The Southern Conference and ESPN Announce Multi-Year Media Rights Extension
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference and ESPN announced today a multi-year extension of their media rights agreement, continuing a longstanding relationship that will provide unprecedented national linear and digital exposure for SoCon athletics across ESPN’s industry-leading networks through the 2031-32 academic year.
The extended agreement represents an expanded commitment by ESPN, anchored by a robust slate of regular season and championship broadcasts across ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU, along with
comprehensive digital distribution through ESPN’s direct-to-consumer services.
Full Breakdown
Beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, the SoCon will feature a record number of national regular season and conference championship events on ESPN’s linear networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU.
Men’s basketball coverage will see notable expansion under the agreement. The Ingles SouthernConference Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship game will be telecast on ESPN for multiple years of the deal, with the semifinal contests presented across ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.
For the first time, the league is also guaranteed regular season men’s basketball games on ESPN or ESPN2 … more at …
https://vmikeydets.com/news/2026/3/9/athletics-the-southern-conference-and-espn-announce-multi-year-media-rights-extension.aspx
ACC to Send 43 Wrestlers to 2026 NCAA Championships
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference will send 43 wrestlers to the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, set for March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
The 43 wrestlers are the second most in ACC history since the NCAA adopted this allocation and at-large format. Last year, the ACC sent a record 46 grapplers to the NCAAs.
The ACC secured 39 automatic qualifiers at the 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship on Sunday, March 8, in front of a record-breaking crowd of 4,692 fans at Cassell Coliseum on the campus of Virginia Tech.
On Tuesday, March 10, the NCAA announced its 42 at-large selections, which included four ACC wrestlers.
The ACC’s at-large selections were Pitt’s Dylan Evans (157 pounds), Jared Keslar (165) and Luca Augustine (174), along with Duke’s Connor Barket (285).
The at-large selections join the 288 student-athletes who qualified automatically through their conference tournament finishes. At-large berths were determined by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee using the following criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, ratings percentage index (RPI), coaches ranking and conference tournament finish.
The complete list of at-large selections is available on NCAA.com. … more at …https://theacc.com/news/2026/3/10/wrestling-acc-to-send-43-wrestlers-to-2026-ncaa-championships.aspx
Singleton and Trumble Win ACC Titles, Team Comes in Third
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Led by two individual titles and four more guys on the podium, NC State wrestling finished third with 57 points at the 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship hosted by Virginia Tech on Sunday.
Seven wrestlers for the Pack earned automatic qualification for the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, later this month. The group marks the 11th straight season under Popolizio that at least seven NC State wrestlers have earned bids to the national tournament.
Matty Singleton at 174 lbs and Isaac Trumble at 285 lbs each were crowned individual champions at Cassell Coliseum on Sunday night, while six total landed on the podium at third or better in the red-and-white.
Defending his title at 174 lbs, Singleton defeated the No. 7, No. 6, and No. 4 seeds of his bracket to be crowned champion of the weight yet again after winning his first title last year at the 2025 ACC Wrestling Championship in Durham.
Remaining undefeated this season at 16-0, sixth-year senior Trumble earned his first-ever conference title while dominating his No. 5 and No. 2 seed opponents both by major decision in the heavyweight bracket.
The squad turns its focus to the national tournament, which will be at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2026/3/9/wrestling-singleton-and-trumble-win-acc-titles-team-comes-in-third
2026 DIII men’s wrestling championships: Brackets, schedule, results
The 2026 DIII wrestling championships begins March 13 through 14 at Alliant Energy Power House in Cedar Rapids, IA. The championship qualifiers were announced on Monday, March 2, and brackets were released Friday, March 6 on NCAA.com.
Below you can find the complete schedule of the 2026 DIII wrestling championship.
👉 Click here to see the full list of championship qualifiers
➡️ Watch live: 2026 DIII men’s wrestling championships
2026 NCAA DIII wrestling championship brackets
The official 2026 DIII wrestling brackets were released Wednesday, March 11. Click here to see every bracket weight-by-weight.
2026 NCAA DIII wrestling championships schedule
*All times Eastern … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-men/article/2026-03-13/2026-diii-mens-wrestling-championships-brackets-schedule-results
NCAA announces at-large selections for 2026 Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA announced the 42 at-large selections for the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships in Cleveland.
The at-large selections, listed in alphabetical order in each weight class, join the 288 student-athletes that qualified through their conference tournament finishes over the weekend. The at-large selections were made by the NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Committee using the following selection criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, ratings percentage index, coaches ranking and conference tournament finish.
