Men’s College Notebook: Week 2 Primer
November 8
Virginia vs. #8 Lehigh
Navy at #14 Rutgers
The Journeymen WrangleMania has always been a great day of duals in Bethlehem, Pa. These two battles will be ones to watch.
Leigh is coming off back-to-back 15th place finishes at the NCAAs and gets back four wrestlers that missed last year who all rank in the top 10. If duals start at 125 pounds for Lehigh, they will march out the #5, #2, and #3 ranked wrestlers in the first three bouts this one. Rutgers is primed for a big season; they reloaded at the upper weights in the portal, headlined by #8 Lenny Pinto transferring in from Nebraska.
November 9
#4 Ohio State at Chattanooga
Northern Colorado at #23 North Carolina
Despite the #4 national ranking, Ohio State still has lineup questions to answer. At last week’s Clarion Open, the Buckeyes had three wrestlers in both the 125- and 197-pound brackets. A wrestler from Ohio State won each of those two brackets, but it wasn’t the wrestler most expected in both circumstances. Nic Bouzakis was a two-time NCAA Qualifier at 133 pounds, including being the seventh seed last year, but is coming down to 125 pounds and was presumed to be the starter. However, last year’s starter, Brendan McCrone, is not ready to let go of that spot and scored a 5-4 win over Bouzakis in the final. Up at 197, Luke Geogg took a 10-4 win over Ryder Rogotzke (who has an available redshirt) in the final; this was after presumed starter Seth Shumate fell in his opening match.
The winner continues as the only ‘UNC’ – Northern Colorado and North Carolina will battle it out. Both are young squads, and both have a lot of lineup questions to start the season. Northern Colorado is under first-year head coach Teyon Ware and lost a pair of 2025 All-Americans to Iowa State in the offseason: Stevo Poulin at 125 pounds and Vinny Zerban at 157 pounds. The Tar Heels could feature as many as seven new starters this year and will rely on a deep redshirt freshman class. That said, it could be a pair of veteran transfers leading the charge for the Tar Heels this year: Ethan Oakley at 133 pounds and Bryce Hepner at 165 pounds. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/november/05/men-s-college-notebook-week-2-primer
Missouri University Wrestling Opens Season With Three Wins in the Missouri Duals
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou wrestling swept all three of its opponents to open the 2025-26 season as part of the Missouri Duels in Hearnes Center.
Mizzou opened the day, shutting out Drury 51-0. The Tigers followed up their first win with a dominant performance over Maryville, 41-3, and capped the day with another shutout, 46-0 over Central Methodist.
MISSOURI VS. DRURY, 51-0
Mizzou scored six victories by fall in the opening duel of the day. Kade Moore, Nate Pulliam, J Conway, Max Mayfield, Aeoden Sinclair, and Jarrett Stoner all registered pins for the Tigers while Evan Bates added a tech fall win in the second period of his bout.
Adding to the Tigers’ shutout triumph was Luqman Masud, who claimed a major decision victory to open the day, along with Zeke Seltzer and Kolten Oborny, adding decision wins.
MISSOURI VS. MARYVILLE, 41-3
In the second leg of three, Missouri’s lone fall came via Sinclair’s first-period pin. Four other Tiger wrestlers claimed technical fall wins as Josh Edmond, Moore, Mayfield, and Bates put five team points on the board. Other bonus point wins belonged to Mack Mauger, … more at … https://mutigers.com/news/2025/11/2/wrestling-opens-season-with-three-wins-in-the-missouri-duels
And …
Wrestling Claims First at Tiger Style Invite with 146.5 Points
The Tigers had four wrestlers place first in their respective weight classes
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri wrestling ended the day in first place with 146.5 points at the Tiger Style Invite, held at Hearnes Center on Sunday, Nov. 9. The Tigers saw four wrestlers bring home top honors in their respective weight classes.
