10 Tight NCAA Team Races That Went Down To The Wire
10 Tight NCAA Team Races That Went Down To The Wire
Most NCAA championships are decided before the individual finals, with rare team races that come down to the wire. The following 10 were decided by two points or less.
10. 1999 Division I NCAA championships
First place: Iowa – 100.5
Second place: Minnesota – 98.5
Spread: 2 points
The grand finale of the 1999 NCAA championships came down to two of the most famous heavyweights in college wrestling history: Stephen Neal of Cal-State Bakersfield and Brock Lesnar of Minnesota.
Neal won the highly anticipated match, 3-2, over Lesnar, giving Iowa a two-point victory over Minnesota. Neal earned a freestyle World title later that year before snagging three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots. Lesnar became a successful professional wrestler before a short stint in the UFC. Minnesota head coach J Robinson would have to wait two more seasons until he won his elusive NCAA team title. Typically, the second-place team analyzes the ways it could have won. Minnesota had several mishaps, but coaches and athletes from the team will likely mention two.
1. Iowa’s Wes Hand was chosen to attend the NCAA championships over Minnesota’s Chad Erikson, even though both placed eighth at the Big 10 championships. The top seven finishers from the Big 10s earned a berth to the NCAA tournament, with two wildcards selected by coaches. Hand scored 2.5 points at the NCAA championships, and Iowa won by 2 points.
2. Penn State’s Clint Musser won a 2-1 tiebreaker over Minnesota’s Chad Kraft in the 157-pound semifinals. A coin flip decided which wrestler was given the choice of top or bottom in the 30-second tiebreaker. The coin appeared to flip in Kraft’s favor, but at the last second, it took an awkward bounce, and Musser was given his choice. He took down and got away. Musser placed second, and Kraft placed fifth.
Doug Schwab (141) and T.J. Williams (149) won titles for the Hawkeyes. Minnesota’s Brandon Eggum dropped his match to Cael Sanderson at 184 pounds, while Tim Hartung defeated Iowa’s Lee Fullhart, giving the Golden Gophers a chance at heavyweight.
Neal won his match over Lesnar, giving Iowa a two-point win.
9. 1999 Division III NCAA championships
First place: Wartburg – 117.5
Second place: Augsburg – 116
Spread: 1.5 points
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Augsburg in 1999. The Auggies won the previous three NCAA championships and were on the cusp of winning four in a row, had it not been for a complete meltdown.
Augsburg led 112-109.5 entering the finals. The Auggies sent five to the finals compared to two for the Knights, with two head-to-head match-ups. Augsburg won both head-to-head matches by major decision earlier in the season. For Wartburg, those results didn’t matter.
Zac Weiglein beat Darin Bertram (125), and Ben Shane beat Josh Cagle (149), 7-5, to give Wartburg a 117.5-116 lead after Augsburg’s John Marchette … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15171818-10-tight-ncaa-team-races-that-went-down-to-the-wire
Men’s and Women’s Wrestling Dominate First KCAC Conference Dual Meets of the Season
York, Neb. – Both Friends wrestling programs took a trip up to York, Neb. for a KCAC conference double header Friday night. The women led off and controlled the dual the whole way through. Cruising to a 51-6 victory over the Panthers, winning their first conference match up and bringing their dual meet record to 2-0.
In the 110 lb weight class, Anissa Robinson started the Falcons off strong, getting a 31 second technical fall over Grace Conner. The Falcons would be down 6-5 after two matches. This got the ball rolling for the Falcons as they would win via fall or tech fall in their next seven matches. The premier wrestlers on Friends would handle their business in quick fashion.
No. 18 ranked Kaylynn Martin would follow up Robinson with a tech fall of her own in the time of 1:11. No. 18 ranked Alexis Means in the 145 lb weight class, would continue … more at … https://friendsathletics.com/news/2026/1/10/mens-wrestling-mens-and-womens-wrestling-dominate-first-kcac-conference-dual-meets-of-the-season.aspx
DI Live Streaming Guide (1/15 – 1/18/2026)
It’s the second full week of 2026! From here on out, the majority of the action will be in dual meet competition. Almost all of the DI action this week will come via duals. A total of 55 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links).