Seeding and brackets for this year’s event will be revealed tomorrow, March 11, during the NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships Selection Show on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. ET.
Visit http://ncaa.com/wrestling for more information about this year’s championship. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/3/10/national-wrestling-coaches-association-ncaa-announces-at-large-selections-for-2026-division-i-mens-wrestling-championships.aspx
Top Active NAIA Coaches by dual meet wins
TDR Editor’s notes: The following are a list of the head coaches of NAIA schools by team dual meet wins. It is a preliminary list as many of the latest coaching and school changes have not been included yet. We welcome input, reactions and questions. Please let us know what we need to correct.
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ACTIVE Coaches NAIA – Top 40 with at least 25 wins
1. Franky James (Georgetown Coll./Campbellsville) 255 (4)
2. Nick Mitchell (Grand View College) 211 (14)
3. Corey Ruff (Cumberlands/Lindsey-Wilson) 169 (8)
4. Omi Acosta (Life University) — 132 (12)
5. Tyson Thivierge (Montana State Northern) 125 (1)
6. Jeff Bedard (Reinhardt Univ.) — 123 (12)
7. Jake Stevenson (Morningside College) — 117 (6)
8. K.C. Rock (Embry-Riddle College) – 118 (10)
9. Thomas Pompei (Indiana Institute of Tech.) 117 (13)
10. Rik Dahl (Northwestern College) — 101 (4)
11. Beau Vest (Mo. Valley/Dana-Midland) 99 (16)
12. James Hicks (Cumberland Univ./Darton — 93 (10)
13. Dana Vote (Doane, Midland, Concordia) — 90 (10)
14. Joey Martinez (Menlo) — 88 — now a D-II school
15. James Kisgen (McKendree College) – 84 – now a D-II school
16. Brandon Jorge (Southeastern University) 81 (10)
17. Steven Bradley (Marian University) — 79 (8)
18. Joe Privitere (Briar Cliff) 70 (5)
19. Dustyn Azure (Eastern Oregon) 67 (6)
20. Steve Komac (Providence Great Falls) 67 (12)
21. Chuck Kearney (St. Mary, University of) 66 (11)
22. Zach Mullins (Graceland Univ.) 65 (9)
23. Joel Gibson (Southern Oregon State) 65 (16)
24. Lennie Zalesky (Calif. Baptist Univ.) while NAIA – 55 – now a D-I school
25. Doc Kelly (Lourdes University) 51 (3) school closing in ‘26
26. Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma City) 49 (11)
27. Corey Ruff (Cumberlands Univ. of) 48 (8)
28. Jameel Bryant (Lindsey-Wilson College) 46 (9)
29. Wesley Maskill (Rochester Christian University) 44 (5)
30. Marcus Cobbs (Benedictine College) 38 (7)
31. Michael Butterfield (Arizona Christian) 37 (9)
32. Robert Parland (St. Andrews University) 33 school closed in 2025
33. Thomas Carr (Oklahoma Wesleyan Univ./Central Christian) 32 (1)
34. Stryder Davis (Wayland Baptist) 32 (10)
35. Josh Erickson (Hastings College) 30 (6)
36. Casey Mouw (Dakota Wesleyan) 30 (6)
37. Calb McElfresh (Missouri Baptist University) 29 (5)
38. Eric Van Kley (Great Falls Univ.) 29 – now at a D-III school
39. Eric Pack (Allen University) 28 school moved to D-II
40. Bo Bettinson (St. Ambrose) 26 (5)
41. Gregory Barner (Benedictine/Cleary Univ.) 26 (7)
42. Nolan Harris (Corban College) 25 (9)
Top Division III ACTIVE Coaches
TDR Editor’s Notes; The following is an updated listing of active head coaches by wins while on the Division III level. Recently retired coaches are included to show recognitione to their coaching colleagues. We welcome input as we update the lists for other divisions and for All-Time coaches including all divisions. Contact us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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ACTIVE Coaches(D-III)– Top 50 with at least 90 wins 2026
- Lonnie Morris (Johnson & Wales) 478 (14)
- Roger Crebs (Lycoming College) 474 (9)
- Ron Beaschler (Ohio Northern Univ.) 421 (14)
- Bruce Haberli (New York University) 381 (22)
- Dave Mitchell (Luther College) 347 (7)
- Tim Fader (Wis.-Eau Claire,Whitewater, LaCrosse) 345 (9)
- Martin Nichols (Ithaca College) 342 (13)
- Jon Laudenslager (Wilkes University) 310 (7)
- John Oostendorp (Coe College) 298 (10)
- Jay Jones (Rhode Island College) 294 (5)
- Bryan Brunk (Messiah College) 293 (14)
- Dave Malecek (Wisconsin-LaCrosse St.) 257 (14)
- Sebastian Amato (Trinity College) 243 (8)
- Drew Black (Wesleyan Univ.) 241 (5)
- Jon Egan (Roger Williams) – 235 (14)
- Duane Ritter (SUNY Oneonta State) 231 (8)
- Johnny Johnson (Wisc.-Stevens Point) 229 (5)
- Eric Keller (Wartburg College) – 210 (13)
- Jamie Gibbs (Baldwin-Wallace) – 194 (12)
- Mike Howard (SUNY-Oswego State) 193 (1)
- Jon McGovern (Dubuque University) – 193 (7)
- Joe Galente (College of New Jersey) 189 (17)
- Kevin Bratland (U.S. Coast Guard/North Central) 178 (9)
- Craig Thurber (Thiel College) – 177 (4)
- James Holder (Springfield College) 172 (15)
- Eric Van Kley (Central College,) – 171 (12)
- Steve Marianetti (Elmhurst College) – 163 (6)
- Brandon Bissette (Olivet College) 160 (9)
- Scott Legacy (Vermont St.-Castleton) 149 (15)
- Jason Garriques (Centenary College) 147 (10)
- Greg Ilaria (U.S. Merchant Marine) – 146 (10)
- Al Russomano (Scranton Univ.) 139 (11)
- Mark Harwald (John Carroll/Case West/Mt. Union) 135 (4)
- Joe Favia (Stevens Institute of Tech.) 132 (9)
- Nathan Shearer (Washington & Lee) 128 (10)
- Eric Walker (Elizabethtown College) 125 (6)
- Duane Bastress (York College, Pa.) 123 (7)
- Ryan Birt (Millikan College) 123 (15)
- Nate Yetzer (Roanoke/Ferrum Colleges) 120 (15)
- Scott Honacker (Williams College) 119 (10)
- Tim Fader (Wisc.-Eau Claire) 115 (9)
- Bill Schindel (Adrian/Mount Union) 112 (3)
- Keith Norris (John Hopkins Univ.) 111 (1)
- Blake Roulo (Averett Univ.) 108 (12)
- Mike DeRoehn (Lakeland /Wisc-Platteville, Oshkosh,) 107 (9)
- Jim Moulsoff (Augsburg College) 107 – III (9)
- Tommy Prairie (SUNY-Courtland, Wash.&Jeff./Plymouth) 101 – III (4)
- Matt Morin (Southern Maine) 101 – III (6)
- Mike Sugarmeyer (Western New England) 97 (10)
- Kriss Ballaca (Alvernia Univ.) 94 (17)
NCAA D-III Regional results & News
Six qualify for nationals, helps Wrestling to third place finish at NCAA III Regional IV Championships
ADA — The Ohio Northern wrestling team had six individuals qualify for the national championships with top three finishes, leading ONU to a third place team finish at the 2026 NCAA III Region IV Championships on Friday and Saturday.
| NCAA Regionals Site |
The Basics
- Records: Ohio Northern (14-4 Overall)
- The Polar Bears finished 3rd of 20 teams with 177.5 points.
- #2 Roanoke (Va.) won the team title with 217.5 points, #18 Baldwin Wallace was second with 188.5 points, and Washington & Lee (Va.) was 4th with 153.5 points.
- Venue: ONU Sports Center – Ada, Ohio.
ONU Individuals
Freshman Londen Murphy
No. 13-ranked sophomore Myles Johnson (Springboro) went 4-0 with two pins to win the at 197-pound title.
Sophomore Jovanni Greco (Ross) went 3-1 with a tech fall and finished second at 149. Freshman Kurt Mokros (Lewis Center/Olentangy) went 4-1 with two pins to finish third at 125. … more at … https://www.onusports.com/sports/wrest/2025-26/releases/20260228s7hbfb
AND …
Champs Again! Wrestling Seals Sixth Straight Regional Title Behind Six NCAA Qualifiers
EWING, N.J. – TCNJ Wrestling racked up four regional champions and a six-pack of NCAA qualifiers in running their streak of Region III titles to six with a dominant performance in front of its home fans on Saturday.
Garrett Totten (133), Vinnie Santaniello (141), Hunter Mays (174), and D.J. Henry (197) all won their respective brackets and will be joined at the NCAA Championships by Matthew Griffin (125) and J.J. Giordano (149), who secured third place to make it to the national tournament.
Henry was named the region’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, while head coach Joe Galante and his staff claimed Regional Coach of the Year and Staff of the Year recognition.
