It’s been 17 years since the last time a Big Ten wrestling program was not crowned champion at the NCAA national championships.
The last non-Big Ten team to win that coveted title was the Big 12’s Oklahoma State back in 2006 — the year most first-year students now entering the University of Iowa were born. And while the Pokes lead all programs with 34 team titles, the Big Ten has done much more as a collective to dethrone all others.
The Big Ten holds four out of the top five, six out of the top 10, and nine out of the top 25 teams in the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s poll. No other conference comes close to this feat, especially as the Big 12 brings in rather random schools to compete that are otherwise without a men’s wrestling conference. Take Cal Baptist, Utah Valley, and Northern Iowa as examples.
In fact, with nine members of its now 18-team conference ranked among the nation’s top 25, the Big Ten reigns supreme. This includes No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 8 Minnesota, No. 9 Michigan, No. 11 Illinois, No. 17 Rutgers, and No. 25 Maryland. Additionally, Indiana is receiving top-25 votes.
This comes as Iowa has won the second-most 24 team titles ahead of Penn State in third with 12 — 11 of which came in the last 14 years. And Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan State, and Ohio State each have won the trophy before.
Thus, the Big Ten still stands out among other conferences as the premier destination for top-ranked high school wrestlers looking to perfect their craft and get their hands raised in the end.
Top-ranked high school recruit Bo Bassett, for example, has five of his final nine schools in the Big Ten conference: Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, Michigan, and Ohio State.
Former high school standout and current Iowa Hawkeye Angelo Ferrari believes programs such as Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State, and Nebraska are equivalent to the SEC’s dominance in Division I football.
“I’m excited to be a part of the Hawkeye gang,” Ferrari said live on FloWrestling after committing in May 2023. “It’s like Alabama football. It’s always been like that. It’s crazy.”
With big names such as Matt Ramos of Purdue, Carter Starocci and Beau Bartlett of Penn State, and Ridge Lovett of Nebraska, the Big Ten consistently receives high praise for tough competition throughout the conference. That’s not to mention Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee of Iowa.
The Big Ten, in addition to its legendary and experienced programs promoting work ethic and development, simply builds a better environment. No. 1 157-pounder Jacori Teemer, who transferred to Iowa this year after a career at Arizona State, called the Hawkeyes his favorite program yet, due much in part to the aura around the conference.
“You see everything from the YouTube clips and Instagram Reels, but there’s nothing like it when you get out there,” Arizona State transfer and current Iowa wrestler Kyle Parco added. “The fans here are so passionate, and they’re so proud. I’m thankful that I even got the opportunity to come out there today and that there are so many fans there.”
Even when a Big Ten conference member wins that NCAA national championship, another member is likely heartbroken at a runner-up finish.
From 2017-23, excluding the COVID-19 year, a Big Ten team has been both crowned a champion and a runner-up in the same season. Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, and Iowa all have runner-up finishes against a Big Ten team in the end-of-season campaign.
Winning a NCAA national championship in men’s wrestling is always within reach for Big Ten schools. And Iowa’s 133-pounder Drake Ayala is hopeful that the vision of a national title comes to fruition this season.
“My mindset is I’ve got to take one step on that podium,” Ayala said. “I got second last year. So, I’m excited to go out there dominating. A big thing for me is scoring points. I’ve got to score points, and when I do that, I wrestle like Drake Ayala, and good things happen.”
And that’s a mindset here in the Big Ten Conference.