an extremely veteran lineup that includes two Tokyo Olympians, starts the year ranked fourth, followed by NC State out of the ACC, one spot ahead of rival Virginia Tech. Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Nebraska and Ohio State round out the Top 10.
Two Ivy League schools competing in the EIWA, Cornell and Princeton, return to the mats after sitting out last season due to COVID-19 concerns. Cornell has a new head coach, as alum Mike Grey took over for Rob Koll, who left to take the head coaching position at Stanford after that program and 10 other sports were saved from elimination.
The first two ranked Division I teams are in action on Monday, November 1, the opening day of competition. No. 12 North Carolina hosts Division II Queen’s University of Charlotte and 2021 NAIA champion Life University, while Buffalo is at No. 22 Wisconsin.
Methodology: The NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, 24 points for a second-place vote, 23 for a third-place vote and so on through to one point for a 25th-place vote. The poll is based on dual meet results. Teams who are not competing this season are not included in the voting process.
NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll
November 1, 2021
| Rank | Team (First) | 2021 Rec. | Points | Conf. | 2021 Final Rank |
| 1 | Iowa (14) | (5-0) | 350 | Big Ten | 1 |
| 2 | Penn State | (5-0) | 336 | Big Ten | 2 |
| 3 | Missouri | (10-0) | 305 | Big 12 | 5 |
| 4 | Michigan | (5-1) | 301 | Big Ten | 4 |
| 5 | NC State | (6-1) | 274 | ACC | 7 |
| 6 | Virginia Tech | (9-0) | 272 | ACC | 3 |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | (10-0) | 270 | Big 12 | 6 |
| 8 | Arizona State | (6-0) | 264 | Pac-12 | 9 (tie) |
| 9 | Nebraska | (7-1) | 233 | Big Ten | 8 |
| 10 | Ohio State | (5-4) | 218 | Big Ten | 12 |
| 11 | Minnesota | (7-2) | 197 | Big Ten | 9 (tie) |
| 12 | North Carolina | (5-2) | 166 | ACC | 14 |
| 13 | Cornell | (0-0) | 157 | EIWA | DNC |
| 14 | Iowa State | (9-3) | 148 | Big 12 | 13 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh | (3-4) | 143 | ACC | 16 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | (5-5) | 121 | Big 12 | 19 |
| 17 | Northern Iowa | (4-4) | 106 | Big 12 | 15 |
| 18 | Illinois | (5-3) | 93 | Big Ten | 11 |
| 19 | Rutgers | (0-4) | 78 | Big Ten | NR |
| 20 | Wyoming | (3-3) | 60 | Big 12 | 25 |
| 21 | Purdue | (3-5) | 53 | Big Ten | 18 |
| 22 (tie) | Princeton | (0-0) | 47 | EIWA | DNC |
| 22 (tie) | Wisconsin | (1-6) | 47 | Big Ten | NR |
| 24 | Lehigh | (3-4) | 45 | EIWA | NR |
| 25 | Northwestern | (2-6) | 42 | Big Ten | NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Stanford 39, Oregon State 33, Virginia 31, Central Michigan, Michigan State 25, Campbell 24, Navy 18, South Dakota State 11, Cal Poly 9, Appalachian State 7, Hofstra, West Virginia 1.
Coaches Poll Release Dates for 2021-22:
Nov. 1, Nov. 9, Nov. 16, Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Dec. 21, Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 18, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 15, Feb. 22.
Mid-Major Poll Release Dates to be announced.
