The Citadel Rallies Past Bellarmine, Edges Davidson in Sunday Doubleheader Sweep
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Highlighted by pairs of individual wins from Jacob Silka (174 lbs), a key Brodie Porter (184 lbs) fall and a pair of late decisions from Adam Ortega (197 lbs) and Roy Price III (285 lbs), The Citadel (10-7, 6-1 SoCon) orchestrated a clean sweep of Southern Conference adversaries Bellarmine (7-7, 4-3 SoCon) and Davidson (5-13, 3-4 SoCon) during the program’s doubleheader homecoming, initially mounting a comeback victory over the Knights en route to a 22-13 decision before narrowly escaping Davidson behind a 20-14 mark Sunday afternoon at McAlister Field House.
Next up, the Bulldogs officially close out the 2025-26 regular-season campaign with a key rivalry clash against VMI, hosting the Keydets on Sunday, Feb. 22, start time set for 2 pm ET. Notably, The Citadel will celebrate 10 long-time members of the program as part of Senior Day festivities prior to the dual.
FINAL RESULTS
The Citadel def. Bellarmine, 22-13
Sunday, Feb. 15 | McAlister Field House | Charleston, S.C.
125 —Gylon Sims (CIT) over Joe Calvin (BELL), DEC (5-3) … more at … https://citadelsports.com/news/2026/2/15/wrestling-rallies-past-bellarmine-edges-davidson-in-sunday-doubleheader-sweep.aspx
One for the Thumb – No. 15 Lander Dominates Twice to Win Fifth Straight Conference Carolinas Title
PEMBROKE, N.C. – The 15th-ranked Lander Wrestling team turned in one of the most dominant days in program history Sunday, winning 19 of 20 bouts to claim their fifth-straight league crown at the Conference Carolinas Wrestling Championship inside Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
Lander rolled past Belmont Abbey, 43-3, in the semifinals before shutting out host and 24th-ranked UNC Pembroke, 39-(-2), in the championship match. Both victories marked the largest margins over each opponent in program history. The title is Lander’s third under the current Conference Carolinas banner, to go along with two South Atlantic Conference Carolinas championships.
The Bearcats’ 43 points in the semifinal were their most ever in the Conference Carolinas Championship, while the 39 points in the title bout were the most in a championship match in program history and the second-most ever at the championship site.
Semifinal: #15 Lander 43, Belmont Abbey 3
Lander made sure there would be no repeat of November’s early deficit against the Crusaders.
Kaden Kuenzi and #7 James Joplin opened the dual with bonus-point wins to stake the Bearcats to a 9-0 lead. After Belmont Abbey picked up its lone win at 141, Lander slammed the door with seven straight victories, six coming with bonus points.
Isham Peace earned his fourth major decision of the season at 149, and Noah Roulo shook off a frantic opening period at 157 to roll to a 27-11 technical fall. David Hunsberger pushed his Division II-leading tech fall total to 12 with a 19-3 victory.
Maxwell Kiel clinched the dual with a shutout major decision against his former team. Dylan Kohn added another major at 184 before Marvelous Rutledge and Isaac Sheeren capped the rout with first-period pins…. more at … https://landerbearcats.com/news/2026/2/15/wrestling-one-for-the-thumb-no-15-lander-dominates-twice-to-win-fifth-straight-conference-carolinas-title.aspx
Wisconsin shocks Michigan in upset victory
Badgers edge Wolverines, 19-17, in Field House thriller
By: Aliza Manekia
MADISON, Wis. – No. 22 Wisconsin wrestling delivered a statement win Sunday afternoon, knocking off No. 10 Michigan, 19-17, in the final home match of the season at the UW Field House. The victory marks the Badgers’ first top-10 upset since the ’22-’23 season and their first Big Ten top-ten victory since the ’19-’20 campaign. Wisconsin improves to 12–4 overall and 7-1 at home this season.
Wyatt Ingham opened the dual with one of his strongest performances of the year, scoring early and sealing the win with a last-second takedown in the third period to put Wisconsin on the board. Nicolar Rivera followed with a hard-fought decision over Diego Sotelo, battling through three tough periods to keep the Badgers in front.
At 133 pounds, Zan Fugitt built momentum with a dominant showing, piling up multiple takedowns en route to a major decision and key bonus points. Joseph Zargo added to the lead with a late takedown in the final seconds of the third period. Despite a Michigan challenge, the call stood, pushing the Badgers’ team score higher midway through the dual.
Luke Mechler delivered one of the biggest moments of the afternoon, fighting through regulation and overtime before securing riding time and winning a tightly contested 4-3 decision in tiebreakers. Cody Goebel closed out the scoring for Wisconsin with a steady decision victory, helping the Badgers hold off the Wolverines for the 19-17 upset win.
Results
Wisconsin 19, Michigan 17
No.29 Wyatt Ingham def. No.19 Hayden Walters, Dec 7-1 … more at … https://uwbadgers.com/news/2026/2/15/wrestling-wisconsin-shocks-michigan-in-upset-victory
App. State Improves to 6-0 in SoCon with Road Win
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Remaining unbeaten in SoCon duals, App State Wrestling started its final road swing of the regular season by taking nine of 10 matches in a 38-3 victory at Davidson on Friday night.
The first-place Mountaineers (9-5, 6-0) wrestle again Sunday at preseason favorite Chattanooga, which is 8-5 overall and 5-1 in SoCon duals, with the lone league setback being a 19-18 loss to The Citadel in a showdown decided by tiebreaking criteria. An 18-all tie in that dual was broken by the fact that the only pin of the night belonged to The Citadel, which fell to 4-1 in the league via a 23-13 loss at App State.
With two SoCon duals left on App State’s schedule, the outcome Sunday in Chattanooga could play a big role in determining if there is one outright champion or co-champions in the regular season race.
App State wrestled seven of its 10 primary starters at Davidson, and redshirt senior Joe Zovistoski earned the first dual win of his career with a 9-4 decision against Josh Lange at 174 pounds.
Making his third career dual appearance after being named a NWCA Scholar All-American last year, Zovistoski took a 3-1 lead by recording a takedown late in the second period and finishing the period on top. Lange followed Zovistoski’s escape to open the third with a tying takedown, but Zovistoski responded with a tiebreaking escape and sealed the match on a takedown shortly thereafter.
Joe Fongaro, a Rutgers transfer in his first year at App State, made his SoCon dual debut and earned his second dual win of the season at 141 pounds, while Kai O’Dell improved to 3-0 in his career as a dual starter.
App State built a 22-0 lead through four matches thanks to two forfeits (at 197 and 125) and a pair of tech falls (from heavyweight Stephan Monchery and Jarvis Little at 133) before Fongaro fired in immediately and recorded a takedown less than five seconds … more at … https://appstatesports.com/news/2026/2/13/wrestling-improves-to-6-0-in-socon-with-road-win.aspx
NC State Preparing Senior Send-Off For Key Contributors
NC State will honor six seniors Friday when the Pack wrestles Cornell, including All-Americans Isaac Trumble and Ryan Jack.
NC State wrapped up the ACC portion of its dual schedule with a 5-1 conference record. It was an exciting conference slate this year for fans, as three of the wins came down to the final match of the dual.
After this weekend, duals will be in the rearview mirror and the focus shifts to the postseason. First up, the ACC Championship at Virginia Tech before heading to Cleveland for the NCAA Championships, where the Wolfpack brought home a team trophy the last time the NCAAs were in Cleveland back in 2018.
But before then, NC State has one final home meet this Friday night against Cornell. Not only is it the final dual of the year, but it will also be the Pack’s Senior Day.
Prior to the match-up, NC State will honor six members of the program, highlighted by All-Americans Ryan Jack and Isaac Trumble. Jack enters this weekend ranked #10 at 141 pounds, while Trumble is one of 24 NCAA wrestlers still undefeated and ranked #2 at heavyweight.
