Elizabeth City State Vikings inaugural NCWA season has ambitious vision for growth of wrestling at historic HBCU
– – ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Wrestling is returning to Elizabeth City State University as the Vikings prepare for their inaugural season as members of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) and its Mid-Atlantic Conference. The new program grew from a conversation between a group of ECSU aviation students — Kevin Jones, Shawn Fields, Stephen Norwood and Michael Johnson — and Dr. Tim Goodale, an Endowed Professor at ECSU and former NCAA Division I wrestler at Old Dominion University. Seeing Goodale wearing a USA Wrestling jacket in the university’s newly renovated dining hall sparked a conversation that ultimately developed into a plan to bring collegiate wrestling back to the ECSU campus.
With wrestling mats secured and practice space available in historic Williams Hall Gym, that idea has quickly grown into a program with as many as 30 student members. Jones and Fields have played key leadership roles in recruiting students and helping manage the program’s day-to-day development. ECSU previously sponsored NCAA Division II wrestling through 1998, and the return of the sport has also generated enthusiasm among alumni and members of the surrounding wrestling community.
Leading the Vikings will be Dr. Goodale, who competed at Old Dominion University from 1999–2003 under legendary coach Gray Simons and has more than 25 years of coaching experience at the youth and high school levels. He currently oversees Bull Island Grappling, a nonprofit youth wrestling organization in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Local high school coaches Jen Smith and Lorenzo King have also supported the developing ECSU program by opening their wrestling rooms to the team during the offseason and assisting with coaching.
The Vikings enter the NCWA with both immediate competitive goals and a much larger vision. ECSU’s strong aviation program has already attracted several members of the wrestling team, and the program expects academics to become one of its early strengths. With exceptionally affordable tuition and degree opportunities in aviation and other high-demand fields, ECSU Wrestling hopes to become an attractive destination for student-athletes seeking both a quality education and the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level. The long-term objective is to demonstrate how wrestling can positively impact enrollment, retention, academic performance, graduation rates and alumni involvement, creating a pathway for the program to continue growing.
Competition will begin immediately. ECSU plans to wrestle at events hosted by programs including East Carolina University and The Apprentice School, compete in the NCWA Mid-Atlantic postseason and host an invitational on its own campus. Among the wrestlers expected to … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2026/elizabeth-city-state-university-wrestling-joins-ncwa?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Mississippi Wrestling Foundation partners with USA Bracketing for high school wrestling events and weight management operations
USA Wrestling and the Mississippi Wrestling Foundation (MWF) have partnered to use USA Bracketing for all wrestling events, results, statistics, and weight-management technology needs within the Mississippi High School Activities Association, beginning with the 2026-27 wrestling season.
Under the partnership, all regional, sectional and State Tournament wrestling events in Mississippi will use USA Bracketing. Additionally, all school-hosted dual meets and tournaments can use the software at no additional cost to the school or host and stream to multiple providers with fully integrated graphics.
“USA Wrestling is thrilled to partner with the Mississippi Wrestling Foundation as it implements our USA Bracketing event management software to enhance high school wrestling operations within the Mississippi High School Activities Association,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. “USA Bracketing is designed to meet the technology needs of state associations, and our partnership with the MWF will help both organizations elevate their programs. We thank the MWF for choosing to work with us and look forward to great success with this partnership.”
USA Bracketing grants event hosts the ability to manage multiple levels of competition — including varsity and junior varsity — while running individual and dual meets within a single event.
“We are excited to begin this new partnership with USA Bracketing,” … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/september/21/mississippi-wrestling-foundation-partners-with-usa-bracketing-for-mississippi-high-school-activities-association-wrestling-events-and-weight-management-operations?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Three NCWA Transition Programs Successfully Move to NCAA Division II
DALLAS, Texas — Three wrestling programs that utilized the National Collegiate Wrestling Association’s Transition Program have successfully reached full NCAA Division II membership, marking another significant success for the NCWA’s role in supporting collegiate wrestling programs moving between national governing organizations. The University of Jamestown and Point Park University became full NCAA Division II members effective September 1, 2026, while Menlo College received full active Division II membership effective September 11 following a successful appeal to the NCAA. All three institutions are now eligible for NCAA Division II postseason competition.
The NCWA Transition Program was established to provide postseason opportunities for established wrestling programs whose institutions are changing competitive divisions and are temporarily ineligible for postseason competition within their new governing organization. Under NCWA rules, transition programs may compete in NCWA Conference Championships and advance qualifiers to the NCWA National Championships during that transition period. The arrangement allows student-athletes to continue competing for conference and national honors while their universities complete the NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA membership process.
Menlo College provided perhaps the most dramatic example of what that opportunity can produce. The Oaks won the NCWA Men’s National Championship in both 2025 and 2026 while transitioning to NCAA Division II. Menlo’s NCAA-transition team crowned three individual national champions and produced 10 All-Americans in 2025, then followed with six national champions and nine All-Americans in 2026. Over those two NCWA championship seasons, Menlo accumulated two team national championships, nine individual national titles and 19 All-American honors. Menlo scored 235.5 points to win the 2026 championship after scoring 214.5 in its 2025 title run.
The University of Jamestown also made an immediate impact during its NCAA transition. The Jimmies captured the 2026 NCWA Northwest Conference Championship behind seven individual champions … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2026/three-ncwa-transition-programs-successfully-move-to-ncaa-division-ii?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Campbell Wrestling announces 2026-27 schedule
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell wrestling and head coach TJ Dudley announced the program’s 2026-27 schedule Wednesday afternoon. Dudley enters his second season at the helm. The schedule includes one Big 10 contest, one Pac-12 bout, two ACC matchups and seven home duals.
“We are excited about the schedule we’ve put together this season,” Dudley said. “It gives our guys opportunities to challenge themselves against high-level competition throughout the year while continuing to grow and prepare for March.”
Campbell opens the season at the Southeast Open in Roanoke, Va., on Nov. 1. The Camels host Northern Colorado on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. for their first home dual of the season before returning to tournament action at the Life Open in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 21.
The Camels begin SoCon competition on the road against Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., on Dec. 10.
Campbell closes the calendar year with a pair of duals against Power Four opponents in Lincoln, Neb. The Camels face Nebraska on Dec. 19 before taking on Virginia on Dec. 20. … more at … https://gocamels.com/news/2026/9/23/wrestling-announces-2026-27-schedule.aspx?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
MAIN STREET MAYHEM IS COMING TO TARBORO!
We’re taking wrestling out of the gym and into the streets!
Join us Saturday, October 17, 2026, for Main Street Mayhem an action packed outdoor wrestling tournament taking over the heart of Historic Downtown Tarboro!
Come for the wrestling and enjoy the full Main Street experience, with food trucks 
, vendors 
, and all-day excitement!
Lanham Announces 2026-27 Duke Wrestling Schedule
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke wrestling head coach Glen Lanham announced the 2026-27 schedule Tuesday, a slate that features seven home dates, six ACC duals and a challenging mix of nationally competitive opponents.
The Blue Devils open action Sunday, Nov. 1, with their Black and Blue Duals in Card Gymnasium before officially opening the season Nov. 7 at the Journeymen Duals in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
At the Journeymen Duals, Duke will face Bloomsburg and Navy before returning to action Sunday, Nov. 8, at Wranglemania in Bethlehem.
Duke then travels to Princeton, New Jersey, for the Princeton Duals where the Blue Devils will face Princeton, Ohio and Chattanooga. The Blue Devils close out November with a road match at Appalachian State Nov. 20 before returning home to host UNI Sunday, Nov. 22, in Card Gymnasium.
The month of December opens with a pair of matches in Fargo, North Dakota, against North Dakota State and Michigan State Dec. 4. The Blue Devils then return home to host Gardner-Webb Dec. 18 in Cameron Indoor Stadium before closing out the calendar year at the Journeymen College Duals Dec. 20 in Binghamton, New York, against Buffalo, Northern Colorado and Penn State.
Once again, Duke opens the new year at the Southern Scuffle Jan. 2-3 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Blue Devils then begin ACC competition Jan. 8 at NC State in Raleigh before closing non-conference play by hosting Brown Friday, Jan. 15 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke continues its ACC slate with three matches to close out January, … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2026/9/22/lanham-announces-2026-27-duke-wrestling-schedule?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Tampering, impermissible recruiting violations occurred in Iowa State men’s wrestling program
Impermissible contact violations occurred in the Iowa State men’s wrestling program when local regional training center assistant coach Chris Perry had contact with two transfer student-athletes and one of those student-athletes was not yet in the Transfer Portal, according to an agreement released by a Division I Committee on Infractions panel.
The school and enforcement staff agreed that the violations in this case occurred after the then-head men’s wrestling coach communicated with an exiting men’s wrestling head coach at another university and expressed interest in recruiting two of that coach’s student-athletes. After that exchange, Perry, who worked as an assistant coach at the Cyclone Regional Training Center (where the then-Iowa State head men’s coach also served as head coach of the training center team) contacted the prospective transfers. Perry called one prospect, who was not in the Transfer Portal, on two separate occasions and texted him 14 times, including requesting that individual’s transcripts, providing information about potential revenue-share payments and cost of attendance, and explaining that the prospect should request a “do not contact” tag when his name was entered into the Transfer Portal. Perry also provided a “commitment” graphic to the second prospect to share on social media when he committed to Iowa State.
Both student-athletes ― who committed to Iowa State on the same day they entered the Transfer Portal ―indicated during interviews with enforcement that Perry was their first point of contact and primary recruiter to the school.
Although Perry was not employed by Iowa State, his work to recruit the student-athletes to Iowa State triggered “booster” status because he was working in an individual capacity to represent the school’s interests in recruiting conversations. As a result, his contact with those prospects constitutes impermissible contact violations, … more at … https://www.ncaa.org/news/tampering-impermissible-recruiting-violations-occurred-in-iowa-state-mens-wrestling-program/
N.C. State Wrestling Announces 2026-27 Schedule
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State wrestling has released its schedule for the 2026-27 season, as announced by head coach Pat Popolizio, Monday afternoon.
The schedule features 11 regular-season duals, with six at home and five on the road.
Special events and tournaments include Southeast Open in Salem, VA, JourneyMen Collegiate Classic in Bethlehem, PA, National Duals in Tulsa, OK and Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, TN.
Season tickets are still available and can be purchased on GoPack.com. Individual-match tickets will also be available on the site once they go on sale. Start times and television information for the duals will be announced at a later date.
The Wolfpack will open the 2026-27 season at home in Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday, Nov. 12, when Navy comes to Raleigh. The following week, Ohio State will make the trip to Raleigh for a match up on Nov. 20. … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2026/9/21/wrestling-announces-2026-27-schedule?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
UNC Wrestling Announces 2026-27 Schedule
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Entering year four under the direction of head coach Rob Koll, the North Carolina wrestling program has announced its schedule for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign.
The slate, which features six matchups inside Carmichael Arena, is also highlighted by the 2026 National Duals Invitational on Dec. 12-13 and a neutral-site meeting versus South Dakota State at the Sanford Pentagon on Dec. 18.
Carolina will open the season on Nov. 1 traveling to the Southeast Open, followed by the program’s Blue and White Showcase the following Friday (Nov. 6). To close the opening month of the season, the Tar Heels will compete in the Mountaineer Invitational (Nov. 15) and host Northern Iowa on Nov. 21.
In December, UNC will take part in the two-day National Duals Invitational, a groundbreaking $1 million collegiate wrestling event, sponsored by Paycom. Carolina, one of 16 teams announced for the event, will compete in the two-day event taking place Dec. 12-13 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Defending National Duals Invitational champion Ohio State will be joined in the field by Arizona State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Iowa State, Minnesota, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Wyoming. Together, the 16 programs represent some of the most storied traditions in collegiate wrestling, combining for 54 NCAA team titles and over 400 individual titles.
Carolina’s return to the BOK Center will be the first for the program since the 2023 NCAA Championships, when 157-pounder Austin O’Connor claimed his second national championship. With the win, O’Connor joined T.J. Jaworsky as the second Tar Heel to win multiple national championships in their career.
To end 2026, the Tar Heels will face South Dakota State at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Dec. 18, followed by a matchup versus App State on Dec. 20, held at Chapel Hill High School.
Opening the new calendar year, UNC will travel to Coralville, Iowa, for Soldier Salute (Jan. 2-3), a tournament where the Tar Heels finished runner-up a season ago. Carolina will begin the Atlantic Coast Conference portion of the slate on Jan. 8 at Pitt, with a non-conference matchup on the road at West Virginia less than 48 hours later (Jan. 10).
The Tar Heels conclude January with two home duals against Virginia (Jan. 15) and NC State (Jan. 29), with a road dual out west at Stanford in between (Jan. 22).
In the final month of the regular season, Carolina will stay within the Tar Heel State, hosting Virginia Tech (Feb. 5), a road dual at Duke (Feb. 12) and the regular-season finale against Campbell (Feb. 20).
The 2027 ACC Championships is slated for March 6-7 at Victory Heights Arena, hosted by Pitt. The 2027 NCAA Wrestling Championships are set for March 18-20 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
The Tar Heels enter the upcoming season with four returning NCAA qualifiers from a season ago, including the program welcoming nine newcomers in the offseason, seven freshmen and two transfers. … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2026/9/15/wrestling-announces-2026-27-schedule?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Southern Virginia University Announces Pete Hansen ’14 as New Men’s Wrestling Head Coach
BUENA VISTA, Va. – Southern Virginia University Director of Athletics Josh Monsen has announced the hiring of Pete Hansen ’14 as the university’s next men’s wrestling head coach.
Hansen becomes the fifth head coach in program history, succeeding Brigg Hoopes, who stepped down following four seasons at the helm.
A Southern Virginia alumnus, Hansen was one of the program’s standout student-athletes, earning NCWA All-America honors in 2009 while also competing on the football team from 2005–09.
“Bringing an alumnus back to lead this program is incredibly special, and Coach Hansen made an immediate impression on us from day one,” Monsen said. “He pairs a deep wealth of knowledge with an innate understanding of our program’s culture. His character-driven leadership is exactly what we were looking for, and we cannot wait to see him guide this program into its next chapter.”
Prior to returning to Southern Virginia, Hansen served as the inaugural head coach for the men’s and women’s wrestling programs at Emory & Henry, where he guided multiple national qualifiers and All-Americans in both the NCWA and NCWWC. He has also coached football at the collegiate level, serving on the staffs at Southern Virginia, Frostburg State, Methodist, and Emory & Henry. “I am honored to be named the next head wrestling coach at Southern Virginia University,” … more at … https://knightathletics.com/news/2026/7/10/mens-wrestling-southern-virginia-university-announces-pete-hansen-14-as-new-mens-wrestling-head-coach.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
