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Amateur Wrestling Reports

UNC Wrestling Announces 2026-27 Schedule

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Entering year four under the direction of head coach Rob Koll, the North Carolina wrestling program has announced its schedule for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign.
The slate, which features six matchups inside Carmichael Arena, is also highlighted by the 2026 National Duals Invitational on Dec. 12-13 and a neutral-site meeting versus South Dakota State at the Sanford Pentagon on Dec. 18.
Carolina will open the season on Nov. 1 traveling to the Southeast Open, followed by the program’s Blue and White Showcase the following Friday (Nov. 6). To close the opening month of the season, the Tar Heels will compete in the Mountaineer Invitational (Nov. 15) and host Northern Iowa on Nov. 21.
In December, UNC will take part in the two-day National Duals Invitational, a groundbreaking $1 million collegiate wrestling event, sponsored by Paycom. 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.
Carolina’s return to the BOK Center will be the first for the program since the 2023 NCAA Championships, when 157-pounder Austin O’Connor claimed his second national championship. With the win, O’Connor joined T.J. Jaworsky as the second Tar Heel to win multiple national championships in their career.
To end 2026, the Tar Heels will face South Dakota State at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Dec. 18, followed by a matchup versus App State on Dec. 20, held at Chapel Hill High School.
Opening the new calendar year, UNC will travel to Coralville, Iowa, for Soldier Salute (Jan. 2-3), a tournament where the Tar Heels finished runner-up a season ago. Carolina will begin the Atlantic Coast Conference portion of the slate on Jan. 8 at Pitt, with a non-conference matchup on the road at West Virginia less than 48 hours later (Jan. 10).
The Tar Heels conclude January with two home duals against Virginia (Jan. 15) and NC State (Jan. 29), with a road dual out west at Stanford in between (Jan. 22).
In the final month of the regular season, Carolina will stay within the Tar Heel State, hosting Virginia Tech (Feb. 5), a road dual at Duke (Feb. 12) and the regular-season finale against Campbell (Feb. 20).
The 2027 ACC Championships is slated for March 6-7 at Victory Heights Arena, hosted by Pitt. The 2027 NCAA Wrestling Championships are set for March 18-20 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
The Tar Heels enter the upcoming season with four returning NCAA qualifiers from a season ago, including the program welcoming nine newcomers in the offseason, seven freshmen and two transfers. … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2026/9/15/wrestling-announces-2026-27-schedule?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

September 19, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Southern Virginia University Announces Pete Hansen ’14 as New Men’s Wrestling Head Coach

BUENA VISTA, Va. – Southern Virginia University Director of Athletics Josh Monsen has announced the hiring of Pete Hansen ’14 as the university’s next men’s wrestling head coach.
Hansen becomes the fifth head coach in program history, succeeding Brigg Hoopes, who stepped down following four seasons at the helm.
A Southern Virginia alumnus, Hansen was one of the program’s standout student-athletes, earning NCWA All-America honors in 2009 while also competing on the football team from 2005–09.
“Bringing an alumnus back to lead this program is incredibly special, and Coach Hansen made an immediate impression on us from day one,” Monsen said. “He pairs a deep wealth of knowledge with an innate understanding of our program’s culture. His character-driven leadership is exactly what we were looking for, and we cannot wait to see him guide this program into its next chapter.”
Prior to returning to Southern Virginia, Hansen served as the inaugural head coach for the men’s and women’s wrestling programs at Emory & Henry, where he guided multiple national qualifiers and All-Americans in both the NCWA and NCWWC. He has also coached football at the collegiate level, serving on the staffs at Southern Virginia, Frostburg State, Methodist, and Emory & Henry. “I am honored to be named the next head wrestling coach at Southern Virginia University,” … more at … https://knightathletics.com/news/2026/7/10/mens-wrestling-southern-virginia-university-announces-pete-hansen-14-as-new-mens-wrestling-head-coach.aspx

September 19, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment