College stars prepare for action at the 2026 Galaxy U23 World Championships in Las Vegas
The turn to Fall signals the start of the NCAA wrestling season. While we still must wait a few more weeks for Division I men’s action to begin, this weekend in Las Vegas we will get a sneak preview of some of the top collegiate stars in international freestyle action.
The 2026 Galaxy U23 World Championships are currently underway in Las Vegas, and men’s freestyle action takes place October 16-18.
The U.S. squad is loaded as it looks to repeat as team champions, and college wrestling fans will recognize a lot of names, as these athletes are also expected to compete for NCAA titles at the 2027 NCAA Championships in St. Louis in March.
Here is a look at the collegiate status of the 2026 U23 U.S. men’s freestyle World Team.
57 kg – Luke Lilledahl (Penn State)
The list of accolades is long for Lilledahl. On the international level, he is the reigning U23 World champion and a three-time age-group World champion overall. In two seasons at Penn State, he has won an NCAA title (2026) and finished third (2025). He was the No. 1 seed in both of his NCAA runs and a two-time Big Ten champion. What will he do in season three? Even with five of the other seven All-Americans from 2026 returning this year, he is a heavy favorite to repeat as the NCAA champion at 125 pounds.
61 kg – Ben Davino (Ohio State)
In his first year in the Ohio State lineup last year, Davino was an NCAA finalist as the second seed, going 31-2 overall, and captured the Big Ten Championship. He enters his third year on campus ranked second, behind defending champion Jax Forrest of Oklahoma State. Like 125 pounds, six of the eight 2026 All-Americans return at 133 pounds, including the top four placers.
65 kg – Bo Bassett (Virginia Tech)
One of the most decorated high school recruits of all time, Bassett will look to make an impact at 141 pounds as a true freshman at Virginia Tech. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/october/13/college-stars-prepare-for-action-at-the-2026-galaxy-u23-world-championships-in-las-vegas?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
One of the most decorated high school recruits of all time, Bassett will look to make an impact at 141 pounds as a true freshman at Virginia Tech. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/october/13/college-stars-prepare-for-action-at-the-2026-galaxy-u23-world-championships-in-las-vegas?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
5 wrestling freshmen who could compete for national titles this season
Four freshmen won men’s DI NCAA titles last year. These are the freshmen who will be pushing to make similar history this year. The Oklahoma State Cowboys made headlines at last year’s NCAA DI men’s wrestling tournament when they became the first team in NCAA history to put three true freshmen on the top of the podium. Stanford also crowned a freshman national champ, meaning that four of the ten title winners from last season conquered their brackets in just their first seasons as varsity athletes. Three of those four freshmen also had to top former champs in their weight classes as well in order to claim their crown.
As the focus shifts to the start of the 2026-2027 college wrestling season, these are the rookies most likely to accomplish the same feat this year, ranked by weight class:
Anthony Knox, 125 pounds, Rutgers
Rutgers’ Anthony Knox is the only freshman on this list who will be looking to win his first title in a weight class that returns its champion from 2026, making his task one of the most difficult ones in the country. But Knox earned his spot here because of his relentlessness, his gritty style and experience taking on the best in the world, and he’s ready to take that mindset to the college landscape and become the third Rutgers wrestler in history to win a national title.
Knox, much like the other two Rutgers wrestling champs, comes to the Banks as a four-time state champion and a history of dominance in the Garden State. He posted a 144-1 record as a high school athlete and finished his career as the top-ranked athlete in his weight class in the country. Knox also has elite freestyle experience, finishing 11th at the U20 world championships in 2025 and earning a national team spot at 57kg this summer after picking up wins over All-American Liam Cronin, Vincent Kilkeary and Brody Teske.
The biggest barrier standing between Knox and a national title is 2026 NCAA champion Penn State’s Luke Lilledahl, who has a win over Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee — an athlete who pinned and teched Knox — earlier this summer. Knox does have a career win over Lilledahl that dates back to 2021, so while Lilledahl has proven himself to be a steady, dependable champion and has put a gap between himself and the Scarlet Knight rookie since then, Knox has the talent to compete. Penn State and Rutgers will dual on January 9, giving fans the first look at how Knox stacks up against last year’s title winner and what he would need to do to close any gaps between January and March in order to become a freshman champ.
The biggest name amongst this year’s class of freshmen is none other than Bo “Machine Gun Mindset” Bassett. The Pennsylvania native came to Virginia Tech as the highest ranked athlete in the Class of 2026 after a long recruiting process in which nearly every school in the country made a bid for him. Bassett has now settled into Blacksburg and immediately made a splash, earning a spot on the U20, U23 and now, most recently, senior world team at 65kg. He enters his first college season ranked No. 2 by FloWrestling and No. 5 by Intermat based on his wins in college opens against No. 9 Jaxon Joy at 149 pounds and No. 9 TK Davis at 133 pounds over his last two seasons as a high schooler.
Bassett’s biggest competition will be No. 1 Luke Stanich of Lehigh, … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-men/article/2026-10-05/5-wrestling-freshmen-who-could-compete-national-titles-season?lid=r9vbo48km6wu&primo=
Presbyterian Women Bring A Balanced, Deep Team Into Season
Presbyterian has eight returning All-Americans and 10 national qualifiers on a team capable of winning a trophy at the 2027 NCAA Championships.
Presbyterian will always have the distinction of being the first school to add a Division I Women’s Wrestling program. That’s an important piece of history, but head coach Brian Vutianitis has built a team that is relevant at the highest level.
The Blue Hose finished fifth at the 2026 NCAA Championships, with 10 national qualifiers and six All-Americans.
The team was 27 points behind Grand Valley State for fourth at nationals (the final trophy spot), and 29 points ahead of Lehigh for fifth. They also finished fifth at the NWCA National Duals, including a 26-19 win over Lehigh on January 30.
Translation: Presbyterian was on its own island last season. They were way ahead of the pack, but out of contention for a trophy. The Blue Hose had a consistent top-to-bottom line-up with an All-American caliber wrestler at every weight, but they needed a finalist or two for a trophy run.
Vutianitis should feel optimistic about this season’s team. He has 10 returning NCAA qualifiers and eight returning All-Americans on a deep team that will require tough roster decisions at multiple weights. This team is good, and anyone who overlooks the Blue Hose will do so at their own peril.
The lightest two weights are the most interesting. Chloe Dearwester, a sixth-place finisher at nationals, is the obvious frontrunner for the 110-pound spot, but everything else is wide open. The absence of Sloane Kruger leaves a battle for 103, including newcomer Daylee Watson, who will vie for the spot.
Jenna Anderson (117) has a unique skill set and can give anyone she wrestles problems. Her memorable match against U23 World champion Sage Mortimer at the National Duals showed what she can do before a second-period injury default. She took time off, regrouped, and rebounded for a sixth-place finish at nationals, including tight consolation matches against Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) and Carleigh Czerneski (Adrian).
The next three weights are where Presbyterian can gain ground. Alyssa Mahan finished eighth at 124, and Kassey Daugherty (131) and … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/16151483-presbyterian-women-bring-a-balanced-deep-team-into-season?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
DI Live Streaming Guide (2/11 – 2/15/2026)
We’re into February and coming down the home stretch in the collegiate regular season! From here on out, the majority of the action will be in dual meet competition. Almost all of the DI action this week will come via duals. In most cases, this will be the last week of conference duals. A total of 54 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
Wednesday, February 11:
Morgan State at Franklin & Marshall 6:30 PM FloWrestling
Thursday, February 12:
Lock Haven at Edinboro 7:00 PM FloWrestling
Gardner-Webb at Presbyterian 7:00 PM ESPN+
Oklahoma at Missouri 7:30 PM ESPN+
Friday, February 13:
SIU Edwardsville at Buffalo 6:00 PM ESPN+
Clarion at George Mason 6:00 PM ESPN+
Central Michigan at Kent State 6:00 PM ESPN+
Rutgers at Michigan State 6:30 PM B1G+
Appalachian State at Davidson 7:00 PM FloWrestling
NC State at Duke 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra
Penn at Lehigh 7:00 PM FloWrestling
Ohio State at Penn State 7:00 PM Big Ten Network
Campbell at VMI 7:00 PM
Mercyhurst at Kent State 7:30 PM Kent State Boxcast
Nebraska at Illinois 8:00 PM B1G+
West Virginia at Iowa State 8:00 PM ESPN+
Wyoming at Northern Colorado 8:00 PM FloWrestling
Northern Illinois at Northwestern 8:00 PM B1G+
North Carolina at Virginia Tech 8:00 PM ACC Network
California Baptist at Arizona State 8:30 PM ESPN+
Utah Valley at Air Force 9:00 PM FloWrestling
Michigan at Iowa 9:00 PM Big Ten Network … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/47_streaming-guide/di-live-streaming-guide-211-2152026-r100810/
Wyoming Upsets No. 10 South Dakota State, 24-18
LARAMIE, Wyoming (1/18/26) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team has curiously resided just on the outside looking in of the NWCA Coaches’ Poll. Even though the Cowboys have scored more points against No. 1 Penn State than any other team this season and their only losses have come to top 10 teams, the Pokes were still not viewed as one of the 25 best teams in the country.
