NCWA Announces Re-Classification of Men’s Teams for 2026 – 2027 Season and Beyond
The 2027 NCWA National Championship will be the last season that the Men’s Division only has 1 tournament as the division will split to NCWA-D1 and NCWA-D2 tournaments for the 2028 NCWA Championship. In transition, the NCWA has reclassified the Men’s division in D1 / D2 categories based on the following:
26-27 NCWA-D1: Top-50 team score in the 2026 NCWA National Championship + new transition teams.
26-27 NCWA-D2: Any team outside of the top-50 team score plus any new programs not in transition to another collegiate wrestling division.
The team scores for D1 and D2 will still be separated at the 2027 tournament in order to crown NCWA-D1 and NCWA-D2 National Team Champions.
The D1 / D2 split for the 2027-2028 season will … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2026/ncwa-announces-re-classification-of-mens-teams-for-2026-2027-season-and-beyond?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Duke’s Coach Lanham Announces Pair of Transfers for 2026-27
DURHAM, N.C. —Duke wrestling head coach Glen Lanham has announced the signing of two transfers for the 2026-27 season with the additions of Gibson Moore (Northern Colorado) and Santi Ramirez (Lander).
Incoming Transfer Additions:
Gibson Moore
5’11 * 184
Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. (South Walton H.S./Northern Colorado)
At Northern Colorado
- Finished with a 3–3 record with 29 match points and two team points. He earned one pin and six near-fall points.
At South Walton H.S.
- Florida state championship finalist as a senior as he finished second at 175 pounds
- Placed fourth at the Florida state championship as a junior at 165 pounds
- Qualified for the Florida state championship at 132 pounds … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2026/8/26/wrestling-lanham-announces-pair-of-transfers-for-2026-27?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
USA Wrestling responds to Dabir’s threat
USA Wrestling’s executive director said the organization is working hard to secure visas for all members of Iran’s national wrestling teams to compete at the World Championships.
Tehran (ISNA) – Alireza Dabir, president of Iran’s Wrestling Federation, recently warned that if the US, as host of the 2026 U23 World Wrestling Championships, fails to issue a visa to even one member of Iran’s team, Iran will not participate in the event.
“By denying visas, they’re cutting off our teams at the head,” Dabir had said. “We have the World Under-23 Championships coming up in October in the US. I’ve told the president of the international federation that if the US fails to issue a visa to even one team member, we will certainly not send the team. Whether we’re there isn’t what matters — how we’re there is what matters.”
Responding to a question from ISNA about the Iranian federation’s warning, USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender said the organization is working hard to secure visas for all members of Iran’s team to attend the World Championships. Citing the US’s interest in having Iran’s team compete in the event, … more at … https://en.isna.ir/news/1405061006805/USA-Wrestling-responds-to-Dabir-s-threat?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
The Crucible on the Mat: How the Marine Corps and USA Wrestling Forge Tomorrow’s Leaders
Aug 28, 2026, 1:12 PM EDT
by U.S. Marine Corps and USA Wrestling
Spend enough time around wrestling and certain expectations become familiar: show up prepared, embrace difficult work, and keep going when things don’t go your way. Those expectations shape success on the mat, but they can also influence how wrestlers approach challenges long after competition ends.
That mindset is closely aligned with the United States Marine Corps, making its longstanding partnership with USA Wrestling a natural fit between two organizations committed to preparing people for difficult challenges.
Anchoring a Legacy in Fargo
Since the partnership began in 2017, Marines have become a familiar presence at some of USA Wrestling’s most prominent events. Over time, the relationship has grown beyond visibility at tournaments to include opportunities for Marines to interact directly with wrestlers, coaches, families, and wrestling leaders.
That connection was on display again this summer at the 2026 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. Now in its eighth year, the Marine Corps’ title sponsorship of Junior Nationals continues to anchor the partnership at one of the largest and most recognizable annual gatherings in American wrestling.
Throughout the week, Marines could be seen around the FargoDome talking with athletes and coaches, participating in championship ceremonies, and interacting with families and fans.
“This year’s U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals were a tremendous success and another example of the outstanding partnership between USA Wrestling and the U.S. Marine Corps,” said Bruce Baumgartner, USA Wrestling President. “Our two organizations are committed to providing opportunities for young men and women across the country to showcase strength and courage in the pursuit of excellence.” … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/august/28/the-crucible-on-the-mat-how-the-marine-corps-and-usa-wrestling-forge-tomorrow-s-leaders?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
UNC Wrestling Student-Athlete Summer Internship Spotlight
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Several North Carolina wrestlers spent this past summer developing professional skills for the future, working internships across the country.
