Two months into the Division 1 college wrestling season and multiple teams are establishing themselves as dual meet powerhouses. Take a look below at the 5 longest dual meet winning streaks heading into the new year.

Iowa - 24 Straight Wins

Last Loss: February 24th, 2019 to Oklahoma State - 27-12

Average Margin of Victory During Win Streak: 24.25

Point Differential During Win Streak: 757-175

Biggest Threat To End Streak: January 28, 2022 vs #2 Penn State Then February 12, 2022 vs Oklahoma State

The Hawkeyes narrowly escaped the Collegiate Duals undefeated after edging out NC State 19-15 in their pool final. That win put Iowa at 6-0 on the year and builds their streak up to 24 - dating all the way back to February of 2019. While the win streak is impressive, the main storyline for the Hawkeyes this season has been centered around the return of Spencer Lee and Michael Kemerer to the starting lineup. Lee showed up at the Collegiate Duals going 3-0 and taking out #11 Jakob Camacho in the process. Michael Kemerer has yet to wrestle this season and Iowa will likely need the returning NCAA Finalist to get by Penn State and Oklahoma State in the coming weeks.

Coach Terry Brands shares his outlook on the 2021-2022 Iowa Hawkeyes

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Penn State - 19 Straight Wins

Last Loss: February 9th, 2020 to Arizona State - 21-13

Average Margin of Victory During Win Streak: 21.11

Point Differential During Win Streak: 586-185

Biggest Threat To End Streak: January 28th, 2022 vs Iowa

Penn State, like Iowa, was able to navigate through their 3 dual meets at the Collegiate Duals unscathed and extend their winning streak to 19 straight. At the duals, Penn State had impressive wins over Northern Iowa, Cornell, and Arizona State. While the Nittany Lions are 8-0 on the year, things haven’t been “easy”. Sickness and line-up uncertainties caused Penn State to have a few closer than expected duals with Lehigh, Penn, and Cornell. The four returning NCAA Champions have been the backbone of Penn State’s dual success and Penn State is undefeated at 174-285 when Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, Max Dean, and Daniel Kerkvliet take the mat for the Nittany Lions. 

Penn State’s dual with the Iowa Hawkeyes is looming and the Nittany Lions might need added fire-power to upend the defending national champions. Entering the second semester, the story for the Nittany Lions will be focused on what, if any, changes will be made to their line-up. Will Drew Hildebrandt come out of retirement and man the 125-pound spot? Will Alex Facundo’s redshirt be pulled for the spot at 165? Only coach Sanderson knows the answer to these questions but we’ll find out within the next couple of weeks when Penn State starts their Big Ten dual schedule.

Max Dean has scored bonus points in 7 of his 8 dual wins:

MAX DEAN GETS THE STICK! #PSUwr pic.twitter.com/CRFwAijYEa

— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) December 5, 2021

Oklahoma State - 17 Straight Wins

Last Loss: February 23, 2020 to Iowa - 34-6

Average Margin of Victory During Win Streak: 25.53

Point Differential During Win Streak: 537-103

Biggest Threat To End Streak: February 12, 2022 vs Iowa

Oklahoma State has been the most dominant dual meet team to start the 2021-2022 season. The Cowboys are 7-0 on the year and their closest dual meet was a 23-10 victory over Minnesota. On top of that, in the 70 matches they’ve had in dual meets this year, Oklahoma State wrestlers are a combined 64-6! John Smith has his team wrestling its best in recent years and looks poised to bring home another trophy from Detroit in March. Now the quest for Oklahoma State is to catch Penn State and Iowa at the top. The Cowboys will have a chance to showcase how close they are to that feat when they face off against the Hawkeyes on February 12th at the Bout At The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas.

AJ Ferrari’s win over Stephen Buchanan in the OK State vs Wyoming dual:

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Rutgers - 10 Straight Wins

Last Loss: January 31, 2021 to Minnesota - 21-18

Average Margin of Victory During Win Streak: 29.1

Point Differential During Win Streak: 347-56

Biggest Threat To End Streak: January 16, 2022 vs Penn State

The Scarlet Knights have wrestled and won more dual meets than any other team in the country to start the 2021-2022 season - 10 dual meets in 5 weeks! In that streak, Rutgers won an average of 8 matches/dual and their closest victory was 27-10 over Clarion. Rutgers' schedule will get exponentially more challenging with the start of their Big Ten Dual schedule but the Scarlet Knights will be a tough out for anyone they face in the coming months.

Returning All-American John Poznanski is 10-0 in duals with 6 bonus point wins:

Built @RUWrestling strong.

No. 5 Poznanski takes down No. 30 Laughlin to remain 10-0 on the season. pic.twitter.com/JSqJ0sXUsp

— Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) December 11, 2021

Nebraska - 9 Straight Wins

Last loss: January 15, 2021 to Iowa - 31-6  

Average Margin of Victory During Win Streak: 24.78

Point Differential During Win Streak: 288-65

Biggest Threat To End Streak: February 6, 2022 vs Michigan

Nebraska brought a 6 match winning streak from last season into the 2021-2022 season and added 3 dual meet wins in November to build their streak to 9. On top of the dual meet wins, the Corn Huskers also took home a CKLV title over the likes of Ohio State and Michigan in early December. Nebraska is an outstanding dual meet team with 7 wrestlers ranked in the top 11 and 8 total in the top 24. It will be unlikely for Nebraska to navigate the rest of the schedule without taking a loss but the Corn Huskers should be a dangerous upset threat against Michigan, Penn State, or Iowa in their Big Ten duals.

Watch Mikey Labriola win a 2021 CKLV Title: 

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Go back in time and look at the longest win-streaks entering the 2021-2022 season here.

And while the above teams have win streaks, keep an eye on the teams below who are currently undefeated in dual meet competition this season:

• Michigan State - 5-0
• Ohio State - 4-0
• Wisconsin - 4-0
• Franklin & Marshall - 4-0
• Michigan - 3-0
• Illinois - 2-0
• Indiana - 2-0

We'll continue to keep track of the top dual teams throughout the season and update you on the longest winning streaks win conference duals are completed. In the meantime, enjoy all the incredible duals coming at you in the next two months!