Trumble joined the Pack in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. He was a two-time NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds before taking a redshirt in 2023-24. He broke out last year after making the move up to heavyweight. Despite suffering a torn ACL during the NCAAs, he went on to place fourth and earned All-American honors for the first time in his career.
He will be the top seed at the upcoming ACC Championship and a high seed at NCAAs. And he will leave NC State with a wife, their first child (due in April), and he already has a degree in Parks, Rec, and Tourism Management. “He’s grown up a lot in his time here at NC State,” NC State head coach Pat Popolizio said. “He came here from Nebraska with that long, blond hair.
“He’s just made huge gains every year he has been here. He is super disciplined and very motivated. We saw that with his rehab, with his diet, and now with his skills on the mat. Everything that he’s had to do this offseason has fueled him and made him even better.” Jack followed his older brother, All-American Kevin Jack, down to Raleigh the same season Trumble did in 2021. He was the ACC champion and an All-American in 2024 before taking his redshirt year last season. “With him being out of the lineup last year, I think a lot of people forget about him and how good and talented he is,” Popolizio said. “He has placed at the NCAA tournament and has some really high-level wins. He is super skilled, very offensive, and he had that extra year of maturity under his belt. “I think the sky’s the limit for him. And the way you accomplish your goals is to go out and get those wins against the best guys in the country. The biggest thing this year for him is let’s not talk about it. Let’s just go out, do it, and execute and prove that you’re one of the best guys in the country.”
A third Wolfpack starter will also be honored on Senior Day — 184-pounder Donald Cates. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15450975-nc-state-preparing-senior-send-off-for-key-contributors
Gardner-Webb Defeats VMI on Senior Day for Third Straight Victory
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb wrestling team made it three wins in a row on Sunday afternoon, defeating VMI at home on Senior Day
Continuing to wrestle up a weight class, senior Josh McCutchen got the Runnin’ Bulldogs off to a terrific start, defeating Cole Will of VMI by 14-2 major decision to open the match. Since being moved to 285 on February 6th, McCutchen has won all four of his bouts and all in Southern Conference action. Senior Tyson Lane and nationally ranked redshirt sophomore T.K. Davis then made quick work of opponents at 125 and 133 to put GWU in front, 13-0. In the day’s most exciting bout, graduate student Dominic DiTullio scored an 9-6 sudden victory over Dyson Dunham at 141 that gave the Dawgs a 16-0 match lead. Gardner-Webb was in cruise control from there, en route to a 30-13 win
UP NEXT
The Dawgs return home on Thursday evening, February 19th for the final home match of the 2025-26 season against George Mason. They’ll do so in search of the program’s first four-match winning streak since February of 2021
FULL RESULTS
285: Josh McCutchen (GW) over Cole Will (VMI) (MD 14-2) … more at … https://gwusports.com/news/2026/2/15/wrestling-defeats-vmi-on-senior-day-for-third-straight-victory.aspx
Bushnell to Add Men’s and Women’s Wrestling
EUGENE, Ore. – Bushnell University announced on Monday that the Beacons will add two new varsity programs with men’s and women’s wrestling officially joining the sport offerings in the fall of 2027.
Bushnell athletics cites the recent rise in popularity in youth wrestling as a contributing factor in the decision to add both men’s and women’s programs at Bushnell. High School wrestling participation nationally is at its highest in over 50 years with nearly 375,000 boys and girls competing. Additionally, Bushnell will be the seventh four-year university in Oregon to sponsor the sports.
“We are thrilled to be adding to our athletic offerings with the addition of our wrestling program,” said Athletic Director Corey Anderson. “Girls Wrestling is the fastest growing high school sport in the country, and USA Wrestling has launched national campaigns to increase the popularity of the sport. National trends for high school and collegiate programs are on an upward trajectory.”
Anderson added, “We have quickly learned that there is a strong passion for men’s and women’s wrestling in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon and beyond. Once we started talking to a few, key contacts in the region about the idea of us adding an NAIA collegiate wrestling program, we immediately started having knowledgeable and passionate people reach out to us to celebrate the idea but also wanting to know how they can help. I am excited about these new relationships and partner opportunities that Bushnell Wrestling will provide us while continuing to do The Kingdom’s good work!”
