NCHSAA State Wrestling Playoff changes
The dual team wrestling playoffs were originally supposed to be under way by this week. Now every round has been postponed:
- Rounds 1/2: February 10–12
- Rounds 3/4: February 16–18
- State Finals (Greensboro): Sunday afternoon, February 22
There are no changes to the men’s individual regional or state championships.
The girls regional wrestling scheduled for February 6–7 will be postponed. Regionals will now be held February 10–12. … more at … https://www.highschoolot.com/story/nchsaa-announces-mass-changes-to-the-2026-winter-sports-schedule/22315784/
Minnesota’s first win against Iowa since 2014 leads upset-heavy weekend in college wrestling
Upsets dominated the weekend in NCAA men’s wrestling, highlighted by two big wins in the top 10. No. 5 Oklahoma State took care of No. 3 Iowa State, while No. 9 Minnesota beat No. 4 Iowa on the road.
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Here’s a recap of what you may have missed from the weekend.
Oklahoma State blows out Iowa State in important Big 12 dual
No. 5 Oklahoma State proved itself to be the standard in the Big 12, beating No. 3 Iowa State, 24-9, in Stillwater. Sunday’s dual was Iowa State’s first loss since falling to Ohio State in the National Duals in December.
CY-HAWK: How Iowa State stopped the Hawkeyes for the first time in 20 years
The Cowboys won each of the first seven weights in front of a crowd of over 10,000. No. 7 Troy Spratley began the dual at 125 pounds with a 3-1 decision win over No. 13 Stevo Poulin. At 133 pounds, star freshman No. 12 Jax Forrest picked up a tech fall against Osmany Diversent early in the second period.
In an important 141-pound match, No. 2 Sergio Vega kept the start going for the Cowboys with a 4-2 decision over No. 3 All-American Anthony Echemendia. No. 12 Casey Swiderski upset No. 6 Jacob Frost in the 149-pound tilt by decision, 4-2. Swiderski’s win was especially significant given that he wrestled the first three years of his career for Iowa State. Following his win, the Oklahoma State speakers belted the lyrics to “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” a fitting wink to Swiderski’s literal and symbolic win over his former team. This was also Swiderski first official win of the year over an All-American and could prove to be a critical victory come seeding time for the Big 12 tournament
Freshman No. 6 Landon Robideau earned his second win over an All-American with a 4-1 win over No. 8 Vinny Zerban at 157 pounds. No. 2 LaDarion Lockett stayed undefeated at 165 pounds, earning a major win over No. 16 Connor Euton, 12-3. Lockett will have a tough stretch ahead of him to close out the season, however, as he’ll be expected to take on All-American No. 5 Matt Bianchi on Friday, No. 12 Ryan Burton on Feb. 15 and No. 3 Mikey Caliendo on Feb. 22. A clean sweep would keep LaDarion Lockett at the No. 2 spot and put him position to be on the other side of the bracket from No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State at NCAAs, assuming he maintains his trajectory through the conference tournament.
Oklahoma State’s depth and dominance continued in the upperweights … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-men/article/2026-02-02/minnesotas-first-win-against-iowa-2014-leads-upset-heavy-weekend-college
Fast Start Leads to 26-16 Ohio State Win Over Michigan
No. 2 Buckeyes face No. 4 Iowa In final home dual Friday at Covelli
COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 2 Ohio State (16-0, 5-0) jumped to a 16-0 lead over visiting No.13 Michigan (8-3, 4-1) Sunday to down the Wolverines 26-16 at the Covelli Center.
It was the fourth-consecutive win over Michigan in the series.
Nic Bouzakis got things started with a pin at 125 before a pair of wins by technical fall from Ben Davino (133) and Jesse Mendez (141). Paddy Gallagher (165), Carson Kharchla (174) and Luke Geog (197) secured the victory down the stretch.
125 – (2) Nic Bouzakis (OSU) def. (24) Diego Sotelo (MICH), F, 3:47
Bouzakis earned the first takedown of the match after a called takedown by Sotelo was reviewed and reversed. After the stoppage, Sotelo escaped to make it 3-1 Buckeyes. Bouzakis working on an escape, flipped Sotelo to his back and got the pin at 3:47.
A second-period pin to get things started in Columbus ??@wrestlingbucks‘ No. 2 at 125 lbs Nic Bouzakis secured the pin at 3:47 against No. 24 Diego Sotelo ?? pic.twitter.com/ZGZVfWzDl2— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) February 1, 2026
133 – (2) Ben Davino (OSU) def. Gauge Botero (MICH), TF, 19-4
Davino scored first with a takedown and added another for a 6-1 lead midway through the opening period. Two more Davino takedowns made it 12-3 after the opening period. an ascape in the second made it 13-3 Buckeyes. Another takedown sent the match to the third with Davino leading 16-3. Davino finished off the match for the win by technical fall, 19-4.