Zeke Seltzer was the first Tiger of the day to claim gold, knocking off two National Qualifiers, Oklahoma’s Tyler Wells and Purdue’s Greyson Clark, en route to bringing home the title at 141 pounds. Redshirt senior Josh Edmond immediately joined him on top of the podium when he controlled his way to the 149-pound title. Redshirt senior Max Mayfield claimed the title at 165 pounds in his first Tiger Style Invite, besting Marcus Espinoza-Owens of South Dakota. Missouri’s final winner was redshirt freshman Aeoden Sinclair. Sinclair dominated his way to the final with a technical fall and two pins, before winning by forfeit in the final. Mizzou claimed its fourth consecutive team … more at … https://mutigers.com/news/2025/11/9/wrestling-claims-first-at-tiger-style-invite-with-146-5-points
And …
Ben Askren Announced as National Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee
Missouri wrestling legend Ben Askren has been announced to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Askren joins fellow former Tiger J’den Cox as a distinguished member of the prestigious group. “I am very proud of Ben and everything he represents”, said head coach Brian Smith. “He is a great ambassador for the sport of wrestling, from his accomplishments at Mizzou or the U.S. Olympic Team, to how he has become the model club coach throughout the country. Ben has always lived it right, and even with his mental health, he continues to motivate and teach people how to live it the right way. Congratulations on an amazing accomplishment, making it into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame”. “The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is honored to announce the Class of 2026, an illustrious group whose enduring contributions exemplify the foundational principles of our sport. Every Hall of Fame class is special, but this one is even more so as it includes Lee Roy Smith, who will be retiring next year after more than 20 years of superb leadership as executive director of the Hall of Fame,” said John Harris III, National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors Chairman. “These individuals have demonstrated exemplary leadership, discipline, and commitment, both on and off the mat, thereby advancing the legacy and cultural integrity of wrestling.”
The Class of 2026 will be honored and officially inducted during the 49th Honors Weekend on June 5 and 6, 2026, … more at … https://mutigers.com/news/2025/10/30/wrestling-legend-ben-askren-announced-as-national-wrestling-hall-of-fame-inductee
Tom Ryan: Ohio State Wrestling Has ‘Potential To Do Big Things’ In 2025-26
Tom Ryan likes the depth and competitiveness of the Ohio State wrestling roster and thinks the Buckeyes have big potential this season
Tom Ryan’s predictions for his Ohio State wrestling team this year are a mix of optimism, realism and an ever-present philosophical slant to what might await the Buckeyes. “Nothing can ever be really known or predicted ahead of time,” he said. “I’ll say this: We have the potential to do big things. There’s extra excitement because (the NCAA Championships) will be in Cleveland, in our home state, but what happens up there in March…”
He paused. “Let’s just say that right now, all 10 guys have the chance to place, to score points.”
Ryan cited his team’s depth and balance as the Buckeyes’ primary strength. “Up and down the lineup there’s competition,” he said. “That brings out the best in your wrestlers. With (the proliferation of) NIL, a lot of teams this year are loaded, a lot of teams have made themselves more powerful, but I expect us to be competing for a team trophy.”
Ryan didn’t say which trophy — the NCAA awards one to each of the top four team finishers — his team could take back to Columbus, a nod to his aforementioned belief of nothing being lock-predictable. “We’ll see,” he said. “But we expect to be in the hunt for a team trophy.”
In addition to top-ranked Penn State, would he venture to predict who the primary frontrunners will be this year? “I don’t assess everyone else,” Ryan said. “My main job is developing our own team. If we do our job, we’ll be competing for a team trophy.”
Zero predictions? “It’s not hard to see that Nebraska should be tough,” he said. “Oklahoma State, Iowa, Iowa State, Cornell, That Team Up North (Michigan) — I think each of those teams will score some points. “There are a few teams this year that can fight for a trophy.”
Who’s Where?
Asked about his team’s starting lineup outlook, Ryan spoke of classes still up in the air and those that, for now, appear etched in granite. “We’re unsettled at 125, 165 and 197,” he said. “(Nic) Bouzakis, … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14715643-tom-ryan-ohio-state-wrestling-has-potential-to-do-big-things-in-2025-26
Iowa men’s wrestling All-American heavyweight Ben Kueter is back and bigger
No. 3 Iowa opens the 2025-26 season at home against Bellarmine
IOWA CITY – Ben Kueter has rarely been idle.
He built a high school career of constant competition and training, moving seamlessly from football to wrestling to baseball and balancing high-level events within the same week. Kueter continued that at Iowa, participating in football and wrestling.
