High School On SI Releases First Look at 2026-27 Boys National High School Wrestling Rankings
With the Class of 2026 graduated, Version 1 of our boys national preseason rankings welcome a new wave of contenders, including standout incoming freshmen, as the road to the 2026-27 season begins.
With Bo Bassett, one of the best high school wrestlers of a generation now officially off to the next level, Florida wrestler Lincoln Sledzianowski of St. John Neumann has taken over the nation’s No. 1 ranking at 144. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The road to the 2026-27 high school wrestling season begins with Version 1 of the High School On SI National Rankings. With the Class of 2026 now graduated, this preseason update resets every weight class, welcomes the nation’s top incoming freshmen and provides the first snapshot of where the country’s best wrestlers stand heading into the new season.
A Fresh Start for a New Season
We will drop a new version in August and another later in the month as we being the process of moving wrestlers into their expected weight classes. For this initial release, wrestlers remain at the weight classes they competed in at the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals in Fargo. Weight-class adjustments will come later this month as wrestlers settle into their expected weights for the high school season. The other neat thing is that it allows you to see how the weights ended up with the seniors removed. Removing the graduating seniors created opportunities for wrestlers who emerged during the spring and summer to enter the rankings.
Building the Rankings
This was step one of building the new rankings. I need to do it in stages since The remaining preseason releases will also coincide with the release of High School On SI’s preseason girls national rankings. Each weight class includes 30 ranked wrestlers. Honorable mention lists will continue to expand as additional preseason evaluations are completed, particularly in the upper weights.
Our intent with the higher weights was to get to 30, but doing that research revealed other paths that needed to be traveled. The other factor with not filling up the honorable mention slots right away is that it allows the list to grow more naturally instead of hunting people down to fill it out. … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/high-school-on-si-releases-first-look-at-2026-27-boys-national-high-school-wrestling-rankings-01kzd0f8yffv?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
2026-27 Girls Preseason National High School Wrestling Rankings: Version 1
Graduating seniors exit the rankings and incoming freshmen join the national Top 30 in our first look at the 2026-27 girls high school wrestling season.
Consider this the first draft of the High School On SI 2026-27 Girls National High School Wrestling Rankings.
The primary purpose of this update is to remove graduating seniors and add incoming freshmen and other wrestlers who have earned their way into the rankings. We’re also expanding every weight class to a Top 30 ahead of the Super 32 early-entry process.
Super 32 is using our Top 30 as part of its early-entry criteria, but that did not influence where wrestlers are ranked. We did not manipulate the rankings for that purpose. The only changes from our final 2025-26 rankings were removing graduating seniors and adding new wrestlers.
Why Wrestlers Remain at Their Fargo Weights
For this update, wrestlers remain at the weights where they competed at Fargo, including those who may ultimately compete at different weights during the high school season. This allowed us to produce an initial update without projecting where every wrestler will compete in 2026-27.
Our next update, scheduled for later in August, will begin moving wrestlers into their expected high school weight classes.
Next Woman Up
Removing the graduating seniors also provides an early look at how each weight class is shaping up for 2026-27. It opened spots for wrestlers who had been on the edge of the rankings, as well as those who emerged during the spring and summer.
Some weight classes already had enough ranked and honorable mention wrestlers to fill the Top 30 once the seniors were removed, particularly at the lighter weights. As with the boys rankings, the heavier weight classes required additional research to fill out. Current No. 1 Ranked Wrestlers … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/2026-27-girls-preseason-national-high-school-wrestling-rankings-version-1-01kzy76chekf?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Big 12 Conference Adds Regular Season Wrestling Championship
IRVING, Texas – The Big 12 Conference will add a regular season championship in wrestling, beginning with the 2026-27 season. The title will be in addition to the annual Big 12 Wrestling Championship presented by Allstate and was approved by the league’s head coaches.
“The addition of a regular season championship in wrestling provides Big 12 programs with a title that validates what it takes to compete in this Conference,” said Big 12 Director of Competition Nick Williams. “The new championship will also enhance the Big 12’s visibility nationally and better position our programs for NCAA Championships.”
The Big 12 regular season championship will be awarded to the team with the highest winning percentage in Conference dual meets, with no tiebreakers to allow for co-champions. The Conference previously honored regular season champions during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
Starting with the 2026-27 season, Big 12 Wrestling will feature a total of nine programs. Arizona State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia are the four full-time members who sponsor wrestling, and they will be joined by affiliate members Missouri, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma, Utah Valley and Wyoming.