Thursday, January 15:
VMI at Appalachian State 6:00 PM FloWrestling
Missouri at Arizona State 8:30 PM ESPN+
Friday, January 16:
Brown vs. Presbyterian at Davidson 10:00 AM FloWrestling
Bucknell vs. North Dakota State at Davidson 10:00 AM FloWrestling
Brown vs. Lock Haven at Davidson 12:00 PM FloWrestling
Bucknell at Davidson 12:00 PM FloWrestling
North Dakota State at Davidson 2:30 PM FloWrestling
Lock Haven vs. Presbyterian at Davidson 2:30 PM FloWrestling
Brown vs. Bucknell at Davidson 4:30 PM FloWrestling
Lock Haven vs. North Dakota State at Davidson 4:30 PM FloWrestling … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/47_streaming-guide/di-live-streaming-guide-115-1182026-r100756/
Klessinger: Learn from buffalo: run straight into difficulty
By John Klessinger
I saw something recently that really piqued my interest. It was about buffaloes and how they respond to storms. If a storm is coming, the buffalo will run right into the storm. This was unusual, so I investigated it a little more and found an article that talked about how buffalo and cows cohabitate in the Midwest due to the geography of mountains and plains. Or at least at close by in proximity.
When a storm is coming, a cow will try to flee the storm. Run away from it. Ultimately, the cow will hit the entire storm from beginning to end. The cow’s attempt to outrun the storm actually prolongs the intensity.
A buffalo, on the other hand, turns and runs into the storm. They meet it head-on. I don’t know if it is instinct or biology or both, but the buffalo knows if they run into the storm, the time of intensity lessens. The brunt will be quicker and consequently over sooner.
Most often, people are cows. We avoid things that will cause pain. We may procrastinate and push away something that will bring discomfort. It could be a paper that needs to be written for a class. We say we will do it later. We distract ourselves with unproductive time on social media, television and daydreaming. In other words, we avoid the storm.
What happens? The storm catches up to us. And, like the cow, we feel its full force. If we faced it head-on like the buffalo, if we did the hard work now instead of later, we would have saved ourselves a lot of discomfort and stress.
You know as well as I do that it doesn’t go away when we avoid something. Whatever it is, studying for a test, extra drilling, the tough conversation, it still lingers in our minds. We still have the anticipation or worry. The bodily sensations of dread and apprehension increase a little because of our avoidance. The intensity of the storm actually becomes greater. We are prolonging the inevitable. We know that but still choose to run away. At least temporarily.
I write a lot about similar things. I love wrestling. Wrestling is a metaphor like the buffalo. To me, wrestling has become like the buffalo. The sport teaches us to stay the course, embrace challenges and not be afraid of the storm. But, it takes work. If we genuinely ever want to get out of this sport what we want, we have to be the buffalo. We have to run into the storms. Face whatever brings us fear. Wrestle the best opponents. Do the challenging workouts. Push yourself each day, even when it feels impossible. Surprisingly, what we learn is that although challenging at times, it is better than running away from it. It is a shorter period of intensity. It may be a loss. Or a few days of discomfort studying when you are tired. The conversation with your boss may have been difficult. But in the end, you did it. You faced the challenge head-on and, … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2026/01/07/klessinger-learn-from-buffalo-run-straight-into-difficulty/
Averett University Cougars raid Hornets on Senior Day
DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University men’s wrestling picked up their third consecutive conference win against Shenandoah University 43-6 on Thursday to celebrate Senior Day.
The Cougars (10-7, 2-0 ODAC) defeated the Hornets (2-4, 0-2 ODAC) in nine of ten weight classes earning two pins, five technical falls and two decisions.
