Cowgirl Wrestling is on the Rise and Dani Nugent is a Big Reason Why
Cowgirl wrestling is building something special.
The Oklahoma State Cowgirl Wrestling Club has quickly become a trailblazing force in women’s wrestling. They recently welcomed in one of the top female wrestlers in the nation, stamping a potential new beginning for Cowgirl wrestling. Daniella Nugent recently announced by way of Instagram that she would be continuing her academic and wrestling career at Oklahoma State University.
With a resume boasting four New England Prep titles, three National Prep championships, and a spot on the U.S. U20 World Championship team in Bulgaria, where she finished fifth, this wrestler has found a home in Stillwater’s orange and black.
“Joining the Cowgirl Wrestling Club has given me access to the best coaches, resources, and people,” Dani said. “Wearing orange and black is special because it represents the beginning of women’s wrestling history in a place that truly appreciates the sport. I’m extremely excited to compete for OSU.”
Since its inception in 2022, the Cowgirl Wrestling Club has leveraged OSU’s unparalleled wrestling tradition to foster a competitive environment. Training in the Cowboy Wrestling Club’s state-of-the-art facility under coaches like Izzak Olejnik, the Cowgirls are pushing boundaries despite their club status. For this wrestler, the move to Stillwater has sharpened her skills and resolve. … more at … https://www.si.com/college/oklahomastate/wrestling/cowgirl-wrestling-is-on-the-rise-and-dani-nugent-is-a-big-reason-why
Reasco becomes Ecuador’s first world champ as Maroulis adds to gold tally
ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) — While Helen MAROULIS (USA) was adding to her mountainous pile of world medals with a fourth career gold, Genesis REASCO (ECU) made history by becoming Ecuador’s first-ever world champion.
Reasco reached the pinnacle of the sport with a 4-2 victory in the 76kg final over Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), denying the two-time world medalist her first gold in the last of four women’s finals on Wednesday at the World Championships in Zagreb. “I went in, gave my all, and it worked,” Reasco said. “That’s how the gold medal was achieved, because honestly, I have a lot of respect for all my opponents. They gave everything out there on the mat, and they were really good matches — both yesterday’s and today’s. Everything was very tough, very close.”
Maroulis, who will turn 34 on Friday, showed why she has accumulated eight medals overall in 12 trips to the World Championships when she scored a dramatic takedown with :05 left to edge Il Sim SON (PRK) 3-2 in the 57kg final.
In other finals, Myonggyong WON (PRK) gave the DPR Korea its second women’s title in two nights … more at … https://uww.org/article/reasco-becomes-ecuadors-first-world-champ-maroulis-adds-gold-tally
Hidlay takes World title by force, Haines finishes with silver, Carr fifth in men’s freestyle
ZAGREB, Croatia – Modern-day American Gladiator Trent Hidlay set Arena Zagreb ablaze in the final bout of the Monday evening medal rounds. He overcame an eight-point, first period deficit to become World champion at 92 kg in the highlight moment of the 2025 World Championships thus far.
After a couple jury reviews on 50-50 calls put Hidlay well behind on the scoreboard early, he mounted monstrous comeback against UWW athlete Amanula Gadzhimagomedov. Hidlay chipped away at the 10-2 lead before the break, cutting it to 10-5 on the scoreboard. The second period started slow, with no points until the final minute. The floodgates finally opened with Hidlay connecting on three takedowns, including the match clinching four-pointer, in the final 58 seconds.
The finals victory cemented Hidlay’s place in U.S. wrestling lore. He completed his tournament with a 5-0 record, notching signature wins over past World medalists Osman Nurmagomedov of Azerbaijan and Miriani Maisuradze of Georgia prior to the electrifying title match.
Hidlay became the second World champion for Team USA this week, joining 86 kg gold medalist Zahid Valencia atop the podium. It’s Hidlay’s first Senior-level World medal. He was a U20 World bronze medalist in 2019 and … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/september/15/hidlay-takes-world-title-by-force-haines-finishes-with-silver-carr-fifth-in-men-s-freestyle
Montreat Women’s wrestling adds Chambers to coaching staff
MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat College women’s wrestling program has a new assistant coach. According to an announcement from the athletics department earlier this month, Landon Chambers is a full-time member of the women’s wrestling coaching staff and has begun his duties immediately.
“I am really grateful to add Landon Chambers to our staff full-time,” said head coach Koby Reyes. “He has a passionate heart to see lives transformed through faith and sport, and he has an incredible understanding for the sport of wrestling. I cannot wait to experience his continued contribution to this program.”
Chambers is no stranger to Montreat College as he spent the 2024-25 academic year as an assistant coach with the men’s wrestling program. The Destin, Fla. native helped ensure the success of his student-athletes on and off the mat. With his aid, the program picked up five Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete nods, eight AAC All-Academic Team recognitions and three CSC Academic All-District® At-Large selections last season.
“I am blessed to receive the opportunity to be a part of this program—to be a part of something great, something that impacts the lives of others,” Chambers shared. “God can use anything to spread the glory of His name, and for me in my life, coaches have been one of His most impactful tools. I hope to contribute to the success of this program and serve this team to the best of my abilities.”
Academically and athletically, Chambers’ ties to Montreat go beyond just coaching. … more at … https://montreatcavaliers.com/news/2025/9/16/womens-wrestling-womens-wrestling-adds-chambers-to-coaching-staff.aspx
Tickets On Sale For 2025-26 UNC Wrestling Season
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Tickets for the upcoming 2025-26 North Carolina wrestling season are now on sale. Single-match tickets can be purchased here.
Tickets for this year are priced at:
• General admission: $10
• Reserved seating: $15
• Groups (10+ people) in general admission: $8
• Groups (10+ people) in reserved seating: $12
Carolina’s 2025-26 Home Schedule
• Nov. 9 – Northern Colorado
• Nov. 15 – Navy
• Nov. 21 – Davidson (Carolina Duals) … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2025/9/16/tickets-on-sale-for-2025-26-wrestling-season
College athletes suing NCAA to extend eligibility to 5 seasons
A pair of Vanderbilt football players are among 10 athletes suing the NCAA in an effort to force the association to allow college athletes to compete for five seasons rather than four.
Linebacker Langston Patterson and defensive lineman Issa Ouattara filed a class action lawsuit in federal court Tuesday, which claims that the NCAA’s eligibility rules violate antitrust law. The NCAA’s current rules allow athletes to compete for four seasons during a five-year timespan that begins when they enroll in college.
Attorney Ryan Downton said in a news release that the players were not aiming to completely remove any eligibility restrictions but believe they should be able to compete in games for all five years that they are allowed to be on the team. “We’re not challenging the five-year [limit],” Downton told ESPN Tuesday night. “The question is why do players have to spend one of those five years sitting on the bench? How does that further any of the NCAA’s goal of moving players toward graduation?”
Patterson and Ouattara are both seniors who played in each of their three previous seasons on campus and will be out of eligibility at the end of 2025 under the NCAA’s current rules. “The NCAA stands by its eligibility rules, including the five-year rule, which enable student-athletes to access the life-changing opportunity to be a student-athlete,” an NCAA spokesperson said in a statement provided to ESPN … more at … https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46141528/two-vanderbilt-players-suing-ncaa-extend-eligibility
Trent Hidlay Crowned 2025 Senior World Champion at 92KG
ZAGREB, Croatia – In his first appearance in the tournament, as the No. 8 seed of the bracket, NC State wrestling alumnus Trent Hidlay came from behind in the finals match to claim the senior world championship title at 92 kg on Monday.
Hidlay is the first-ever NC State wrestler to earn a world championship and the first product of ACC wrestling to claim a world title since Sammie Henson from Clemson did so in 1998. He is also the first U.S. wrestler to claim Gold at 92 kg since 2019, and only the fourth U.S. wrestler to do so all-time (stats date back to 1952).
