Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

New Girls Post-Season Wrestling Rankings Shake Up After Women’s Nationals Results

With post-season performances reshaping the landscape, High School On SI’s latest rankings reveal rising stars, tough calls and why every match—win or loss—matters.
This update contains everything since the high school season ended up through the Women’s Nationals. That took us well over a week to go over and led to new candidates emerging and farther research, which led to other shifting in the weight classes.
No Formulas, No Bias—Just Results on the Mat
A few things we want to point out are next. They are procedural and address our approach to the rankings. There is no formula. We don’t have any numerical system. Our rankings are 100% based off the results on the mats. We keep detailed sheets for every wrestler and use ALL matches, not just one result.
Why Losses Matter More Than You Think
You can’t cherry pick and your losses count too. If you have four to five “bad” or losses to unranked girls, one or two, heck sometimes three wins can’t negate those. You will certainly move up but might be behind someone you have a win over because you have losses that outweigh that one win.
Recency Rules: The Weight of Fresh Results
We typically honor the most recent wins over older results. The old results are still there but their importance fades over time as new date takes precedence. Sometimes the only meeting between two wrestlers is an old one, and we will use it. Why not? It’s a data point to be used in the analysis process.
95-Pound Division Still Taking Shape
The 95-pound weight class is growing (up to 17 now). We will not speculate to fill the slots. Eventually, the results on the mat will give us the other candidates. Girls who have been 95 pounds in the past may have grown out of the weight, so we are taking a wait and see approach.
Who’s Eligible—and Who Has to Wait
The last big thing to point out is we are “High School On SI”, so therefore, only high school wrestlers will appear in our rankings unless you reside in a state that allows middle school grapplers to compete with the high school squad. … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/new-girls-post-season-wrestling-rankings-shake-up-after-women-s-nationals-results-01kpv3x5xhca

April 28, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Penn State Wrestling Is Having a Remarkable Offseason So Far

After winning their fifth straight NCAA title, the Nittany Lions and Cael Sanderson are maintaining their strong roster.
After winning its fifth straight NCAA wrestling title, Penn State is winning the offseason as well. At least so far.
The NCAA Transfer Portal for wrestling opened April 1, and through the first 10 days, no Nittany Lions have entered. Which is remarkable, considering the program returns enough talent that it could be even better next season. Penn State loses just one starter, returns three undefeated national champions and brings back eight wrestlers who have won All-America honors.
Basically, Penn State’s 10-wrestler starting lineup has one opening, yet no Nittany Lions officially have announced decisions to leave yet. That makes Penn State an outlier in the portal, which closes April 30.
Flowrestling has built an exhaustive transfer tracker listing the dozens of college wrestlers who have entered the portal. Yet none are from Penn State. In fact, Penn State is the only team ranked in InterMat Wrestling’s top 15 without a portal entrant.
“We’re a blessed program. We follow the rules,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland. “There’s not a lot of that going on right now. And that’s one of the reasons we can sleep when the wind blows. We train hard and do the right things to the best of our ability and things will work out.”
“We’re a blessed program. We follow the rules. There’s not a lot of that going on right now, and that’s one of the reasons we can sleep when the wind blows.”
Penn State’s Cael Sanderson after winning his 13th NCAA Wrestling title. pic.twitter.com/LRet5BGyYB— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) March 22, 2026
Penn State broke the scoring record at the NCAA Wrestling Championships for the third consecutive season, finishing with 181.5 team points. Luke Lilledahl (125 pounds),  … more at … https://www.si.com/college/pennstate/wrestling/penn-state-wrestling-is-having-a-remarkable-offseason-so-far

April 26, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Team USA Qualifying Schedule: The Meets To Know In 2026

Here’s the 2026 Team USA wrestling qualifying schedule, including the U.S. Open, Senior World Team Trials and Final X.
he road to Team USA looks a little different depending on the style, but for senior-level world team qualification in 2026, three events matter most for freestyle fans: the U.S. Open, the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, and Final X. All three are broadcast on FloWrestling. 

Each event plays a different role in the process, from setting the field to deciding who earns a spot on the U.S. Senior World Team. For men’s and women’s freestyle wrestlers, these events make up the key stops on the road to Team USA.
*For Greco-Roman, the process is different, with the world team determined in Las Vegas rather than at Final X.
Here’s what to know about the meets that will decide Team USA in 2026.