That’ll change following Sunday. Wyoming defeated No. 10 South Dakota State, 24-18, inside the UniWyo Sports Complex, marking its first victory over a top 10 team in eight years. “That’s a really good team,” head coach Mark Branch said. “To be able to pull off that win says a lot about our guys and our team. We had a lot of big moments in that dual. And to beat a team like that, you have to have big moments.”
No. 32 Jared Hill (157) provided one of those big moments. He pinned No. 17 Cael Swensen in overtime, which vaulted Wyoming ahead, 14-9. It was a lead the Pokes never relinquished. “That was super gutsy,” Branch said. “It was kill or be killed. If Jared doesn’t do what he did, he goes to his back. Jared went for it, and that was a huge momentum swing. It got the crowd on their feet and was huge heading into halftime.”
Sloan Swan (165) showcased some guts, as well. He had been struggling this season, but he logged one of the biggest wins of his career coming out of halftime. Swan utilized a late takedown to upset No. 27 Marcus Espinoza-Owens via decision, 4-1. “Having Jared go out there against a really tough guy and get a win, that was huge,” Swan said. “You can feel the energy rise, and it pumped me up.”
The lead Swan gave the Cowboys needed a little extra help, and without No. 4 … more at … https://gowyo.com/news/2026/1/18/wrestling-upsets-no-10-south-dakota-state-24-18.aspx
Penn State vs Iowa Wrestling Dual Preview & Prediction
A full preview with predictions for the upcoming wrestling dual between Penn State and Iowa.
#4 Iowa will welcome #1 Penn State to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday night in the most highly anticipated dual of the weekend. Wrestling starts at 7:00 pm (ET) on the Big Ten Network, but before the action goes down, check out a full preview for this rivalry dual in the article below.
Probable lineups:
125: #2 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State vs #7 Dean Peterson, Iowa
133: #6 Marcus Blaze, Penn State vs #11 Drake Ayala, Iowa
141: #8 Braeden Davis, Penn State vs #15 Nasir Bailey, Iowa
149: #1 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs #10 Ryder Block, Iowa
157: #2 PJ Duke Penn, State vs #11 Jordan Williams, Iowa
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs #3 Michael Caliendo, Iowa
174: #1 Levi Haines Penn, State vs #3 Patrick Kennedy, Iowa
184: #4 Rocco Welsh, Penn State vs #1 Angelo Ferrari, Iowa
197: #1 Josh Barr, Penn State vs Harvey Ludington/Gabe Arnold/Brody Sampson
285: #12 Cole Mirasola, Penn State vs #5 Ben Kueter, Iowa
125: #2 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State vs #7 Dean Peterson, Iowa
Lilledahl and Peterson will meet for the second time in their college careers on Friday night. Peterson won their meeting last year in a one takedown, 4-1 decision. I expect a similar close match in this meeting and would be surprised if we see either wrestler light up the scoreboard.
Both wrestlers have had similar seasons, with Lilledahl boasting a 9-1 record and Peterson with a 7-1 record. Lilledahl’s lone loss was to his teammate Nate Desmond, but he boasts ranked wins over #32 Ayden Smith, #13 Nico Provo, #19 Ezekiel Witt, and #27 Conrad Hendriksen. Peterson suffered a loss to #5 Nic Bouzakis at the National Duals Inviational but holds ranked wins over #15 Spencer Moore, #8 Troy Spratley, #27 Tyler Chappell, #25 Cooper Flynn, and #30 Bridger Ricks. Though Peterson won the last match, we haven’t seen him wrestle in over a month. Is Peterson healthy? Will there be any mat rust? Because of those questions, I give a slight edge to Lilledahl in their meeting on Friday.
Prediction: Lilledahl wins by decision
Team score prediction: Penn State 3, Iowa 0 … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15179310-penn-state-vs-iowa-wrestling-dual-preview-prediction
Top-ranked Penn State wins NCAA record 78th in a row; No. 2 Ohio State stays unbeaten
Penn State will face Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday.
