NCAA D1 Wrestling Week 8 Roundup: 2nd Semester-ers
The world’s finest collection of noteworthy happenings from the 8th week of the 2025-26 NCAA D1 wrestling season.
Merry Christmas from the Caption Hotel in Nashville, where I am currently filling the lobby with the pitter-patter of little fingertips as I type out the latest roundup of noteworthy happenings from the 8th week of the 2025-26 NCAA D1 college wrestling season!
Week 7 Rankings | Week 8 Box Scores
Roundups: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7
I’m going to be totally real with everyone: It’s already 9:00pm on Sunday night, and I’m just now starting the Roundup. As such, it’s going to be a very truncated edition, due in part (although this is not an excuse!) to me leaving for Nashville on Friday and then being enmeshed with the Journeymen Collegiate Duals almost exclusively since then.
So consider it your Christmas gift to me to not give me a hard time this week for leaving out some noteworthy happening that you, the wise and learned fan, thought should have been included. I’m sure I will agree with you that the omission was regrettable!
I will make it up to you next Monday, when there will be literally no NCAA D1 wrestling to round up, with something special, the likes of which I will determine in the interim.
With that housekeeping out of the way, let us turn our attention to…
The Dual of the Century of the Week
Cowboys Spoil the Huskers Record-Setting Crowd
Nebraska hosted North Carolina on Friday and were victorious to the tune of 27 to 9. Sunday, however, was a different story, as most of the 7,094 fans in the Devaney Center left disappointed due to Oklahoma State placing the proverbial lump coal in the stocking by beating the home team 22-12. Still, that crowd, plus having a raised stage, and a national audience on the Big Ten Network, in addition to all the star power on the mat, is enough to earn the DotCotW this week.
#2 Sergio Vega pinning #3 Brock Hardy in the first period set the Cowpokes up for the dub. Antrell Taylor, Chris Minto and Silas Allred all got top ten wins for Nebraska, but it would not enough, especially with Nebraska being without the services of AJ Ferrari. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15042666-ncaa-d1-wrestling-week-8-roundup-2nd-semester-ers
NCAA DI Rankings Updated (12/23/2025)
After a record-setting Journeymen Collegiate Duals for Penn State, the Nittany Lions have once against put some distance between themselves and #2 Ohio State. Much of the online chatter around the team rankings focused on the fact that we were conservative regarding true freshman Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke. That was true; however, the main reason Penn State came back to the pack was because top-ranked Josh Barr missed the first month and a half of the season. Barr is back and takes his spot atop the 197 lb weight class. Blaze and Duke also get their first wins over returning All-Americans and have climbed into the top-five at their respective weights. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/ncaa-di-rankings-updated-12232025-r100717/
Men’s College Notebook: Penn State Snaps Dual-Meet Record, Ohio State and Oklahoma State notch top-10 wins
Penn State Breaks 74-Year-Old Record
Not only did Penn State set a new DI team record, but they also did it in style. With a pair of wins at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals, the Nittany Lions won their 76th and 77th consecutive duals, breaking the record set by Oklahoma State in 1951.
In Nashville, Penn State shut out both North Dakota State (46-0) and then #23 Stanford (42-0). The last Penn State dual loss was January 31, 2020, at Iowa (19-17).
Nittany Lion Freshmen Shine
There was a lot of discourse this week on social media about ranking true freshmen—predictions versus season results. One thing is for sure, a pair of freshmen in the Penn State starting lineup will be national title threats come March.
Both Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke earned top-10 wins in the Stanford dual. At 133 pounds, Blaze earned a fall over 2025 All-American #6 Tyler Knox (he was up 12-2 at the time). At 157 pounds, Duke downed 2024 All-American Daniel Cardenas, 5-2.
Blaze (10-0) and Duke (9-0) are both undefeated through the first couple of months in their collegiate careers.
