MANHEIM, Pa. – The National Wrestling Coaches Association and the National Duals Selection Committee announced the formation of a Mid-Major Top 20 college wrestling poll Thursday. Southern Conference members Appalachian State and Campbell appear in the inaugural NWCA/NDS Mid-Major Top 20, which will concentrate on programs outside the traditional Power 5 conferences.

Appalachian State, ranked 16th nationally by Intermat and 21st by USA Today/NWCA, checks in at No. 6 in the mid-major poll, while Campbell debuts at No. 18.

“We’ve seen college programs use mid-major polls in men’s and women’s basketball as another way to promote those sports to their fans and local media,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “We feel this can be an adequate measure of performance for teams that don’t have the benefits of being in a Power 5 Conference.”

Cornell of the Ivy League is the top mid-major wrestling program in the nation, while EIWA rival Lehigh comes in ranked second.

All-sports members of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC are not eligible for consideration. This poll is also conducted independently of the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll.