Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

#8 NC State Collects 13th-Straight Win Over #11 UNC

RALEIGH – In front of a sold-out Reynolds Coliseum, eighth-ranked NC State wrestling (12-3, 3-0 ACC) collected its 13th consecutive win over the No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels (8-2, 1-1 ACC) by a comfortable 24-10 win on Friday night.
The Wolfpack improves to 3-0 in conference action by defeating 11th-ranked North Carolina at home Friday night by a 24-10 score. A streak that began in 2014, the win is the 13th in a row by the Pack over the Tar Heels. The dual began at 141 lbs, which resulted in the Tar Heels getting points on the board first.
One of the highlights of the night comes from freshman phenom Will Denny, who had a fiery match that ended up in a major decision over a top-10 opponent. The freshman’s win marks his 10th in a row and second overall top-10 win of the season. The newest addition to the Pack, Patrick Brophy at 197 lbs, took out #33 Robert Platt 8-1 to land his first ranked win in the red-and-white.
To close out the dual, at 133 lbs, Zach Redding defeated 18th-ranked Ethan Oakley for his second ranked win of the season, which is the first since the National Duals Invitational. The attendance marks the third-ever announced sell-out in program history. … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2026/1/24/wrestling-8-nc-state-collects-13th-straight-win-over-11-unc

January 24, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Boulanger Making Impact as True Freshman

By: Travis Swafford, Duke Athletics Communications Student Assistant
DURHAM, N.C.– Duke freshman wrestler Mikey Boulanger is a man of few words. If you ask him about his impressive start on the collegiate mats, he describes the experience as “an adjustment.” If you ask him whether he really went 55-0 as a senior in high school, he nods yes. But when it came time for Duke head coach Glen Lanham to decide whether the freshman would redshirt or compete in his first year on campus, what Boulanger had to say proved pivotal.
As Lanham describes it, “He just came and said that he had thought about taking off the year when he’s so close to competing. He was like, ‘well if I don’t get the rep, somebody else is. So, I just think it would make me better if I’m the starter.'”
The subsequent decision to let Boulanger wrestle has paid immediate dividends, as he collected eight wins over his first 12 bouts start to the season propelled the team to its best fall record in four years. The Milford, Massachusetts, native’s eight wins ranks fifth on the team, anchoring the Blue Devils in the 157-pound weight class. It’s a performance that has left Lanham and the Duke team impressed.
“He’s definitely been surprising, coming out of nowhere, really,” Lanham said. “We thought that he was going to have to use a redshirt, get bigger, that kind of stuff, get used to college wrestling, but he’s just jumped right into it.”
Boulanger took little time to make his mark. In the team’s second dual of the season against Hofstra, with the Blue Devils down 14-6, he won a crucial match against the Pride’s Frank Volpe in an 8-2 decision. Duke would go on to win four of the next five matches and win the contest 24-17. … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2026/1/21/wrestling-boulanger-making-impact-as-true-freshman

January 24, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Men’s Wrestling Senior Day Against Southern Virginia Moved to Friday

The Greensboro College Men’s Wrestling match against Southern Virginia scheduled for January 24 has been moved to Friday, January 23 at 4:00 pm inside Reynolds Gym.
The team will be honoring their seniors for senior day. Watch live on the Greensboro College Athletics YouTube channel. … more at … https://greensborocollegesports.com/news/2026/1/21/mens-wrestling-senior-day-against-southern-virginia-moved-to-friday-january-23-at-4-00.aspx
And …

Men’s Wrestling Defeats Southern Virginia on Senior Night
Greensboro, NC – It was a senior night to remember for Greensboro College Men’s Wrestling as they defeated Southern Virginia in an ODAC dual, 29-16.
After the 125lb class went to the Knights via forfeit, Triston Woodward got Greensboro on the scoreboard with a major decision win in the 133lb match. The Knights earned a win in the 141lb matchup, but Josue DelCid took down Richie Kulessa of SVU via fall in the 149lb class.
In the 157lb match, Carson Gardner came from behind to earn a 7-6 decision victory. Immediately after this match, Nick Menjivar dominated the 165lb matchup after earning a pin in just 46 seconds. 
The Knights took the 174lb match, but Omori Lee (184lb) and Isaiah Manning (197lb) each earned victories in their respective matches to secure the team win. 
Notes:
– Lee takes over the team lead with 13 wins on the season. … more at … https://greensborocollegesports.com/news/2026/1/23/mens-wrestling-defeats-southern-virginia-on-senior-day.aspx