The match opened at 125 pounds with junior Patrick Burdsall increasing his season record to 7-0, pinning Elliot Rivera at 1:36.
At 133, junior A.J. Orlando III secured a 17-0 technical fall, giving Averett a 11-0 lead over Shenandoah. Fifth-year senior Mauricio Reyes also picked up a technical fall over Sean Rinebolt at 141 pounds. Senior Landon Neal and junior Carter Shupert won by decision at 149 and 157 pounds respectively. At 165 pounds, senior Xavier Swanson won by technical fall to leave the Hornets scoreless. At 184 pounds, senior Nolan Gerwitz pinned Jack Birth with a little over three minutes left in the match.
The final two wins of the day were technical falls, won by senior Jacob Jimenez at 197 pounds and Carter Erickson at 285 pounds. The Cougars take a road trip to Hampton, Virginia to compete … more at … https://averettcougars.com/news/2026/1/8/mens-wrestling-cougars-raid-hornets-on-senior-day.aspx
Crusaders Defeat Cobras for Second Straight Conference Win
BELMONT, N.C. — The Belmont Abbey wrestling team put together a strong performance by winning nine of ten bouts as the Crusaders earned a 41-6 victory over Coker Thursday evening at the Wheeler Center.
The Crusaders won three matches by fall starting with Elijah Carrington at 133 pounds followed by wins from Skyler Caban (149) and Will Nix (157). Additionally, Kyler Pickard (184) and Caleb Moore (197) earned consecutive wins by tech fall. Belmont Abbey won the first nine bouts before Coker earned its lone win in the final bout.
With Thursday’s results, Belmont Abbey improves to 5-4 overall … more at … https://abbeyathletics.com/news/2026/1/8/wrestling-crusaders-defeat-cobras-for-second-straight-conference-win.aspx
Newberry Wolves Take Down Ferrum 31-22 on the Road
FERRUM, VA – The Newberry College Wolves men’s wrestling team earned a strong road victory on Wednesday night, defeating Ferrum College 31-22 in a competitive dual at Ferrum College. The Wolves secured the win behind six individual victories, including three falls and two technical falls, to pull away late and seal the team result.
Newberry jumped out to an early advantage at 125 pounds as Ricky Springs set the tone with a quick fall over Riley Conway at the 1:33 mark. The momentum continued at 133, where Caiden Pelc picked up a forfeit to give the Wolves an early cushion. At 141, Cole McCullough delivered a dominant performance, shutting out Braden Crawford with a 15-0 technical fall in just three minutes.
The Wolves kept rolling at 149 with Keagan Judd earning a decisive 9-2 decision over Cameron Curva, extending Newberry’s lead. Ferrum answered back at 157, as Andres Cortes defeated Dennis Virelli by major decision, 15-3.
Newberry responded emphatically at 165, where Bo Perkins recorded a commanding 17-0 technical fall over Robert Owens Jr., further strengthening the Wolves’ advantage. Ferrum picked up consecutive falls … more at … https://newberrywolves.com/news/2026/1/6/mens-wrestling-wolves-take-down-ferrum-31-22-on-the-road.aspx
No. 3 Iowa State Wins Big 12 Opener at Arizona State
TEMPE, Arizona – No. 3 Iowa State won its Big 12 dual opener at Arizona State, 29-14, Tuesday night inside Desert Financial Arena. The Cyclones won seven of ten bouts, including five by bonus-point margin, as they improved to 8-1 in league openers under head coach Kevin Dresser.
Iowa State won the takedown battle, 25-12. After an Arizona State fall at 133 pounds to open the dual, No. 4 Anthony Echemendia got two of the bonus points back for the Cyclones with a tech fall at 141 pounds. After allowing the first takedown of the match, Echemendia rattled off seven straight takedowns of his own to win, 24-8, in 6:15.
