Three UNC Wrestlers Victorious, Tar Heels Finish Runner-Up At Soldier Salute
CORALVILLE, Iowa – Three North Carolina wrestlers finished atop the podium on day two of Soldier Salute, helping the Tar Heels to a runner-up team finish.
Carolina finished the two-day tournament with 161.5 team points, trailing Missouri who capped off the event with 166.5 points.
Individually, Ethan Oakley (133), Luke Simcox (141) and Bryce Hepner (165) secured championships in their respective weight classes. The Tar Heel trio helped Carolina post 11 total placers in the tournament.
Kysen Terukina (125) and Jake Dailey (184) finished runner-up, meeting ranked wrestlers in their championship bouts.
Rounding out the individual efforts, Matthew Botello (Third – 133), Laird Root (Fourth – 157), Robert Platt (Fourth – 197), Nick O’Neill (Fifth – 141), Nicholas Fea (Fifth – 174) and Mikey Calcagno (Sixth – 197) placed for the Tar Heels.
Up next, Carolina shifts its focus to the Atlantic Coast Conference portion of the schedule, traveling to Virginia on Jan. 16. Action between the Tar Heels and Cavaliers gets underway at 7 PM, with the dual streamed on ACCNX.
Soldier Salute Day Two Results
125: Cameron Stinson Jr.
Silver Bracket Semifinals: Carson Dupill (South Dakota State) over Cameron Stinson Jr. (UNC): 12-3 MD
Silver Bracket Third-Place Match: Cameron Stinson Jr. (UNC) over Anthony Alanis (Bellarmine): 11-0 MD
125: Kysen Terukina
Semifinals: No. 13 Kysen Terukina (UNC) over Daniel Guanajuato (South Dakota State): 6-5 Dec
Final: No. 28 Mack Mauger (Missouri) over No. 13 Kysen Terukina (UNC): 7-2 Dec
133: Matthew Botello
Semifinal: Gage Walker (Missouri) over Matthew Botello (UNC): 5-1 Dec
Consolation Semifinals: Matthew Botello (UNC) over Hayden Mills (Nebraska): Fall (3:19)
Third-Place Match: Matthew Botello (UNC) over No. 22 Luke Willochell (Wyoming): Fall (1:13)
133: Ethan Oakley
Semifinals: No. 17 Ethan Oakley (UNC) over Osmany Diversent (Iowa State): Fall (1:57)
Final: No. 17 Ethan Oakley (UNC) over Gage Walker (Missouri): 4-2 Dec
141: Nick O’Neill
Consolation Semifinals: No. 31 Caedyn Ricciardi (Navy) … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2026/1/4/wrestling-three-wrestlers-victorious-tar-heels-finish-runner-up-at-soldier-salute
No. 2 Ohio State Improves to 11-0 with win in Corvallis, 41-3
Buckeyes open Big Ten dual competition Jan. 11 against No. 23 Indiana
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 2 Ohio State improved to 11-0 on the year with a 41-3 win at Oregon State (2-1) Sunday in the final nonconference dual of the season. The bout was contested at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon.
The Buckeyes led 24-0 after the first five matches, each won by bonus points. Ohio State won four of the final five bouts while allowing just one takedown in the match.
The Buckeyes open Big Ten competition at home against No. 23 Indiana at the Covelli Center Jan. 11. Match time is set for 1 p.m. with B1G+ providing the live stream.
125 – (3) Nic Bouzakis (OSU) def. (10) Maximo Renteria (ORST), TF, 19-4
Bouzakis muscled his way to the first score with a takedown followed by a Renteria escape. Bouzakis added another takedown for a 6-2 lead with under two minutes gone in the opening period. A late takedown at the end of the first upped the lead to 9-2 Buckeyes. Choosing bottom to open the second, Bouzakis escaped and quickly scored a takedown for a 13-2 advantage. The second period ended with Bouzakis leading 16-3. Renteria escaped early in the third before Bouzakis got the win by … more at … https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2026/1/4/wrestling-no-2-ohio-state-improves-to-11-0-with-win-in-corvallis-41-3
No. 13 Huskies Open 2026 with 48-0 Shutout over Sioux Falls in 700th Program Win
SCSU moves to 7-1 on the season
St. Cloud, MN. – No. 13 St. Cloud State Wrestling (7-1, 4-0 NSIC) opened up 2026 with a clean sheet at Halenbeck Hall as they defeated Sioux Falls 48-0 Friday evening. SCSU captured eight bonus point victories with four falls.
Starting at 165, Gabriel Smith put six points on the board as he defeated Luke Swanson by injury. No. 14 Bryce Dagel doubled the lead for SCSU as he came away with a fall in 1:39. With a 12-0 lead, No. 4 Cole Glazier and Tyson Meyer strung together two tech fall victories at 184 and 197. Glazier won 17-2 in 3:28 while Meyer tacked on a 19-4 victory in 6:48.
Moving to 285, Jadon Mims battled into overtime against Stetson Davis with each wrestler tallying an escape point. Throughout the match, Mims created multiple underhook scoring chances where he pushed Davis out of bounds but was unable to capitalize. A scoreless overtime period would send the match into tiebreakers. Starting the tiebreaker on top after Davis’s choice, Mims put together a stellar ride as he rode Davis for the entirety of the period. In a strong position with 30 seconds of riding time, Mims would choose neutral and shutout Davis’s offense to win his bout and extend the lead to 25-0.
Going back up to 125, Ben Aranda took a 3-1 lead early in the first period against Vincent Mayberry. Following Mayberry’s escape point, he would take down Aranda and then nearly pinned him but would … more at … https://scsuhuskies.com/news/2026/1/2/wrestling-no-13-huskies-open-2026-with-48-0-shutout-over-sioux-falls-in-700th-program-win
Penn State collects Southern Scuffle title with five individual champions
Jan 4, 2026, 7:32 PM EST
by Brian Reinhardt
Individual champions from the 2026 Southern Scuffle.
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee – Penn State only sent two of its starters, Aaron Nagao at 141 pounds and Josh Barr at 197 pounds, but just like at the last four NCAA Championships, the Nittany Lions came away with the team title at the 2026 Southern Scuffle.
Penn State captured five of the 10 individual championships and cleared second-place Penn by 20 points, 143.5-123.5. Picking up titles for the Nittany Lions were Barr, Connor Pierce (149), Joe Sealey (157), Will Henckel (174) and Asher Cunningham (184).
Little Rock had four wrestlers advance into the finals and finished in third place, with Matty Bianchi taking the 165-pound crown. Virginia Tech was the only other school outside of Penn State with multiple individual titles—bookends Eddie Ventresca at 125 pounds and Jimmy Mullen at heavyweight.
Also standing atop the podium of one of the toughest in-season tournaments were Dom Serrano of Northern Colorado at 133 pounds and Vince Cornella of Cornell at 141 pounds. Serrano was named the Outstanding Wrestler award recipient.
Complete results and archived matches from the Southern Scuffle are available at FloWrestling.com.
2026 Southern Scuffle
At Chattanooga, Tennessee, Jan. 3-4
Finals Summary
125: #3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec. #20 Zeke Witt (North Dakota State), 4-1 (SV1)
A two-time All-American, Ventresca cruised to the title, not conceding a single takedown in any of his six matches. In the semifinals, he scored an 8-3 win over former Virginia Tech teammate #26 Cooper Flynn (now at Chattanooga). In the final, he notched the lone takedown of the bout 1:22 into extra time for a 4-1 win. Ranked #3 nationally and doubling his season match total this weekend, he is a perfect 3-0 all-time, including 1-0 this year, against the defending national champion Vince Robinson of NC State.
133: #16 Dom Serrano (Northern Colorado) dec. #10 Braxton Brown (Maryland), 5-4
In one of the most exciting finals matches, Serrano scored the last-second win. Tied 1-1 late in the third, Brown scored the first takedown with around 30 seconds left. After an escape, Serrano went to work and was awarded the takedown right before the final whistle. Before this weekend, Serrano had only wrestled one match. He got in five matches over the last two days, capped with … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/january/04/penn-state-collects-southern-scuffle-title-with-five-individual-champions
DI Live Streaming Guide (1/7 – 11/11/2026)
It’s the first full week of 2026! From here on out, the majority of the action will be in dual meet competition. A total of 29 duals will be contested (plus a dual tournament). 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, January 8:
Buffalo at Binghamton 1:00 PM American East TV
Kent State at Rider 2:00 PM ESPN+
Appalachian State at Presbyterian 7:00 PM ESPN+
Friday, January 9:
Air Force, Army West Point, Bellarmine, Binghamton, Brown, Buffalo, Columbia, Franklin & Marshall, George Mason, Hofstra, Kent State, LIU, Lock Haven, Penn, Princeton at Lehman F&M Open 9:00 AM FloWrestling
Bloomsburg, Campbell, Central Michigan, CSU Bakersfield, Drexel, Harvard, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Ohio, South Dakota State at NWCA National Duals 3:00 PM FloWrestling
Michigan State at Michigan 7:00 PM B1G+
Virginia at NC State 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra
Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/47_streaming-guide/di-live-streaming-guide-17-11112026-r100741/
Top 10 USA Wrestling Stories of 2025
Jan 1, 2026, 1:11 AM EST
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
The year-end tradition of reflection and appreciation for the sport of wrestling continues in 2025, albeit with a different voice behind the keyboard.