On his way to the finals match he outscored his opponents 42-6 and securing technical falls in three of his four matches. The Wolfpack Wrestling alumnus displayed tremendous determination and grit, making up an eight-point deficit in the championship match over Amanula Gadzhimagomedov.
The Lewistown, Pa. native wrestled for NC State from 2018-24 … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2025/9/15/wrestling-hidlay-crowned-2025-senior-world-champion-at-92kg
Hidlay Prepares to Compete for USA at Senior World Championships
RALEIGH – NC State wrestling alumnus Trent Hidlay is set to compete at 92kg for the United States at the 2025 Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, September 14 and 15.
Wolfpack wrestling’s program standout, Trent Hidlay, is just the second member of the program to make the senior world team after Nick Gwiazdowski competed for the United States in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021.
Hidlay comes into the tournament as the No. 8 seed in his weight class, but based on head-to-head matchups, FloWrestling ranks him third in the world and also lists him as one of three favorites for the title based on past achievements and recent results.
Most recently, Hidlay claimed the gold medal at the Budapest Ranking series in July. … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2025/9/11/wrestling-hidlay-prepares-to-compete-for-usa-at-senior-world-championships
The 2025 Offseason Coaching Carousel (9/10/2025)
As we move closer to the collegiate season, most coaching staffs have been rounded out or are in the process of doing so. This week we have a couple of new additions – plus a couple that you might know about, but haven’t been announced as official by their respective schools.
With Ryan LeBlanc taking the reins at Binghamton so late in the game, it made sense for The Citadel to announce that Luke Welch will serve as the program’s interim head coach for the 2025-26 campaign. Welch had spent the last five years as an assistant coach on LeBlanc’s staff. He presumably will be a finalist for the position next spring or, perhaps, be named the full-time head coach after the season. Another recent coaching announcement takes us across the country to Oregon State. Recent graduate Trey Munoz has been named the Beavers graduate assistant. Munoz was a two-time All-American for Oregon State, placing sixth and third in the nation at 184 lbs. He also captured three Pac-12 titles. Oregon State had a vacancy on staff after Nate Engel left to pursue a coaching position with the Army WCAP. There are also a couple of other coaching hires … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/the-2025-offseason-coaching-carousel-9102025-r100496/
The Greatest Women’s College Wrestlers Of All Time
The complete list of the greatest women’s college wrestlers of all time.
Selecting the all-time women’s college wrestling team is tricky.
The first women’s college national championships were hosted in 2004 at Missouri Valley University in Marshall, Missouri, without much fanfare. Some participants thought it was just another tournament, with brackets consisting of four to six participants.
That changed in 2008 with the creation of the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA). This organization provided women with an opportunity to compete in a formal setting. It included all divisions, and the end-of-the-year tournament was considered the college national championship. The final WCWA championship was held in 2020.
In 2019, the NAIA held an invitational tournament until it sanctioned women’s wrestling for the 2022-23 season. The National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships included all NCAA programs (D1, D2, and D3), and the first national championship was held in 2020. The NCAA sanctioned women’s wrestling as its 91st sport for the 2025-26 season.
Of the four four-year divisions listed above, only the NAIA continues in its original form. Up to 15 wrestlers per team qualified for the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships, and the brackets expanded to 32 per weight class.
The 2026 NCAA women’s wrestling championships feature 18-woman brackets and a maximum of one wrestler per team, per weight. To celebrate the unique history of women’s college wrestling, we have selected the greatest college wrestler at every weight from each era. There is crossover between divisions, of course, and weight shifts, but this provides an overview of how the sport evolved.
A wrestler is evaluated only during the years she competed in college, with caveats. Winning multiple college championships is important, but international success during college factors into a wrestler’s final evaluation. Post-college success is not considered, which is why Olympic gold medalists Sarah Hildebrandt and Tamyra Mensh-Stock did not make the list. Below are the all-time women’s college wrestling teams by era, … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14514726-the-greatest-womens-college-wrestlers-of-all-time
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 