The addition of two new teams will bring Bushnell’s total number of varsity teams to 19 and are the first programs to be added since Baseball came on board in 2021. The Wrestling teams will begin play in the 2027-2028 season, joining the Cascade Conference which boasts 11 men’s and eight women’s programs.
“What an exciting day for Bushnell University, the Cascade Conference, and wrestling in the West,” stated CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell. “The program immensely strengthens men’s and women’s wrestling for the conference and represents continued growth and evolution of Beacon Athletics. It is wonderful to see more opportunities for young men and women to compete in the sport they love at the collegiate level, … more at … https://bushnellbeacons.com/news/2026/2/16/general-bushnell-to-add-mens-and-womens-wrestling.aspx?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
No. 1 Penn State wrestling dominates No. 2 Ohio State 36-5
No. 1 Penn State dominate No. 2 Ohio State 36-5
The No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions keep making more history. The defending national champions topped the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in style 36-5, winning their 85th consecutive dual meet and the Big Ten regular season title.
🤼 MORE COLLEGE WRESTLING 🤼 🚨 Alerts and updates on Bleacher Report
🎥 Wrestling on YouTube 🍎 Follow on Apple News
All eight of Penn State’s No. 1-ranked athletes walked away with a victory against their Ohio State foes, with No. 1 Shayne Van Ness, No. 1 PJ Duke, No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, No. 1 Levi Haines and No. 1 Josh Barr winning by bonus at 149, 157, 165, 174 and 197 pounds respectively.
Penn State’s No. 1 Luke Lilledahl started the dual with early momentum, winning a 4-1 sudden-victory bout over No. 2 Nic Bouzakis at 125 pounds after Lilledahl found a takedown shortly into the extra period. The 133-pound bout went to Penn State as well, with No. 4 Marcus Blaze pulling off a reversal in the riding time tiebreaker to beat No. 2 Ben Davino, 3-2.
At 141 pounds, Ohio State got back in the match with No. 1 Jesse Mendez earning an 18-2 tech fall over No. 12 Braeden Davis. Van Ness matched that result with his 20-5 tech fall against Brogan Fielding at 149 pounds, and No. 4 Duke pinned Daxton Chase at 157 pounds to give Penn State a 19-5 lead at intermission.
Out of the break, No. 1 Mesenbrink kept Penn State in control with a 12-2 major win against No. 16 Paddy Gallagher. No. 1 Haines was close to pinning T.J. Schierl but had to settle for a 16-1 tech fall. The points clinched the dual for Penn State.
No. 1 Rocco Welsh spent most of the match trailing against No. 8 Dylan Fishback at 184 pounds, but a takedown with 15 seconds left gave the Nittany Lion a 7-6 win. No. 1 Josh Barr earned a 11-2 major decision win against No. 10 Luke Geog. At heavyweight, No. 12 Cole Mirasola upset No. 3 Nick Feldman in sudden victory, finishing off … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/live-updates/wrestling-men/d1/no-1-penn-state-wrestling-dominates-no-2-ohio-state-36-5
No. 6 Hokies handle No. 13 North Carolina for seventh top 25 win of the season
BLACKSBURG – The No. 6 Virginia Tech wrestling team (10-2, 5-0 ACC) continues to roll – dispatching a chippy No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heel (9-4, 2-3 ACC) squad 29-9 in Cassell Coliseum on Friday night. With the win, Tech notched its seventh top 25 win this year as well as secured a share of the 2026 ACC regular season title. The Hokies won eight of ten bouts with three via bonus and two upset wins by No. 33 Mac Church and No. 32 Jaden Bullock.
Rankings Don’t Mean Everything
Since re-entering the starting lineup at 165-pounds, No. 33 Mac Church (16-7) has claimed back-to-back wins with an exclamation point on Friday night over No. 12 Bryce Hepner. In a stalwart first period, it was Church who would strike and secure the only takedown of the match in the second period. With a 3-1 lead, the redshirt sophomore would hold on to secure a 3-2 decision victory for his biggest victory this season.