So, you can imagine his frustration with the slow process, rehabilitating from offseason arthroscopic hip surgery. “I was off the mat for probably a good two to three months,” said Kueter, who didn’t play football this season due to the procedure and recovery. “So, I wasn’t doing anything (and) that was tough at first, but it definitely got better as time went on.”
Kueter’s progress has him ready for No. 3 Iowa’s home opener against Bellarmine Thursday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, starting at 6 p.m.. The returning All-American was listed in the probable lineups released Tuesday and he’ll be raring to go, if Hawkeyes Coach Tom Brands calls on him. “For me, it’s like, mentally, I’m always ready,” fifth-ranked Kueter said. “I’d rather be ready, and then they tell me I’m not going rather, than not being ready and they tell me I am going, right? So, I think that’s the big thing for me.” Kueter was dedicated to overcoming what he avoided … more at … https://www.thegazette.com/hawkeye-wrestling/iowa-mens-wrestling-all-american-heavyweight-ben-kueter-is-back-and-bigger/
Nebraska Wrestling Lining Up Pieces For Another Trophy Push
A.J. Ferrari is set to make his debut with the Nebraska wrestling program while the Huskers are getting the rest of their lineup pieces in order.
Nebraska started its season this past weekend with nine of its starters taking the mat – minus top-ranked heavyweight AJ Ferrari – but you won’t have to wait much longer to see the high-profile transfer in a Husker singlet.
According to Nebraska coach Mark Manning, Ferrari is slated to make his Husker debut in the team’s home opener on Friday against Army. Ferrari missed the Navy Classic due to a turf toe injury. “He’s strong and a big, powerful guy. He’s really athletic. He’s a great competitor — that’s what we knew we were going to get out of AJ,” Manning said. “He brings a lot of competitive spirit to our team. At heavyweight, if you got a guy who can be a difference-maker, that’s a really big deal. We filled that missing piece with AJ. What he brings to our team can be a game-changer. He’s worked hard and gotten himself into really good shape, and his toe is healed up, so he’s ready to fire on Friday.”
Against Army, Ferrari is likely to take on #14 Brady Colbert in his first career match at heavyweight. He’s 50-2 in college at 197 pounds with his NCAA title coming in 2021 as a true freshman for Oklahoma State.
How Ferrari looks against Colbert will tell us a lot with National Duals coming up the following weekend. Ferrari will likelly face #8 Nathan Taylor of Lehigh in the first round before probable matchups against #4 Taye Ghadiali of Michigan and #6 Nick Feldman of Ohio State. And those are just the matches he’ll be in as the Huskers try to get to the final where Ferrari could see #5 Ben Kueter of Iowa or #9 Konner Doucet of Oklahoma State. As for his eligibility going forward, Manning said … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14718051-nebraska-wrestling-lining-up-pieces-for-another-trophy-push
Cowboy Youth Movement: Blue-Chip Freshmen Help Reload Oklahoma State Lineup
I think these kids are coming out of high school, they’re pretty talented and skilled and starting to put things together pretty quickly.
STILLWATER — A few days out from the Cowboys’ season-opening dual and David Taylor is still keeping his lineup plans close to the vest, but one thing is for certain, this will be a younger group of Cowboys than Taylor’s first squad.
Oklahoma State opens its season against Stanford at 7 p.m. Friday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. A good chunk of last season’s lineup finished out their eligibility. Reece Witcraft. Caleb Fish, Cam Amine, DJ Hamiti, Dustin Plott, Luke Surber and Wyatt Hendrickson are all gone.
Taylor got some experience out of the portal in guys like Richard Figueroa, Casey Swiderski and Alex Facundo, but he also injected his team with a lot of talented youngsters. LaDarion Lockett, … more at … https://pistolsfiringblog.com/cowboy-youth-movement-blue-chip-freshmen-help-reload-oklahoma-state-lineup/
Upon further review: Nebraska high school wrestling on the cutting edge with new review provision
High school boys and girls wrestling will look a little different during the championship round in February. That’s because coaches will have the chance to challenge calls, under an experimental rule approved by the Nebraska School Activities Association Board of Directors on Wednesday.