My longtime mentor and friend, Gary Abbott, who retired three months ago after nearly four decades of service to USA Wrestling, always enjoyed writing up his top wrestling stories of the year. It is my intent to keep this tradition alive, if anything, because I know Gary will read and enjoy. I’ll give it my best attempt to fill these (untied) shoes. Congratulations on an amazing career, Gary. Your presence around here is already missed.
Before I jump into my personal top 10 wrestling stories of 2025, I feel the urge to brag a bit on the USA Wrestling community. First off, kudos to everyone who participated in USA Wrestling this year. Whether you are an athlete, coach, parent, official, or fan, know that you made an impact. USA Wrestling shattered its membership record in the 2024-25 membership year with nearly 372k members, up 28k from the year prior. Wrestling in the U.S. has never been healthier, and that is tremendously exciting for the future.
USA Wrestling also launched USA Bracketing, its new event management platform, with great success in 2025. A special shoutout to my colleague Dave Mathews and his crew for the tireless, sometimes thankless, efforts on this project (that continue today), and for leveling up the game in the wrestling technology space. As someone who constantly thinks about preserving the history of our great sport, what a win for all of us to have a resource like USA Bracketing at our fingertips.
With the pleasantries out of the way, let’s move on to my top 10 wrestling stories of 2025.
10. Olympian Ben Askren’s inspirational recovery from a double lung transplant
At 41 years old and in seemingly great health, 2008 Olympian Ben Askren underwent the fight of his life and has come out the other side as an inspiration to all. In June 2025, Askren was hospitalized with a staph infection that progressed into pneumonia that severely damaged his lungs. He was in a coma for multiple weeks before receiving a life-saving double lung transplant. Askren has publicly documented his recovery journey through his social media platforms with the wrestling community behind him every step of the way. Askren’s initials were worn on the U.S. World Team singlets in Zagreb, Croatia. He remains #AskrenStrong as he carries on his recovery process each day.
9. Kikiniou family success—Father-son duo make U.S. Open finals; Arseni doubles up at U17 Worlds
What a year it was for the incredible Kikiniou family. Aliaksandr Kikiniou Sr. was a two-time Olympian for Belarus (2004, 2012) and immigrated to the United States, where he began competing under the U.S. banner in 2023. At age 45, Kikiniou made the finals of this year’s U.S. Open, which served as the Greco-Roman World Team Trials. As did his 18-year-old son, Aliaksandr Kikiniou Jr. Both finished as No. 2 on the U.S. National Team in Greco-Roman. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/december/31/top-10-wrestling-stories-of-2025
InterMat’s Top Wrestling Stories for 2025
We’ve only got a few hours left in 2025 and are ready to look forward to a big 2026. Before changing the calendar (or letting it update on your phone), let’s take a quick look back at some of the biggest wrestling-related stories of the year for InterMat. Please let us know if you have some that we might have missed!
10. Ohio State wins National Duals Invitational
The college wrestling needs more juice. We need events that excite and energize the fanbases, creating arguments and debate, and hypotheticals. Those things are healthy. It needs to be more than just focusing on those three days in March.
The National Duals Invitational came along and filled that void very nicely. Coming into the event, one of the main storylines was whether or not Oklahoma State’s freshman-laden lineup could win it all. Maybe Nebraska could build off their second-place finish at nationals in 2025. Or trusty Iowa.
What happened was Ohio State’s lightweights blitzed the field and the Buckeyes disposed of Wyoming, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa. Nic Bouzakis debuted at 125 lbs, Ben Davino beat a returning national finalist, and Jesse Mendez prevailed in an NCAA finals rematch.
And for the 400 lb elephant in the room (or not in the room), Penn State. The Nittany Lions declined an invitation to participate. Their absence spurred plenty of debate between fans on social media and on the message board- maybe they should go in the future vs. why do they need to go, would it be better with them or without them, do they have an obligation to go? Those were all questions thrown around by fans in the days leading up to the event and in the aftermath. Whichever side you fall on in the debates, just the conversation and interest is good for our sport.
9. Recruiting/NIL/Transfer Portal
This is a bit of a catch-all for a couple of different topics. Basically, the new-era of collegiate sports wrapped up into one point. Like the “Penn State at National Duals Invitational” topic, you may not agree with one side in the debate; however, there are plenty of people interested in the overall conversation.
