Oklahoma State, Penn State roll in weekend duals; Drexel ranked in Top 25 for first time in school history
Manheim, Pennsylvania — Top-ranked Oklahoma State improved to 4-0 after a pair of ranked wins, while second-ranked Penn State bested an in-state rival to improve to 3-0. The Cowboys and the Nittany Lions remained No. 1 and No. 2 in this week’s USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
Oklahoma State bested then-No. 16 Oklahoma 33-3 in the first Bedlam dual of the season before shutting out then-No. 21 Pittsburgh of the ACC 39-0. Penn State drew the eighth-largest crowd (15,424) in NCAA wrestling history in their lone Bryce Jordan Center dual this season, dispensing with Lehigh 30-10.
Iowa remained unbeaten on the year, topping South Dakota State 29-8 at Frost Arena in Brookings, South Dakota. The crowd at Frost Arena, 4,087, was the largest in school history. Fans didn’t get to see the much-ballyhooed tangle between 133-pound stars Cory Clark of Iowa and Seth Gross of South Dakota State as Clark was scratched prior to the dual with an undisclosed injury.
In other dual action, Nebraska improved to 5-0 after a weekend quad meet in Lincoln saw the Huskers dispense with Big Ten foe Michigan State 35-3 and Princeton (27-6) and Drexel (33-4) of the EIWA. Ninth-ranked NC State (3-0) pulled away from then-No. 23 Appalachian State 30-8. The Mountaineers (5-1) come in ranked 22nd and picked up two wins later in the week, trouncing SoCon rival Davidson 43-3 and shutting out Sacred Heart 43-0.
South Dakota State (4-2) rebounded from Friday’s loss against Iowa to dominate three non-Division I teams at the South Dakota Showcase at The Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Drexel (6-1) debuts in this week’s poll at No. 24. The Dragons beat then-No. 25 Princeton 17-15 as part of the Nebraska quad. It’s the first time in school history the Dragons have been ranked in the Top 25 since the Coaches Poll originated in the late 1950’s. Coach Matt Azevedo’s team did lose to Nebraska 33-4, but picked up a strong 25-9 win over Michigan State to go along with the Princeton win.
“We are very excited about the progress our program has made over the past five years,” said Drexel head wrestling coach Matt Azevedo. “Earning our first national ranking is an amazing honor and a great benchmark for continued success. I am so proud of our team!”
Virginia knocked Chattanooga out of the Top 25 with a comfortable 34-11 win over the Mocs in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Sunday. Virginia won the first seven weights and cruised. For their effort, the Cavaliers enter this week’s Coaches Poll at No. 25.
| Rank | Team (First) | Record | Points | Conference | Previous |
| 1 | Oklahoma State (11) | 4-0 | 395 | Big 12 | 1 |
| 2 | Penn State (5) | 3-0 | 387 | Big Ten | 2 |
| 3 | Iowa | 4-0 | 367 | Big Ten | 3 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 3-0 | 350 | Big Ten | 4 |
| 5 | Missouri | 2-0 | 340 | MAC | 5 |
| 6 | Virginia Tech | 4-1 | 318 | ACC | 6 |
| 7 | Nebraska | 5-0 | 303 | Big Ten | 7 |
| 8 | Cornell | 3-0 | 283 | EIWA | 8 |
| 9 | NC State | 3-0 | 275 | ACC | 9 |
| 10 | Michigan | 3-0 | 254 | Big Ten | 10 |
| 11 | Lehigh | 3-1 | 241 | EIWA | 11 |
| 12 | Rutgers | 5-1 | 222 | Big Ten | 12 |
| 13 | Illinois | 0-0 | 207 | Big Ten | 13 |
| 14 | Central Michigan | 1-0 | 194 | MAC | 14 |
| 15 | Stanford | 2-1 | 176 | Pac-12 | 15 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 1-0 | 146 | Big Ten | 17 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | 1-2 | 131 | Big 12 | 16 |
| 18 | Minnesota | 1-1 | 130 | Big Ten | 18 |
| 19 | Arizona State | 1-1 | 122 | Pac-12 | 19 |
| 20 | South Dakota State | 4-2 | 96 | Big 12 | 20 |
| 21 | Northern Iowa | 3-1 | 76 | MAC | 22 |
| 22 | Appalachian State | 5-1 | 64 | SoCon | 23 |
| 23 | Pittsburgh | 3-2 | 59 | ACC | 21 |
| 24 | Drexel | 6-1 | 21 | EIWA | NR |
| 25 | Virginia | 4-2 | 13 | ACC | NR |
Others Receiving Votes: North Carolina 8, Wyoming 7, Chattanooga 6, Princeton 4, Oregon State 3, Edinboro 2
Dropped out: No. 24 Chattanooga, No. 25 Princeton