MINNEAPOLIS – The NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee released its final coaches’ rankings and RPI calculations Thursday, alongside the pre-allocation of qualifying spots for the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The announcements set the stage for conference tournaments, where wrestlers will compete for automatic qualification to the national championship event.
The coaches’ rankings are determined by votes from 16 coaches in each weight class, comprised of two head coaches from each of the eight conferences. Coaches are limited to considering only wrestlers officially designated as starters, and those wrestlers must have participated in at least eight Division I matches, including one within the past 30 days, to be eligible for ranking.
The RPI, a metric used in conjunction with the coaches’ rankings, is calculated based on a wrestler’s winning percentage, the winning percentage of their opponents (strength of schedule), and the winning percentage of their opponents’ opponents. To be included in the RPI, wrestlers must have competed in a minimum of 15 Division I matches at their designated weight class.
These rankings are not the sole determinants of qualification. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will also consider head-to-head results, quality wins, conference tournament placement, results against common opponents, and overall win percentage when making at-large selections and determining seeding.
Pre-allocation of spots to qualifying tournaments was based on the regular season performance of conference wrestlers through February 23. A sliding scale, factoring in win percentage, coaches’ rank, and RPI ranking, was used to determine the number of wrestlers each conference could automatically qualify, with minimum thresholds of a .700 winning percentage, a top 30 coaches’ ranking, and a top 30 RPI ranking. The maximum pre-allocation is 29 wrestlers per weight class. A qualifying spot was awarded for each wrestler meeting at least two of the three criteria.
Each conference is guaranteed at least one automatic qualification spot per weight class, awarded to the respective tournament champion, regardless of whether any wrestlers from that conference met the pre-allocation thresholds. The final allocation of championship spots will be determined at conference tournaments based on place-finish.
Following the conclusion of all conference tournaments, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will convene to select the remaining 42 at-large qualifiers. These selections will be announced on March 10. Brackets and seeding for the championship will be revealed on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. On March 11. All weight classes will ultimately feature a field of 33 wrestlers. The 2028 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships will be held at U.S. Bank Stadium, according to recent announcements.
