Lovett, Taylor Earn National Titles in NU’s Historic Runner-Up Finish
PHILADELPHIA – Ridge Lovett (149) and Antrell Taylor (157) won NCAA titles on Saturday night, helping Nebraska wrestling to its best performance and finish ever at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The Huskers finished as NCAA team runner-up, with 117.0 points.
NU garnered eight All-America honorees at the tournament, with three semifinalists and two champions. Nebraska’s title winners bring home the first individual championship since 2011 (Jordan Borroughs) and the first two in a year since 1984 (Jim Scherr and Bill Scherr).
The Big Red wrestlers put together 17 bonus-point wins for the fifth-highest point total by a runner-up in NCAA history. Prior to this season, the team’s best finish in standings and points was in 1993, finishing third with 79.5 points. The tournament run earned Head Coach Mark Manning the 2025 NCAA Tournament Coach of the Year award.
In the 149 championship match, No. 2 Lovett took on familiar foe and top-seed Caleb Henson (VT). The pair went scoreless through periods one and two, despite a last-second takedown ruling for Henson, which was reversed after further review. Lovett got on the board with an escape in the third period, which he protected for the final stretch to secure the NCAA title. The Husker became the first national champion since Burroughs in 2011 for NU, in what was his final collegiate bout and 101st victory. Lovett avenged his 1-2 record against Henson, and will bring the 149 title back to Lincoln as a four-time All-American.
At 157, No. 3 Taylor faced No. 8 Joey Blaze (PUR) for the fourth time in the past month, this one for the NCAA championship. Taylor took a late first period lead with a takedown and an escape in the second to head to the final two minutes up 4-0. Blaze got on the board with an escape and a penalty point. The Boilermaker could not get a takedown, and Taylor closed the seven minute stretch with a 4-2 victory. The sophomore’s title win marked the first time since 1984 (Jim Scherr and Bill Scherr) that the Huskers had two NCAA champions. Taylor claimed his second All-American honor, and his 50th career win in Philadelphia, and finished his sophomore season 27-4.
The first Husker on the finals mat, No. 1 Brock Hardy (141) met No. 3 Jesse Mendez (OHST) for the championship bout. Hardy got an early 5-0 lead with a takedown and two nearfall points, … more at … https://huskers.com/news/2025/03/23/lovett-taylor-earn-national-titles-in-nus-historic-runner-up-finish
Hendrickson, Hamiti Win NCAA Titles in Thrilling Upsets
PHILADELPHIA – Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson and Dean Hamiti Jr. claimed individual titles at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday night as Hendrickson delivered a one of the most shocking upsets in the history of the NCAA tournament with a win over Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson to win the heavyweight title and Hamiti delivered an upset of his own by defeating two-time national champion Keegan O’Toole to take home the crown at 174 pounds.
The Cowboys finished in third place in the team standings with 102.5 points to mark its best finish since 2021 and highest point total since 2017. OSU’s two individual champions mark its most since 2016. “Finishing in third place, that’s pretty special because it’s not an individual thing,” coach David Taylor said. “It’s everybody. Individually, obviously those guys help you win, but you need everybody.”
As the most heavily favored wrestler in the finals, Minnesota’s Steveson entered the title bout already holding an Olympic gold medal, two Hodge Trophies, multiple NCAA titles, needing one more win complete a fourth consecutive undefeated collegiate season and with a cemented record as one of the best collegiate wrestlers ever.
Hendrickson entered with an undefeated record of his own this season, but it was his first time reaching an NCAA final.
In a thrilling match that came down to wire, Steveson scored a takedown in the first and Hendrickson followed with a quick escape and another to start the second to make it, 3-2, Steveson, entering the final period. Steveson escaped to start the third and held a 4-2 lead for a majority of the last frame. With time expiring, however, Hendrickson got to Steveson’s leg and finished a takedown with less than 20 seconds remaining to the most thunderous roar from the crowd in recent memory of the NCAA Championships. He held on in the final second to prevent a match-tying escape and came away with a 5-4 win and the most memorable moment of the 2025 wrestling season.
“I was looking at the clock and I’m squeezing him,” Hendrickson said about riding out the final 18 seconds. “I made up my mind. If he did stand up, I didn’t want to lock my hands. I don’t want to get a locked hands call, but I was squeezing. If he stands up, I’m just going to lock and pick him up and just hold him in the air for the last couple seconds, because I’m, like, ‘I have made it this far,’ and I knew I was going to win this match. I don’t care if I had to rip my arms off squeezing him. I was, like, ‘I’m holding this man down and winning this match.'”
