No. 22 UNC Wrestling Downs No. 17 West Virginia, 27-7
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Eight North Carolina wrestlers were victorious Friday night, as the 22nd-ranked Tar Heels downed No. 17 West Virginia, 27-7 inside Carmichael Arena.
The 6-0 start is the best start to a campaign since 2005-06, and the fifth time in program history the Tar Heels have won their first six duals of the season (1979-80, 1986-87, 1993-94, 2005-06, 2025-26).
On the night, Kysen Terukina (125), Ethan Oakley (133), Luke Simcox (141), Nate Askew (149), Bryce Hepner (165), Jake Dailey (184), Robert Platt (197) and Nolan Neves (285) secured wins. Hepner’s first-period fall was the lone bonus-point victory in the matchup for Carolina.
The Tar Heels jumped out to a 12-0 advantage following four-straight decisions, courtesy of Terukina, Oakley, Simcox, and Askew.
At 157-pounds, Hepner’s first-period fall was the second of the campaign and the 12th of his collegiate career. Three of the four wins this season for the Avon, Ohio product have come via major decision or fall. Carolina closed the dual with three-straight decisions by Dailey, Platt and Neves. Dailey and Platt secured verdicts over No. 21 Ian Bush and No. 22 Rune Lawrence, respectively. … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2025/12/12/no-22-wrestling-downs-no-17-west-virginia-27-7
#9 N.C. State Wrestling Falls to #2 Ohio State on the Road
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ninth-ranked NC State wrestling was defeated by the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes Friday evening by a score of 26-10.
In front of nearly 4,000 at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio, Vincent Robinson tallied another win under his belt with a major decision over Brendan McCrone to claim the only commanding win for the Pack.
Koy Buesgens at 149 lbs and Matty Singleton at 174 lbs each faced their first losses of the season by decision to top-10 opponents.
Standout freshman Will Denny at 165 lbs notched another ranked upset with a sudden victory win over two-time NCAA Qualifier No. 11 Paddy Gallagher. Quickly climbing through the rankings, this marks his second top-15 win of the season.
In just his second match back, Isaac Trumble continues to prove his status coming off the knee injury he suffered back in the spring at NCAAs. He took a 5-1 win over third-ranked Nick Feldman, … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2025/12/12/-9-wrestling-falls-to-2-ohio-state-on-the-road
How Do You Earn A Women’s College Wrestling Scholarship?
Five head women’s coaches from different divisions weigh in on how to earn a college scholarship (and a few of the myths behind them).
How do you earn a scholarship to compete in a women’s wrestling program? The answer is more complicated than one might think.
Below are seven general insights from head women’s coaches at the NCAA (DI, II, and III), NAIA, and junior college levels.
1. Every Program Is Different
This seems obvious, but every school has different tuition rates, different coaches, different needs, different scholarship availability, and different internal expectations.
You might be one of the best high school wrestlers in the nation, but a program has two quality wrestlers at a weight, so the timing and scholarship amount might change based on need.
Some schools have different scholarship amounts. Travis Mercado coaches at Colorado Mesa — a Division II program in Grand Junction. He started with half a scholarship for his entire program, but now he’s at six. “Nobody gets a full athletic scholarship,” said Presbyterian coach Brian Vutianitis. “We are all partial. We have 30 girls, so we have six scholarships to host a team of 30.”
Junior colleges have a different athletic scholarship model. They can offer athletic scholarships to 22 LOI (Letter of Intent) wrestlers. Using a fictitious and even number of $100,000 athletic dollars means a junior college can give varying amounts to 22 athletes. One athlete might get $20,000, another $10,000, and another $5,000 — as long as it adds up to $100,000 between a maximum of 22 athletes. “Junior college commitments are only for one year,” Iowa Central coach Zak Hensley said. “All of our athletes have to re-sign if they return. That price can go up. We never like to take money away from kids, but if they’re not the right fit, you can go a different way, even though we never want to do that to a kid. You can go up or down, but it will pretty much go up for our returners.”
2. There Are Myths About Athletic Scholarships
Clout comes from telling everyone you’re on an athletic scholarship, but math teachers around the world are collectively rolling their eyes.
Tuition at college A might be $50,000, and a coach offers a $10,000 athletic scholarship.
Tuition at college B might be $25,000, and a coach offers a $5,000 athletic scholarship.
Option B is offering less money, but you’ll pay double at Option A. You can tell all your friends and family that you received twice as much athletic scholarship money and neglect to tell them you’re paying twice as much in tuition. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14920493-how-do-you-earn-a-womens-college-wrestling-scholarship
DI Live Streaming Guide (12/10 – 12/14/2025)
With the CKLV in the rearview mirror, we have a light week of competition ahead. All of the DI action this week will take place in duals. A total of 23 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links).