Barr’s Season Debut
Returning NCAA finalist Josh Barr made his season debut for Penn State at 197 pounds. He was a perfect 2-0 on the day, as both of his matches ended in the second period via technical fall. His first bout was a 19-3 tech over North Dakota State’s Devin Wasley. In his second bout of the day, Barr scored a dominant, 19-3, tech fall over #20 Angelo Posada of Stanford. In the bout, Barr reeled in five takedowns and a turn before ending the match early in the second period.
Ohio State Reigns Supreme
For the fifth time this season, Ohio State racked up a top-10 win. Even more impressive, the Buckeyes 21-13 win over #3 Iowa State was their third top-5 victory in the first two months of the season. Ohio State once again dominated in the first half of the dual, winning four of the first five bouts to take a 15-3 lead midway through the dual after … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/december/22/men-s-college-notebook-penn-state-snaps-dual-meet-record-ohio-state-and-oklahoma-state-notch-top-10-wins
#9 Wolfpack Closes Out 2025 with Three More Victories
RALEIGH – Ninth-ranked NC State wrestling improves to 8-3 after tallying wins over The Citadel, George Mason, and Buffalo at home on Sunday afternoon to close out the 2025 portion of the season.
As the final part of its competition for 2025, NC State hosted a quad-meet on Sunday in Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack picked up wins over all three teams with a score of 29-12 over The Citadel, 34-14 over George Mason, and 42-3 over Buffalo.
16 members of the Pack saw action across the three duals, with the highlight being the addition of Patrick Brophy at 197 lbs. Making his debut in the red and white, he went 3-0 on the day, which included competition against his former team, The Citadel.
Heavyweight Isaac Trumble commanded the day with the most dominant bonus point wins that came via two first-period falls and one technical fall. Brophy, Trumble, Zach Redding, and Will Denny were the four wrestlers who went 3-0 on the day.
Denny, the freshman, had yet another exciting weekend after picking up another ranked win, over Citadel’s #30 Thomas Snipes, and then a first-period fall over Brady Unger of Buffalo. At 141 lbs, Ryan Jack got back on track in his two bouts by landing a technical fall against The Citadel and then a fall in the first period against George Mason. A trio of redshirt-freshmen stepped into the lineup … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2025/12/21/wrestling-9-wolfpack-closes-out-2025-with-three-more-victories
Breaking down Penn State wrestling’s DI-record 77 consecutive dual wins
When Penn State wrestling beat North Dakota State and Stanford at the 2025 Collegiate Duals, the Nittany Lions not only maintained their undefeated record on the year, but they also broke the NCAA DI record for the most consecutive dual meet wins. The record was previously held by Oklahoma State from 1937 to 1951.
🤼 MORE COLLEGE WRESTLING 🤼🚨 Alerts and updates on Bleacher Report
🎥 Wrestling on YouTube 🍎 Follow on Apple News
Here’s the complete list of Penn State’s record 77 (and counting) consecutive dual meet wins, along with the opponent, date, final score and a memorable fact from each of the events. The tally started on Feb. 2, 2020, two days after Penn State lost its last dual to Iowa on Jan. 31, 2020 by a score of 19-17.
1. Feb. 2, 2020: Penn State vs. Maryland, 40-3
Maryland’s lone win came at 125 pounds when Brandon Cray beat Brandon Meredith 8-7.
2. Feb. 7, 2020: Penn State vs. Wisconsin, 29-10
Wisconsin’s Seth Gross beat Roman Bravo-Young 6-5 in this dual; Gross would go on to earn the No. 2 seed at NCAAs that year before the tournament was canceled. Bravo-Young was seeded fifth. Bravo-Young won the NCAAs in 2021 and 2022.
3. Feb. 9, 2020: Penn State vs. Minnesota, 31-10
Penn State’s Nick Lee earned the lone pin in this dual against All-American Mitch McKee in the first period.