Team USA Qualifying Schedule 2026

U.S. Open Championships

April 21-26, 2026 – Las Vegas, Nevada

The U.S. Open is the first major stop in the senior world team process. In men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle, champions at each weight advance directly to Final X, making it one of the most important events on the domestic calendar.

U.S. Open champions who earn Final X berths are not entered into the Senior World Team Trials.

Senior World Team Trials

May 14-15, 2026 – Louisville, Kentucky

The next stop for senior freestyle wrestlers is the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. This event is the final qualifying step into Final X for men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle athletes who did not win the U.S. Open.

The Challenge Tournament winner advances to Final X in weights where there is no returning 2025 World medalist already sitting in that Final X spot, … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15787159-team-usa-qualifying-schedule-the-meets-to-know-in-2026

April 24, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Iowa State Adds Women’s Wrestling As 18th Varsity Program

AMES, Iowa – Women’s wrestling will debut as Iowa State University’s 18th intercollegiate athletics program during the 2027-28 academic year, Endowed Cyclone Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today.
“Iowa State enjoys a rich wrestling tradition, and we believe the addition of women’s wrestling will afford tremendous opportunities for young women not only in Iowa, but around the country, to compete at the highest level in the sport,” Pollard said. “This is a great day for wrestling in the state of Iowa and at Iowa State University, and we look forward to growing a program under Coach Alli St. John that will build off the historic success of our men’s team.
“As we considered future opportunities for female athletes, it became clear that women’s wrestling offered Iowa State University the best combination of strategic fit, start-up efficiency and growth potential,” he added. “Women’s wrestling is recognized as one of the nation’s fastest growing sports at both the high school and collegiate level, and we are excited to help grow the sport for future generations of young women.”
Identified as an emerging sport in 2020 by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all three divisions, the NCAA held its first national championship in the sport last month in Coralville, Iowa. Currently, there are 113 NCAA members that sponsor wrestling as a varsity sport, including six at the Division I level—Iowa, Lehigh, Delaware State, Lindenwood, Presbyterian and Sacred Heart with Kent State having announced plans to begin a program in 2027-28. Within the state of Iowa, there are 15 universities and colleges that currently sponsor the sport. “Women’s wrestling has been an Olympic sport since 2004 and is the fastest-growing sport for young women in our nation,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director upon the announcement that the sport would become the NCAA’s 91st championship in 2026.
At the high school level, 218 Iowa high schools sponsor women’s wrestling and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union held its fourth state championship … more at … https://cyclones.com/news/2026/4/16/athletics-iowa-state-adds-womens-wrestling-as-18th-varsity-program

April 18, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Penn State sets NCAA scoring record with four champs; Record four freshmen stand atop podium

by Brian Reinhardt
2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships individual champions.
Penn State and Oklahoma State came into the 2026 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships with high expectations, and both the Nittany Lions and Cowboys are leaving Cleveland with the hardware to prove they are the top two programs in college wrestling.
For the third straight year, Penn State set the team scoring record. In 2024, the Nittany Lions surpassed the long-standing mark of 170 points by Iowa in 1997 when they finished with 172.5 points. Last year, it was 177 points. It was even higher this year, as the Nittany Lions finished with 181.5 points. The other team trophies went to Oklahoma State in second with 131 points, followed by Nebraska in third (100.5) and Iowa in fourth (92.5).
Penn State (four) and Oklahoma State (three) combined for seven of the 10 individual titles. Minnesota also had a national title for the Big Ten Conference. The ACC had two individual champions to round out the top wrestlers at each weight class. The finals started with fireworks as a trio of freshmen took out higher seeds. At 141 pounds, Sergio Vega (Oklahoma State) took out two-time defending national champion Jesse Mendez, and at 149 pounds, Aden Valencia (Stanford) got the extra time takedown against top-seed Shayne Van Ness. Landon Robideau (Oklahoma State) used a two-point near fall in the second to take out returning national champion Antrell Taylor. Mitchell Mesenbrink defended his title at 165 pounds with a 20-4 tech fall. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/march/21/penn-state-sets-ncaa-scoring-record-with-four-champs-record-four-freshmen-stand-atop-podium
And …