NSAA wrestling director Ron Higdon said Nebraska will be the first state to use video review for high school wrestling. “Right now, it’s only going to be allowed in the championship finals matches, which in boys, will be four mats going on at the same time, one for each class (Classes A through D),” Higdon said. “And for girls, it will be two mats going on at the same time, with A and B.”
Scoring decisions, timing issues, technical violations and out-of-bounds calls will be eligible for review. “There’s a whole list of parameters that we outlined of what can be reviewed and what can’t,” Higdon said. “And basically, almost everything can be reviewed, with the exception of a small list.”
The exceptions include judgment calls or decisions unable to be clearly determined with video. “Falls (a pin), near fall, stalling, which is a judgment call,” Higdon said of what’s excluded. “Unnecessary roughness or unsportsmanlike conduct, which is also just a judgment call. And then starting position, because many times the camera will not catch an improper starting position.”
Coaches will get at least one challenge per match and can challenge additional calls if they are successful. They will have about five to seven seconds to signal for a review on a particular call, then officials will look for a natural stop in action to pause and analyze the ruling. “The wording that we have is the referee will stop the match as soon as practical, ensuring that no significant action is occurring at the time the match is halted,” Higdon said.
Personnel costs will remain the same, Higdon said. Two referees and one NSAA rules official per match will sit mat-side, next to a monitor ready to review a call. … more at … https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/upon-further-review-nebraska-high-school-wrestling-on-the-cutting-edge-with-new-review-provision/
How did the Super 32 field compare to Fargo this year?
Editor’s Note: This article appeared in WIN’s Volume 32 Issue 2, which printed on Oct. 31, 2025. Click here or call 641-792-4436 to subscribe to WIN Magazine. Buy a Digital or Combo Subscription to get immediate digital access to WIN’s Volume 32 Issue 2.
By Rob Sherrill
The Super 32 is an event that the nation’s top prep wrestlers look forward to every October. As the nation’s biggest single-field high school event, the Super 32 has drawn many comparisons to USA Wrestling’s giant 16U and Junior Nationals, which take place at the iconic Fargodome in July.
The styles are obviously different, with Fargo treating us to freestyle and Greco, the Super 32 to folkstyle. The ever-increasing popularity of the Super 32 also invites the real comparison that inquiring minds want to know about: Which one is tougher?
I decided to take a look. Using the individual rankings I compile for WIN as a guide, I compared the number of ranked wrestlers who competed at Fargo to the number of ranked wrestlers who competed in the Super 32. Granted, we’re comparing up to four Fargo tournaments to one Super 32. Still, the results were surprising, and they are a testament to the job that USA Wrestling has done selling its age-group development programs.
In 2025, the wrestler I had ranked No. 1 competed at Fargo, either in the 16U or in the Junior Nationals, in 11 of the 14 weight classes (I combined all weight classes 106 and below into a single weight class for this assessment, since the lowest weight class I rank is 106). The 165-pound class was led by the wrestler I had ranked No. 2, and 106 and 138 were headed by the wrestler I had ranked No. 3. But 11 out of 14? That’s a staggering number of top-ranked wrestlers in a single event.
By contrast, the Super 32 that just concluded contained only four wrestlers now ranked No. 1 – Ariah Mills (106) and Antonio Mills (126) of Georgia, Moses Mendoza (132) of California and Bo Bassett (150) of Pennsylvania. All four won their weight classes relatively easily — three months after Antonio Mills, Mendoza and Bassett won Junior National freestyle titles at Fargo, and Ariah Mills one-upped them with a U17 World freestyle gold medal. … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2025/11/05/how-did-the-super-32-field-compare-to-fargo-this-year/
Men’s College Notebook: Five Teams Looking To Rise Up This Season
Not only are these teams looking to make a push into the top 10 this upcoming year, but they could also vie for a team trophy by placing in the top four.
Here are five programs that finished outside the top 10 at the 2025 NCAA Championships but will now look to leap in the team standings come March in Cleveland.