All Times Eastern
Thursday, December 11:
Bellarmine at Kent State 4:00 PM BoxCast
Bellarmine vs. Edinboro at Kent State 5:30 PM
Edinboro at Kent State 7:00 PM BoxCast
Friday, December 12:
West Virginia at North Carolina 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra
NC State at Ohio State 7:00 PM B1G+
Chattanooga vs. Utah Valley at Hannibal, MO 5:30 PM FloWrestling
Chattanooga vs. Iowa at Hannibal, MO 7:30 PM FloWrestling
Iowa vs. Utah Valley at Hannibal, MO 9:30 PM FloWrestling
Saturday, December 13:
Mercyhurst vs Penn State Altoona at Penn State Behred 12:00 PM Hudl
Mercyhurst at Penn State Behrend 4:00 PM Hudl
Gardner-Webb at Buffalo 12:00 PM ESPN+
Gardner-Webb vs. Kent State at Buffalo 2:00 PM
Kent State at Buffalo 4:00 PM
Pittsburgh at Maryland 12:00 PM B1G+
Army West Point at Indiana 2:00 PM B1G+
Binghamton at Bloomsburg 6:00 PM FloWrestling
Oklahoma at Rutgers 8:00 PM Big Ten Network
Penn State at Wyoming, 8:00 PM FloWrestling … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/47_streaming-guide/di-live-streaming-guide-1210-12142025-r100691/
No. 6 Nebraska Drops Brown, Missouri
The No. 6 Nebraska wrestling team defeated Brown, 44-3, and No. 12 Missouri, 27-10, with 10 bonus-point match wins on Friday night. The Huskers are now 5-2 on the season.
At 125 pounds, both Alan Koehler and Kael Lauridsen earned their first dual wins of the season. Koehler posted a 20-3 tech. fall over Brown’s Jared Brunner, while Lauridsen upset No. 22 Mack Mauger of Missouri in sudden victory, 4-1.
No. 7 Jacob Van Dee (133) recorded the quickest pin of his career, sticking Brown’s Douglas Shipers in 1:14, then followed up with a 9-5 decision over Missouri’s No. 17 Kade Moore.
No. 3 Brock Hardy captured two bonus-point match wins at 141, pinning Missouri’s Khimari Manns in 2:32, then capturing a 19-4 tech. fall over Brown’s No. 18 Zeke Seltzer.
At 157, No. 6 Antrell Taylor posted a 17-2 tech. fall over Brown’s Ethan Mojena before defeating Missouri’s No. 18 J Conway by decision, 4-2.
The redshirt freshman LJ Araujo downed back-to-back ranked opponents by tight decisions. Against Brown, Araujo defeated No. 27 Max Norman in sudden victory, 10-7, before edging Missouri’s No. 18 Max Mayfield with a last-second takedown in the third period to secure a 4-3 victory.
No. 6 Christopher Minto (174) dominated both matchups by tech. fall, opening with a 25-8 win over Brown’s Drew Clearie before rolling to a 19-4 victory against Missouri’s Danny Heiser.
At 184, No. 8 Silas Allred pinned Brown’s Thomas Sandoval at 2:56 before falling to Missouri’s No. 2 Aeoden Sinclair by decision, 5-1.
Sophomore Camden McDanel went 1-1 Friday … more at … https://huskers.com/news/2025/12/6/no-6-nebraska-drops-brown-missouri
Penn State’s streak hits 74 as top-ranked Nittany Lions improve to 3-0
Indiana enters Top 25 after a pair of weekend wins
Manheim, Pennsylvania – Penn State and Ohio State remained atop the rankings following a moderate slate of non-conference duals across the country as the NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday.
Penn State improved to 3-0 after a pair of road victories, defeating Drexel 43-3 in Philadelphia and earning a 36-6 win over Lehigh in University Park. The two wins put Penn State’s win streak at 74 in a row, just two away from the major college record and three away from tying the NCAA record.
Second-ranked Ohio State remained unbeaten at 7-0 with a 41-3 home win over Bellarmine.
Nebraska went 2-0 at a neutral-site event in St. Charles, Missouri, opening with a 44-3 win over Brown before securing a 27-10 victory against then-No. 12 Missouri. The Tigers split their day with a 42-0 win over LIU before the loss to Nebraska.
NC State moved to 5-2 after a 45-4 neutral-site win over Morgan State and a 27-11 victory over then-No. 13 Rutgers in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. The Wolfpack moved up to No. 9 this week.
Pittsburgh collected two wins, earning a 21-15 road victory at then-No. 14 Lehigh before defeating Bucknell 19-13 at home. As a result, the Panthers jumped four spots to No. 16 this week. Lehigh slid to No. 19 this week.
No. 11 Minnesota added a pair of wins, defeating Little Rock 23-9 in Mequon, Wisconsin as part of Flowrestling Night in America, and topping North Dakota State 26-9 in Minneapolis.
Wisconsin remained unbeaten with road wins at Army West Point and Hofstra. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2025/12/9/national-wrestling-coaches-association-penn-states-streak-hits-74-as-top-ranked-nittany-lions-improve-to-3-0.aspx
WIN’s Dec. 9 updated TPI, Dual-Team Rankings and Individual Rankings
NEWTON, Iowa — WIN’s Dec. 9 updated Tournament Power Index (TPI), Top-20 Dual Teams and Individual Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic, saw lots of movement, especially for individuals, after an action-packed weekend that featured the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Cougar Clash, among other events.