Hamiti also produced some fireworks, upsetting Missouri’s top-seeded, undefeated, five-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion in sudden victory. The wrestlers traded escapes in the final two periods to take a 1-1 tie into overtime. … more at … https://okstate.com/news/2025/3/22/cowboy-wrestling-hendrickson-hamiti-win-ncaa-titles-in-thrilling-upsets
And … https://www.flickr.com/photos/osuathletics/54404269429/in/album-72177720324605018
Stephen Buchanan II Wins NCAA Championship
University of Iowa graduate student Stephen Buchanan II won the 197-pound NCAA Championship on Saturday night, defeating Penn State’s Josh Barr, 5-2.
PHILADELPHIA – University of Iowa graduate student Stephen Buchanan II won the 197-pound NCAA Championship on Saturday night, defeating Penn State’s Josh Barr, 5-2.
Buchanan, the No. 2 seed, used a second-period takedown and a third-period escape, along with a riding time point, to end up on top of the podium.
“You know, you get to the semifinals twice and you get denied by it, and you have to make the journey back the next morning,” Buchanan said. “And you don’t want to wrestle those two matches, but you do, and you pull through. You’re still left with this bittersweet feeling in your stomach, in your mind. You come back the next year and the same thing happens to you.
And you finally get on a new team. And you’re placed around people who will pour into you, who teach you the little things that make the biggest differences. And you get on that stage, and you use the things that they taught you to win, it means the world. I mean, the work that I put in, just the amount of time that people put into me, it means the world.”
The Loyal, Wisconsin, native is the first national champion at 197 pounds in program history since the NCAA implemented the current weight class configuration in 1999. Buchanan’s individual national title is the 86th in program history and the 14th under head coach Tom Brands. “Awesome, love it, can’t say enough,” head coach Tom Brands said. “He’s a grateful guy, so I think he has the right perspective about it for sure. The way it was done is a tribute to a champion. The way that he did it, the way he goes about his daily business is a tribute.” … more at … https://hawkeyesports.com/news/2025/03/23/stephen-buchanan-ii-wins-ncaa-championship
Gophers Tie for Fifth at NCAA Championships
PHILADELPHIA – Minnesota’s Gable Steveson finished as the national runner-up at heavyweight as the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships concluded Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. In the team standings, Minnesota finished tied for fifth place with 51.5 points. It’s the team’s best placement under head coach Brandon Eggum and is the best since a runner-up finish in 2014. Overall, it’s the 19th top-five finish in program history.
Penn State won the team title with 177.0 points, followed by Nebraska (117.0), Oklahoma State (102.5) and Iowa (81.0).
Facing the second-seeded Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State, Steveson recorded the first takedown of the match and led 3-1 after one period. An escape from Hendrickson in the second period made it a 3-2 match going to the third. Starting on bottom, Steveson escaped to lead 4-2 but Hendrickson became the first opponent to take Steveson down all season when he did so with 18 seconds left for a 5-4 victory. It was Steveson’s first loss since the semifinals of the 2019 NCAA Championships, a streak of 70 consecutive matches that was the second longest in program history.
In his three other trips to the NCAA Championships Steveson won national titles in 2021 and 2022 and placed third in 2019 making him the only Gopher in program history to tally four top-three finishes. Steveson ends his career with just about every accolade one can accumulate. In addition to being one of six multi-time national champions in Minnesota history, he’s also a two-time winner of the Hodge Trophy, the first five-time All-American for the Golden Gophers and the first heavyweight at any school to win four Big Ten titles.
He boasts the best winning percentage in Gophers history with an 103-3 career record (.972), including a perfect 59-0 mark in dual competition and a 44-0 tally in Big Ten matches. Of his 104 career wins, the Apple Valley, Minn., native recorded 16 pins, 32 tech falls and 28 major decisions. … more at … https://gophersports.com/news/2025/3/22/wrestling-gophers-tie-for-fifth-at-ncaa-championships
2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships – 4 (Before)
TDR Editor’s Notes ; We have several links to interesting stories of the events leading to the sart of the championships last weekend. Some links may require a subscription to the media outlet. There are several fine articles aabout the preparations for the championships on the Philadelphia Inquirer. The following presents an opportunity to compare what said before and the actual results.
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The Complete And Total 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championship Preview
A full preview, with predictions, for all 10 weight classes at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! NCAA D1 Championship weekend! It’s all going down in Philadelphia, and we’re previewing every weight class for you!
NCAA Championship BRACKETS
NCAA Rankings
Championship Team Scores Based on Seeds
Individual weight class previews: 125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285
Every article about the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships
125 Pounds
While 125 hasn’t been quite as crazy at it was last year, conference weekend flipped it on its head a bit and shook up the rankings going in NCAAs.
2024 All-Americans
1st Place – Richard Figueroa of Arizona State
2nd Place – Drake Ayala of Iowa
3rd Place – Anthony Noto of Lock Haven
4th Place – Eric Barnett of Wisconsin
5th Place – Luke Stanich of Lehigh
6th Place – Caleb Smith of Nebraska … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13956955-the-complete-and-total-2025-ncaa-wrestling-championship-preview
And …
The Best Seniors At The 2025 NCAAs Who Have Yet To Become All-Americans
Highlighting the competitors at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships who are in their last year of eligibility but have yet to earn All-American honors.
The NCAA Wrestling Championships produce a never-ending fountain of dramatic storylines of personal triumph and anguish. One thread of the complicated tapestry of sports and emotion we call the NCAA Tournament that I like to unravel involves following the progress of competitors who have qualified for their final tournament but have yet to earn All-American honors. These wrestlers are the conduits for our vicarious thrills from witnessing an athlete achieve a lifelong goal at the last possible opportunity.
They’re fun guys to follow in the bracket is what I’m saying.
Below you will find at least one wrestler per weight who is going for his first All-American honor in his last year of college eligibility. It’s fun to root for these guys and I encourage you to do so this weekend!
NCAA seed is listed before each wrestler. Also, quick note that determining eligibility has never been more difficult than it is now so please holler if you notice anything amiss or missing!
125 Pounds
#24 Nick Babin, Pittsburgh
Babin wrestled the first four years of his career at Columbia and is using his final year of eligibility at Pitt as a grad transfer. A native of Emerson, NJ, Babin reached the round of 16 at the 2023 NCAAs but fell just shy of qualifying at the 2024 tourney. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13956610-the-best-seniors-at-the-2025-ncaas-who-have-yet-to-become-all-americans
And …
ESPN presents the NCAA Div. I Championships from Philadelphia, March 20-22; 3 nights of primetime wrestling & 19 hours of live coverage
Three straight nights of primetime wrestling on ESPN platforms; 19 hours of live coverage overall ESPN+ to present every match and every mat through the Medal Round on MatCast, plus simulcasts of all televised windows
Lead ESPN commentating team to feature former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NCAA Wrestling All-American Daniel Cormier and two-time NCAA champion, six-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs
ESPN’s original content series, Game On: Journey to the NCAA Championship, is streaming now on ESPN+ with wrestling episode. Television debut set for ESPN2 at 2 p.m. ET on March 19
The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships return to ESPN platforms with 19 hours of live action featuring all 640 matches from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia this weekend, March 20-22. Every mat and every single match will once again be covered from start to finish, including three nights of primetime wrestling action on ESPN (Thursday, Saturday) and ESPN2 (Friday). ESPN+ coverage will feature a live MatCast viewing option, as well as simulcasts of all televised windows.
ESPN has presented the NCAA Wrestling Championships since 1980, making it one of the company’s longest-running events. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/march/18/espn-presents-the-ncaa-div-i-championships-from-philadelphia-march-20-22-3-nights-of-primetime-wrestling-19-hours-of-live-coverage
And …
To cap his coaching career, Penn’s Roger Reina is helping play host to the NCAA wrestling championships – Philadelphia Inquirer
The Quakers are hosting the event at the Wells Fargo Center along with Drexel and PHL Sports. Reina will become “head coach emeritus” at Penn next season.
This week, Philly is home to the biggest event in college wrestling. Here’s how it all works. – Philadelphia Inquirer
From a takedown to the different ways to earn a fall to how points are scored, this Inquirer guide takes you through the motions and what you need to know before the NCAA championships begin.
Step inside as the Wells Fargo Center prepares for the ‘demand’ of the NCAA wrestling championships – Philadelphia Inquirer
With tickets for every day of the three-day event sold out, arena officials say its the highest-demand ticket in the history of the Wells Fargo Center dating back to 1996.
President Trump will attend the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia this weekend – Philadelphia Inquirer
It will be Trump’s first visit to Pennsylvania as president since starting his second term.
