The 10 Best College Wrestling Teams Ever
College wrestling is one of the most storied competitive sports in the United States. It’s a sport with deep history rooted in tradition, skill, and tenacity.
The NCAA first founded the sport in 1928 and since then, some of the most dominant wrestling programs have been established. Below is a breakdown of the 10 best college wrestling teams ever in NCAA history.
Check out the short histories of these school’s below and see how they became wrestling powerhouses.
10. Cornell Big Red
- Notable Coach: Rob Kroll
- 20 Individual NCAA Champions
- 150+ All-American Wrestler
Among the Ivy League schools, Cornell has established themselves as one of the 10 best college wrestling teams ever. Coach Rob Kroll has grown the Cornell Big Red to dominate the Ivy League conference and win numerous conference titles.
Even on the national level, Cornell always finishes in the top-ten every year in the finals. While they’ve never won a national title, they’ve produced over 20 NCAA champions and 150 All-Americans.
Arguably the greatest Cornell wrestler ever is Kyle Dake, who won four NCAA championships in 4 divisions..
9. Lehigh Mountain Hawks
- Notable Coach: Greg Strobel & Pat Santoro
- 25 Individual NCAA Champions
- 150+ All-American Wrestlers
Lehigh has a storied history as one of the 10 best college wrestling teams ever. The small school has a storied wrestling history that dates back over a century.
Thanks to legendary coach Greg Strobel, the Mountain Hawks rose to prominence as a competitive wrestling school. In Lehigh’s history, over 25 NCAA champions have come from the program.
This includes, Leihigh’s current coach Pat Santoro, who is the only 4-time All-American in school history.
8. Arizona State Sun Devils
- Notable Coach: Bobby Douglas
- 1 NCAA Team National Title(1988)
- 15 Individual NCAA Champions
- 110 All-American Wrestlers
The Arizona State Sun Devils made history in 1988 by becoming the first Pac-10 school to win the NCAA team title. Since then, Arizona State has set the standard for wrestling schools on the west coast.
Under the guidance of the legend Bobby Douglas, the school has produced numerous known wrestlers. Two of the most prominent being gold medalist Kevin Jackson and former UFC champion Cain Velasquez.
The Sun Devils’ ability to consistently develop top talent makes them one of the 10 best college wrestling teams ever.
7. Michigan Wolverines
- Notable Coach: Cliff Keen & Sean Bormet
- 1 NCAA Team National Title(2022)
- 20+ Individual NCAA Champions
- 220+ All-American Wrestlers
Michigan is more known as a college football powerhouse, but they also have a storied wrestling history. In the early 20th century, wrestling legend Cliff Keen developed Michigan into a top wrestling school.
However, despite being founded by Keen, the Wolverines hadn’t met expectations for decades. That was until recently as coach Sean Bormet has brought them back to prominence.
The Wolverines won their first national title in 2022 and are now a consistent top-ten school.
6. Iowa State Cyclones
- Notable Coaches: Harold Nichols & Bobby Douglas
- 8 NCAA Team Championships
- 70 NCAA Individual Champions
- 300+ All-American Wrestlers
Iowa is often thought of as one of the 10 best college wrestling teams ever. However, their in-state rival in the Iowa State Cyclones has a storied wrestling history of their own.
Under legendary wrestling coach Harold Nichols, the Cyclones became a top wrestling program. Nichols was preceded by Bobby Douglas before he went to Arizona State and later Iowa State legend Cael Sanderson.
Cael Sanderson is the only undefeated wrestler in Iowa State history, who won 4 NCAA titles.
5. Minnesota Golden Gophers
- Notable Coach: J. Robinson
- 3 NCAA Team Championships
- 20+ NCAA Individual Champions
- 150+ All-American Wrestlers
The Minnesota Golden Gophers, under the leadership of coach J. Robinson reached the pinnacle of college wrestling in the early 2000s. During this decade, they made their mark as one of the 10 best college wrestling teams ever.
They won 3 NCAA team championships(2001, 2002, 2007) and have remained a top-ranked wrestling program. This program has produced over 20 NCAA champions, which includes former UFC champion and WWE star Brock Lesnar.
4. Oklahoma Sooners
- Notable Coaches: Tommy Evans & Stan Abel
- 7 NCAA Team Championships
- 65 NCAA Individual Champions
- 275 All-American Wrestlers
Though not as dominant in recent years, the Oklahoma Sooners are one of the 10 best college wrestling teams ever. From the 1930s to 1970s, the University of Oklahoma won 7 NCAA team championships.
Under the guidance of Tommy Evans and later Stan Abel over 65 NCAA champions and 275 All-Americans have come from Oklahoma. Some Sooner wrestling legends include Mickey Martin, Mark Schultz, and David Schultz.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions
- Notable Coach: Cael Sanderson
- 11 NCAA Team Championships
- 50+ NCAA Individual Champions
- 240+ All-American Wrestlers
Over the last decade, wrestling legend Cael Sanderson has brought Penn State to greatness. They have easily become one of the 10 best college wrestling teams ever.
The Nittany Lions have won 11 NCAA team titles and have now produced over 30 NCAA champions. Nittany Lions Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks made history by becoming 4x NCAA champions.
2. Iowa Hawkeyes
- Notable Coaches: Dan Gable & Tom Brands
- 24 NCAA Team Championships
- 84 NCAA Individual Champions
- 349 All-Americans
The Iowa Hawkeyes are often considered one of the 10 best college wrestling teams ever. Wrestling icon Dan Gable took over as Iowa coach after retiring from competition and made them legendary.
In Gable’s 21 years as head coach, the Hawkeyes won 15 NCAA championships. His student, Tom Brands then took over the school and won 4 national titles of his own.
Today, Iowa is continuing their legacy of excellence as one of the country’s top wrestling programs.
1. Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Notable Coaches: Ed Gallagher, Myron Roderick, John Smith
- 34 NCAA Team Championships
- 140+ NCAA Individual Champions
- 450+ All-American Wrestlers
Out of the 10 best college wrestling teams ever, no other program has achieved more than Oklahoma State. Going back to the legend Ed Gallagher then Myron Roderick, and John Smith, the Cowboys have always been a powerhouse.
In OSU’s history, they have hoisted a record 34 NCAA team teams and over 140 NCAA champions. No other school in history has achieved more than the OSU Cowboys.
Now in a new era under the legendary Dave Taylor, the Cowboys will continue their legacy of winning.