TCNJ racked up 174 team points to outdistance runner-up NYU by 34, extending its run of regional dominance for another year. The Lions piled up nine place-winners over the two-day tournament, with … https://tcnjathletics.com/news/2026/2/28/champs-again-wrestling-seals-sixth-straight-regional-title-behind-six-ncaa-qualifiers.aspx
AND …
No. 22 Men’s Wrestling Sends Seven to Nationals, Finishes Runner-Up at Region 4 Championships
ADA, Ohio – The No. 22 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University men’s wrestling team qualified seven wrestlers to the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championships as BW finished in second place at the 2026 NCAA Division III Region 4 Championships hosted by Ohio Northern University in the ONU Sports Center.
BW was second of 20 teams with188.5 points. No. 1 nationally ranked Roanoke (Va.) College was the champion with 217.5 points. The top three wrestlers in each weight class earn All-Region 4 honors and qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships. The Yellow Jackets’ seven qualifiers included two champions, two second place finishers and three third place grapplers while all 10 wrestlers placed in the top six.
BW Qualifiers
Won by pinfall in 2:43 over Quintez Pratt of Wilmington
Junior All-American and No. 4 nationally ranked 165-pounder Andrew Supers (Medina) – Champion
Bye in first round … more at … https://bwyellowjackets.com/news/2026/2/28/mens-wrestling-no-22-mens-wrestling-sends-seven-to-nationals-finishes-runner-up-at-region-4-championships.aspx
AND …
2026 NCAA Division III men’s wrestling championships qualifiers announced
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling Committee announced today the participants in the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling Championships.
Click or tap to see the full list of qualifiers
The championships will be held March 13-14 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The American Rivers Conference will serve as the host.
A total of 210 participants will compete in the championship. Student-athletes qualified for the championship by placing in the top three of their respective weight classes at one of the seven NCAA regional tournaments held Feb. 27, 28, and March 1. The complete list of all wrestlers competing in the championship is available at NCAA.com and the complete seeded bracket will be available on NCAA.com Tuesday, March 10. NCAA.com will stream all sessions.
In the 2025 championships, Johnson & Wales University (Providence) and Wartburg were crowned co-champions, earning their first and 16th national title, respectively. … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-men/article/2026-03-02/2026-ncaa-division-iii-mens-wrestling-championships-qualifiers-announced
NCAA Division III Regionals
Six Bears heading to 2026 NCAA Championships
NEW LONDON, Conn. –
After sending four last year, Coast Guard exceeded that number by two in 2026, sending six men to the national championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As a team, the Bears placed 3rd of 19 teams in the school’s first time hosting the NCAA Regionals.
Leading the charge for the Bears were three champions. 149 Nathan Fitt(Branchville, NJ) cruised in the semifinal, holding commanding leads of 3-0 and 7-1 before winning by a score of 8-2. In the finals, Fitt’s opponent forfeited giving the senior the title and his third trip to nationals. … more at … https://coastguardathletics.com/news/2026/3/1/wrestling-six-bears-heading-to-2026-ncaa-championships.aspx
AND …
Program-record six Ephs head to National Championship as wrestlers earn 2nd at Regionals
NEW LONDON, Conn. – After a great first day of competition that saw nine Williams College wrestlers still in contention entering Sunday, the team continued the strong performance and will be sending six Ephs to the NCAA Division III National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in two weeks.
The six wrestlers heading to Nationals – Caleb Seyfried at 149, Peter Kane at 157, Henry Forte at 165, Gage Wiggins at 174, Jamie Evarts at 184, and Zach Borzio at 197 – is the most the team has ever sent in a single season, and the performance at Regionals is the team’s best since this qualifying format was introduced. Kane and Evarts were the Ephs’ two Regional winners, both repeating their wins from a year ago.
The team finished second overall with 155 points, behind Springfield College (170.5) and ahead of Coast Guard (152.5), Castleton (144.5) and Johnson & Wales (144).
Entering Sunday, the Ephs had six wrestlers unbeaten into the semifinals, where a win would earn a ticket to Iowa, and five were able to get those wins: Seyfried, Kane, Wiggins, Evarts, and Borzio. Forte was the only Eph to lose his semifinal, but he then battled through the consolation bracket and ultimately won his third-place match to punch his ticket as well.