January 24, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Growing Is the Purpose: Keeping Education First in High School Sports

NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker writes about the importance of keeping education at the center of high school athletics.
High school sports is experiencing record participation. It is also experiencing unprecedented pressure. Across the country, young athletes are training earlier, competing year-round and navigating expectations shaped by a rapidly expanding youth sports economy. For many families, athletics now feel like increasingly high stakes.
High school sports operate differently—by design. They exist within schools, alongside classrooms, guided by the same educational mission. Participation is structured to support academic success and to teach intangibles like discipline, teamwork, resilience and responsibility. Rules around eligibility, seasons and competition are not barriers to ambition; they are safeguards for students. As expectations around winning and advancement continue to rise, we at the NCHSAA believe it is worth reaffirming the role that high school athletics play in education—and why that purpose matters.
Every high school athlete is a student first, and we see high school sports as a vital extension of the classroom. In “the last class of the day,” student-athletes develop character and integrity and learn life lessons they will carry with them long after their playing days are over.
Today’s high school student-athletes will be tomorrow’s leaders. So, while the goal of playing high school sports is to win, the true purpose is much greater—for students to learn and grow as people.
How? By keeping high school sports educational, competitively balanced and accessible for all students. Why? To ensure high school sports develop the whole person, not just the athlete. … more at … https://www.highschoolot.com/story/growing-is-the-purpose-keeping-education-first-in-high-school-sports/22305650/

January 24, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Wolverines Win Final Two Bouts to Claim Back-and-Forth Battle Against No. 11 Illinois

By: Leah Howard
» No. 12 Michigan claimed six bouts, including three of the final four, to defeat No. 11 Illinois, 18-14, in a dual that featured five lead changes; U-M improved to 3-0 in Big Ten duals.
» Hayden Walters (197 pounds) scored a last-second takedown to earn a 5-1 decision and put Michigan back in front in the penultimate match; Taye Ghadiali (Hwt) then clinched the dual with a 7-4 decision.
» Cameron Catrabone (157) erased a five-point deficit with a reversal and four-point tilt in the final minute of his 8-7 decision against Ryan Bennett.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team won three of the final four bouts, including the last two, to secure an 18-14 victory over No. 11 Illinois on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 18) at Crisler Center. The dual featured five lead changes as the Wolverines rallied to improve to 3-0 in Big Ten Conference action.
Redshirt freshman Hayden Walters, ranked 20th at 197 pounds, used a last-second takedown to defeat Dylan Connell, 5-1, and put Michigan back in front in the penultimate bout. After a scoreless first period, the wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third, with Walters holding a :58 riding-time advantage entering the final minute. With the score tied 1-1 and :11 remaining following a restart, Connell attempted a half-shot single, but Walters immediately spun behind to secure the decisive takedown and extend his advantage time to 1:03 for the extra point.
Graduate student Taye Ghadiali sealed the Michigan victory in the final bout, earning a 7-4 decision against Ryan Boersma. Ghadiali scored a pair of first-period takedowns before Boersma narrowed the margin with a second-period score. Ghadiali did not surrender another point, improving to 14-2 on the season.
Illinois captured the dual’s first two bouts to build an early 7-0 lead, though freshman Gauge Botero held top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Lucas Byrd to a 7-2 decision at 133 pounds, riding out the third period.Michigan responded with three straight decisions to take its first lead, 9-7, at the intermission break as graduate students Dylan Ragusin and Lachlan McNeil, along with redshirt freshman Cameron Catrabone, each earned wins to improve to 3-0 in Big Ten duals.
Ragusin blanked Kole Brower, 3-0, at 141 pounds, scoring a second-period reversal and riding out the third to accumulate 3:43 in advantage time. McNeil, ranked 13th at 149 pounds, earned a 10-4 decision … more at … https://mgoblue.com/news/2026/1/18/wrestling-wolverines-win-final-two-bouts-to-claim-back-and-forth-battle-against-no-11-illinois

January 24, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | | Leave a comment