Iowa State
2025 NCAA finish: 27th place
Last top 10 NCAA finish: 2024 (4th place)
FloWrestling 2026 projected NCAA finish: 4th place
Two years ago, the Cyclones nabbed a team trophy by placing fourth at the 2024 NCAA Championships, but last year Iowa State suffered from lineup woes and underperformance at the NCAAs, dropping all the way down to 27th. If preseason indications hold, it will be a very different story in 2026.
At the lower weights all five of the projected starters in the first half of the lineup are all former All-Americans and start the season in the preseason top 10 in their respective weight classes: 2025 All-American, and a transfer from Northern Colorado, Stevo Poulin (#7 at 125 pounds), 2024 All-American Evan Frost (#9 at 133 pounds), 2024 All-American Anthony Echemendia (#7 at 141 pounds), 2025 All-American Jacob Frost (#6 at 149 pounds), and 2025 All-American, and another Northern Colorado transfer, Vinny Zerban (#6 at 157 pounds).
The upper weights will look very different this season and should be one of the best one-two-three punches in the nation. After being sidelined last year, Yonger Bastida returns at heavyweight and is an immediate national title contender. Four-time All-American Rocky Elam was brought in from Missouri to man 197 pounds, and 2025 MAC champion Isaac Dean comes from Rider and will go at 184 pounds. All three are in their final seasons.
Lehigh
2025 NCAA finish: 15th place
Last top 10 NCAA finish: 2012 (8th place)
FloWrestling 2026 projected NCAA finish: 7th place
Lehigh has finished 15th in back-to-back trips to the NCAA Championships and has nine top 20 finishes overall dating back to 2014. This season, expectations are high for the Mountain Hawks, as their lineup features multiple national title contenders and four wrestlers who were not in the lineup last year, all ranked in the top 10 in the preseason rankings.
Lehigh will look to dominate duals with three ranked wrestlers who all start the season in the top 5 in the lower weights. As the eighth seed last year at NCAAs at 125 pounds, Sheldon Seymour knocked off top-seeded Luke Lilledahl of Penn State and advanced to the semifinals before placing sixth. Ryan Crookham returns from injury and will look to improve upon his third-place finish in 2024. Last year, he was undefeated and ranked #1 at 133 pounds before suffering a season-ending injury after the fall semester. Luke Stanich deferred eligibility last year to move up from 125 to 141 for this year. He placed fifth in 2024 in his first trip to NCAAs.
There are also a pair of top-10 wrestlers in the back half of the lineup. Max Brignola (#7 at 165 pounds) also deferred eligibility last year. He is a two-time NCAA qualifier and went 15-0 last year, winning six tournament titles. Nathan Taylor (#8 at heavyweight) also lost during the season due to an injury last year. Also a two-time NCAA Qualifier, he won the 2024 EIWA title at heavyweight before falling one win shy of All-American honors.
Oklahoma
2025 NCAA finish: 38th place
Last top 10 NCAA finish: 2014 (10th place) … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/october/27/men-s-college-notebook-five-teams-looking-to-rise-up-this-season
3 takeaways and key notable moments from the 2025 NWCA All-Star Classic
The NWCA All-Star Classic offers some early season fireworks for wrestling fans, exhibition-style. Six former NCAA and NCWWC champs took the mat as part of the event in New Jersey, with five of those former title winners securing victories to kick off their season while a number of other All-Americans and high-profile stars showcased their potential for greatness this season.
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Here’s what you need to know about the results and what they could mean for the early part of the season.
Ryder impresses in Oklahoma State exhibition debut
Of all of the NWCA All-Star winners, only one — Zack Ryder of Oklahoma State — has never been on the podium. Ryder, a freshman transfer from Penn State, made headlines this summer when he moved to Stillwater to train with David Taylor following Rocco Welsh’s transfer to Penn State from Ohio State. The move has paid off for Ryder.
In his first college exhibition match with the Cowboys, Ryder majored Maryland senior All-American Jaxon Smith 14-4, leaving no doubt that Ryder is not only at the level he needs to be at but could potentially compete for a title as a rookie. Ryder was all offense from the starting whistle too, and his confidence and aggressiveness will serve him well in his deep weight class. … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-men/article/2025-11-02/3-takeaways-and-key-notable-moments-2025-nwca-all-star-classic
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 