The Tournament Power Index and Dual-Team Rankings remained largely unchanged at the top this week. The top five teams remained the same in each, with just one point separating Ohio State and Iowa (89.5 and 88.5, respectively) in the latest TPI. However, several teams in the Top 20 made jumps after strong individual performances over the weekend.
WIN’s TPI projects where programs could finish at the 2026 NCAA Division I Championships, which will be held March 19-21 in Cleveland.
The following is a breakdown of those individual TPI points per ranking: 20 for 1st, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.
Penn State features five top-ranked wrestlers with Nittany Lions Shayne Van Ness (149), PJ Duke (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Levi Haines (174) and Josh Barr (197) headlining their respective weight classes. Also ranked No. 1 are three defending national champions in Vincent Robinson of NC State (125), Lucas Byrd of Illinois (133), and Jesse Mendez of Ohio State (141), … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2025/12/09/wins-dec-9-updated-tpi-dual-team-rankings-and-individual-rankings/
Murillo Garners Conference Carolinas Women’s Wrestler of the Week
MOUNT OLIVE – Bella Murillo earns Conference Carolina Women’s Wrestler of the Week, announced by the league Tuesday afternoon.
In the dual against Montreat College, Murillo posted a 57-second pin over Anna Skoda at 131lbs. In the Trojans Duals, Murillo recorded two tech falls: 12-2 over Marjorie Welton of Norwich and 10-0 over Veronica Conant of Norwich.
Mount Olive competes next at the Wasp Open hosted … more at … https://umotrojans.com/news/2025/12/9/womens-wrestling-murillo-garners-conference-carolinas-womens-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx
#2 Lander Takes Down Two Ranked Teams En Route to Perfect Day at Carolina Clash
GREENWOOD – The second-ranked Lander Wrestling team recorded wins over #19 Newberry and #10 Glenville State as part of a perfect 6–0 day at the 2025 Carolina Clash inside Finis Horne Arena on Sunday. Two different lineups competed for the Bearcats, with each group wrestling three times and going 3–0. The “A-Squad” earned wins over Newberry, Glenville State, and Mount Olive, while the “B-Squad” tied the program record for most points in a dual in a 57–0 win over Lincoln Memorial and added victories over Emmanuel and Emory & Henry.
With the sweep, Lander moves to 10–0, the best start in program history, and extends its overall dual winning streak to 16 straight dating back to last season. The wins over #19 Newberry and #10 Glenville State marked the 14th and 15th victories over ranked opponents in program history, with Glenville State representing Lander’s fifth top-10 win all-time.
Match 1: #2 Lander 57, Lincoln Memorial 0
Lander opened the day with a shutout, earning bonus points in all 10 matches.
Santiago Ramirez, Kevin O’Brien, and Sean Crews each collected tech falls, while George Maholtz, Kaden Purler, and Ransom Randolph added first-period pins.
RJ James, JT Spence, Grant Lawter, and Mason Nate received forfeit wins.
Match 2: #2 Lander 25, #19 Newberry 12
Newberry struck first at 125, but #8 James Joplin regained the lead with a 3–2 win, using a first-period takedown to carry him the rest of the way. #10 Elijah Lusk followed with an … more at … https://landerbearcats.com/news/2025/12/7/wrestling-2-lander-takes-down-two-ranked-teams-en-route-to-perfect-day-at-carolina-clash.aspx
Wrestling Opens Road Trip With Win Over Gardner-Webb
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Michigan State wrestling got back in the win column on Friday night, taking down Gardner-Webb by a final score of 23-11 at Paul Porter Arena to kick off its road trip to the Tar Heel State.
MSU improves to 2-1 on the season in dual action ahead of its weekend finale at The Citadel on Sunday, December 7. First whistle in Charleston, South Carolina is set for 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+. Friday night’s dual started at 197 pounds where redshirt junior Kael Wisler continued his strong start to the season with a 7-1 decision over Josh McCutchen. Redshirt sophomore heavyweight Max Vanadia secured the first bonus point victory of the night for Michigan State defeating Rocky Files by major decision, 14-3. Redshirt junior Nick Corday moved to 2-0 in duals this season with a 4-0 decision over Tyson Lane. In a bout that was 0-0 heading into the third, Corday turned Lane for three near-fall in the third period.
Gardner-Webb won bouts at 133 and 141 pounds to pull withing 10-8 of Michigan State heading into the second half of the dual.
The Spartans won three straight after the mid-way point as true freshman 149-pounder Evan Gosz picked up his first career dual win with a 11-3 major decision over Drew Pepin. Gosz earned a reversal and four near-fall in the first period to lead 6-3, before getting an escape and a takedown in the third to secure the riding time. Redshirt freshman Darius Marines moved … more at … https://msuspartans.com/news/2025/12/6/wrestling-opens-road-trip-with-win-over-gardner-webb
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 