Programs will face each of the other eight teams during the Conference schedule, … more at … https://big12sports.com/news/2026/8/20/big-12-conference-adds-regular-season-wrestling-championship.aspx?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Team Standings At The 2026 U20 World Championship
Team standings for Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2026 U20 World Championships, held in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The U20 World Championships are trundling along in beautiful Bratislava, Slovakia (aka the Big Brat). Team USA is competing against the rest of the world with a full lineup in all three styles: Greco-Roman and men’s and women’s freestyle.
Team points are tallied by adding up placement points earned by individuals in each weight class, using the following rubric.
Gold – 25
Silver – 20
Bronze 15
5th – 10
7th – 8
8th – 6
9th – 4
10th – 2
Because of the double bronze system used in UWW competitions, there are also two fifth-place finishes and no fourth or sixth placers.
Team USA’s results can be found here.
Here’s how all the team races shook out.
Men’s Freestyle
28 federations scored team points in men’s freestyle in Bratislava, though just 12 countries put wrestlers on the podium. Team USA had one of their best performances at a World Championship at any age level or style, earning medals at all ten weight classes.
| Rank | Team | TOTAL |
| 1 | UNITED STATES | 205 |
| 2 | RUSSIA | 155 |
| 3 | JAPAN | 130 |
| 4 | IRAN | 103 |
2026 U20 World Championships Day Six Match Notes
Aug 21, 2026, 2:36 AM EDT
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
: Isaiah Cortez works for a takedown at the 2026 U20 World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio.
The 2026 U20 World Championships continue on Friday from A4 Studio in Bratislava, Slovakia. Today will feature women’s freestyle group three (57-59-68 kg) and men’s freestyle group one (61-86 kg) repechage and medal matches, plus men’s freestyle group two (57-65-79-92 kg) qualification rounds and semifinals. Updates and results from each Team USA match can be found below.
Reference Links
Event Schedule
Friday, August 21
10 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (MFS 57-65-79-92 kg), Repechage (WFS 57-59-68 kg, MFS 61-86 kg)
5 p.m. – Semifinals (MFS 57-65-79-92 kg)
6 p.m. – Medal Matches (WFS 57-59-68 kg, MFS 61-86 kg)
*All times reference local time in Bratislava, Slovakia, which is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time (GMT +2) … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/august/21/2026-u20-world-championships-day-six-match-notes?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Seidel, Sinclair capture men’s freestyle gold at U20 World Championships
Aug 21, 2026, 5:20 PM EDT
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Two up, two down for the U.S. men’s freestyle team—Aaron Seidel and Aeoden Sinclair completed masterful gold-medal runs on Friday night at the 2026 U20 World Championships. Seidel was the pace car for the men’s freestyle unit this week in Slovakia—keyword: pace. He picked apart U20 Asian champion Bekassyl Assambek of Kazakhstan 7-0 in the 61 kg finals with masterful edge wrestling and a high attack rate.
It was the first international tournament for the NCAA All-American from Virginia Tech. Seidel finished the event with three technical falls and a pin in the preliminary rounds, in addition to his seven-point decision in the finals. He took out three age-group World medalists on his path to gold, in what was one of the more dominant U20 performances we have seen in recent memory.
Joining Seidel atop the medal stand was Sinclair, a fellow NCAA All-American from Missouri. He was put in an early 4-0 hole by Russia’s Akhmad Mukutov in the 86 kg finals. Like in yesterday’s semifinal comeback win, Sinclair remained steady and committed to his attacks. Three step outs, two takedowns and a caution point later, Sinclair earned the title of champion by an 8-4 margin. Sinclair, a two-time age-group World Team member, posted … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/august/21/seidel-sinclair-capture-men-s-freestyle-gold-at-u20-world-championships?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
U.N.C.-Pembroke To Hold Open Tryouts August 31
PEMBROKE – UNCP wrestling head coach OT Johnson announced that the UNC Pembroke wrestling team will be holding an open tryout for the 2026-27 season on Monday, August 31, outside the Bob Caton Fieldhouse located at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. The tryout will begin at 5 a.m.
In order to participate, students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours for the fall semester at UNCP and be in good academic standing. Please bring a completed waiver and release for tryout form signed by Michael Blackburn (Athletic Trainer) and Christina Chow (Compliance Officer), proof of a physical within the past six months, sickle cell testing results, and a class schedule to assistant coach Logan Robinson’s office in the English E. Jones Center by 5 p.m. on August 28. All paperwork must be turned in by this date in order to tryout.
Any students interested in this opportunity need to contact assistant coach Logan Robinson via email at lmr019@bravemail.uncp.edu … more at … https://uncpbraves.com/news/2026/8/19/wrestling-to-hold-open-tryouts-august-31.aspx?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
From Gori, Georgia to Durham: Ross Returns Ready for the Next Step
By: Emily Carter, Duke Creative Services Summer Intern
DURHAM, N.C.– After hours of travel, Dylan Ross had barely any time to recover before stepping onto the wrestling mat.