4. Feb. 15, 2020: Penn State vs. Ohio State, 20-16
Nick Lee, Vincenzo Joseph and Mark Hall beat All-Americans Luke Pletcher, Ethan Smith and Kaleb Romero, with Joseph and Hall earning bonus points by major and fall.
5. Feb. 23, 2020: Penn State vs. American, 40-3
Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Shakur Rasheed earned pins on senior night. … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-men/article/2025-12-21/breaking-down-penn-state-wrestlings-di-record-77-consecutive-dual-wins
And …
Penn State Sets DI Dual Winning Streak at Collegiate Duals
On a Saturday night in Nashville, Tennessee, the top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions posted two shutout wins to etch their program’s name in the collegiate wrestling record books. The second win of the day, a 42-0 blanking of #19 Stanford, was the 77th straight dual meet win for Cael Sanderson’s program. That 77 number is a DI record. The previous mark was held by the Oklahoma State team from 1937 to 1951. Penn State’s last dual meet loss occurred against the University of Iowa on January 31, 2020.
Other good news for Nittany Lion fans on Saturday was the return of 2025 NCAA finalist Josh Barr at 197 lbs. Barr was injured at the U23 World Championships and had not competed collegiately in 2025-26 before Saturday. He showed no signs of rust with a pair of 19-3 tech falls. The second came over … more at …https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/big-10/penn-state-sets-di-dual-winning-streak-at-collegiate-duals-r100713/
And …
Memorable victories in Penn State wrestling’s record-setting dual win streak
Penn State is coming off a shutout victory over Stanford, breaking Oklahoma State’s 74-year record of 76 consecutive victories, earning win No. 77 over the Cardinals. Throughout the win streak, the Nittany Lions created many memorable moments and victories, holding the No. 1 spot for a majority of the streak. Here are a few of those memorable moments during Penn State’s historic stretch.
Start of the streak
There’s no better way to start than the first win of the 77. Entering the match, Penn State had two No. 1-ranked wrestlers in Vincenzo Joseph and Mark Hall, a No. 2-ranked wrestler, Nick Lee, and a No. 3-ranked wrestler, Roman Bravo-Young.
Those four combined for 22 points towards the dual, with Joseph and Hall recording falls, and Lee and Bravo-Young notching tech falls.
In front of a sold out Rec Hall, the Nittany Lions cruised to a 40-3 victory, with No. 15 Seth Nevills closing things out with a tech fall at heavyweight. It’s been a one-sided matchup between Penn State and the Terrapins throughout Cael Sanderson’s coaching tenure.
Nittany Lions take down Hawkeyes in Iowa City
On Jan. 28, 2022, No. 1 Penn State traveled to Iowa City to take on No. 2 Iowa. The Hawkeyes, with the home crowd behind them, had upset aspirations in an attempt to dethrone the top-ranked Nittany Lions. However, that was put to rest behind Penn State’s top wrestlers, leading the team to a 19-13 victory. The Nittany Lions had four No. 1’s — Bravo-Young at 133 pounds, Nick Lee at 141 pounds, Carter Starocci at 174 pounds and Aaron Brooks at 184 pounds. The biggest of the victories came from Lee and Starocci, … more at … https://www.psucollegian.com/sports/wrestling/memorable-victories-in-penn-state-wrestling-s-record-setting-dual-win-streak/article_2599e6a3-0f42-4aec-b0b9-33a0a2073edf.html
UNC Wrestling Defeats No. 12 Northern Iowa, 19-13
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The 16th-ranked North Carolina wrestling team defeated No. 12 Northern Iowa, 19-13, Sunday afternoon on the road.
The win for the Tar Heels is the highest ranked road victory since the 2017-18 campaign, when Carolina defeated 12th-ranked Nebraska, 22-14.
On the day, six Tar Heels were victorious, Kysen Terukina (125), Nate Askew (149), Bryce Hepner (165), Jake Dailey (184), Robert Platt (197) and Jacob Levy (285). With the dual starting at 174-pounds, Northern Iowa jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a decision in the opening bout, as the Tar Heels answered with four-straight decisions of their own.
