BRIGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) wrestling coaches have selected Trine University to finish fourth in the upcoming conference season according to the 2026-27 edition of the preseason coaches poll.

The Thunder took the spot with seven points in the poll. Totals are determined by votes cast by the association's coaches, who cannot vote for their own team. The highest point total receives the top spot. The defending champions from The University of Olivet were unanimously selected to repeat, garnering 16 points on four first-place votes. Adrian College was selected second with 12 points and Albion College took the third spot with the final first-place tally and 10 points.

Last season the Thunder finished third in the MIAA standings, going 2-2 in conference duals. They finished 4-7 overall. The two conference wins for the team came handily against Alma College and with a tiebreaker against the Bulldogs. Nayl Sbay was crucial to both of those victories and returns for a senior season with the squad.

Trine will open the year with their own Trine Invite before hitting the road for the rest of the 2026 portion of their schedule. They will travel to Manchester University and Indiana Tech for duals before heading to both Baldwin Wallace and Wabash for individual tournaments. The final event of the year is the Berg Holiday Duals which is scheduled for Saturday, December 12 and will see the team face off against multiple dual opponents in the same day.

The Thunder return from the holidays with a pair of home dual matches, first hosting Wabash on Saturday, January 2 before Cornerstone (Mich.) University arrives on Thursday, January 7.

The team enters MIAA play in their next dual traveling to face Olivet on Thursday, January 14. They will host Alma a week later, head to Albion on January 28 and then finish the slate with a home dual against the Bulldogs on February 4. Interspersed through the stretch is the Al Hanke Invitational on Saturday, January 16 and the Wabash College Open on Saturday, January 30.

The Thunder finish the regular season at the Mid-States Invitational hosted by Adrian, before heading back to Crawfordsville, Ind. and Wabash College for the NCAA Central Regional.