Manheim, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has released the Preseason Division III Men’s Coaches Poll, and the team that ended last season on top is starting this one there too. Wartburg, which won the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championship by 42 points in Cedar Rapids, opens the 2026-27 season ranked first in the tournament team top 25 with 62 points.
Last season’s runner-up, UW-La Crosse, is second with 54 points. Roanoke College (53.5), Augsburg University (45), and Coe College (41) round out the top five.
Four returning national champions open the season ranked first at their weights. They are TCNJ’s Garrett Totten (133), Wartburg’s Kade Blume (141), UW-La Crosse’s Tanner Gerber (174), and NYU’s Mo Talebi (197). Gerber won last year’s title at 165 and moves up to 174 this season. No team has more than one top-ranked wrestler. The ten #1s come from ten different schools.
TOP RANKED INDIVIDUALS | NATIONAL RANKINGS | REGIONAL RANKINGS
125 – Brayden Parke, Coe
133 – Garrett Totten, TCNJ
141 – Kade Blume, Wartburg
149 – Max Mukhamedaliyev, Chicago
157 – Rhenzo Augusto, Elmhurst
165 – Keegan Demarest, Messiah
174 – Tanner Gerber, UW-La Crosse
184 – Jamie Evarts, Williams
197 – Mo Talebi, NYU
285 – Jonah Clark, Loras
TOURNAMENT TOP 25 | PDF DOWNLOAD
| RANK | INSTITUTION | TOTAL POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wartburg | 62 |
| 2 | UW La Crosse | 54 |
| 3 | Roanoke | 53.5 |
| 4 | Augsburg | 45 |
| 5 | Coe | 41 |
| 6 | TCNJ | 33 |
| 7 | NYU | 27.5 |
| T8 | Washington & Lee | 25 |
| T8 | Elmhurst | 25 |
| T8 | Baldwin Wallace | 25 |
| 11 | JWU | 24 |
| 12 | Loras | 22.5 |
| 13 | UW Stevens Point | 22 |
| 14 | Chicago | 21 |
| 15 | Williams | 18.5 |
| 16 | Ohio Northern | 17.5 |
| T17 | Wabash | 16 |
| T17 | Messiah | 16 |
| 19 | UW Whitewater | 14.5 |
| 20 | UW Eau Claire | 13 |
| 21 | USCGA | 12.5 |
| T22 | Ursinus | 12 |
| T22 | Penn College | 12 |
| T22 | Manchester | 12 |
| T25 | North Central | 10.5 |
| T25 | Eastern | 10.5 |
TOURNAMENT POLL METHODOLOGY: This is a Tournament Power Index ranking. The poll is not based on a team’s dual strength. TPI point totals come from individual rankings, which correspond directly to placement points at the NCAA tournament: 1st=16 pts, 2nd=12, 3rd=10, 4th=9, 5th=7, 6th=6, 7th=4, 8th=3, 9th=2, 10th=1, 11th–15th=.5. The top point totals will be lower than actual NCAA tournament scores because they do not include bonus or advancement points.
PRESEASON CRITERIA: Preseason rankings include returning wrestlers and Division III-to-Division III transfers only. Freshmen are not eligible. Starting with the next poll, wrestlers must have competed at a weight during the 2026-27 season to be ranked there.
Ranking Committee
Region 1: Scott Legacy, VTSU Castleton & Mike Sugermeyer, Western New England
Region 2: Anthony Bonaventura, Stevens Institute & Corey Luce, NYU
Region 3: Anthony Terlizzi, Ursinus & Andrew Taylor, Eastern
Region 4: Nate Yetzer, Roanoke & Ryan Riggs, Mount Union
Region 5: Grant Zamin, North Central & Jake Fredricksen, Wabash
Region 6: Dave Mitchell, Luther & Eric Keller, Wartburg
Region 7: Tony Valek, Augsburg & Dave Malecek, UW-La Crosse