As someone who looks at the metrics of articles and social media, recruiting battles, recruiting flips, NIL rumors, and transfer decisions move the needle.
Some of the important stories of the year related to these categories are:
- Bo Bassett’s recruiting graphic/commitment to Iowa/decommitment and signing with Virginia Tech.
- The Hokies, along with Oklahoma State, Penn State, Iowa, and Cornell amassing huge recruiting classes.
- Three 2025 NCAA DI champions transferred in the prior offseason.
- The game of musical chairs at 184 lbs with the Rocco Welsh/Zack Ryder transfers.
- The potential for Jax Forrest to join the Oklahoma State team instead of finishing his final HS season.
- Some notable transfers are not faring as well in their new homes.
- The portal helped make Iowa State into a top-three team after missing the top 20 in Philly.
8. Iowa State finally wins the CyHawk Dual
For the first time since 2004, Iowa State has beaten their in-state rivals, Iowa, in dual meet competition. Iowa head coach Tom Brands had been in his current position since 2006-07 … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/intermats-top-wrestling-stories-for-2025-r100729/
#6 Lander Dominates King 38-6 to Open 2026
GREENWOOD – In a rematch of last season’s Conference Carolinas Championship match, the sixth-ranked Lander Wrestling team opened the 2026 calendar year in dominant fashion with a 38-6 win over King on Friday night inside Horne Arena.
The Bearcats won eight of ten bouts, with seven coming by bonus-point margin, as Lander controlled the dual from the opening whistle.
Kaden Kuenzi got the Blue and Gold rolling immediately at 125, needing just 45 seconds to record a first-period pin and give Lander (11-0, 4-0 CC) a 6-0 lead. #6 James Joplin and #1 Elijah Lusk followed with back-to-back major decisions at 133 and 141 to stretch the advantage to 14-0.
King (5-4, 4-2 CC) answered at 149 with a narrow decision to get on the board, but Lander quickly seized control once again. Reid Noble responded with a 19-3 technical fall in 4:06 at 157 before #2 David Hunsberger added an 18-1 tech fall in 4:28 at 165 to make it 24-4 through six matches. At 174, Sean Crews battled tightly with fourth-ranked Clint Morrisette, falling just short in a 4-2 decision.
Lander clinched the dual at 184 as #8 Dylan Kohn breezed to a 15-0 second-period technical fall, pushing the Bearcats past the 30-point mark. #14 Marvelous Rutledge added another hard-fought win at 197, securing a 4-1 sudden-victory decision over the 15th-ranked wrestler in the weight class, before #13 Isaac Sheeren closed the night in emphatic fashion with a first-period pin (2:06) at heavyweight.
Lander now turns its attention to the NWCA National Duals, … more at … https://landerbearcats.com/news/2026/1/2/wrestling-6-lander-dominates-king-38-6-to-open-2026.aspx
And …
Coker Cruises to a 40-7 Win Over Allen
Mason Moody, Frank Bianco, Benjamin Newton, and Hunter Miller all put 6 points on the board for the Cobras
Hartsville, S.C.: The Cobras started the new year with a win over conference rivals Allen University. The Coker won with a commanding score of 40-7. … more at … https://www.cokercobras.com/sports/wrest/2025-26/releases/20260102npgy95
And …
Maroon wrestling opens 2026 with 51-0 win over Penn College
The Facts:
Score: Roanoke 51, Penn College 0
Location: Front Royal, Va. – Skyline High School
The Short story: The Roanoke College wrestling team quickly defeated Penn College 51-0 Thursday in a non-conference dual hosted at Skyline High School in Front Royal, Va.
The Maroons had two pins and six technical falls.
Roanoke is No. 5 this week in theopenmat.com dual rankings and are No. 6 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll.
How it happened:
*The Maroons opened with three-straight technical falls to go ahead 15-0. … more at … https://roanokemaroons.com/news/2026/1/1/wrestling-maroon-wrestling-opens-2026-with-51-0-win-over-penn-college.aspx
The Comparison Trap in Youth Wrestling
Wrestling is different from most youth sports. There’s no teammate to share the moment with, no lineup to blend into, no one else on the mat when the whistle blows. Every win and every loss belongs to the athlete alone.
Because of that, wrestling parents often feel results more deeply. When another child is winning matches and their own child isn’t, it’s easy to start comparing — and even easier to assume that struggling means it’s time to try a different sport.
But in wrestling, early results are one of the least reliable indicators of long-term success.
Wrestling Exposes Development Gaps Early
In team sports, size, speed, or early maturity can be masked by teammates. In wrestling, they can’t. A stronger or more physically mature child often has a huge advantage at young ages. That doesn’t mean they’re more talented — it means they’re further along in development.
Many wrestlers who struggle early simply haven’t hit their physical or emotional growth phase yet. Strength, coordination, confidence, and mat awareness all come at different times. Comparing two wrestlers at age 9 or 11 ignores the fact that they may be years apart developmentally.
Early Wins in Wrestling Can Be Misleading
It’s common to see youth wrestlers dominate early — often because they’re bigger, stronger, or more aggressive. But wrestling evolves quickly. As athletes grow, competition tightens, technique matters more, and effort alone isn’t enough.
Many early “stars” plateau when physical advantages disappear. Meanwhile, wrestlers who struggled early often surge once their bodies and minds catch up — if they’re still in the sport.
Wrestling rewards persistence more than early success.
Why Parents Misread Losing in Wrestling
Because wrestling is one-on-one, losing can feel like a personal failure instead of part of development. Parents see their child’s hand not being raised and assume:
- They’re not good at wrestling
- They’re falling behind others
- Another sport might suit them better
But losing in wrestling often means a child is learning hard lessons: how to handle pressure, how to problem-solve mid-match, how to keep competing when things don’t go their way. Those lessons don’t show up on a bracket — but they shape better wrestlers long-term.
Switching Sports Because of Losses Sends the Wrong Message
Changing sports solely because a child isn’t winning in wrestling teaches an unintended lesson: that struggle means failure, and that success should come quickly.
Wrestling is supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to challenge kids mentally and physically. … more at … https://iawrestle.com/2025/12/29/the-comparison-trap-in-youth-wrestling/
Women’s and Girls’ Wrestling Is Ready for Its Modern Era
rom 204 high school wrestlers in 1989 to record-breaking numbers today, the sport’s long-overlooked revolution is now impossible to ignore—just in time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
If you were to ask 100 random Americans what the nation’s fastest-growing high school sport is, few would come up with the correct answer: girls’ wrestling.
The release of the documentary All American, which chronicles the challenges on and off the mat of three wrestlers, Naomi, Jo and Arham, arrives at a pivotal moment in the trailblazing journey of girls’ and women’s wrestling in the United States.
Today, a record 47 state high school associations will crown girls’ wrestling champions, with more states adding full-team competitions every year.
At the collegiate level, participation has surged. Earlier this year, the NCAA officially named women’s wrestling as its 91st championship sport. The number of college programs offering women’s wrestling has ballooned—as evidenced by the fact that the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics will soon hold its fourth national championship for women’s wrestling.
At the youth level, USA Wrestling’s iconic Fargo tournament drew more than 2,200 girls this year—a number that would have been unimaginable a generation ago. Team USA’s women are now global powerhouses, routinely medaling in world and Olympic competitions.
To the observer or new fan, girls’ and women’s wrestling seem like a sudden marvel, but the road to our current apex is filled with a long history of resistance, sacrifice and struggle. For years, even after the passage of Title IX in 1972, wrestling remained male-dominated, with opportunities for girls on the mat scarce and resistance to our inclusion supercharged.
For so many girls and women on the mat today, our story dates back to 1989, when five American women—Afsoon Roshanzamir, Asia DeWeese, Marie Ziegler, Janet Trussell and Leia Kawaii—traveled to Switzerland for the Women’s World Freestyle Championships, the first ever Women’s World Championship in which a U.S. team entered. Despite winning three medals during that tournament, they had no financial or organizational support, no national recognition, or parades; yet they persisted, representing a country whose wrestling gatekeepers had little interest or belief in our participation. Despite the hostility, their courage to compete at that time sparked the enduring flame of women’s wrestling in the United States that still reverberates.
Back then, a tiny fraction of girls wrestled in high school. In 1989, the National Federation of State High School Associations—the main body that governs high school athletics—reported that only 204 girls were wrestling at 25 schools nationwide, with virtually all of them on boys’ teams. Yet word spread about the women who had competed in Switzerland and what their example meant.
The following year, in 1990, the first official U.S. Senior Women’s World Team Trials event was held in Vallejo, Calif., with the winners qualifying for the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. The dominant theme of that weekend was not competition but gratitude and community after years of isolation. Girls who had long been alone in wrestling swapped their stories and techniques, molding a foundation for the sports that continued long after that tournament. That sense of community has remained at the forefront … more at … https://msmagazine.com/2025/12/26/womens-girls-wrestling/
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 