Seyfried was first on the mat on Sunday for the Ephs, and he got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 7-0 lead over Wesleyan’s Ike Guttentag in the first period. Guttentag kept chipping away at the lead for the rest of the match, including scoring four points with under a minute left, but an escape point to start the third ended up being the difference as Seyfried earned an 8-7 decision win. After the victory, … more at … https://ephsports.williams.edu/news/2026/3/1/wrestling-program-record-six-ephs-head-to-national-championship-as-wrestlers-earn-2nd-at-regionals.aspx
AND …
Trio of Spartans Qualify for National Championship; Wrestling Places Fourth at NCAA Regionals
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Vermont State University Castleton wrestling team placed fourth as a team on Sunday at the 2026 NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Championship. The Spartans have three individuals who qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship.
The three qualifiers will head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 13-14 as both teams and individuals battle for the 2026 NCAA National Championship. Castleton finished fourth with 144.5 team points. Springfield took first with 170.5 points, Williams College claimed second with 155 points, Coast Guard finished third with 152.5 points, and Johnson & Wales rounded out the top five right behind the Spartans with 144 points.
Drew Marchese, Jashon Holmes, and Desmond McLaughlin were the top finishers as individuals, with all three placing second in their respective weight classes, and all three are set to make their first career trips to the NCAA National Championship. Josh Negron and Joseph Baker finished fourth, Nicolas Balella and Nathaniel Camiscioli notched fifth, and Stone Farnsworth and Logan Frank claimed seventh as all nine participants on day two became place-winners.
14th-ranked Marchese was the first Spartan to punch his ticket to the NCAA National Championship at 125 pounds after taking down Charlie Pavis of WPI 8-0 via major decision to claim a spot in the championship bout. There, he met with 15th-ranked Nico Rivera of Johnson & Wales and narrowly lost in a 3-2 decision.
Holmes also took second at 165 pounds for his first career … more at … https://castletonsports.com/news/2026/3/1/trio-of-spartans-qualify-for-national-championship-wrestling-places-fourth-at-ncaa-regionals.aspx
AND …
SIX-cess! Wrestling Wins Sixth Straight Regional Title; Smith Fourpeats at 157
Ithaca, N.Y. – The Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team’s regional dynasty continued with an unprecedented sixth straight title at the Region II Championships on Saturday, with four Ducks earning automatic berths into the NCAA Championships.
Trailing host Ithaca by 7.5 points after Friday, the Ducks had seven Top-5 finishers and nine Top-7 finishers – no other school had more than six in the Top 5 or seven in the Top 7 – finishing with 147.5 points, 3.5 clear of Ithaca. Lycoming was a distant third with 108, RIT was fourth with 98, and Oneonta was fifth with 96.
Ryan Smith won his fourth regional title and Nico Diaz continued his remarkable return to the mats, winning his second regional title in three years after missing last season to injury.
THE RUNDOWN
After a 7-3 decision win the 141-lb semifinal, Diaz, the draw’s No. 1 seed, collected two third period takedowns in the final, turning a 3-2 deficit into an 8-7 win. Smith was as dominant Saturday as he was Friday at 165, winning both his semifinal and final bouts by major decision, outpointing his opponents 22-2. One of the few wrestlers seeded … more at … https://stevensducks.com/news/2026/2/28/six-cess-wrestling-wins-sixth-straight-regional-title.aspx
Wartburg Claims Fifth-Straight NCAA Regional Title; Nine punch ticket to NCAA Championships
DUBUQUE, Iowa — The No. 1/2-ranked Wartburg College men’s wrestling team claimed its fifth-straight NCAA Division III Region VI championship—and 12th overall—amassing 210.5 team points and qualifying nine wrestlers for the NCAA Division III National Championship meet – the Knights’ team-point total ranks as the third-most across all of the NCAA Div. III Regionals this year.
Head coach Eric Keller was named Region VI Coach of the Year for the fifth time, while the Wartburg coaching staff earned Region VI Staff of the Year honors.
The Knights crowned five regional champions, led by Brett Birchman, Kade Blume, Kasey Ross, Cal Dorota, and Mitchell Williamson. Wartburg’s five individual titles marked the program’s highest total since the 2017–18 season, when the Knights produced seven champions.
Birchman completed an undefeated weekend at 125 pounds, securing national qualification with a pair of decisions. He earned a 12–8 semifinal victory before grinding out a 3–1 win in the championship bout.
At 133, Patrick Mullen advanced to the national meet with a runner-up finish. Mullen opened day two with a 7–2 semifinal decision before suffering his first loss of the regional in the championship match.
Blume dominated the 141-pound bracket, posting a perfect 4–0 record on day two. … more at … https://go-knights.net/news/2026/2/28/mens-wrestling-wartburg-claims-fifth-straight-ncaa-regional-title-nine-punch-ticket-to-ncaa-championships.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
Takedown Report 