How The All-Time Women’s College Wrestling Team Was Picked
Picking the all-time women’s college wrestling team wasn’t easy. Here were the 10 toughest choices.
Creating the greatest women’s college wrestling wasn’t easy — especially since deserving candidates were left off the list. Several picks were slam dunks, like all of the four-time college national champions. A wrestler was evaluated only during the years she competed in college, with caveats. Winning multiple college championships is important, but international success during college is factored into a wrestler’s final evaluation.
Several of the picks — rightly — received criticism. This was less about being right and more about opening the conversation to learn more about our women’s college wrestling stars.
Below are explanations for the toughest decisions and how the final pick was made.
Click here to read the Greatest Women’s College Wrestlers Of All Time article in its entirety.
Click here for a list of every women’s college national champion.
WCWA 121/123: Michaela Hutchison (Oklahoma City), or Sarah Hildebrandt (King), or Dom Parrish (Simon Fraser)
Final pick: Michaela Hutchison
This was the toughest decision since King’s Sarah Hildebrandt and Simon Fraser’s Dom Parrish were at the weight. Hildebrandt won the 2024 Olympics and Parrish won the 2022 World Championships after college, placing them in rarified air.
However, post-college credentials don’t count; only domestic and international accomplishments during college.
Hutchison defeated Shauna Isbell (Lindenwood) in the 2009 finals, and Isbell eventually finished 2nd-3rd-1st-2nd at the WCWA Championships, giving Hutchison a high-caliber win as a freshman. Hutchison’s only WCWA tournament loss in four seasons was to Helen Maroulis, and she took a period off of her during the ball draw era. And Hutchison won her third title over Hildebrandt, who became a four-time finalist and two-time champion.
Parrish finished 3rd-2nd-1st-1st from 2016-19, falling to Oklahoma City’s Becka Leather (an eventual World bronze medalist) and Campbellsville’s Andribeth Rivera at nationals.
This came down to the number of titles won and … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14569278-how-the-all-time-womens-college-wrestling-team-was-picked
Pat Pecora, Dr. Ray Wrabley Honored as Part of PSAC 75th Anniversary Celebration
FULL ‘DISTINGUISHED KEYNOTES’ RELEASE | FULL LIST OF HONOREES
Legendary Pitt-Johnstown wrestling coach and athletic director Pat Pecora and Pitt-Johnstown Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Ray Wrabley were honored on Wednesday by being named “Distinguished Keynotes” as the part of the PSAC’s 75th Anniversary celebration. The Distinguished Keynotes are Individuals that have been historically influential in the PSAC, whether it be staff, coaches, or administrators.
Throughout September, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference celebrated its 75th anniversary season and honored 300 of its most prominent contributors. Four groups of honorees, with 75 in each group, were honored. The groups include: “Made in the PSAC” (released Sept. 3) , “75 Greatest Female Athletes,” (released Sept. 10), “75 Greatest Male Athletes,” (released Sept. 17) and “Distinguished Keynotes” (release date Sept. 24).
“Every great structure relies on keystones, which are essential elements that hold everything together,” said Steve Murray, PSAC Commissioner. “The individuals we recognize as our Distinguished Keystones have been just that: the steady hands, bold voices, and visionary leaders who helped shape the foundation of our conference. They may or may not have worn a uniform, but their fingerprints are all over our history. Their legacy reminds us that success isn’t only measured in points or trophies but in leadership, dedication, and a lifelong commitment to something greater than oneself.”
“For 75 years, the PSAC has been more than a conference–it’s been a proving ground for excellence, leadership, and lifelong impact,” said PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray. “The ‘Made in the PSAC’ honorees reflect the very best of what our institutions represent. Their achievements stand as a testament to the transformative power of Division II athletics and the values that define the PSAC: integrity, resilience, and a commitment to something greater than oneself.”
Pat Pecora – Pitt-Johnstown, Wrestling Coach, 1976-24
Winningest coach in college wrestling history; all-time leader in dual meet victories with 661; 4-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Coach of the Year; led team to NCAA Division II National Championships in 1996 and 1999; 25 NCAA Regional Championships; inducted into nine Halls of Fame … more at … https://pittjohnstownathletics.com/news/2025/9/24/general-pat-pecora-dr-ray-wrabley-honored-as-part-of-psac-75th-anniversary-celebration.aspx
Hall of Fame 2025: Dad’s Advice Led Sentes to Life-Changing Decision
Two-Time All-American Scotti Sentes to be inducted into Marcy Weston CMU Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday
By: Andy Sneddon
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Father knows best?
Scotti Sentes lived it.
At the insistence of his dad, Sentes attended a wrestling camp at Central Michigan University in the summer of 2007, ahead of his senior year at Riverdale High School in North Fort Myers, Fla. “I didn’t want to go, wasn’t really interested, never heard of Central,” Sentes said. “I even told the guys when I visited, ‘My dad’s making me come here; I’m not really interested,’ and they were like, ‘Ah, it’s OK, just come and check things out.’ “I got to meet some of the wrestlers, got to meet coach (Tom) Borrelli …”
That camp, that meeting with the legendary Borrelli, and the subsequent decision to enroll at CMU changed Sentes’ life. On Friday, Sentes will be inducted into the Central Michigan University Marcy Weston Athletics Hall of Fame during a ceremony in McGuirk Arena in the Kulhavi Events Center.
Sentes and other members of the Class of 2025 will then be introduced during the CMU-Eastern Michigan football game on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Sentes quickly went from not knowing CMU to buying into Borrelli’s program. Shortly thereafter, he became the first freshman All-American in program history. … more at … https://cmuchippewas.com/news/2025/9/24/wrestling-hall-of-fame-2025-dads-advice-led-sentes-to-life-changing-decision
NC State Wrestling to Host Annual Coaches Clinic
RALEIGH – NC State wrestling is set to host its annual coaches clinic, featuring 2025 Senior World Champion Trent Hidlay, in the Weisiger-Brown Athletic Facility October 24-25 to kick-start its 2025-26 dual-match season.
Led by NC State’s current coaching staff and recent Senior World Champion Trent Hidlay, the clinic is scheduled for a mid-day start on Friday, October 24 and will wrap up early afternoon Saturday, October 25 in the Weisiger-Brown Athletic Facility on NC State’s campus.
Both days will feature numerous technique sessions, along with lectures on strength and conditioning, weight management, nutrition, and academics. Friday night will conclude with a coaches social at Mitch’s Tavern after each of the technique sessions. The entire event will be capped off by NC State’s Wrestle-Offs in … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2025/9/25/nc-state-wrestling-to-host-annual-coaches-clinic
Eight Champions Crowned at RAF 01 Event
History was made in Cleveland, Ohio, tonight as Real American Freestyle (RAF) held its first card, RAF 01. Eight champions were crowned in an electric atmosphere, with a star-studded list of participants.
Local star Nathan Tomasello will go down in history as the first wrestler to win a RAF bout and the first bantamweight champion. The former Ohio State national champion was a crowd favorite as he used his impressive build and strength to keep Matt Ramos at bay for most of the bout. Tomasello’s four points were all scored off of step-out points. In the second period, Tomasello was close to a pair of takedowns when he earned his stepouts. Ramos nearly shocked the crowd with a late takedown during a sequence that started with a flying squirrel attempt.
The third installment of Yianni Diakomihalis versus Indian world/Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia ended the same way as the first two – with the four-time national champion from Cornell getting his hand raised. It was in the third period when Diakomihalis used a low leg attack to become the first RAF wrestler to register a takedown. That maneuver iced a 5-1 victory for Diakomihalis.
The third bout of the evening featured a current star against a former great and it established a pattern for matches of this ilk. Generally, it was the younger wrestler who got their hand raised. In this instance, Mexican Olympian Austin Gomez needed less than a minute to roll against another hometown hero, Lance Palmer of St. Ed’s and Ohio State fame. This bout did not have a title on the line, but it appears we could have a Diakomihalis-Gomez clash in the future.
Some of the biggest fireworks of the evening came from the combination of Evan Wick and Jason Nolf in the middleweight championship. Wick jumped out to the lead, surprising Nolf on a low, reshot attempt. Nolf would answer by getting a takedown of his own. These were no ordinary two points. Nolf had Wick above his head, sitting on his shoulders for a moment, … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/49_raf/eight-champions-crowned-at-raf-01-event-r100479/
Canadian Collegiate U Sports Changes Transfer Rules
by Jake Bridges 2
September 18th, 2025Canada, College, International, News, Transfers, U Sports
U SPORTS, the governing body for university and college sports in Canada, has updated its transfer rules. First or second-year athletes in the Canadian university system can now transfer schools without penalty. Previously, athletes who transferred in the Canadian system were forced to sit out one calendar year of competition; however, this rule did not apply to all sports. Swimming, cross-country, and track and field had exemptions.
The update also paves the way for easier transfer from NCAA or NAIA schools to a Canadian University, as the 365-day sit-out period previously applied to such transfers.
The new ruleset will come into effect in the 2026-2027 season.
When speaking on the decision, U Sports CEO Pierre Arsenault said, “The landscape of post-secondary sport is evolving, and our role is to ensure our policies reflect the needs of those we serve.”
The change in policy is well timed. In the United States, the House Settlement established new limits on roster sizes across NCAA sports. Most programs are being forced to decrease their size and cut athletes, meaning that as we enter the post-House era, there will be more athletes in the U.S. than roster spots. U SPORTS’ new policy allows them to be a viable alternative for those athletes.
While U SPORTS lagged behind the NCAA in transfer policy, historically, their rulebook has been less restrictive than the NCAA’s.
U SPORTS, for example, does not impose a five-year window … more at … https://swimswam.com/canadian-collegiate-u-sports-changes-transfer-rules/
Blades dominates bronze medal match, Bey to repechage at World Championships
ZAGREB, Croatia – After experiencing her first loss since the Olympic final over one year ago, 22-year-old Kennedy Blades got the next best thing—She showed the grit of a champion to come back for a World bronze medal.
It was a tall task for blades in the 68 kg bronze medal showcase. She was matched against 2024 Olympic bronze medalist and 2023 World champion Buse Cavusoglu Tosun of Türkiye. Blades made Cavusoglu Tosun appear pedestrian, posting a 12-1 technical fall over the savvy veteran.
Blades saved her best effort for last. She got to all of her spots with apparent ease, converting multiple takedowns, displaying excellent mat awareness and body positioning, all-the-while snuffing out any Cavusoglu Tosun threat. Fittingly, a re-attack single leg iced the win with 37 seconds left in on the clock. The bronze is Blades first medal at a Senior World Championships, in this her first appearance. She is a three-time age-group World medalist, with a U20 World title coming in 2021, plus a U20 World bronze and U23 World silver in 2023. Blades collected silver up at 76 kg last year at the Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Women’s freestyle group three athletes Adaugo Nwachukwu at 62 kg and Alex Glaude at 72 kg—both of whom lost in the quarterfinals and … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/september/18/blades-dominates-bronze-medal-match-bey-to-repechage-at-world-championships
Des Moines Register’s Top 50 all-time wrestlers from Iowa colleges: No. 1 through No. 50
Who is the greatest of all-time?
It’s a question that haunts every sport in one way or another. You see it in the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debate in basketball, and conversations about Patrick Mahomes catching Tom Brady in football, and when hockey fans wonder if anyone can reach the peak of “The Great One,” Wayne Gretzky.
Here in Iowa, we like to debate wrestling. As in, who is the greatest Iowa Hawkeye wrestler of all-time? Will anyone be as great as Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson was in college? How does former Cyclone Dan Gable’s loss to Larry Owings affect his legacy as a collegiate wrestler?
Wrestling is uniquely Iowan. Fans’ passion does not waver from one generation to the next. Iowans care deeply about the Cy-Hawk dual winner in November and the guys who reach the podium at NCAAs in March. Debates about “who’s better” are waged throughout the year.
The Des Moines Register decided to join in the fun and curated a top-50 list of the state of Iowa’s greatest college wrestlers of all-time.
For this exercise, we considered a wrestler’s resume only from their collegiate careers. No high school, national or international accomplishments were considered, comparing only the accolades earned within the confines of collegiate competition at Iowa colleges from every division. Experts such as wrestling historian Mike Chapman and former Wartburg head coach … more at … https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/2025/09/13/iowa-wrestling-des-moines-register-top-50-wrestlers-from-iowa-colleges-1-to-50/85522302007/?sltsgmt=0154_A
Barket, Console & Wallace Tabbed Duke University Wrestling Captains for 2025-26
DURHAM, N.C. —With the wrestling season approaching, Duke head coach Glen Lanham has announced tri-captains to lead the 2025-26 squad as Connor Barket, Gaetano Console and Aidan Wallace were selected. It marks the third season in a row that Barket and Console will serve as captains.
“All of the guys really put in a really good summer of work,” said Lanham. “Gaetano and Connor led us the last two years and now we add in a fresh face in there with Aidan. Aidan is very competitive and wants to take more of a leadership role. So, I think we’re heading in the right direction with all of these guys. Obviously, Connor and Gaetano have the experience of leading the team last year and they’ve done an outstanding job. And now, Aidan has stepped up in the mix. He had a really good season last year, was more vocal in the leadership role, more responsible and was named to the ACC Honor Roll. Aidan has showed that he was capable of being one of those three guys to lead the program.”
Coming off his first appearance in the NCAA Championship, Barket is primed for another outstanding season with the Blue Devils. He has won 40 matches over the last two seasons and was ranked as high as No. 17 nationally a season ago. Barket, who hails from West Lafayette, Indiana, totaled 24 wins this past year, which were the fifth-most in Blue Devil history as a heavyweight.
A native of Barrington Hills, Illinois, Console has been a steady leader since stepping foot on campus three seasons ago. Wrestling at 165/174 over his career, Console has tallied 19 wins as a Blue Devil. He is … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2025/9/19/barket-console-wallace-tabbed-wrestling-captains-for-2025-26
Iran wins Greco-Roman wrestling world championship after 11 years
Iran’s Greco-Roman wrestling team has won the championship title at the 2025 Wrestling World Championships in Croatia, securing victory ahead of schedule with an impressive medal tally.
Amin Mirzazadeh and Gholamreza Farrokhi, competing in the 130 kg and 82 kg weight categories, respectively, delivered outstanding performances, securing two gold medals for their team.
Payam Ahmadi, a young prodigy competing in the 55 kg weight category, won a silver medal. Mohammad Hadi Saravi, the Olympic gold medalist, is set to compete in the finals on Saturday evening and is tipped to clinch the third gold medal for Team Iran at Zagreb.
Danial Sohrabi secured the first bronze medal for Iran on Saturday, beating his Armenian counterpart 7-0 in a commanding fashion. … more at … https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/09/20/755380/Iran–Greco-Roman-wrestling-team-wins-championship-title-Croatia-2025-Wrestling-World-Championships-Pezeshkian-congratulates-team
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
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