NCAA Division III Regionals
Six Bears heading to 2026 NCAA Championships
NEW LONDON, Conn. –
After sending four last year, Coast Guard exceeded that number by two in 2026, sending six men to the national championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As a team, the Bears placed 3rd of 19 teams in the school’s first time hosting the NCAA Regionals.
Leading the charge for the Bears were three champions. 149 Nathan Fitt(Branchville, NJ) cruised in the semifinal, holding commanding leads of 3-0 and 7-1 before winning by a score of 8-2. In the finals, Fitt’s opponent forfeited giving the senior the title and his third trip to nationals. … more at … https://coastguardathletics.com/news/2026/3/1/wrestling-six-bears-heading-to-2026-ncaa-championships.aspx
AND …
Program-record six Ephs head to National Championship as wrestlers earn 2nd at Regionals
NEW LONDON, Conn. – After a great first day of competition that saw nine Williams College wrestlers still in contention entering Sunday, the team continued the strong performance and will be sending six Ephs to the NCAA Division III National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in two weeks.
The six wrestlers heading to Nationals – Caleb Seyfried at 149, Peter Kane at 157, Henry Forte at 165, Gage Wiggins at 174, Jamie Evarts at 184, and Zach Borzio at 197 – is the most the team has ever sent in a single season, and the performance at Regionals is the team’s best since this qualifying format was introduced. Kane and Evarts were the Ephs’ two Regional winners, both repeating their wins from a year ago.
The team finished second overall with 155 points, behind Springfield College (170.5) and ahead of Coast Guard (152.5), Castleton (144.5) and Johnson & Wales (144).
Entering Sunday, the Ephs had six wrestlers unbeaten into the semifinals, where a win would earn a ticket to Iowa, and five were able to get those wins: Seyfried, Kane, Wiggins, Evarts, and Borzio. Forte was the only Eph to lose his semifinal, but he then battled through the consolation bracket and ultimately won his third-place match to punch his ticket as well.
Seyfried was first on the mat on Sunday for the Ephs, and he got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 7-0 lead over Wesleyan’s Ike Guttentag in the first period. Guttentag kept chipping away at the lead for the rest of the match, including scoring four points with under a minute left, but an escape point to start the third ended up being the difference as Seyfried earned an 8-7 decision win. After the victory, … more at … https://ephsports.williams.edu/news/2026/3/1/wrestling-program-record-six-ephs-head-to-national-championship-as-wrestlers-earn-2nd-at-regionals.aspx
AND …
Trio of Spartans Qualify for National Championship; Wrestling Places Fourth at NCAA Regionals
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Vermont State University Castleton wrestling team placed fourth as a team on Sunday at the 2026 NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Championship. The Spartans have three individuals who qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship.
The three qualifiers will head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 13-14 as both teams and individuals battle for the 2026 NCAA National Championship. Castleton finished fourth with 144.5 team points. Springfield took first with 170.5 points, Williams College claimed second with 155 points, Coast Guard finished third with 152.5 points, and Johnson & Wales rounded out the top five right behind the Spartans with 144 points.
Drew Marchese, Jashon Holmes, and Desmond McLaughlin were the top finishers as individuals, with all three placing second in their respective weight classes, and all three are set to make their first career trips to the NCAA National Championship. Josh Negron and Joseph Baker finished fourth, Nicolas Balella and Nathaniel Camiscioli notched fifth, and Stone Farnsworth and Logan Frank claimed seventh as all nine participants on day two became place-winners.
14th-ranked Marchese was the first Spartan to punch his ticket to the NCAA National Championship at 125 pounds after taking down Charlie Pavis of WPI 8-0 via major decision to claim a spot in the championship bout. There, he met with 15th-ranked Nico Rivera of Johnson & Wales and narrowly lost in a 3-2 decision.
Holmes also took second at 165 pounds for his first career … more at … https://castletonsports.com/news/2026/3/1/trio-of-spartans-qualify-for-national-championship-wrestling-places-fourth-at-ncaa-regionals.aspx
AND …
SIX-cess! Wrestling Wins Sixth Straight Regional Title; Smith Fourpeats at 157
Ithaca, N.Y. – The Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team’s regional dynasty continued with an unprecedented sixth straight title at the Region II Championships on Saturday, with four Ducks earning automatic berths into the NCAA Championships.
Trailing host Ithaca by 7.5 points after Friday, the Ducks had seven Top-5 finishers and nine Top-7 finishers – no other school had more than six in the Top 5 or seven in the Top 7 – finishing with 147.5 points, 3.5 clear of Ithaca. Lycoming was a distant third with 108, RIT was fourth with 98, and Oneonta was fifth with 96.
Ryan Smith won his fourth regional title and Nico Diaz continued his remarkable return to the mats, winning his second regional title in three years after missing last season to injury.
THE RUNDOWN
After a 7-3 decision win the 141-lb semifinal, Diaz, the draw’s No. 1 seed, collected two third period takedowns in the final, turning a 3-2 deficit into an 8-7 win. Smith was as dominant Saturday as he was Friday at 165, winning both his semifinal and final bouts by major decision, outpointing his opponents 22-2. One of the few wrestlers seeded … more at … https://stevensducks.com/news/2026/2/28/six-cess-wrestling-wins-sixth-straight-regional-title.aspx
WIN’s Feb. 24 rankings update includes final Top 20 dual teams; OK State strengthens hold on No. 2 spot in TPI

Photo: Oklahoma State’s Zack Ryder (pictured at the 2025 NWCA All-Star Classic), returned to the Cowboy lineup last weekend and earned a 2-1 SV decision over Iowa’s Gabe Arnold at 184 lbs. Photo by Sam Janicki.
NEWTON, Iowa — The 2025-26 regular season is in the rearview, as WIN’s Feb. 24 rankings update reflects the updated Tournament Power Index (TPI) and individual rankings heading into the conference tournaments while also providing the final set of Top 20 dual-meet teams.
In this week’s TPI, Oklahoma State (93) pulled away from the field slightly as the clear No. 2, while the logjam of programs ranked No. 2 through No. 5 remains. Ohio State (86.5), Nebraska (85.5) and Iowa State (84), all separated by just a total of 2.5 points, will all be vying for a team trophy in Cleveland. Penn State remains No. 1 with 152 total TPI points.
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 Luke Lilledahl (125), Shayne Van Ness (149), 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 Lucas Byrd of Illinois (133), Jesse Mendez of Ohio State (141) and Antrell Taylor of Nebraska (157). … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2026/02/24/wins-feb-24-rankings-update-includes-final-top-20-dual-teams-ok-state-solidifies-no-2-spot-in-tpi/
Top-ranked Nittany Lions go wire-to-wire, finish regular season as lone unbeaten
Manheim, Pennsylvania – Penn State closes the regular season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, finishing 15-0 to headline the final NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll of the regular season, released Tuesday.
The Nittany Lions capped their dual slate with a 50-0 win over Princeton and will head into next season riding a Division I-record 86 straight dual meet victories. Third-ranked Oklahoma State closed at 15-1 after a 32-11 win over then-No. 7 Iowa in front of 12,629 fans and a worldwide audience on ESPN’s flagship channel. It’s the fourth-largest crowd in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
It’s the 12th dual meet crowd over 10,000 fans at a Division I men’s dual event this year, surpassing the previous high of 10 set last season. Penn State, Iowa, Iowa State and Oklahoma State hosted all 12 of those events, with Iowa hosting half of them. Oklahoma State held three duals with over 10,000, Penn State two and Iowa State one.
Iowa State secured the No. 4 spot with a 20-14 victory over then-No. 14 Missouri to finish 12-2, while fifth-ranked Nebraska wrapped its dual schedule at 13-6 following a 32-6 win over Utah Valley.
Virginia Tech finished sixth at 11-3 after a 26-17 win over Duke. Eighth-ranked NC State edged Cornell 19-18 to close at 15-4.
Rutgers finished 14-5 and 11th after a 45-3 win over Hofstra. Michigan moved to 12th at 9-6 with a 34-6 victory over Central Michigan. Pittsburgh climbed to 13th after a 37-0 shutout of Virginia.
North Carolina dropped to 15th after a 28-6 loss to 18th-ranked Stanford. West Virginia secured the No. 16 position with a 21-15 win over Lock Haven.
Northern Iowa edged Wisconsin 16-15 in a ranked matchup to finish 17th. Stanford’s win over North Carolina pushed the Cardinal to 18th. Wisconsin fell to 19th.
Indiana closes the regular season ranked 20th after a 20-16 win over Purdue. South Dakota State dropped to 21st following a 20-13 loss to North Dakota State. Wyoming, Oklahoma and Oregon State … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/2/24/national-wrestling-coaches-association-top-ranked-nittany-lions-go-wire-to-wire-finish-regular-season-as-lone-unbeaten.aspx
No. 3 Oklahoma State outscores No. 7 Iowa wrestling 32-11
Final scores
In front of a pack house full of Cowboy faithful, No. 3 Oklahoma State put on a show, topping the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes 32-11 behind electric performances from their underclassmen.
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True freshman Jax Forrest put up the statement result of the night when he teched two-time NCAA finalist Drake Ayala and then confidently declared in his post-match interview that he’s coming for the title. The spring semester has been all about Forrest, and he showed he’s not slowing down one bit.
Teammate and fellow true freshman Sergio Vega followed Forrest’s performance with a fall over Kale Peterson to give the Cowboys a 14-0 lead, thanks to his six team points, Forrest’s five team points and a three-point decision win from No. 7 Troy Spratley over Iowa’s No. 6 Dean Peterson.
The Hawks and the Cowboys split 149 and 157 pounds with Iowa’s Ryder Block winning the lighter of the two weights by tech and Oklahoma State’s Landon Robideau winning by decision over No. 14 Jordan Williams, 5-1.
Iowa looked to come roaring back after gutsy wins from All-Americans Mikey Caliendo and Patrick Kennedy in the second half of the dual at 165 and 174 pounds, but the effort wasn’t enough. This rivalry dual belonged to the Cowboys.
TEAM HISTORY: Oklahoma State | Iowa
Oklahoma State ran away with the win after No. 9 Alex Facundo topped Gabe Arnold in overtime at 184 pounds, freshman Cody Merrill pinned Iowa’s Brody Sampson and Konner Doucet pinned Iowa. The confetti fell all night long in Gallagher-Iba, and the Cowboys will now head into the postseason with confidence and poise as they look to improve upon their third-place team finish last season.
| WEIGHT | BOUT RESULT | TEAM SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| 125 | No. 7 Troy Spratley over No. 6 Dean Peterson, 5-3 | 3-0, OSU |
| 133 | No. 6 Jax Forrest over No. 9 Drake Ayala, 19-3 | 8-0, OSU |
NCAA D1 Wrestling Week 17 Roundup: That’s A Wrap
The world’s finest collection of noteworthy happenings from the 17th week of the 2025-26 NCAA D1 wrestling season.
Every year, I say the season is going to go by faster than you think it will, and does anyone ever believe me? Yeah, probably, I guess. I’ve never actually sought out confirmation when making rhetorical statements like that.
But guess what? The season did end, and it did go by fast! So I hope you cherished every week of the regular season (I know I did), and I also hope you enjoy the final Roundup of noteworthy weekly happenings during the 2025-26 NCAA D1 wrestling season!
Week 16 Rankings | Week 17 Box Scores
Roundups: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16
There is technically still one more dual this week, assuming you’re reading this Monday before noon, as that is when VMI is scheduled to wrestle Presbyterian. If it’s after that, then the season is officially dunzo. It is finito, terminated, shuffled off this seasonal coil. Either way, it’s time for the recapping to begin.
The Dual of the Century of the Week
Good Revenge, Cowboy – Oklahoma State Downs Iowa 32-11
You all knew this was going to be DotCotW. The hype was simply too strong to deny.
FloWrestling had boots on the ground with our very own Christian Pyles and Connor Petros in attendance, slinging content. Christian managed to sneak a peak of the insane crowd gathering outside historic Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Gallagher-Iba was sold out, with 12,629 rabid Cowboy fans in attendance. And they were all in a big mood by the time things started cooking in the arena. Everyone should experience a big Oklahoma State dual in their lives, and make sure you arrive in time for their iconic run out to Marilyn Mason’s Beautiful People.
This was a rematch of a semifinal bout of the National Duals Invitational presented by Paycom, and it’s interesting to see how different the lineups for both teams were on Sunday compared to the mid-November dual.
Here’s the NDI box score:
Iowa 18, Oklahoma State 16
125: #10 Dean Peterson (Iowa) over #2 Troy Spratley (OK State) Dec 5-4 .. morre at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15475275-ncaa-d1-wrestling-week-17-roundup-thats-a-wrap
D3 Split A Necessary Step For Women’s College Wrestling
NCAA Division III programs will host a separate championship during the 2027-28 season. What does that mean for women’s college wrestling?
Whether you like it or not, NCAA Division III women’s wrestling programs will host their own championship during the 2027-28 season.
The reason? Competitive balance.
It should shock no one that this was the inevitable direction for women’s college wrestling. Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, so a separate end-of-year tournament makes sense.
D3 Hobart College in Geneva, New York, doesn’t face Power Four Alabama for the NCAA men’s football championship. Why would D3 Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois, face Power Four Iowa for the NCAA women’s wrestling title? “Any time an athletic director adds a sport, the first question they will ask is if we can be reasonably competitive to justify it,” NWCA executive director Mike Moyer said. “No athletic director wants to add a sport where they can’t provide a quality experience. It doesn’t mean they have to win a national title. They just want to know if we can reasonably provide a good experience.”
This is what competitive sports do.
Double A teams play Double A teams in baseball.
G League teams play G League teams in basketball.
D3 schools face other D3 schools in wrestling.
“The split was a long time coming, and in the grand scheme of women’s wrestling, it allows us to continue to grow at a high rate,” Eastern coach Andrew Taylor said. “With Division III passing the vote to split off for our own championships, Division II and Division I can use the momentum to continue their growth as well.
“The split was a long time coming.” – Eastern coach Andrew Taylor
“For our program at Eastern, it really only changes how we approach things for two weekends out of the year. We will still be recruiting athletes who want to chase World Teams, and we will still be creating a schedule that allows us to compete against some of the best programs in the country in all divisions.
“I am excited for what the leadership committee can do to create an incredible event, and our goal will be to chase a team trophy in that first year.”
What About North Central?
For the next two years, all three divisions will compete at the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships in March. This offers a unique historical opportunity for Division III programs to win championships and become All-Americans … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles?nav_id=125
Penn State once again unanimous No. 1 after big win over Ohio State; Nittany Lions win 85th straight, set new indoor attendance record
Manheim, Pennsylvania –With a dominant 36-5 win over second-ranked Ohio State on Friday, top-ranked Penn State extended its dual meet win streak to 85 in a row and set a new indoor dual meet attendance record, putting 16,006 fans inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Nittany Lions improved to 14-0 and are a unanimous No. 1 heading into the final week of the regular season as the most recent NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday. Penn State is the lone unbeaten team left in Division I men’s wrestling this season.
Ohio State rebounded with a 29-16 win over Maryland. Third-ranked Oklahoma State battled to a 19-12 win over No. 6 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, while Iowa State went 2-0 with a 32-7 win over then-No. 18 West Virginia and a 28-6 victory over then-No. 15 Northern Iowa.
Nebraska picked up two ranked wins, beating then-No. 11 Illinois 28-11 and then-No. 20 Indiana 34-5. Iowa won 19-17 over then-No. 10 Michigan and also topped Purdue 32-6. NC State defeated Duke 32-7, and Minnesota beat Michigan State 37-6.
Rutgers went 2-0, beating Michigan State 29-9 and Princeton 24-9. West Virginia earned a 23-13 win over Northern Iowa. Missouri beat then-No. 16 Oklahoma 23-14, while Wyoming added two wins with victories over Northern Colorado 25-10 and then-No. 16 Oklahoma 24-10.
Lehigh went 2-0 with wins over Penn 24-14 and Bucknell 24-16. Wisconsin knocked off then-No. 10 Michigan 19-17, and Stanford beat then-No. 12 Pittsburgh 21-12. Oregon State closed the week with a 20-11 win over North Dakota State.
