KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Grand View University (Iowa) claimed the No. 1 spot in the fifth edition of the 2020-21 NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20, released Friday night by the NAIA office. Joining the Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Life (Ga.), Reinhardt (Ga.) and Missouri Valley.
Eight Cascade Collegiate Conference teams appear on the list, with two finding spots in the top-20. Vanguard University leads the charge with a No. 15 ranking, while Montana State-Northern is in the No. 19 spot. Eastern Oregon University, University of Providence, Arizona Christian University, Warner Pacific University, Corban University, and Southern Oregon University all are receiving votes in the poll.
Two individual CCC athletes remain atop their respective weight classes as well. WPU’s Austin Wallace-Lister sits in the No. 1 spot at 133 pounds. MSUN also saw Isaac Bartel also retained his top ranking at 197 pounds.
2020-21 NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll 5 (February 5, 2021)
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
215 |
| 2 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
155 |
| 3 |
Life University (Ga.) |
145 |
| 4 |
Reinhardt University (Ga.) |
114 |
| 5 |
Missouri Valley |
101 |
| 6 |
Indiana Tech |
99 |
| 7 |
Doane University |
75 |
| 8 |
Cumberland (Tenn.) |
74 |
| 9 |
Marian University (IN) |
71 |
| 10 |
Baker (Kan.) |
61 |
| 10 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
61 |
| 10 |
Graceland University |
61 |
| 13 |
Southeastern |
57 |
| 14 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
53 |
| 15 |
Vanguard University |
53 |
| 16 |
Lourdes University |
51 |
| 17 |
Oklahoma City |
48 |
| 18 |
Ottawa University |
42 |
| 19 |
Montana State-Northern |
41 |
| 20 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
38 |
Receiving Votes: Eastern Oregon 36, York (Neb.) 36, Thomas More (Ky.) 35,
Providence 33,
Arizona Christina 31, Briar Cliff (Iowa) 28, St. Mary (Kan.) 27, Concordia (Neb.) 24, Hastings (Neb.) 24, Midway (Ky.) 23, Williams Baptist (Ark.) 23, Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 21,
Warner Pacific 21, Texas Wesleyan 20, Wayland Baptist (Texas) 19, Bluefield 17,
Corban 13, Dickinson State (N.D.) 11, Midland (Neb.) 11, Rochester 11, Northwestern (Iowa) 9, Truett-McConnell (Ga.) 5, Central Methodist (Mo.) 4, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 3, Missouri Baptist 2,
Southern Oregon 2, William Penn (Iowa) 2
Top-Ranked Individuals | Individual Rankings
125 – Justin Portillo, Grand View (Iowa)
133 – Austin Wallace-Lister, Warner Pacific (Ore.)
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 – Isaac 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 is 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.