Omaury Alvarez: IMG Academy – Bradenton, Fla.
Senior Omaury Alvarez interned this summer with IMG Academy and their newly formed wrestling program, located in Bradenton, Fla. In his role, Alvarez worked as a camp coach running two sessions a day. Off the mat, the Dalton, Ga. product helped the program with organizational duties, which included social media posts promoting their camps, program and the IMG campus.
Matthew Botello: Raymond James – Omaha, Neb.
Sophomore Matthew Botello spent the summer with Raymond James, working with their Omaha, Neb. location. In his role, the Hingham, Mass. native developed skills organizing client’s financial portfolios. Last year during his freshman campaign, Botello won 15 matches on the mat, while collecting ACC Academic Honor Roll recognition in the classroom.
Mikey Calcagno: Shelco – Raleigh, N.C.
Sophomore Mikey Calcagno spent the summer with Shelco, in nearby Raleigh. During his internship, the Elmhurst, Ill. product assisted site superintendents managing construction site locations. During his true freshman campaign, Calcagno won nine matches and earned a spot on the 2026 ACC Academic Honor Roll.
Collin Carrigan: Triangle Electrical Services – Chapel Hill, N.C.
Tar Heel 174-pounder Collin Carrigan spent the summer working with Triangle Electrical Services located in Chapel Hill. A two-time ACC Academic Roll honoree, Carrigan … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2026/9/3/wrestling-student-athlete-summer-internship-spotlight?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Bobby Douglas Celebration of Life
Former athletes, friends and colleagues are invited to attend A Celebration of Life of Iowa State Hall-of-Famer Bobby Douglas, one of the most accomplished figures in wrestling history.
The Bobby Douglas Celebration of Life will take place Sunday, Oct. 4th from 1-3 p.m. at Johnny’s in the Scheman Building (west of Hilton Coliseum).
Coach Douglas, who passed away in February, was a true pioneer in the sport of wrestling, and his service to USA Wrestling was second to none. A two-time Olympian (1964 and 1968), Douglas was the first black U.S. Olympic wrestler. As a coach, he was head coach for the U.S. Olympic Team in 1992, directing the team to six medals, including four golds. He was an assistant coach on six U.S. Olympic teams (1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2004).
Douglas directed the Iowa State wrestling program from 1992-2006, winning 198 matches. In his 14 seasons with the Cyclones, Douglas coached 52 All-America performances and tutored seven wrestlers who won 10 individual national championships. His Cyclone teams were just as successful. Seven times ISU finished in the top-6 at the NCAA Championship, including three runner-up finishes (1996, 2000, 2002). Douglas was twice named Big Eight/12 Coach of the Year (1993, 2000), was the 2000 NWCA National Coach of the Year and the USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year in 2004.
Event Details
Date: Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026 … more at … https://cyclones.com/news/2026/8/28/mens-wrestling-bobby-douglas-celebration-of-life?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Final X, Presented By Kerberos Capital Management, Wrestle-Off Set For Sept. 25 In Ohio
Aug 26, 2026, 2:35 PM EDT
by David Gerhart, USA Wrestling
Kennedy Blades (left), Kylie Welker (center), Real Woods (right).
The three outstanding best-of-three series for 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management, will take place on Friday, Sept. 25, at Hilliard Davidson High School in the greater Columbus, Ohio, area.
First-round matches will start at 6 p.m. (ET), with round two starting at 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Hilliard Davidson Wildcat Gymnasium. If needed, third-round matches will commence 30 minutes after the conclusion of round two.
The wrestle-offs include the men’s freestyle 65 kg series, the women’s freestyle 68 kg series, and the women’s freestyle 76 kg series. The winner of each of the series will represent the U.S. at the 2026 Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, this October.
At 65 kg in men’s freestyle, 2025 World bronze medalist Real Woods takes on two-time age-group World champion Bo Bassett, who just won the U20 World Championships. The 68 kg women’s freestyle series features 2024 Olympic silver medalist and 2025 World bronze medalist Kennedy Blades facing two-time age-group World Team member Isabella Mir. The women’s freestyle 76 kg series includes two-time World bronze medalist Kylie Welker battling 2022 World Team member Dymond Guilford. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/august/26/final-x-presented-by-kerberos-capital-management-wrestle-off-set-for-sept-25-in-ohio?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Iowa extends attendance streak to 23 of 24 seasons; Penn State-Ohio State most attended indoor dual in college wrestling history
A look at the 2025-26 Division I men’s wrestling dual meet home attendance numbers.