Ranked teams are back in action this week, beginning with 11th-ranked Rutgers at Hofstra on Wednesday. Friday’s schedule includes No. 20 Stanford at 12th-ranked North Carolina, Virginia at No. 15 Pittsburgh, and Duke at sixth-ranked Virginia Tech. Saturday features No. 17 West Virginia at Lock Haven, plus No. 5 Nebraska at Utah Valley. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/2/17/national-wrestling-coaches-association-penn-state-once-again-unanimous-no-1-after-big-win-over-ohio-state-nittany-lions-win-85th-straight-set-new-indoor-attendance-record.aspx
Stanford Dominates North Carolina
Cardinal defeats Tar Heels, 28-6
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Jack Consiglio and EJ Parco registered upsets to lead No. 14 Stanford past No. 16 North Carolina, 28-6, Friday at Carmichael Arena.
In its final dual of the season, Stanford (7-6, 4-2 ACC) won eight of 10 bouts, including two by bonus points. North Carolina drops to 9-5 overall and 2-4 in the conference.
Trailing No. 10 Luke Simcox 6-0 in the second period, Consiglio registered a reversal and then turned for the fall in 4:54 to give Stanford a 12-0 lead in the dual. It marks the highest-ranked win of Consiglio’s career, and the sixth ranked victory for the 141-pounder this season. He moves to 12-5 overall and 7-4 in duals.
Parco posted his fourth consecutive win by knocking off No 16 Bryce Harper, 2-1, at 165 pounds. The redshirt freshman, who is unranked, notched his second straight win over a ranked opponent as he improves to 10-6 overall and 6-4 in duals.
No. 9 Nico Provo opened the dual with a 4-1 decision over No. 13 Kysen Terukina at 125 pounds. The redshirt junior scored a takedown in the first and an escape in the second to improve to 11-4 overall and 6-3 in duals. He now has seven ranked wins on the season.
In the only rematch from last season’s dual against Carolina, No. 8 Tyler Knox defeated No. 27 Ethan Oakley, 3-0. The redshirt sophomore, who fell twice to Oakley last season, scored a reversal to start the second period and then rode Oakley out to lock up the riding time point. Knox is now 12-4 on the year and finishes 10-2 in duals. No. 12 Aden Valencia recorded a 16-7 major decision … more at … https://gostanford.com/news/2026/02/21/stanford-dominates-unc
North Carolina Falls To Stanford On Senior Night, 28-6
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Stanford won eight bouts on the night, defeating No. 12 North Carolina, 28-6, Friday evening in Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling action. With the loss, Carolina concludes the regular season with a 9-5 mark in dual competition, including a 2-4 record in conference matches.
On the night, Collin Carrigan (174) and Jacob Levy (285) earned decisions for the host Tar Heels. Carrigan’s 9-7 victory over Stanford’s Collin Guffey was his second-straight ACC win, following last week’s decision against No. 30 Sergio Desiante of Virginia Tech.
Rounding out the match at heavyweight, Levy collected a 9-2 decision against Brokton Borelli. The win for Levy was his first conference victory for the Tar Heel true freshman. Up next, the Tar Heels travel to the 2026 ACC Championships on Sunday, March 8 in Blacksburg, Va.
No. 20 Stanford 28, No. 12 North Carolina 6
Feb. 20, 2026 | Carmichael Arena | Chapel Hill, N.C. | Attendance: 625
125: No. 9 Nico Provo (Stanford) over No. 13 Kysen Terukina (UNC): 4-1 Dec
133: No. 8 Tyler Knox (Stanford) over No. 27 Ethan Oakley (UNC): 2-0 Dec
141: No. 16 Jack Consiglio (Stanford) over No. 10 Luke Simcox (UNC): Fall (4:54) … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2026/2/20/wrestling-falls-to-stanford-on-senior-night-28-6
NC State Preparing Senior Send-Off For Key Contributors
NC State will honor six seniors Friday when the Pack wrestles Cornell, including All-Americans Isaac Trumble and Ryan Jack.
NC State wrapped up the ACC portion of its dual schedule with a 5-1 conference record. It was an exciting conference slate this year for fans, as three of the wins came down to the final match of the dual.
After this weekend, duals will be in the rearview mirror and the focus shifts to the postseason. First up, the ACC Championship at Virginia Tech before heading to Cleveland for the NCAA Championships, where the Wolfpack brought home a team trophy the last time the NCAAs were in Cleveland back in 2018.
But before then, NC State has one final home meet this Friday night against Cornell. Not only is it the final dual of the year, but it will also be the Pack’s Senior Day.
Prior to the match-up, NC State will honor six members of the program, highlighted by All-Americans Ryan Jack and Isaac Trumble. Jack enters this weekend ranked #10 at 141 pounds, while Trumble is one of 24 NCAA wrestlers still undefeated and ranked #2 at heavyweight.
Trumble joined the Pack in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. He was a two-time NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds before taking a redshirt in 2023-24. He broke out last year after making the move up to heavyweight. Despite suffering a torn ACL during the NCAAs, he went on to place fourth and earned All-American honors for the first time in his career.
He will be the top seed at the upcoming ACC Championship and a high seed at NCAAs. And he will leave NC State with a wife, their first child (due in April), and he already has a degree in Parks, Rec, and Tourism Management. “He’s grown up a lot in his time here at NC State,” NC State head coach Pat Popolizio said. “He came here from Nebraska with that long, blond hair.
“He’s just made huge gains every year he has been here. He is super disciplined and very motivated. We saw that with his rehab, with his diet, and now with his skills on the mat. Everything that he’s had to do this offseason has fueled him and made him even better.” Jack followed his older brother, All-American Kevin Jack, down to Raleigh the same season Trumble did in 2021. He was the ACC champion and an All-American in 2024 before taking his redshirt year last season. “With him being out of the lineup last year, I think a lot of people forget about him and how good and talented he is,” Popolizio said. “He has placed at the NCAA tournament and has some really high-level wins. He is super skilled, very offensive, and he had that extra year of maturity under his belt. “I think the sky’s the limit for him. And the way you accomplish your goals is to go out and get those wins against the best guys in the country. The biggest thing this year for him is let’s not talk about it. Let’s just go out, do it, and execute and prove that you’re one of the best guys in the country.”
A third Wolfpack starter will also be honored on Senior Day — 184-pounder Donald Cates. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15450975-nc-state-preparing-senior-send-off-for-key-contributors
Bushnell to Add Men’s and Women’s Wrestling
EUGENE, Ore. – Bushnell University announced on Monday that the Beacons will add two new varsity programs with men’s and women’s wrestling officially joining the sport offerings in the fall of 2027.
Bushnell athletics cites the recent rise in popularity in youth wrestling as a contributing factor in the decision to add both men’s and women’s programs at Bushnell. High School wrestling participation nationally is at its highest in over 50 years with nearly 375,000 boys and girls competing. Additionally, Bushnell will be the seventh four-year university in Oregon to sponsor the sports.
“We are thrilled to be adding to our athletic offerings with the addition of our wrestling program,” said Athletic Director Corey Anderson. “Girls Wrestling is the fastest growing high school sport in the country, and USA Wrestling has launched national campaigns to increase the popularity of the sport. National trends for high school and collegiate programs are on an upward trajectory.”
Anderson added, “We have quickly learned that there is a strong passion for men’s and women’s wrestling in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon and beyond. Once we started talking to a few, key contacts in the region about the idea of us adding an NAIA collegiate wrestling program, we immediately started having knowledgeable and passionate people reach out to us to celebrate the idea but also wanting to know how they can help. I am excited about these new relationships and partner opportunities that Bushnell Wrestling will provide us while continuing to do The Kingdom’s good work!”
The addition of two new teams will bring Bushnell’s total number of varsity teams to 19 and are the first programs to be added since Baseball came on board in 2021. The Wrestling teams will begin play in the 2027-2028 season, joining the Cascade Conference which boasts 11 men’s and eight women’s programs.
“What an exciting day for Bushnell University, the Cascade Conference, and wrestling in the West,” stated CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell. “The program immensely strengthens men’s and women’s wrestling for the conference and represents continued growth and evolution of Beacon Athletics. It is wonderful to see more opportunities for young men and women to compete in the sport they love at the collegiate level, … more at … https://bushnellbeacons.com/news/2026/2/16/general-bushnell-to-add-mens-and-womens-wrestling.aspx?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