Manheim, Pennsylvania – A full slate of duals involving ranked teams highlighted the opening week of January as the NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll was released Tuesday.
Top-ranked Penn State moved to 7-0 with a 48-0 win over then-No. 16 Rutgers, while second-ranked Ohio State remained unbeaten at 12-0 after a 45-0 shutout of then-No. 23 Indiana. Iowa State went 2-0 on the week, defeating Arizona State 29-14 before picking up a 36-3 win over North Dakota State.
Fourth-ranked Iowa earned a 23-12 win over then-No. 18 Wisconsin, and fifth-ranked Oklahoma State blanked then-No. 15 Oklahoma, 37-0. Nebraska added a 36-3 win over Purdue, while No. 7 Virginia Tech edged then-No. 14 Pittsburgh, 18-15, on the road.
Northern Iowa captured the NWCA National Duals title with a 20-14 win over South Dakota State in the finals at the UNI-Dome. The Panthers went 5-0 on the weekend with additional victories over CSU Bakersfield, Ohio, Bloomsburg and Drexel, while the Jackrabbits finished 4-1 with wins against Harvard, Northern Illinois, Campbell and Central Michigan before the finals loss. SDSU slid two spots to No. 10, while UNI jumped to No. 14.
NC State picked up a 19-17 win over Virginia, while Minnesota defeated then-No. 10 Illinois, 27-9. Michigan earned a 43-3 win over Michigan State, and Wisconsin split its week with a 28-12 win over Maryland before falling at Iowa.
Cornell split its duals with a win over Bucknell and a loss to Lehigh, while the Mountain Hawks followed that result with a 32-7 win over American. West Virginia went 2-0 with wins over Arizona State and California Baptist, and Stanford earned a 35-10 victory over Duke.
A full slate of conference and non-conference duals involving ranked teams is scheduled for the coming week, highlighted by several head-to-head matchups. Top-ranked Penn State travels to Iowa on Friday to face the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes before closing the weekend at Northwestern. Sixth-ranked Nebraska heads to Minneapolis to meet No. 11 Minnesota, while seventh-ranked Virginia Tech hosts Appalachian State. No. 14 Pittsburgh will be at home Friday… more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/1/13/national-wrestling-coaches-association-top-ranked-penn-state-wins-ncaa-record-78th-in-a-row-no-2-ohio-state-stays-unbeaten.aspx
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.
Nov 5, 2025 by Dylan Guenther
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 … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14718051-nebraska-wrestling-lining-up-pieces-for-another-trophy-push
And …
Nebraska Wesleyan Wrestling Adds Peyton Robb as Assistant Coach
LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska Wesleyan head wrestling coach Colton McCrystal has filled the vacancy on his coaching staff with the hiring of Peyton Robb, it was announced Monday. “Peyton is a world class athlete that we are really lucky to have with our program” McCrystal said. “His career speaks for itself, but he also has a great mind and approach to coaching. I’m looking forward to having his insight and coaching style add to what we are trying to shape our program into.”
Robb comes to Nebraska Wesleyan after completing a coaching internship with the University of Nebraska wrestling program, where he assisted with practice planning, athlete development, and program operations during the 2024 fall semester. He also contributed to research on training methods and trends while maintaining relationships with current and former Huskers.
In addition to his work with Nebraska, Robb has been self-employed as a wrestling camp coach, coordinating and leading youth wrestling camps around the country. His ability to teach technique, inspire young wrestlers, and grow the sport has made him a respected name among coaches and athletes alike. Robb is also a current Regional Training Center … more at … https://nwusports.com/news/2025/11/3/nebraska-wesleyan-wrestling-adds-peyton-robb-as-assistant-coach.aspx
And …
3 Takes: Nebraska wrestling wins fourth straight Navy Classic
No. 2-ranked Nebraska wrestling opened its season with a bang at the Navy Classic, taking first place among 10 teams for the fourth straight year. The Huskers impressed, with five of their six finalists winning their divisions. Last season may have been one of NU’s best overall seasons, yet head coach Mark Manning may have an even better one in store for 2025-26.
Here are three takeaways following Nebraska’s dominant showing: … more at … https://www.on3.com/teams/nebraska-cornhuskers/news/3-takes-nebraska-wrestling-wins-fourth-straight-navy-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