Ross landed in Georgia at 4 a.m., after a long international journey and was back in wrestling gear by 7 a.m. “We had no sleep,” Ross said.
He would begin the first of three daily sessions that would define his next 10 days. After earning the starting spot at 149 pounds as a Duke redshirt freshman, Ross finished last season with a 16-12 overall record and went 5-4 in ACC competition. The season gave him his first real opportunity to test himself at the collegiate level.
But Ross knew he could improve, and he spent part of his summer in Gori, Georgia, training under his longtime coach Valentin Kalika at a camp in one of the world’s most legendary wrestling cultures.
The schedule was demanding. Every morning began at 7 a.m., with conditioning at a local park before mat practices at 11 a.m., and 5 p.m. Between sessions, there was just enough time to eat, recover and prepare to do it all again, leaving very little room for anything besides wrestling.
For Ross, that was exactly what made the experience so valuable. He was exposed to a place where wrestling is deeply integrated into the culture. “[We were] outside the city, so it’s an underdeveloped area,” Ross said. “I feel like all the kids there, all they know and live is wrestling. They wrestle two or three times a day every single day their whole lives.”
This trip was not just about training abroad — it was a chance to reunite with the coach who played a major role in shaping Ross’s wrestling career. “My coach has been inviting me for a while, but it never worked out because it was kind of a big commitment,” Ross said. “This summer I found the time and one of my training partners back home wanted to go with me. It was hard to say no to an opportunity like that.”
Ross, who grew up in Edgewater, N.J., first began training with Kalika in the seventh grade and continued to train under him privately throughout high school before Kalika moved to California. Looking back, he admits that Kalika’s training style is unlike anything he had ever experienced. “He brought a style of wrestling that I had never seen before,” Ross said. … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2026/8/11/wrestling-from-gori-georgia-to-durham-ross-returns-ready-for-the-next-step?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Hunter retires as Chadron State men’s wrestling coach
Brett Hunter is stepping away from the Chadron State wrestling program, retiring as head men’s wrestling coach after a career that left its mark on Nebraska wrestling at every level. It was first reported by NEwrestle.
A Rushville native, Hunter was a two-time state champion for Rushville High School before wrestling for Chadron State under Hall of Fame coach Scott Ritzen. He became the winningest wrestler in program history with 133 career wins and a two-time national champion (2007, 2009) — still the only repeat national champion in Eagles history.
Hunter stayed on as an assistant under Ritzen before taking over as head coach for the 2012-13 season. Over more than a decade leading the program, he developed numerous NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans and guided the Eagles to the 2023-24 RMAC dual title, earning NWCA Region VI Coach of the Year honors. He was inducted into the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 2019 and, outside the room, has taken up ultramarathon running, including a 100-mile finish at the Black Hills’ Lean Horse Ultra. … more at … https://www.theopenmat.com/articles/tom6a70ef3394f6d?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Seven-Figure Gift from UVA Wrestling Alumnus Establishes Enduring Legacy for the Program
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Dr. Colin G. Steele, a Virginia wrestling alumnus who endowed the Colin G. Steele Bicentennial Scholarship with a fully realized gift of $1.15 million, was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on August 7.
Born in Norfolk, Va., Steele had a successful wrestling career at Norview High School, claiming a state championship and leading him to the University of Virginia where Steele was a two-time ACC champion for the Cavaliers. He claimed titles at 123 pounds in 1955 and 1956. He was one of two wrestlers to claim an individual championship in that 1955 season and marked the first individual ACC championships in wrestling in program history. Steele was the first two-time individual ACC champion in Virginia athletics history.
He helped lead the Cavaliers to runner-up team finishes in the ACC in both the 1955 and 1956 seasons.
“Colin was such a strong supporter of this program,” said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. “He absolutely loved Virginia wrestling. He was so grateful for his time here and I am grateful that I had a chance to become friends with him over the years. My fondest memory of Colin is taking him up to New York with us for a tournament. He was literally on the mat showing guys moves in between bouts. It was so cool to see a guy at that stage in life still so passionate about the sport. He was also very passionate about passing on the lessons learned and wisdom gained from his experiences at the University of Virginia to our wrestlers over the years. I remember him coming into the locker room before one of our biggest dual meets of the year and giving the team a motivational speech. Finally, I just want to say how thankful we all are for his generosity. The gift he left for this program will help us more than he probably ever could have realized.”
In addition to wrestling, Steele was active in ROTC at Norview High School. Upon graduating from UVA, he continued his naval career in San Diego before being stationed at the Pentagon. After completing … more at … https://virginiasports.com/news/2026/08/11/seven-figure-gift-from-uva-wrestling-alumnus-establishes-enduring-legacy-for-the-program?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 