Dailey, Platt, Levy and Terukina completed the stretch of four-straight verdicts in favor of the road Tar Heels, with Dailey and Terukina earning ranked victories in the process. Following two consecutive wins for the Panthers, Nate Askew got the Tar Heels on the board with a 16-5 major decision, completing the 2-0 weekend for the true freshman.
Rounding out the match at 165-pounds, Hepner earned the 7-4 decision over eighth-ranked Ryder Downey, securing the dual victory for Carolina. After a scoreless opening three minutes, … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2025/12/21/wrestling-defeats-no-12-northern-iowa-19-3
Huskers Set Attendance Record, Fall to No. 5 Cowboys 22-12
Despite his biggest victory of the season, the upset from No. 6 Antrell Taylor (157) was not enough in No. 6 Nebraska wrestling’s effort to win in front of a record crowd of 7,094 fans. The No. 5 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-1) took six bouts, and two with bonus points, to defeat the Huskers (6-3), 22-12, in Lincoln. With eight total ranked matchups, Nebraska claimed four, with No. 8 Jacob Van Dee (133), Taylor, No. 6 Christopher Minto (165) and No. 9 Silas Allred (184) taking wins in front of a program record crowd. The NU environment showed up for the top-10 rematch, which started at 125.
Kael Lauridsen opened the day of competition for the Huskers with a battle at 125 pounds, falling to No. 7 Troy Spratley by major decision, 12-4. Next, at 133, No. 8 Jacob Van Dee put the Huskers on the board with a 4-1 win by decision over No. 21 Ronnie Ramirez.
In a National Dual rematch, No. 3 Brock Hardy (141) was pinned by No. 2 Sergio Vega in 1:47. The freshman Cowboy improved to 8-0 on the season. It was Hardy’s third loss of the season, and second to Vega. No. 5 Chance Lamer (149) made his debut for the Big Red after competing unattached for the semester, taking his first loss of the year. The senior took on No. 17 Casey Swiderski, but fell in a 7-2 decision.
At 157 pounds, No. 6 Taylor put on a show and cut the lead for the Huskers after grabbing an advantage into the first of two 30-second tiebreakers. Taylor tied it up in the third period with an escape before going scoreless in sudden-victory. The junior from Millard, Neb., found an escape in the first tiebreaker bout … more at … https://huskers.com/news/2025/12/21/huskers-set-attendance-record-fall-to-no-5-cowboys-22-12
2025-26 Girls High School Wrestling National Rankings – Dec. 19, 2025
Women of Ironman results, weight shifts and inactive stars are reshaping the latest Girls’ National Wrestling Rankings — including new No. 1s, key lineup changes and what’s coming next on the national calendar
This week’s update to the Girls’ National Wrestling Rankings factors in the Women of Ironman results as well as the other tournaments from last week around the country that had results posted online.
Why Weight Changes Matter: Inside Our Ranking Adjustments
We are moving the ladies around as we see them in different weights than we have them ranked. There are exceptions, and these determinations are made when we can see what the girls weighed. Some tournaments post their weight when stepping on the scale.
An example of this is a wrestler that is ranked at 105 pounds competing at 110 yet staying in the 105-pound rankings. After the holiday break, the women like the boys, receive a two-pound weight allowance. Making 105, 107 pounds. If said wrestler weighed in at 108.6, it is very likely she will be at 105 pounds after the break.
We don’t mind moving people around and will do so, but we try to be practical about it and not move people if there is evidence that they will likely stay at the weight where they are currently ranked.
Inactive Standouts Removed (For Now) — And What It Means
As time allows and we’re not seeing some of the girls come across our radar, we are searching for results. In some cases, we are not finding any, which suggests they are homeschooled or only participate during the Spring and Summer Freestyle events.