The Complete And Total 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championship Preview – FloWrestling
A full preview, with predictions, for all 10 weight classes at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The Best Seniors At The 2025 NCAAs Who Have Yet To Become All-Americans – FloWrestling
Highlighting the competitors at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships who are in their last year of eligibility but have yet to earn All-American honors.
ESPN presents the NCAA Div. I Championships from Philadelphia, March 20-22; 3 nights of primetime wrestling & 19 hours of live coverage – TheMat.com
The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships return to ESPN platforms with 19 hours of live action featuring all 640 matches from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia this weekend,
2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships – 1
TDR Editor’s Notes ; The first session of the Championships is in the books. Over 18,000 were in attendance with a sell out crowd at the Wells Fargo Center. There were upsets, combacks often the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. OK, I’ll admit I heard hat on ‘Wide World of Sports’ on somee Saturday afternoons in my youth. The brackets and results are posted at https://www.ncaa.com/live-updates/wrestling/d1/2025-ncaa-wrestling-championships-schedule-brackets-results
Especially interesting 2nd round matches will be: …
125 – “No. 3 Eddie Ventresca of Virginia Tech is off to a fast start with a 3-0 lead over No. 30 Gylon Sims of The Citadel. He takes the win 5-1 and will have a familiar foe in ACC opponent No. 14 Spencer Moore after Moore beat No. 19 Cooper Flynn 2-0.”
“No. 9 Caleb Smith of Nebraska wrestled No. 24 Nick Babin of Pitt. Match was tied after the first period, and Babin chose bottom. Smith gets the win in the final seconds of sudden victory to advance, 3-0. He’ll face Seymour of Lehigh next.”
133 – “One of the most exciting first-round matches of the session was No. 7 Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State, vs. No. 26 Kai Orine of NC State. Bouzakis cradled Orine for the fall!
One of the biggest upsets of the day was No. 23 Sean Spidle of Central Michigan topping 2024 Big Ten champion and 2024 All-American Dylan Shawver 4-1.”
141 – Second-round match between No. 3 Jesse Mendez of Ohio State and No. 14 Sergio Lemley of Michigan will be a bout between bonus-point scorers. Mendez beat No. 30 Briar Priest of Pitt 21-5 while Lemley pinned No. 19 Mosha Schwartz.”
Lock Haven’s No. 16 Wyatt Henson won a 9-1 major decision over No. 17 Shannon Hanna of Campbell. He’ll get No. 1 Brock Hardy of Nebraska after Hardy, 2025 Big Ten champion, beat No. 32 Nash Singleton of Oregon State 12-3.
149 – “No. 2 Ridge Lovett, 2 time Big Ten champion, survives a barn-burner against No. 31 Sam Cartella of Northwestern 10-8. He will wrestle No. 15 Ty Whalen of Princeton.
“North Carolina All-American No. 6 Lachlan McNeil moves on after a 10-0 win over Kaden Cassidy. He’ll next face No. 11 Sammy Alvarez of Rider who beat No. 22 Gavin Drexler 4-2.
Iowa’s four-time All-American No. 5 Kyle Parco beat No. No. 28 Dylan Gilcher of Michigan 7-2. Next opponent will be No. 12 Ethan Stiles of Oregon State who beat No. 21 Willie McDougald of Oklahoma 6-4.”
157 – “No. 14 Jude Swisher of Penn pinned No. 19 Cobe Siebrecht of South Dakota State to move on. Swisher will take on No. 3 Antrell Taylor, who teched No. 30 James Conway of Missouri 20-4.
165 – “No. 12 Christopher Minto of Nebraska beat No. 21 Joey Bianchi of Little Rock 13-1. Minto will wrestle No. 5 Julian Ramirez of Cornell, who beat No. 28 Mac Church of Virginia Tech 11-2. “
174 – “No. 5 Simon Ruiz of Cornell won 17-2 over No. 28 Clayton Whiting and No. 3 Dean Hamiti of Oklahoma State won 18-1 over No. 30 Avery Bassett of Lock Haven. Ruiz will wrestle No. 21 Josh Ogunsanya next after Ogunsanya beat Myles Takats of Bucknell 4-1 in sudden victory. Hamiti will have No. 14 Matthew Singleton of NC State who beat No. 19 Jared Simma of UNI 4-2.”
184 – “No. 12 Silas Allred of Nebraska adds a pin as well over No. 21 Malacihi Duvall of Gardner-Webb, earning himself the opportunity to take on All-American No. 5 Bennett Berge of South Dakota State” It was interesting to watch as Allred was down 10-1 in the 1st period and came back to take a 14-12 lead in the last 30 seconds of the match then scored the pin in the last 10 seconds.
197 – “No. 6 Mac Stout of Pittsburgh advances over No. 27 Michael Dellagatta of Cornell 12-0. He’ll now face his brother No. 11 Luke Stout of Princeton”
285 – “No. 7 Isaac Trumble will have an ACC rematch in the second round with No. 10 Dayton Pitzer after Trumble beat No. 26 Peter Ming of Stanford 18-2. Pitzer beat No. 23 Daniel Bucknavich 6-2.”
As Hodge Trophy race takes shape, a reminder to fans of the award’s criteria, process
By Bryan Van Kley
With fans gearing up for another epic month of national championships, expect one of the closest races ever for the WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy. As usual, there has been a lot of discussion over the off-season and during the season on who should win the 2025 Hodge. This is a great chance to explain how the process works.
Wrestling’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy is awarded annually by the Dan Hodge Trophy Voting Committee to the most dominant wrestler. The committee, made up of all past Hodge winners, select national media, a retired college coach from each region, and a representative of each national wrestling organization will each vote based on four criteria: record, dominance/bonus-point percentage, quality of competition and sportsmanship. Taking them one at a time, here’s how the ASICS Race for the Hodge Trophy sets up going into the conference qualifiers.
It’s likely going to take an undefeated record and a bonus-point percentage of above 90% or near that to win the Hodge. Five guys are front-runners going into the NCAA qualifiers: Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink (22-0, 95.3% bonus-point percentage), Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole (16-0, 87.5%), Penn State’s Carter Starocci (21-0, 90.5%), UNI’s Parker Keckeisen (24-0, 87.5%) and Minnesota’s Gable Steveson (14-0, 92.9%).
One interesting and important variable in the Hodge voting process is that each committee member gets one vote and they’re reminded of the four criteria each year (with the exception of multiple-time Hodge winners, who get one vote for each year they won the award.) The committee members submit their votes to WIN. In addition to those, the winner of the Fan Vote gets five first-place votes. Then, similar to the Heisman, whoever has the most votes from that process wins; it’s pretty simple and the first-place votes are released in the article each year stating who won the Hodge.
In 2024, Aaron Brooks got 48 out of 59 first-place votes. From my perspective in casting my own ballot, I look at record first since the more times you wrestle, the more opportunities there are to get beat, and the more chances for opponents to keep the top guys from scoring bonus points, decreasing their final bonus-point percentage.
There are likely a couple guys from this group of five, probably Mesenbrink and the likely winner of the Starocci-Keckeisen NCAA finals bout, who will be 26 or 27-0 and have bonus points in potentially all or all but one or two of their matches. … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2025/03/06/as-hodge-trophy-race-takes-shape-a-reminder-to-fans-of-the-awards-criteria-process/
‘There’s Not Coincidences’: Taylor Leading His First Cowboy Team into the Building He Wrestled His First NCAA Championships
‘I think it’s gonna be an exciting tournament. It’s gonna be a great environment. Ready to go.’
STILLWATER — In 2011, David Taylor competed in his first NCAA Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia; next week, he’ll coach at the event for the first time — in the same arena.
The parallels are made a little more eerie by the fact that Taylor’s first opponent in that 2011 tournament was Oklahoma State’s Neil Erisman (now the head coach at Little Rock), who Taylor beat 13-2. “I think timing in life, there’s not coincidences,” Taylor said Thursday. “But at the same time, it rotates, and that’s where it’s hosted this year. Pennsylvania’s wrestling, it’s rich in tradition. I think it’s gonna be an exciting tournament. It’s gonna be a great environment. Ready to go.”
Taylor was undefeated in that redshirt freshman season at Penn State up until the NCAA final, where Arizona State’s Bubba Jenkins pinned him. In Taylor’s first round match with Erisman, a commentator described the young Taylor as “all offense.” Some things never change. Up to that final, Taylor had outscored his first four opponents 46-9. Flash forward to 2025, and he’s constantly stressing scoring as many points as possible.
Taylor was undefeated in that redshirt freshman season at Penn State up until the NCAA final, where Arizona State’s Bubba Jenkins pinned him. In Taylor’s first round match with Erisman, a commentator described the young Taylor as “all offense.” Some things never change. Up to that final, Taylor had outscored his first four opponents 46-9. Flash forward to 2025, and he’s constantly stressing scoring as many points as possible. “I remember just being excited to compete,” said Taylor thinking back to that 2011 tournament. “What was unique about my freshman year was I just was wrestling with my hair on fire. I was looking to score the entire time. I think in the tournament, I went out with the same mentality. It cost me a little bit in the finals, but that just is what it is. I think I was excited to complete. I think that’s what our guys are — they’re excited to go out and compete.”
