KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In the first coaches’ poll of 2021 Grand View University (Iowa) claimed the No. 1 spot, announced by the NAIA national office Thursday. Joining the Vikings in this week's top five were Life (Ga.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Reinhardt (Ga.) and Indiana Tech.
Ten Cascade Collegiate Conference teams remain in the rankings, with three finding spots in the top-20. Montana State-Northern and Vanguard University sit tied for the No. 17 spot, while Eastern Oregon University closed out the poll at No. 20. Arizona Christian University, University of Providence, Warner Pacific University, Southern Oregon University, Simpson University, Corban University and Life Pacific University are all receiving votes.
Two individual CCC wrestlers remain at the top of their respective weight classes, with WPU’s Austin Wallace-Lister in the No. 1 spot at 133 pounds and MSUN’s Isaac Bartel leading the 197-pound weight class.
2020-21 NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll 3 (January 7, 2021)
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
207 |
| 2 |
Life University |
170 |
| 3 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
167 |
| 4 |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
120 |
| 5 |
Indiana Tech |
106 |
| 5 |
Southeastern |
91 |
| 6 |
Cumberland (Tenn.) |
90 |
| 7 |
Missouri Valley |
79 |
| 8 |
Oklahoma City |
78 |
| 9 |
Graceland University |
64 |
| 10 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
63 |
| 11 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
61 |
| 12 |
Doane University |
60 |
| 12 |
Marian University (IN) |
60 |
| 14 |
Ottawa University |
49 |
| 15 |
York (Neb.) |
44 |
| 16 |
Lourdes University |
40 |
| 17 |
Montana State-Northern |
39 |
| 17 |
Vanguard University |
39 |
| 19 |
University of Saint Mary (KS) |
37 |
| 20 |
Eastern Oregon University (OR) |
32 |
Receiving Votes: Arizona Christian 31,
Providence (Mont.) 30, Briar Cliff (Iowa) 28, Baker (Kan.) 27,
Warner Pacific 26,
Southern Oregon 22, Williams Baptist 20, Hastings (Neb.) 19, Morningside (Iowa) 19, Concordia (Neb.) 18, Texas Wesleyan 17, Midway 16, Thomas More 16, William Penn (Iowa) 16,
Simpson (Calif.) 15,
Corban (Ore.) 14, Dickinson State (N.D.) 14, Bluefield College 13, Northwestern (Iowa) 13, Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 11, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 8, Rochester 8, Midland (Neb.) 7,
Life Pacific 4, Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) 3
Top-Ranked Individuals | Individual Rankings
125 – Justin Portillo, Grand View (Iowa)
133 – Austin Wallace-Lister, Warner Pacific
141 – Baterdene Boldmaa, Doane (Neb.)
149 – Marty Margolis, Grand View (Iowa)
157 – Nolan Saxton, Reinhardt (Ga.)
165 – Elias Vaoifi, Missouri Valley
174 – Brennan Swafford, Graceland (Iowa)
184 – Riley Jaramillo, Saint Mary (Kan.)
197 – Issac Bartel, Montana State-Northern
285 – Brandon Reed, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the eight conferences.
- Two days prior to the national poll, each qualifying group rater submits the top six individuals from each weight class in his conference into the system. Only wrestlers listed on a conference ballot are considered for the national ballot.
- The top 20 individuals in each weight class are based on how each voter ranks the best individuals. An individual receives 20 points for each first-place vote, 19 for second place and so on through the list. This same point system is used to determine the team ranking.
- The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team's ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot
- The postseason poll is determined using the individual and team results from the national championship
- For the complete Top 20 calendar, click here.