No. 6 Jacob Frost made it back-to-back tech falls for ISU with a dominant 16-1 victory over Daniel Miranda at 149 pounds. The sixth-ranked Cyclone used two takedowns and three turns to end the match early in the second period.
After Arizona State won matches at 157 and 165 pounds, No. 14 MJ Gaitan made his return to the lineup and earned a timely tech fall for the Cyclones at 174 pounds. He recorded six takedowns to defeat Leo Tukhlynovych, 20-5, in his first action since the Cliff Keen Invitational in early December.
At 184 pounds, No. 13 Isaac Dean allowed a first period takedown to Azizbek Fayzullaev but recorded two of his own in the second period to earn an 8-5 decision. The win pushed the team score to 18-14 in favor of the Cyclones with three matches remaining.
CJ Carter earned a quality win with a 4-3 decision over three-time NCAA Qualifier Colton Hawks. It was a low scoring affair with the Cyclone getting the match’s only takedown with a clever reattack in the third period. No. 1 Yonger Bastida maintained his unblemished record with a top-20 victory over No. 19 David … more at … https://cyclones.com/news/2026/1/6/wrestling-no-3-iowa-state-wins-big-12-opener-at-arizona-state
Conference schedules loom as new year kicks off with Top 25 relatively unchanged
Manheim, Pennsylvania – The first NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll of the new year was released Tuesday following a limited holiday slate that featured only a handful of duals involving ranked teams.
Second-ranked Ohio State remained unbeaten with a 41-3 win over then-No. 23 Oregon State. Third-ranked Iowa State picked up a ranked victory, edging then-No. 24 Stanford 20-18 in California. No. 6 Nebraska earned a 30-6 win over then-No. 16 Northern Iowa, while eighth-ranked South Dakota State improved to 4-0 with a 24-14 victory against Arizona State in Sioux Falls.
Those four duals accounted for the only competition involving Top 25 teams during the previous rankings period, as the majority of the poll was idle ahead of the start of the January conference schedule.
Several ranked teams return to the mat this week as the schedule ramps up following the holiday break. Third-ranked Iowa State heads west to face Arizona State on Tuesday before traveling to North Dakota State on Sunday.
Friday features a pair of ranked matchups, with No. 7 Virginia Tech visiting 14th-ranked Pittsburgh and 18th-ranked Wisconsin traveling to face fourth-ranked Iowa.
Saturday’s slate includes No. 22 Cornell at 22nd-ranked Lehigh, along with 11th-ranked Minnesota visiting 10th-ranked Illinois and 16th-ranked Rutgers heading to State College to face top-ranked Penn State.
Sunday closes the week with No. 23 Indiana visiting second-ranked Ohio State and 15th-ranked Oklahoma traveling to face fifth-ranked Oklahoma State.
No. 8 South Dakota State and No. 17 Northern Iowa headline the NWCA National Duals Division I bracket. They’ll be joined by joined by Bloomsburg, Campbell, Central Michigan, CSU Bakersfield, … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/1/6/national-wrestling-coaches-association-conference-schedules-loom-as-new-year-kicks-off-with-top-25-relatively-unchanged.aspx
Belmont-Abbey’s Moore Earns Second Conference Wrestler of the Week Honor
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Belmont Abbey wrestler Caleb Moore was named the Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week by the league office Tuesday.
In the 197-pound weight class, Moore defeated Mount Olive’s Nathan Hampton in 2:16 via fall as the Crusaders won their fourth Conference Carolinas dual match of the season. Additionally, he also went 3-0 at the Jack Hancock Duals in Golden, Colo. back on December 20.
He defeated Minnesota State’s Grant Cook by technical fall and while adding another victory over Colorado School of Mines’ Cain Tigges via an 8-1 decision. He earned a third win via forfeit in the dual match against Central Missouri. It is the second time this season that Moore earned … more at … https://abbeyathletics.com/news/2026/1/6/wrestling-moore-earns-second-conference-wrestler-of-the-week-honor.aspx
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Takedown Report 