These athletes have been removed (for now). They will be added back in when they step on the mat. If they are planning on competing during the high school season shoot us a message, but if they are not wrestling, no one as the opportunity to beat them, so it’s not fair to hold on to a ranking if they are not participating.
New No. 1s Emerge as Turner, Leydecker and Joyce Step Aside
This cleared out three previous number ones and escalated new blood into those spots as we’ve witnessed Morgan Turner’s Lockport squad at the Dan Gable Donnybrook and the Women of Ironman sans Turner. Everest Leydecker and Gray Joyce are the other two top-rated girls that we’ve set aside. … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/2025-26-girls-high-school-wrestling-national-rankings-dec-19-2025-01kcvkb1qb5b
2025-26 Boys High School Wrestling National Rankings – Dec. 19, 2025
Major movement hits the early-season rankings after Ironman upsets, weight-class adjustments, and breaking news on Jax Forrest — with national powers now set for a massive showdown weekend across Delaware, New Jersey, Nevada, Indiana, and California
Ironman forced some changes at the top and produced four new number ones in St. Edward, Ohio’s Karson Brown (138 pounds), Jayden James (Delbarton, New Jersey at 165), Edmond North, Oklahoma’s Joseph Jeter (175 pounds), and at 190, Michael White (Lawrence North, Indiana).
Jeter Reclaims 175-Pound Throne After Ironman Revenge Win
When Jeter was announced as a competitor for Flo’s Who’s No. 1, we placed him at the top of the 175-pound list. Some tough sledding versus Pennsylvania’s Nick Singer (Faith Christian Academy) moved Jeter down the ranks. In the Ironman finals, Jeter avenged that loss to reclaim the top spot at 175 pounds. Weight-Class Adjustments Create a New No. 1 at 106
Another number one emerged at 106 pounds, but not because of anything that happened on the mat. We moved Ariah Mills (Buford, Georgia) up to 113 pounds where he has been wrestling. That adjustment left Kooper Deputy (Chestnut Ridge, Pennsylvania) in the number one spot at 106.
We’re adjusting weights but at the same time keeping in mind the additional two pounds the wrestlers will get after the Holiday Break. So, guys who are up one weight, who have a track record at the lower weight, will likely be there in the New Year.
Holiday Weight Allowances Shape Early-Season Movement
We are updating weekly at this point, so if they don’t go down in weight, we’ll move them up. We’re only three weeks into the season, so this is still considered early and most descension plans won’t allow a full drop just yet. … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/2025-26-boys-high-school-wrestling-national-rankings-dec-19-2025-01kcwn9fq30e
#6 Women’s Wrestling Halts Frostburg’s Five-Match Winning Streak
DOVER, Del. – The sixth-ranked Presbyterian College women’s wrestling team has accomplished their 10th dual victory over a top-20 opponent in the past two seasons, smashing the Frostburg State Bobcats at a neutral venue by 28 points on Friday afternoon (34-6).
Just 48 hours after winning three contests in Las Vegas – including a 14-point comeback over fifth-ranked Colorado Mesa and a 17-point W over eighth-ranked Simon Fraser – PC kept the train chugging in Delaware as they never trailed.
The 124-lb. match was perhaps the most anticipated of the bunch, as #5 Alyssa Mahan rolled seventh-ranked Brianna Holcomb with a 12-1 technical fall. 180-pounder Lexi Fornshell and third-ranked Chloe Dearwester (110) picked up a pair of pins as Presby controlled an opponent that came into the affair with five straight victories.
Other notables came from Laura Ruiz Diaz and #4 Carina Giangeruso, who each earned 10-0 sprints for two more technicals. The Blue Hose have now reached a four-match winning streak of their own and hold an 8-2 overall mark. Impressively, their average margin of victory stands at 30 points. … more at … https://gobluehose.com/news/2025/12/19/womens-wrestling-6-womens-wrestling-halts-frostburgs-five-match-winning-streak.aspx
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 