Home attendance for NCAA Division I wrestling continued its climb in 2025-26, with 25 programs averaging over 1,000 fans per home dual. That’s nearly double the 13 programs that reached that mark a decade earlier in 2015-16, and part of a longer-term rise that saw the 1,000+ group grow from 13 to a high of 27 programs in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Iowa led the nation in home average attendance for the 23rd time in the last 24 seasons, drawing 11,811 fans per dual across five home dates at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It’s Iowa’s fifth consecutive year leading the nation in average attendance, and an extension of a run that includes an earlier 14-year streak from 2006-07 through 2019-20.
Oklahoma State finished second nationally in 2025-26 at 9,259 per dual, its best national placement in 19 years, matching the level it last reached in 2006-07. The average attendance of 9,259 was the program’s highest since the late Denny Diehl began tracking home attendance in the 2001-02 season.
Penn State placed third at 8,943 across seven home dates across Rec Hall and the Bryce Jordan Center.
Program Bests Across the Country
A number of programs posted the best national attendance placements in their history this season:
- Nebraska climbed to No. 5 nationally (4,457 average, 7,891 best single-dual draw), the highest national attendance ranking in program history.
- Michigan rose to No. 6 nationally (4,436 average, 11,483 best single-dual draw), also a best-ever placement for the Wolverines.
- Wyoming reached No. 18 nationally, its best national placement in 11 years.
- Maryland (11 years) and Chattanooga (18 years) each reached their best national placement in over a decade.
Nebraska (4,457) and Michigan (4,436) also set new program records for average home attendance in 2025-26.
A Milestone Night in Happy Valley
Penn State’s 36-5 win over Ohio State on Feb. 13 at Bryce Jordan Center drew 16,006 fans, the third-largest crowd on record for a Division I dual meet, and the largest ever for a dual held indoors. It also stands as a new Penn State program record for single-dual attendance. Only two outdoor stadium … more at … https://mattalkonline.substack.com/
Every NCAA D1 Schedule For The 2026-27 Wrestling Season!
Every NCAA D1 schedule we can find for the 2026-27 wrestling season!
It’s a list of all the D1 wrestling schedules we could find for the 2026-27 NCAA season, as soon as we find them! Links to schedules appear after each school’s name (listed below by conference, alphabetically).
If the link says ‘UPDATED’ then we found (at least a partial) 2026-27 schedule. If it does not say ‘UPDATED’ then it will take you to the 2025-26 schedule, with the caveat being that it’s possible the school updated their webpage before we could update ours. All of that makes perfect sense, I’m sure!
In any event, if you see something amiss, please let us know!
ACC
Duke (link)
North Carolina (link – partially UPDATED)
NC State (link)
Pitt (link)
Stanford (link)
Virginia (link)
Virginia Tech (link)
Big 12
Arizona State (link)
Iowa State (link)
Missouri (link)
Northern Iowa (link – partially UPDATED)
Oklahoma (link)
Oklahoma State (link) … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/16117397-every-ncaa-d1-wrestling-schedule-for-2026-27?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Fausz Named Davidson Assistant Wrestling Coach
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson head wrestling coach Nate Carr, Jr. announced on Tuesday that Sean Fausz has joined the program as an assistant coach.
“I’m excited to welcome Sean to our staff,” commented Carr. “He brings elite-level experience as a U23 World Champion silver medalist, a four-time NCAA qualifier, and a four-time Academic All-American. Sean is a fantastic fit for our program, and we look forward to seeing the impact he will have on Davidson Wrestling.”
In addition to his work at Omnivision as an Imaging System Engineer II in Santa Clara, Calif., Fausz served as an assistant coach at Cal Poly State from 2019-2022. “I’m excited to be getting back into wrestling,” Fausz said. “I’m looking forward to working with talented scholar-athletes to help build Davidson into its full potential.”
Fausz captured a world silver medal in the 2018 U23 World Championships, held at Bucharest, Romania. He was also a four-time Atlantic Coast Conference finalist and captured an ACC championship in 2018 while competing for NC State as a four-time National qualifier.
A native of Alexandria, Kentucky, Fausz was a two-time state champion, NHSCA Senior National runner-up, and posted a high school record of 234-24 with 115 pins. He posted a 62-0 record en route … more at … https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2026/8/25/fausz-named-assistant-wrestling-coach?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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 