141 – (1) Jesse Mendez (OSU) def. (25) Dylan Ragusin (MICH), TF, 19-3
Mendez struck first with a double-leg takedown for a 3-1 lead after a Ragusin escape. Ragusin was called for stalling and Mendez added a late takedown to lead 7-1 after three minutes. Mendez increased the lead to 13-3 after five minutes. A Mendez escape, a three-point near fall and reversal got the win by technical fall, 19-3. … more at … https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2026/2/1/wrestling-fast-start-leads-to-26-16-ohio-state-win-over-michigan
Cowboy Wrestling Collects Statement Victory Over No. 3 Iowa State
STILLWATER – The No. 5 Oklahoma State wrestling team defeated No. 3 Iowa State, 24-9, on Sunday afternoon inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Cowboys took seven of 10 bouts, with No. 12 Jax Forrest (133) and No. 2 Dee Lockett (165) picking up bonus points. The win improves the Cowboys to 12-1 overall and 7-0 in the Big 12, while the loss drops the Cyclones to 9-1 on the season and 5-1 in the conference. Additionally, it’s OSU’s third top-10 win this season.
“This is probably our toughest challenge that we’ve had this year,” head coach David Taylor said. “I got onto these guys on Friday, just felt like we had a little more to give and a little more effort and a little more energy. I think they responded really well. I think our team kind of grew together over the last couple of days. I think tonight was very much a team effort. We came in, and the guys wrestled well and finished matches strongly at the end. I’m proud of the guys.”
In the highest-ranked matchup of the afternoon, true freshman No. 2 Sergio Vega (141) took on fellow Sunnyside High School graduate No. 3 Anthony Echemendia. Late in the third, Vega collected the bout-winning takedown for his team-leading seventh ranked win of the season. Vega, 12 bouts into his college career, has yet to surrender a takedown despite facing three All-Americans, including Nebraska’s Brock Hardy twice.
At 149-pounds No. 12 Casey Swiderski, the former Cyclone, took on No. 6 Jacob Frost in Swiderski’s first meeting against Iowa State since his departure. With under a minute to go in the final period, Swiderski collected the winning takedown and improved to 10-1 in his last 11 bouts.
No. 6 Landon Robideau (157) continued his impressive freshman campaign with a 4-1 win over No. 8 Vinny Zerban. The win was Robideau’s fifth ranked win of his career and second over a former All-American.
Other true freshman phenom Forrest moved to 8-0 in his career with a technical fall victory over Osmaney Diversent. The meeting was the second between the two this season, as Forrest pinned Diversent at the Cyclone Open on January 18. Forrest has seven bonus-point wins over his eight career bouts.
174-pounder No. 7 Alex Facundo picked up his second top-15 win of the weekend with a 4-1 win over No. 13 MJ Gaitan. The reigning Big 12 Wrestler of the Week has now won 11 of his last 12 bouts.
No. 7 Troy Spratley continued his impressive run atop the Cowboy lineup with his eighth-straight victory, … more at … https://okstate.com/news/2026/2/1/cowboy-wrestling-collects-statement-victory-over-no-3-iowa-state
What California Baptist Is Doing To Save Its Wrestling Program
Nearly a month after California Baptist announced plans to cut wrestling, supporters of the program are stepping up in an effort to save the sport.
The life trajectories of Derek Moore, his coaching staff and team of California Baptist University wrestlers dramatically shifted Jan. 2. Everything flipped when California Baptist announced it would cut the wrestling, men’s golf, and men’s swim and dive programs after the 2025-26 season. “This has been by far the hardest few days of coaching I have ever had in my life,” Moore, the CBU wrestling coach, said the week after the decision. “Just definitely heartbroken for my athletes and their families and the sport of wrestling in a whole as we continue to fight in an ever-changing landscape. My donors and supporters that have been behind us and this program, it has just been really tough.”
The school restructured its athletic programs, “in response to the evolving intercollegiate landscape,” as it prepares to compete as a full member in the Big West Conference beginning in July 2026, according to its website. CBU wrestling is a Big 12 affiliate. “We have closely monitored the shifting landscape of intercollegiate athletics that has affected institutions across the nation,” CBU vice president for athletics Micah Parker said in a news release. “While we had hoped to continue offering our full slate of athletic programs in this new environment, it has become clear that changes are required to realize the university’s goal of achieving greater competitive excellence that the new Division I era demands.”
