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
The Top 50 Newcomers For The 2026-27 NCAA Wrestling Season
Ranking the best 50 college wrestlers new to the 2026-27 NCAA D1 season.
The 2026-27 college wrestling season is still over two months away, but it’s never too early to start getting excited for next year! To help you better prepare for the season, I’ve compiled a list of 50 wrestlers who didn’t wrestle last year and are either making their college debuts or returning back to college wrestling after an injury or redshirt.
The Top 10
I’m going to give my breakdown for each wrestler in the top 10 below, but if you want to see the entire list, just keep scrolling! It’s also probably important for me to explain my criteria before you start reading. The best way I can explain my criteria is in one word: VIBES. There’s not much of a science to this list. I put the wrestlers in the order of who I’m most excited to see wrestle and who I think could have the biggest impact on college wrestling next year. That means that your list will probably look a lot different than mine. That’s what makes these things fun!
1. Masanosuke Ono, Penn State – 133/141
How can a world champion who’s never wrestled a competitive folkstyle match not be #1? Yes, there’s still a ton of questions surrounding whether Ono will even wrestle and, if he does, what weight he will be at! However, Ono’s run at the 2024 World Championships, where he teched Vito Arujau and defeated world and Olympic champion Zavur Uguev, was historic. Combine that with Ono’s electric personality, and he has the potential to take the college wrestling world by storm this year.
2. Bo Bassett, Virginia Tech – 141
Bo Bassett is the most popular high school wrestler of all time, and for good reason. He’s a U17 World Champion, 3-time PA state champion, 4-time Super 32 champion, U20 World bronze medalist, and is currently in Final X, waiting to wrestle off Real Woods for the senior world team spot at 65 kg (oh, and he’s also on the U20 and U23 world teams this year). Bo has more hype than anyone who has ever entered college wrestling, and I can’t wait to see how he lives up to it next year at Virginia Tech.
3. Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech – 149
Staying in Blacksburg with Caleb Henson, who is returning to college wrestling after redshirting last year. Henson is a 3-time All-American who has placed 5th, 1st, and 2nd in his three years as a Hokie. As an NCAA champion, he has to be high on this list, but what makes it even better is the depth at 149 pounds this year. Henson will be battling for another NCAA title alongside Sergio Vega, Aden Valencia, Shayne Van Ness, and potentially Jesse Mendez. That’s 4 NCAA champions in one weight class – could this be the best weight of all time!?
4. Dreshaun Ross, Oklahoma State – 285
Now this is where my opinion really starts to affect the order of wrestlers on this list. I think Dreshaun Ross has the potential to be an NCAA Champion at heavyweight this year. When was the last time that was done by a true freshman at heavyweight? Now, I did make this list before David Taylor announced that All-American Konner Doucet has another year of eligibility. I’m going to stick to my guns though here and keep Ross at #4. I think he’s that good, and if he’s in the lineup over Doucet, he has the potential to win a wide-open heavyweight field that won’t have 6 of last year’s 8 All-Americans (only Ben Kueter and Christian Carroll return). … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/16122994-top-50-college-newcomers-for-the-2026-27-ncaa-wrestling-season?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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 |
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
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