Men's Wrestling 10/22/2026 5:00:00 PM Clayton Messerle, Assistant Athletic Director

Corban Men’s Wrestling Debuts at No. 21 in NAIA Coaches’ Preseason Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) unveiled its 2026-27 Men's Wrestling Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll on Thursday morning, with the Corban University men's wrestling program earning a No. 21 national ranking to begin the new campaign after another historic season on the mats. The Warriors collected 65 points in the opening poll and were one of six Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) programs ranked among the nation's top 25.

To view the NAIA Men's Wrestling Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, click HERE.

To view the NAIA individual weight class preseason rankings, click HERE.

"With the preseason poll out, the baseline has been established and our guys have a clearer picture of the perceptions of others," explained Corban head coach Nolan Harris. "Our focus is on getting as many allocations for the CCC as possible and steady improvement and progression leading to March. We're excited for the upcoming season and can't wait to get underway."

Harris' squad enters the season coming off yet another successful year, as Corban concluded the 2025-26 campaign ranked No. 23 nationally while producing a 17th-place finish at the NAIA National Championships, the second-highest national finish in program history. The Warriors also secured two NAIA All-Americans for the second consecutive season, highlighted by redshirt senior heavyweight Antonio Garcia's third-place national finish and junior Isaiah Twait's sixth-place showing at 184 pounds.

The Navy and Gold technically return four nationally-ranked wrestlers in the first individual ratings release of the season, as redshirt junior Luke Jensen returns to the mats for the Warriors in 2026-27 and immediately earned a No. 17 selection at 141lbs. Twait headlines the group at No. 2 nationally in the 184-pound division after earning back-to-back NAIA All-America honors and posting 30 victories last season. Garcia begins his final campaign ranked No. 3 at heavyweight following a 29-win season and a podium finish at the national championships. Senior grappler Jr Downing also earned a national ranking, checking in at No. 21 in the 157-pound weight class after qualifying for the NAIA National Championships in back-to-back seasons.

Nationally, defending championship contender Grand View University earned the No. 1 spot in the preseason poll with 243 points, followed by Southern Oregon University and a tie for third between Southeastern University (Fla.) and Life University (Ga.). The CCC placed multiple programs among the nation's elite alongside the Warriors, as Southern Oregon claimed the No. 2 position, while the University of Providence checked in at No. 5, Arizona Chirstian University in at No. 13, Montana State University-Northern at 18th, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 23rd, and three more in the receiving votes section (Westcliff University, Eastern Oregon University, The Evergreen State College).

NAIA Men's Wrestling Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll – October 22nd, 2026

Rank	Institution	Points
1.	Grand View (Iowa)	243
2.	Southern Oregon	218
T3.	Southeastern (Fla.)	201
T3.	Life (Ga.)	201
5.	Providence (Mont.)	165
6.	Oklahoma City	139
7.	Central Methodist (Mo.)	121
T8.	Indiana Tech	116
T8.	Friends (Kan.)	116
T10.	Marian (Ind.)	114
T10.	Campbellsville (Ky.)	114
12.	Cumberlands (Ky.)	111
13.	Arizona Christian	102
14.	Doane (Neb.)	91
15.	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	90
16.	Morningside (Iowa)	81
17.	Cumberland (Tenn.)	80
18.	Montana State-Northern	79
19.	Reinhardt (Ga.)	78
20.	Missouri Valley	74
21.	Corban (Ore.)	65
22.	Keiser (Fla.)	62
23.	Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)	60
24.	Andrew (Ga.)	53
25.	Bellevue (Neb.)	44

Receiving Votes (RV): Westcliff (Calif.) 43, William Woods (Mo.) 42, Cornerstone (Mich.) 41, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 37, Eastern Oregon (Ore.) 35, Hastings (Neb.) 34, Truett-McConnell (Ga.) 34, Ottawa (Kan.) 34, Saint Mary (Kan.) 33, Montreat (N.C.) 25, Wayland Baptist (Texas) 25, Baker (Kan.) 24, Evergreen State (Wash.) 22, Missouri Baptist (Mo.) 21, Texas Wesleyan (Texas) 21, St. Ambrose (Iowa) 19, Graceland (Iowa) 18, Georgetown (Ky.) 17, Briar Cliff (Iowa) 16, Benedictine (Kan.) 12, Cleary (Mich.) 11, Concordia (Neb.) 11, Dickinson State (N.D.) 9, Waldorf (Iowa) 9, Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 9, Defiance (Ohio) 7, Pikeville (Ky.) 6, St. Thomas (Fla.) 3, Bismarck State (N.D.) 3

The Warriors are slated to open the 2026-27 season next week at the Falcon Open in Wichita, Kansas, hosted by No. 8-ranked Friends University at Hartman Arena where the 2027 NAIA National Championships will be held. The October 31st meet will feature some of the most premier NAIA wrestling programs from across the country as an immediate test to see where the Dubs fit into the national scene.