As the school transitions to the Big West, Parker deemed the decision as “necessary to discontinue some athletic programs in order to offer remaining student-athletes and teams the best chance to succeed.” “Considerable thought and prayer went into the decision,” Parker said. “We take seriously the responsibility of supporting our student-athletes, and we are committed to walking beside those impacted as they navigate next steps for their academic and athletic careers.”
The school cited “community impact, Title IX, the House settlement, and available resources and facilities,” as reasons behind the decision, according to its website. The school will honor the athletes’ financial aid package if they remain at CBU or help those in the transfer process, according to its website. “I think as a wrestling program in today’s landscape, every coach knows that there is a challenge on the horizon with NIL and with the need for money for revenue-generating sports,” Moore said. “However, for our program being the only one in the Big 12 and some of the conversations that we were having about the future, it wasn’t something that we saw coming.”
Moore was informed of the news in an annual budget meeting on Jan. 2 with Parker and CBU’s sports supervisors, he said. The head men’s golf coach and head men’s swimming and diving coaches also attended. “When I walked in, all three of the head coaches were there, and they let us knew,” Moore said. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15299763-what-california-baptist-is-doing-to-save-its-wrestling-program
Life Emerges as New No. 1 in NAIA Men’s Wrestling Rankings
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Life (Ga.) took over the throne as the No. 1 team in the NAIA Men’s Wrestling rankings on Jan. 29 behind 261 points. The Running Eagles had 12 individual wrestlers appear in the rankings, with three ranked at No. 2, two ranked at No. 3, and seven individuals within the top five.
Within the team rankings, Life (Ga.) and Grand View (Iowa) flipped in the one and two spots from the last ranking, while the remainder of the top five teams stayed the same, with Southeastern (Fla.) at No. 3 with 221 points, Indiana Tech at No. 4 with 180 points, and Oklahoma City at No. 5 with 170 points.
Cumberlands (Ky.) moved into a stronger position within the top 10, climbing from No. 9 to No. 7 with 141 points. Missouri Valley posted the largest jump among teams in the top-10 discussion, moving up three spots from No. 13 to No. 10 with 131 points. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/1/29/national-wrestling-coaches-association-life-emerges-as-new-no-1-in-naia-mens-wrestling-rankings.aspx
Open Casting Call for Wrestlers
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Calling all wrestlers. A major feature film based on the true story of American wrestling icon Dan Gable is now casting, and you could be part of it. The production is seeking male and female wrestlers ages 18–29 who are athletic, in good physical shape, and have wrestling or MMA experience. No acting experience is required. If you’ve ever dreamed of telling the story of wrestling on the big screen, this is your moment. How to audition Submit a video audition using the official casting link (videos will only be viewed through the provided link). Deadline All submissions must be received by Friday, February 13, 2026. This production is committed to inclusive and equitable casting and encourages all qualified performers to apply. |
| AUDITION INFO |
NCHSAA finalizes 2026 dual team boys wrestling playoff brackets
It is the first time that the association has released playoff brackets for seven classifications in wrestling. The 1A and 2A classifications will be combined into one playoff bracket.
On Friday, the N.C. High School Athletic Association released the finalized brackets for the 2026 dual team boys wrestling playoffs.
It is the first time that the association has released playoff brackets for eight classifications in wrestling. The 1A and 2A classifications will be combined into one playoff bracket. The 3A through 8A classifications will have their own brackets. The 8A and 1A brackets will feature 16 schools, while the 2A through 7A brackets will feature 32 schools.
Correction: This story originally incorrectly stated that there would be seven brackets with 1A and 2A combined. That was not correct. 1A and 2A are being combined for individual wrestling, not the dual team playoffs.
The brackets are seeded with RankWrestler rankings. First, the NCHSAA takes the qualifying teams. Then, they will order them by longitude from east to west and split the regions at the midpoint. After that, each region is sorted into seeds based on its ranking.
The final RankWrestler rankings were released at 10:00 a.m and the preliminary brackets followed at 11:30 a.m. Schools had an opportunity to submit and inquries or errors about the brackets before they were finalized.