Penn State Re-Establishes Team Scoring Record During 5th Straight Title; Freshmen Shine
Saturday night marked the end of the 2025-26 NCAA DI wrestling season. The championship finals closed the book on what was another excellent national tournament. The tournament had everything you’d hope for in an event of this magnitude. Stars dominating, some unforeseen upsets, and young stars emerging, among other things.
The evening started with some fireworks and unexpected results as Oklahoma State Sergio Vega completed his remarkable true freshman campaign undefeated. The 141-pounder finished the year without having surrendered a takedown. Vega’s opponent, two-time NCAA champion Jesse Mendez, had multiple opportunities to score but was typically stymied on each occasion by Vega. In the sudden victory overtime period, Mendez got to Vega’s legs again. This time, Mendez was met with a cradle. After a few seconds, Vega lost the hold, but broke Mendez down to his hips for the winning takedown.
The upset in the first match proved to be a sign of things to come just a match later at 149 lbs. Within the first minute of their clash, #10 Aden Valencia took down top-seeded Shayne Van Ness to take an early 3-1 lead. Van Ness bounced back to tie the bout amidst a handful of stoppages due to bloodtime. Undeterred, the redshirt freshman Valencia was able to get his offense in the sudden victory overtime and took the match (and title), 8-5. Valencia became only the third Stanford wrestler to win a national title. There was a high level of familiarity among the next four weight classes as they featured rematches of recent results.
True freshman Landon Robideau was able to reverse the result from the last time that he and 2025 national champion, Antrell Taylor met. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/penn-state-re-establishes-team-scoring-record-during-5th-straight-title-freshmen-shine-r100909/

April 15, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Legendary Coach J Robinson Passes Away at 79

The wrestling community lost one of its all-time greats. J Robinson, a National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member, passed away on March 29 at the age of 79.
A 1972 Greco-Roman Olympian, three-time Dan Gable Coach of the Year (including twice by WIN Magazine), and proud Army Ranger veteran, Robinson built Minnesota into a national powerhouse — winning three team titles, developing 65 All-Americans and 14 individual national champions over three decades.
His .753 winning percentage and 440 dual-meet victories both stand as the best marks in Minnesota wrestling history.
Off the mat, his J Robinson Intensive Camps trained over 60,000 wrestlers across more than four decades, becoming the largest camp system in the country.

“On behalf of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors and staff, I want to extend our sincere sympathies to J’s wife, Sue, his family, friends and the thousands of wrestlers and coaches across the country whose lives were shaped by his influence, friendship, mentorship and leadership,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the NWHOF. “A legendary Olympic wrestler, esteemed coach, and proud Army Ranger veteran, J’s impact on wrestling began in the 1960s and spanned more than seven decades. Throughout his remarkable career, he built a legacy defined by an unwavering work ethic, visionary leadership, and a lifelong commitment to elevating the sport and inspiring generations of athletes.”
A tenacious competitor, championship coach, innovative leader and a driving force in the sport of wrestling, Robinson’s competitive spirit and “give-it-your-all” attitude emerged during his days as a prep wrestler in California. He won SDIF titles in 1963 and 1964 and was named Outstanding Wrestler in 1964. His flair for international competition and being on the “cutting edge of the sport” began when he became a member of the inaugural California International Team. Competing in Japan, the pioneer team paved the way for young wrestlers of the future.
In the next years, Robinson made his mark in not just one style of wrestling, but three. He honed his collegiate style skills under the instruction of the legendary coach Myron Roderick at Oklahoma State University. Shifting his focus to the international arena, he was a member of two World teams, finishing fourth in 1970 and fifth in 1971. He competed as a member of the 1972 Greco-Roman Olympic Team and was named to WIN Magazine’s All-Olympic Team of the Century. During this time, he won four national titles: … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2026/04/03/legendary-coach-j-robinson-passes-away-at-79/