Home state native, No. 32 Jaden Bullock (15-10) added another credible win to his resume – taking out No. 13 Jake Dailey at 184-pounds once again. The two met earlier this season at the Southeast Open which saw Bullock make a surging comeback for the victory, an eerily similar situation to Friday night. Trailing in the third, Bullock would secure a reversal into two nearfall points then add a takedown at the end of the bout with an upset 8-3 decision for the Hokies to kill any momentum the Tar Heels had to make a comeback.
Freshmen Phenomenal Once Again
Continuing his sensational debut campaign, No. 6 Aaron Seidel (12-0) had another tech fall shutout on opening day against UNC’s true freshman Matthew Botello at 133-pounds. Seidel was offensive early as he’s been all season and jumped out to a 14-0 lead to end the first two periods courtesy of two takedowns and 11 nearfall. The Hokie would then garner a reversal in the third for the 16-0 tech fall, keeping his 100% bonus rate of 10 techs, one pin, and one major rolling.
With No. 6 Collin Gaj out with injury, it was fellow freshman Drew Gorman (15-6) bumping up and filling in at 149-pounds for Tech. Gorman opened up scoring with a crucial four-point nearfall sequence in the second period then added an escape, takedown, and riding time point to take a 10-4 decision over Nate Askew to further separate the team score in favor of the Hokies.
Ventresca and Miller Show Veteran Poise, Sasso and Mullen Bonus to Seal Business
No. 3 Eddie Ventresca (16-2) continues to steer the Hokies in his national title campaign season. Ventresca displayed his blinding speed and veteran savviness against yet another top 15 ranked opponent in No. 13 Kysen Terukina. Terukina a multiple time NCAA qualifier at Iowa State before transferring to the Tar Heels this offseason never threatened the reigning 125-pound ACC champion as Ventresca secured two takedowns and an escape for the 7-2 decision to start the dual.
At 157-pounds, No. 16 Ethen Miller (11-3) has an attraction to the theatrics with his second straight weekend of extra time wrestling. It was a chippy bout against UNC’s No. 25 Laird Root for the Hokie, unnecessary roughness points finding its way to both wrestlers early in the bout. Tied at 2 via said points and escapes by both competitors, it was Miller converting on a sprawl to go-behind for the 5-2 winning takedown in sudden victory.
New look No. 14 Sonny Sasso (18-5) continues to find his form with a controlling 12-4 major decision over Robert Platt at 197-pounds. Sasso tallied three takedowns – two coming in the opening period – plus two escapes and a riding time point for this third straight victory. His win secured the dual for the Hokies and secured a share of the regular season conference title, making it back-to-back titles for Tech.
Fan favorite No. 17 Jimmy Mullen (19-5) put an exclamation point on the dual with a 19-3 4:52 tech fall … nore at … https://hokiesports.com/news/2026/02/14/no-6-hokies-handle-no-13-north-carolina-for-seventh-top-25-win-on-the-season
2026 D-III Regional Sites and Dates Set
The 2026 Regional sites and dates are as follows
| Region | Host | Location | Tournament Dates |
| Region I | U.S. Coast Guard Academy | New London, Connecticut | Feb. 28 – March 1 |
| Region II | Ithaca College | Ithaca, New York | Feb. 27-28 |
| Region III | The College of New Jersey | Ewing Township, New Jersey | Feb. 27-28 |
| Region IV | Ohio Northern University | Ada, Ohio | Feb. 27-28 |
| Region V | John Carroll University | University Heights, Ohio | Feb. 27-28 |
| Region VI | Loras College | Dubuque, Iowa | Feb. 27-28 |
| Region VII | UW – Eau Claire | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | Feb. 27-28 |
The teams assigned to each region can be found in the 2025-2026 Regional Alignment … more details at … https://www.d3wrestle.com/2026-regional-sites-and-dates-set/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2026-regional-sites-and-dates-set
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 