In this new frontier, we won’t know where the East-West line will be placed to separate the two regions if there is an odd number of teams. The coach representative on hand will conduct a random drawing to decide which side the middle team will go on. … more at … https://www.highschoolot.com/story/2026-nchsaa-wrestling-dual-team-playoff-brackets/22311326/
Mercyhurst Adds Women’s Wrestling to Division I Profile
TDR Editor’s Note; WRESTLING CONTINUES TO GROW! In the 2025-2026 season we saw over a dozen new and restarted Men’s College & University teams and 40 new Women’s teams. So far it has been announced we will have 9 new or restarted Men’s College & University teams and over 25 Women’s teams will be started. We hope that these numbers will increase especially on the Division level. The growth in college teams on a national level will inspire an increase of participation of the sport in all younger age group levels.
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ERIE, Pa. — Mercyhurst University is excited to announce the addition of women’s wrestling as a Lakers varsity sport, beginning in the 2026–27 academic year. “Wrestling has deep roots and tremendous popularity in our region, and the growth of women’s wrestling nationally has been incredible to watch,” said Director of Athletics, Joe Spano. “With Mercyhurst’s move to Division I and the NCAA elevating women’s wrestling to full championship status, this is the right opportunity at the right time. Adding women’s wrestling creates another meaningful pathway for young women to compete at the NCAA Division I level.”
The Lakers will compete as a Division I program, making women’s wrestling Mercyhurst’s 31st varsity sport.
Mercyhurst becomes the eighth Division I institution to add women’s wrestling, joining Iowa, Lehigh, Lindenwood, Presbyterian, Sacred Heart, Delaware State, and Kent State.
Mercyhurst will be just the second Division I women’s wrestling program in Pennsylvania, joining Lehigh, which announced the addition of the sport in May 2025. “This is an exciting and historic step for Mercyhurst University,” said Laura Zirkle, Mercyhurst Vice President for Student Life. “Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation and adding it as a Division I program aligns with our mission to expand opportunities for women while competing at the highest level. Mercyhurst has a long tradition of athletic excellence, and women’s wrestling will be a powerful addition to that legacy.”
The establishment of the women’s wrestling program aligns with the sport’s rising prominence nationally. In January 2025, the NCAA officially added women’s wrestling as its 91st championship sport, elevating it from Emerging Sport status to full championship status and paving the way for its first national championship in 2026. A national search for the program’s inaugural head coach has begun. Interested applicants … More at … https://hurstathletics.com/news/2026/1/28/mercyhurst-adds-womens-wrestling-to-division-i-profile.aspx?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
NC State Putting ACC Home Streak On Line In Showdown With Virginia Tech
North Carolina State hasn’t lost a home ACC dual since 2019, but the Wolfpack will have to avenge a November loss to preserve that streak.
The road to an ACC team title has gone through either Raleigh or Blacksburg for more than a decade now. This year appears no different, as #8 NC State hosts #7 Virginia Tech Friday night in one of the marquee NCAA duals of the year.
You’ll need to go back to 2014 to find the last time neither NC State nor Virginia Tech had the best regular season record and were handed the ACC dual championship. In the postseason, either NC State (with seven titles) or Virginia Tech (with three) have won the last 10 ACC Championships dating back to 2015.
“This rivalry is good for our sport,” NC State head coach Pat Popolizio said. “It elevated everyone’s game, and it makes you better in the long run. When you have two really good teams matching up, that is what’s fun about dual meets. It’s 10 versus 10. “Their fan base travels extremely well, so our fans are going to have to show up early and then make sure to make it’s a great atmosphere for Friday night wrestling.”
This will be the second meeting of the year for the two programs, as they faced off in a non-conference dual back in November at the National Duals Invitational. The Hokies easily won that day, 25-9, winning seven of the 10 bouts. As it appears, there will be six rematches from that dual (125, 141, 149, 165, 174, 184). “It’s pretty simple how we can turn that result around — score takedowns,” Popolizio said. “That is something we didn’t do in that first meeting. Both teams obviously didn’t have some guys, and there were some weight changes, so it’s going to be a different dual.”
NC State has not dropped a home conference dual since 2019 vs. Pitt (18-16). With the win over UNC last week, the Pack has won 18 home ACC duals in a row. “Our guys have got to be ready, and they have got to be aggressive,” Popolizio said. “I think that is something we did well last week (in the 24-10 win over #11 North Carolina). We opened up, attacked and scored points. “If you can’t score a takedown, it’s hard to win matches.”
One of the featured bouts will come at 165 pounds, as a pair of true freshmen are introduced into this rivalry and face off in a pivotal match as #10 Will Denny toes the line against #17 Ryan Burton.
Burton was the #14 overall recruit in the 2025 class, while Denny was #16. They did not have a history as high school opponents, … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15302355-nc-state-putting-acc-home-streak-on-line-in-showdown-with-virginia-tech
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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