April 3, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

OSU First Team in NCAA History with Three Freshman Champs

CLEVELAND – Oklahoma State wrestlers Sergio Vega, Landon Robideau and Jax Forrest won individual titles at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday, making OSU the first team in history to record three freshman champions in one year at the national tournament.
All true freshmen, they claimed titles at 141, 157 and 133 pounds, respectively. It was just the third time a team has recorded multiple freshman champions, as Cornell College had two true freshmen win in 1947 and Penn State had a true freshman and redshirt freshman win in 2017.
OSU’s title winners were the biggest contributors to OSU’s team total of 131 points, which marked the third-highest score at the event in program history, the second-highest runner-up score in NCAA tournament history and a higher score than 12 of the 25 team champions since the NCAA began using the current placement point values in 2001.
“We had an awesome tournament,” coach David Taylor said. “It’s not something you’re typically proud of (getting second place), but it’s a stepping stone. You think about the progress we’ve made with a lot of young guys in the lineup, so it’s a pretty awesome season. I’m super proud of the guys, our organization, fans and supporters. All that to say, we’re going to keep getting better.”
No Cowboy contributed more than Forrest’s 26 team points, which broke Pat Smith’s 1990 program freshman record of 25 points (applying the current scoring model).
Vega and Forrest, who finished the season at 24-0 and 18-0, respectively, became the first true freshmen since 1947 to complete undefeated championship seasons.
Only four others in history have accomplished the feat, and all of them occurred in 1947 when many true freshmen who were already into their twenties competed after returning from World War II. None of that group, consisting of then-Oklahoma A&M’s Dick Hutton, Iowa’s Joe Scarpello, and Dick Hauser and Lowell Lange of Cornell College, won more than 15 matches.
Vega was the first Cowboy to claim his title, facing two-time defending NCAA champion, top-seeded and undefeated Jesse Mendez of Ohio State in the opening bout of the night.
Each wrestler scored an escape in regulation, and they took a 1-1 tie into sudden victory. Mendez got to a leg with less than thirty seconds remaining in the extra time, but Vega countered as he’s done all season to score a takedown with 22 seconds left and secure his national title. The win cemented a 24-0 season for the true freshman, who did not allow a single takedown all season. “That was awesome,” Vega said. “It hit me right away. It took them a while to call the takedown. It was awesome. I’ve never had a moment like that in my life.”
Fifth-seeded Robideau was the next Cowboy on the mat, facing defending NCAA champion and three-time All-American Antrell Taylor of Nebraska. Robideau opened the scoring with a two-point nearfall 25 seconds into the second period, then added an escape and stalling point in the third. He then held off several late shots from Taylor to secure a 4-2 decision and became OSU’s second true freshman national champion of the night.
Robideau, who has now avenged both of his season losses in this tournament, wraps up his season with a 21-2 overall record. “I was just super thankful,” Robideau said. “First, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. After that, I saw my teammates there supporting me. I saw my mom and my brother, and I thought of all the hard work I’d put in to get to that point. Having them there matside, supporting me, means a lot.”
Forrest, who was still in high school for the first semester of this season, wrestled in the main event to close out the tournament. He faced No. 2 Ben Davino of Ohio State in what many considered the final match of the most challenging weight class in the country.
Trailing 1-0 heading into the final period, Forrest used an escape, takedown and more than two minutes of riding time to secure a 5-2 win and cap his historic run. … more at … https://okstate.com/news/2026/3/21/cowboy-wrestling-osu-first-team-in-ncaa-history-with-three-freshman-champs

March 29, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Blades, Hikiji, Jimenez, Rodriguez and Welker named finalists for 2026 USA Wrestling Anthony-Maroulis Trophy

Five finalists have been selected for the 2026 USA Wrestling Anthony-Maroulis Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s best women’s college wrestler—Kennedy Blades of Iowa, Erin Hikiji of Providence, Audrey Jimenez of Lehigh, Cristelle Rodriguez of Doane and Kylie Welker of Iowa.
Blades, Jimenez and Welker were champions at the inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling National Championships. Hikiji and Rodriguez earned national titles at the NAIA Women’s Wrestling Championships.
The award winner will be selected by a vote from three constituent groups—women’s college head coaches, national wrestling media and the fans. Each group accounts for one-third of the total vote.
Public voting is now open at usawrestlingevents.com/wcwoty and will run through Tuesday, March 31. The winner will be announced on Thursday, April 2.
Finalists were determined by the Anthony-Maroulis Trophy oversight committee, which includes representatives of USA Wrestling, college coaches, media, officials and past winners.

The following criteria were considered when evaluating finalist candidates, using data from the 2025-26 season only:•  Season record•  Bonus percentage•  Number of falls•  Number of technical falls•  Quality of competition•  Integrity and sportsmanship•  Impact on program and team success•  Cultural impact on women’s college wrestling
The USA Wrestling Anthony-Maroulis Trophy is named after Victoria Anthony and Helen Maroulis, who are the first four-time women’s college national champions. Both women won a fourth WCWA national title in 2014 as teammates at Simon Fraser University, becoming the first wrestlers in history to achieve the feat.Previous winners of the award were Yelena Makoyed of North Central (2023), Adaugo Nwachukwu of William Penn (2024) and Kennedy Blades of Iowa (2025).USA Wrestling created the Anthony-Maroulis Trophy to elevate a new award for women’s college wrestling that has significant cultural impact seen with other college athletic awards, such as the Dan Hodge Trophy in men’s college wrestling and the Hesman Trophy in college football.

March 28, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Hayden Hidlay Returns to NC State Wrestling

RALEIGH – NC State wrestling’s first-ever five-time All-American is returning to Raleigh to rejoin the NC State wrestling staff, this time as an assistant coach, as announced by head coach Pat Popolizio on Tuesday.
One of the most decorated athletes to come out of the NC State wrestling program, a Raleigh reunion will be had with Hayden Hidlay as he returns to his alma mater.
Hidlay joins the Wolfpack staff after spending the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons as an assistant coach at Stanford, as well as the 2023-24 season at North Dakota State. Immediately following his graduation from NC State back in 2022, the five-year member of the Pack served as the student-athlete development coordinator for NC State wrestling.
“Hayden was one of the most impactful student-athletes we’ve ever had, not only just within our program, but both at the conference and national levels too,” said head coach Pat Popolizio. “As one of the winningest wrestlers in NC State school history, he was our program’s first-ever five-time All-American, all while accumulating academic accolades across the board as well.
He’s spent the last few seasons growing, as a coach and as a man, at Stanford and North Dakota State. Just days ago, he guided Aden Valencia to his first national championship as a 10th-seeded redshirt-freshman at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland.
Hayden will continue to instill our program’s culture that he helped build as an athlete. We are thrilled at the opportunity to have him back in Raleigh, back in the wrestling room that he accomplished so much in.”
Over the last two seasons, Hidlay helped the Cardinal produce tremendous results during their first inaugural years in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The squad is coming off a historic season with its highest-ever finish at the NCAA Championships in sixth place and the third national champion in program history, a wrestler whom Hidlay closely oversaw.
“I am honored to be returning to NC State wrestling,” said Hayden Hidlay. … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2026/3/24/hayden-hidlay-returns-to-nc-state-wrestling

March 28, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Nebraska-Kearney Wins 2026 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship

The University of Nebraska-Kearney claimed the 2026 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship tournament, leading all teams with a score of 83 points. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside finished as the runner-up.
The 2026 DII wrestling championships were held at Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, SD, on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14. Here is everything you need to know for the 2026 championship.
Below you can find the complete schedule of the 2026 DII wrestling championship.

2026 NCAA DII wrestling championship schedule 

  • Monday, March 2
  • Friday, March 6
    • Brackets released
  • Friday, March 13 — Results
    • Preliminaries and first round
    • Quarterfinals and first- and second-round consolations 
  • Saturday, March 14 — Results
    • Semifinals, wrestle-backs | 11 a.m. 
    • Championship finals | 8 p.m. 
    • 🏆 Nebraska-Kearney wins the 2026 DII wrestling championship

NCAA DII wrestling championship brackets

The brackets for the 2026 DII wrestling championships were released on Friday, March 6.
👉 Click or tap to see the final brackets

NCAA DII wrestling championship history 

Nebraska-Kearney defeated Augustana (SD) for the championship last year. Below is the complete history of the DII wrestling championships … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-men/article/2026-03-14/nebraska-kearney-wins-2026-ncaa-division-ii-wrestling-championship

March 16, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

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