2026 National Duals Invitational Field Released
Today, the National Duals Invitational announced that the field has been set for their 2026 tournament. Half the field had been public prior to the day’s announcement.
Arizona State, Little Rock, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers round out the field of 16. Iowa State, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Virginia Tech, and Wyoming had already declared their intentions to compete in the event.
The 2026 field features six of the top ten teams from the 2026 NCAA Championships (#2 Oklahoma State, #5 Ohio State, #6 Stanford, #8 Iowa State, #9 Minnesota, and #10 NC State). Virginia Tech (#11), Wyoming (#12), Arizona State (#13), and Missouri (#14) are other teams that finished in the top 15.
This will be the second straight year that the National Duals Invitational takes place. Ohio State defeated Iowa to win the inaugural title – along with a $200k prize. 1.2 million dollars will be awarded to teams in 2026.
The event is a 16-team dual tournament … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/2026-national-duals-invitational-field-released-r101013/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Transfer Portal Update (4/28/2026)
For most of the last week, our attention was focused on the US Open and all of the action in freestyle in Greco-Roman. With that tournament in the review mirror, we can turn our attention back to one of the underlying topics of the entire offseason, the transfer portal.
The portal is only open for the month of April (barring a coaching change), so we might get a late run on wrestlers entering within the next few days. There’s rumors of a couple notable wrestlers who intend on entering the portal, but we’ll wait until they’re actually in there.
While we were occupied with the Open, there were plenty of announcements – none of the Ryan Crookham/Meyer Shapiro level, but ones that will be useful to their new teams.
Maryland was a team that benefited significantly during the recent commitments. They’ve picked up definite starters in Nicolar Rivera (125) and Carson Thomas (184), along with potential starters in Latrell Schaefer (157) and Julian George (165).
There’s been a lot of movement amongst 184 lbers. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/transfer-portal-update-4282026-r100986/
UNCPembroke’s Davis Named Super Region 2 Rookie Of The Year
By: Alex Pearce, Assistant Athletic Communications Director
NWCA Release
MANHEIM, PA. – 125 pounder Cooper Davis capped off his impressive redshirt-freshman season by being named the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division 2 Super Region II Rookie of the Year, the organization announced.
The Davidson native earned the honor after finishing his season 24-10 overall with 19 bonus point victories (Eight pins, ten technical falls, one major decision). Davis brought home a third-place finish at the NCAA Super Region II Tournament to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships, where he went 1-2 with a win via technical fall. Davis becomes the second UNCP wrestler … more at … https://uncpbraves.com/news/2026/4/29/wrestling-davis-named-super-region-2-rookie-of-the-year.aspx
Michael Macchiavello Hired as Army Wrestling Associate Head Coach
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point Class of 1972 Head Men’s Wrestling Coach Troy Nickerson has announced the hiring of Michael Macchiavello as the program’s associate head coach ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Macchiavello comes to West Point from the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Regional Training Center, where he spent three seasons working in conjunction with the Lehigh wrestling program.
“We are thrilled to add Michael to our coaching staff,” said Nickerson. “He provides a wealth of knowledge and is a great fit for our program. His name speaks for itself and his personality is infectious. This hire is a huge win for Army West Point wrestling.”
At the Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC, Macchiavello trained, created and participated in the development of Lehigh’s student athletes. He trained with the team across individual practice sessions and built relationships to create a productive working environment for prospective student athletes. The Mountain Hawks won two EIWA championships with Macchiavello in the wrestling room, while producing four NCAA All-Americans.
Macchiavello also represented the RTC as an athlete in domestic and international competitions, making world wrestling and Olympic teams. As a wrestler, Macchiavello won two gold medals at the US Open … more at … https://goarmywestpoint.com/news/2026/5/1/michael-macchiavello-hired-as-wrestling-associate-head-coach?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
North Carolina University To Compete In 2026 National Duals Invitational
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The National Duals Invitational, a groundbreaking $1 million collegiate wrestling event sponsored by Paycom, has announced the 16-team field for the 2026 edition of the premier event.
Carolina, one of 16 teams announced for the event, will compete in the two-day event taking place Dec. 12-13 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Defending National Duals Invitational champion Ohio State will be joined in the field by Arizona State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Iowa State, Minnesota, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Wyoming. Together, the 16 programs represent some of the most storied traditions in collegiate wrestling, combining for 54 NCAA team titles and over 400 individual titles.
“Seeing this caliber of programs commit so quickly reinforces what we’re building in Tulsa,” said Matt Surber, tournament director. “The National Duals Invitational is bringing together some of the most historic programs to compete for significant prize money in the exciting duals format. We expect this tournament to continue elevating the sport of college wrestling.”
Topping $1,230,000, the 2026 prize purse will represent one of the most significant financial contributions in college wrestling. … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2026/5/12/wrestling-to-compete-in-2026-national-duals-invitational?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 