In his first season leading a college wrestling program, Taylor has led the Cowboys to their first outright Big 12 tournament title since 2020. … more at … https://pistolsfiringblog.com/theres-not-coincidences-taylor-leading-his-first-cowboy-team-into-the-building-he-wrestled-his-first-ncaa-championships/
Hunsberger Wins Second National Title as #8 Lander Takes Fourth at NCAA Championships
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – David Hunsberger got a takedown at the end of his 165-lb National Championship match to make it 10-2, and while those points didn’t mean much in the match as Hunsberger had all but secured his second consecutive national title, the eight-point major decision meant another point toward Lander’s team total, going along with his first-place points, putting them at 57.5 points and in sole possession of fourth place—half a point ahead of #3 Central Oklahoma for the final team trophy.
This marks the third straight season where the Bearcats have brought a team trophy back to Greenwood, finishing second in 2022 and 2023.
With his decisive 10-2 major decision, Hunsberger became the first Lander wrestler to become a two-time national champion. In his four matches, he outscored his opponents 39-11 and picked up three bonus-point wins.
His first match of the day was a little closer, however, as he entered the third period trailing to Nick Novak of St. Cloud State. But Hunsberger was able to secure a quick escape and then a takedown a few seconds later to take a 4-1 lead. Despite a late stalling penalty point against him, Hunsberger secured his spot in the finals with a 4-2 decision. The win marked the fourth straight season that Lander has had a wrestler in the final session wrestling for a national title.
In the national title match against second-seeded Jack Haskin of Lake Erie, Hunsberger got a takedown right before the first-period horn to close the first three minutes with a 3-0 lead. After a quick escape from Haskin, Hunsberger attacked quickly and earned another takedown, which made it 6-2 after another escape from Haskin going into the third period. Hunsberger chose down to start the third, but Haskin elected to go neutral, giving Hunsberger an escape point to make it 7-2. After several deep shots, Hunsberger was able to get the crucial takedown with 11 seconds on the clock to secure the major decision and a team trophy for the Bearcats.
Isham Peace and Christian Davis both fell in overtime heartbreakers in their semifinal matches. … more at … https://landerbearcats.com/news/2025/3/15/wrestling-hunsberger-wins-second-national-title-as-8-lander-takes-fourth-at-ncaa-championships.aspx
Drexel Mourns the Loss of Jack Childs
PHILADELPHIA – Drexel Athletics is mourning the loss of Hall of Famer Jack Childs. Drexel’s wrestling coach for 35 years, Childs passed away on March 11, 2025.
Childs guided the wrestling program at Drexel from 1976 until his retirement in 2011. He retired as the active Division I leader in career coaching wins (421). While on the bench in University City, Childs posted 25 seasons in which his teams won 10 or more matches and he led the Dragons to the 1985 ECWA championship.
“Jack’s accomplishments and longevity as a coach at Drexel were unmatched,” said Drexel Vice President, Director of Athletics & Recreation Maisha Kelly. “He impacted countless lives during his time leading the wrestling program and was a fixture within the greater Drexel community. It is with heavy hearts that we mourn his loss. Drexel extends its condolences to his wife Anne, their three children and the entire Childs’ family.”
A four-time recipient of the East Coast Wrestling Association Coach of the Year award, Childs was also named Colonial Athletic Association Co-Coach of the Year in 2002, the first season in which the Dragons competed in the conference. He served as president of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and on the NWCA Executive Board. Over the course of his career, Childs amassed more than 500 wins at all levels of NCAA competition while coaching at both Stevens Tech and Drexel.
“Jack meant so much to the Drexel Wrestling program,” said Mert ’67 and Joanne ’69 Hill Head Coach of Wrestling Matt Azevedo. “He created a strong family culture that still exists to this day. Having him back on campus to celebrate the 1985 championship team meant a lot to our entire program and me. He has been a huge resource with his knowledge and expertise. Jack will be greatly missed among our Drexel community.”
Childs was inducted into the Janet E. and Barry C. Burkholder Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. … more at … https://drexeldragons.com/news/2025/3/13/wrestling-drexel-mourns-the-loss-of-jack-childs
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 