Takedown Report

Conference schedules loom as new year kicks off with Top 25 relatively unchanged

Manheim, Pennsylvania – The first NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll of the new year was released Tuesday following a limited holiday slate that featured only a handful of duals involving ranked teams.  
Second-ranked Ohio State remained unbeaten with a 41-3 win over then-No. 23 Oregon State. Third-ranked Iowa State picked up a ranked victory, edging then-No. 24 Stanford 20-18 in California. No. 6 Nebraska earned a 30-6 win over then-No. 16 Northern Iowa, while eighth-ranked South Dakota State improved to 4-0 with a 24-14 victory against Arizona State in Sioux Falls.
Those four duals accounted for the only competition involving Top 25 teams during the previous rankings period, as the majority of the poll was idle ahead of the start of the January conference schedule.
Several ranked teams return to the mat this week as the schedule ramps up following the holiday break. Third-ranked Iowa State heads west to face Arizona State on Tuesday before traveling to North Dakota State on Sunday.
Friday features a pair of ranked matchups, with No. 7 Virginia Tech visiting 14th-ranked Pittsburgh and 18th-ranked Wisconsin traveling to face fourth-ranked Iowa.
Saturday’s slate includes No. 22 Cornell at 22nd-ranked Lehigh, along with 11th-ranked Minnesota visiting 10th-ranked Illinois and 16th-ranked Rutgers heading to State College to face top-ranked Penn State.
Sunday closes the week with No. 23 Indiana visiting second-ranked Ohio State and 15th-ranked Oklahoma traveling to face fifth-ranked Oklahoma State.
No. 8 South Dakota State and No. 17 Northern Iowa headline the NWCA National Duals Division I bracket. They’ll be joined by joined by Bloomsburg, Campbell, Central Michigan, CSU Bakersfield, … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/1/6/national-wrestling-coaches-association-conference-schedules-loom-as-new-year-kicks-off-with-top-25-relatively-unchanged.aspx

January 12, 2026 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized