Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Wyoming jumps into Top 25 after Top 10 upset; Penn State streak stands at 80 and counting

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Penn State remained No. 1 in this week’s NWCA Coaches Poll following a results-heavy week that included several ranked matchups, a notable upset, and one new team entering the Top 25.
Penn State went 2-0 on the weekend, defeating then-No. 4 Iowa 32-3 before shutting out Northwestern, 51-0. The win over Northwestern extended Penn State’s dual-meet winning streak to 80.
The biggest upset of the week came when Wyoming defeated then-No. 10 South Dakota State 24-18. South Dakota State also recorded a 19-16 win over Utah Valley earlier in the week. Wyoming’s victory moved the Cowboys into the poll at No. 23.
Michigan posted two ranked wins, defeating Rutgers 21-12 and Illinois 18-14. Nebraska defeated then-No. 9 Minnesota 20-12 in the week’s lone ranked matchup involving the Gophers. NC State went 2-0, edging Stanford 21-20 before defeating CSU Bakersfield 43-3. Virginia Tech defeated Appalachian State 39-0 in a non-conference dual at the Moss Arts Center, while Pittsburgh recorded wins over West Virginia (17-15) and Duke (40-0). Elsewhere among ranked teams, Wisconsin defeated Northwestern 28-12. Missouri went 2-0 with wins over Arizona State (22-17) and Utah Valley (31-9). Lehigh defeated Navy 20-15 and Princeton 30-9. Indiana defeated Maryland 26-12.
Several ranked teams are scheduled to compete over the upcoming weekend as conference action continues.
Friday, January 23 includes a full slate of ranked matchups. No. 2 Ohio State is scheduled to wrestle No. 9 Minnesota, while No. 11 North Carolina visits No. 8 NC State. No. 25 Indiana is slated to face No. 1 Penn State. Additional ranked matchups Friday include No. 5 Oklahoma State at No. 18 Missouri, No. 4 Iowa against No. 6 Nebraska, No. 24 Stanford at No. 7 Virginia Tech, and No. 15 South Dakota State hosting California Baptist.
Saturday, January 24 includes dual competition involving ranked teams, with No. 24 Stanford scheduled to wrestle at Virginia and No. 23 Wyoming traveling to face No. 19 West Virginia.
Sunday, January 25 includes several additional ranked matchups … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/1/20/national-wrestling-coaches-association-wyoming-jumps-into-top-25-after-top-10-upset-penn-state-streak-stands-at-80-and-counting.aspx

January 25, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Embracing glory

Larry Owings scored the biggest upset in NCAA wrestling history and spent the rest of his life coming to terms with it.
By Mike Seely 
When Larry Owings was growing up in rural Oregon, everyone—his friends, his family, even his teachers—called him by the nickname “Porky.” They did this because he was overweight. “Nowadays, they would call that bullying,” says Owings, now 75. “Back then, you just had to grin and take it. I can’t tell you how deep down inside I was hurting. It inspired me to say, ‘I’m gonna show you someday.’ “ 
Would he ever.
Owings had four older brothers, all of them state wrestling champs at Canby High School. Taking a gander at their baby brother in junior high, none of them expected Larry to wrestle at all, much less earn any kind of hardware. But a life-changing event—or occupation, rather—occurred in the summer before his freshman year.  “I went to work for an old Norwegian dairy farmer,” he recalls. “I hauled hundred-pound bales of hay for him all summer long. Before that, I worked on the farm picking berries, and I hated picking berries. There was no way I was not gonna do good in this job and go back to picking berries.”
Owings’ weight went from about 150 to 130 through the course of his sweaty vocation, and he also grew a couple of inches. In spite of his siblings’ doubts, he joined the Canby wrestling team and worked his way up to varsity at 123 pounds by the end of his freshman year. By the end of his high school career, he would win state championships in both the 136- and 141-pound weight divisions. 
During his senior year, Owings was matched in a tournament with an Iowa State University sophomore named Dan Gable, who was undefeated and already an NCAA champion. Gable won their match rather easily, but Owings managed to score some points – quite a feat for anyone facing a man who would go down as the greatest amateur wrestler of all time. 
After losing to Gable, Owings said he felt like he “had a score to settle.” Two years later, he’d get his chance. 
Triumph, then turmoil
There were a lot of colleges interested in Owings’ wrestling services after high school, but the University of Washington won out.  “I didn’t go to Oregon State because my brothers had gone there,” he explains. “I went up to the U-Dub, beautiful campus, coach was very gung-ho. Jim Smith – he’s still alive, by the way. He’s 90 and lives in Lynnwood. I liked the school, I liked the coach. I wanted to go into architecture, and they had a great architecture program.” 
Owings, ’72, ’75, ’78, pursued an architecture degree for a quarter before he deemed it too difficult and switched to industrial education. Things on the mat went according to plan, however. By the time Owings was a sophomore, he was Pac-8 champion at 158 pounds with the 1970 NCAA tournament on the horizon. … more at … https://magazine.washington.edu/feature/larry-owings-who-scored-the-biggest-upset-in-ncaa-wrestling-history-comes-to-terms-with-fame-more-than-50-years-later/#gsc.tab=0

January 25, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Boulanger Making Impact as True Freshman

By: Travis Swafford, Duke Athletics Communications Student Assistant
DURHAM, N.C.– Duke freshman wrestler Mikey Boulanger is a man of few words. If you ask him about his impressive start on the collegiate mats, he describes the experience as “an adjustment.” If you ask him whether he really went 55-0 as a senior in high school, he nods yes. But when it came time for Duke head coach Glen Lanham to decide whether the freshman would redshirt or compete in his first year on campus, what Boulanger had to say proved pivotal.
As Lanham describes it, “He just came and said that he had thought about taking off the year when he’s so close to competing. He was like, ‘well if I don’t get the rep, somebody else is. So, I just think it would make me better if I’m the starter.'”
The subsequent decision to let Boulanger wrestle has paid immediate dividends, as he collected eight wins over his first 12 bouts start to the season propelled the team to its best fall record in four years. The Milford, Massachusetts, native’s eight wins ranks fifth on the team, anchoring the Blue Devils in the 157-pound weight class. It’s a performance that has left Lanham and the Duke team impressed.
“He’s definitely been surprising, coming out of nowhere, really,” Lanham said. “We thought that he was going to have to use a redshirt, get bigger, that kind of stuff, get used to college wrestling, but he’s just jumped right into it.”
Boulanger took little time to make his mark. In the team’s second dual of the season against Hofstra, with the Blue Devils down 14-6, he won a crucial match against the Pride’s Frank Volpe in an 8-2 decision. Duke would go on to win four of the next five matches and win the contest 24-17. … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2026/1/21/wrestling-boulanger-making-impact-as-true-freshman

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

Wolverines Win Final Two Bouts to Claim Back-and-Forth Battle Against No. 11 Illinois

By: Leah Howard
» No. 12 Michigan claimed six bouts, including three of the final four, to defeat No. 11 Illinois, 18-14, in a dual that featured five lead changes; U-M improved to 3-0 in Big Ten duals.
» Hayden Walters (197 pounds) scored a last-second takedown to earn a 5-1 decision and put Michigan back in front in the penultimate match; Taye Ghadiali (Hwt) then clinched the dual with a 7-4 decision.
» Cameron Catrabone (157) erased a five-point deficit with a reversal and four-point tilt in the final minute of his 8-7 decision against Ryan Bennett.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team won three of the final four bouts, including the last two, to secure an 18-14 victory over No. 11 Illinois on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 18) at Crisler Center. The dual featured five lead changes as the Wolverines rallied to improve to 3-0 in Big Ten Conference action.
Redshirt freshman Hayden Walters, ranked 20th at 197 pounds, used a last-second takedown to defeat Dylan Connell, 5-1, and put Michigan back in front in the penultimate bout. After a scoreless first period, the wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third, with Walters holding a :58 riding-time advantage entering the final minute. With the score tied 1-1 and :11 remaining following a restart, Connell attempted a half-shot single, but Walters immediately spun behind to secure the decisive takedown and extend his advantage time to 1:03 for the extra point.
Graduate student Taye Ghadiali sealed the Michigan victory in the final bout, earning a 7-4 decision against Ryan Boersma. Ghadiali scored a pair of first-period takedowns before Boersma narrowed the margin with a second-period score. Ghadiali did not surrender another point, improving to 14-2 on the season.
Illinois captured the dual’s first two bouts to build an early 7-0 lead, though freshman Gauge Botero held top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Lucas Byrd to a 7-2 decision at 133 pounds, riding out the third period.Michigan responded with three straight decisions to take its first lead, 9-7, at the intermission break as graduate students Dylan Ragusin and Lachlan McNeil, along with redshirt freshman Cameron Catrabone, each earned wins to improve to 3-0 in Big Ten duals.
Ragusin blanked Kole Brower, 3-0, at 141 pounds, scoring a second-period reversal and riding out the third to accumulate 3:43 in advantage time. McNeil, ranked 13th at 149 pounds, earned a 10-4 decision … more at … https://mgoblue.com/news/2026/1/18/wrestling-wolverines-win-final-two-bouts-to-claim-back-and-forth-battle-against-no-11-illinois

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

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

January 22, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

No. 7 Hokies defeat Mountaineers in a Center for the Arts masterpiece

BLACKSBURG – In one of wrestling’s most unique experiences, No. 7 Virginia Tech (6-2, 1-0) put on a show in their annual dual on stage with a 39-0 victory over visiting App State (5-5, 2-0) in a sold-out Center for the Arts on Friday night. The Hokies won all ten bouts against the Mountaineers with six coming by way of bonus point and winning both ranked bouts including an upset victory by Jaden Bullock over No. 25 Tomas Brooker to highlight the evening.

Bullock Flips the Script

  • Redshirt senior Jaden Bullock avenged a loss just two weeks prior with an exciting 8-6 decision victory over No. 25 ranked Tomas Brooker at 184-pounds. Brooker took their first meeting at Southern Scuffle via 4-2 decision, but it was Bullock flipping the script in Blacksburg. Bullock notched two takedowns in the first period which proved to be the difference maker for the Hokie.

Hokies Load Up the Bonus

  • No. 4 Eddie Ventresca continued his impressive form with another takedown clinic to secure the 20-5 victory. Ventresca poured on three takedowns in the final minute to register the tech fall for the Hokies at 125-pounds against Colby McBride.
  • At 141-pounds, another freshman from the highly lauded Hokies recruiting class made his dual debut. Drew Gorman erupted for a 16-0 tech fall over Aldo Hernandez to add to the tally for the home team – notching a takedown, three sets of four-point nearfalls, and an escape to secure his first dual start.
  • No. 10 Collin Gaj continues to move up the rankings, adding another ranked victory to his resume with a 10-2 major decision over No. 33 Kaden Keiser. Leading 4-2 with less than a minute left, Gaj converted a takedown into nearfall for a quick six points added to the final score and securing the victory at 149-pounds.
  • Mac Church took the mat at 165-pounds to the tune of a 9-0 major decision over Anthony Conetta. A takedown to four nearfall in the second period for Church was the difference along with an escape and riding time point for yet another bonus point victory for the Hokies.
  • Redshirt junior Sergio Desiante blitzed Joe Zovistski to a 18-2 technical fall in just 4:32 at 174-pounds. Desiante put on a takedown clinic with four takedowns and then adding nearfall points to add more to the total bonus tally for Tech.
  • Finishing off bonus points was No. 17 Sonny Sasso at 197-pounds with an 8-0 major decision. Sasso controlled Logan Eller with two takedowns, a riding time point, and an escape to get back into the win column.

Campbell and Mullen Controlling in Victories

January 22, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | | Leave a comment

DI Live Streaming Guide (1/22 – 1/25/2026)

We’re almost halfway through the first month of 2026! 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. A total of 49 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).

Thursday, January 22:
Presbyterian at The Citadel  6:00 PM  ESPN+
Arizona State at Northern Iowa  7:30 PM  FloWrestling

Friday, January 23:
Gardner-Webb at Campbell  5:00 PM  Campbell YouTube
Michigan State at Purdue  5:00 PM  Big Ten Network
Navy at Bloomsburg  6:00 PM  FloWrestling
Kent State at Northern Illinois  6:00 PM  ESPN+
Bellarmine vs. VMI at Richmond, VA  6:00 PM
Clarion vs. Gardner-Webb at Campbell  6:30 PM
Davidson at Chattanooga  7:00 PM  ESPN+
Edinboro at George Mason  7:00 PM  ESPN+
Ohio State at Minnesota  7:00 PM  Big Ten Network
North Carolina at NC State  7:00 PM  ACC Network Extra
Indiana at Penn State  7:00 PM  B1G+
Columbia at Princeton  7:00 PM  ESPN+
California Baptist at South Dakota State  7:00 PM  MidCo Sports Plus
Stanford at Virginia Tech  7:00 PM  ACC Network Extra
Oklahoma State at Missouri  7:30 PM  ESPN+
Clarion at Campbell  8:00 PM  Campbell YouTube
Northern Colorado at Iowa State  8:00 PM  ESPN+
Ohio at Northern Illinois  8:00 PM  ESPN+
Rutgers at Northwestern  8:00 PM  B1G+
Iowa at Nebraska  9:00 PM  Big Ten Network … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/47_streaming-guide/di-live-streaming-guide-122-1252026-r100770/

January 21, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Huskers Take Down No. 9 Minnesota

With a key pin from Antrell Taylor to give the Huskers an extra six points, the No. 6 Nebraska wrestling team (9-3, 2-0 Big Ten) earned a 20-12 victory over No. 9 Minnesota (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) on Friday night.  The top-10 matchup opened at 125, where Alan Koehler dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 9 Jore Volk. The Huskers responded at 133 as No. 9 Jacob Van Dee collected his ninth straight dual victory, using an early escape to secure a 1-0 decision over Brandon Morvari. 
With the team score tied at 3-3, true freshman Jake Hockaday made his first career Husker start at 141, stepping in to give Brock Hardy a midseason rest. Hockaday battled throughout the bout, but No. 10 Vance VomBaur pulled away with a late takedown to earn a 7-2 decision. 
At 149, Nikade Zinkin battled it out with No. 25 Drew Roberts, scoring three escapes before falling by decision, 6-3, giving Minnesota a 9-3 lead.
The Big Red answered at 157 as fifth-ranked Antrell Taylor faced No. 19 Charlie Millard. The pair were scoreless through the first period before exchanging escapes in the second. Trailing 5-3 in the third after Millard secured a takedown, Taylor delivered a dominant finish, scoring a takedown in the final seconds and turning it into a match tying pin to even the team score, 9-9. The pin marked Taylor’s third of the season and second consecutive dual decided by fall.
After the intermission, No. 8 LJ Araujo kept the Huskers’ momentum rolling, recording a pair of  takedowns and escapes while adding riding time to secure a 9-2 decision over No. 11 Andrew Sparks. 
Next, No. 6 Christopher Minto faced No. 22 Ethan Riddle. Minto recorded a takedown in each period to control the bout and earn an 11-4 decision victory.  In a top-10 bout at 184, No. 9 Silas Allred met No. 3 Max McEnelly for the second time in their careers. After McEnelly defeated Allred in last season’s meeting, the pair went scoreless … more at … https://huskers.com/news/2026/01/17/huskers-take-down-no-9-minnesota

January 21, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

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

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

NCAA DI Rankings Updated (1/13/2026)

We mentioned yesterday in our recap, that this was unexpectedly a great weekend of wrestling. What ensued were lots of high-profile changes in the rankings. Here’s a weight-by-weight look at some of the more notable changes: Surprisingly, 125 lbs was a weight where there were very few changes this week. Typically, this weight is full of chaos, but it was relatively normal for a week. Drexel’s Desmond Pleasant makes his debut after a 4-0 weekend at the National Duals and two ranked wins.
Ryan Crookham returns and slots in at #5. Based on his past body of work, it could be higher; however, he had been away for over a year and hasn’t had any massive wins over the weekend. We decided to rank Jax Forrest for Oklahoma State. Ultimately, I think that’s where David Taylor will turn. #15 is conservative. We know his results on the freestyle scene domestically and abroad. Let’s see it on the collegiate mat. His only win thus far is over a non-starter. Inserting those two bumps almost everyone down a spot or two, so that’s why the rest of the weight might look wonky and guys may drop despite winning.
Luke Stanich and Braeden Davis have been inserted here. Stanich gets a higher ranking initially because of his win over a top ten opponent in his debut. Davis has slightly more of a body of work this year, but no wins of the caliber of Stanich, yet.
With Kaleb Larkin moving up to 157 and more upsets this week, we basically started from scratch at 149. Caleb Tyus is the big beneficiary. He’s officially unbeaten and has wins over Ethan Stiles and Casey Swiderski, so he slides into that #3 slot. It looks like Virginia Tech will be going with Collin Gaj at 149 and Ethen Miller at 157. Remember, only four of Gaj’s seven losses have come at 149 lbs.
We have a new #1. It’s probably could have been either Brandon Cannon or Kaleb Larkin, but we went with Cannon. He is still officially undefeated and all of his wins have  included bonus points – even one over returning champion Antrell Taylor. Larkin starts off his time at 157 with wins over the previous #1 and #3. PJ Duke doesn’t necessarily have the high-caliber wins like Cannon/Larkin, but is lurking at #3.
There’s always a question about how we handle injury defaults. The answer is on a case-by-case basis, with more of a lean towards ignoring the result. That was the case with Charlie Millard’s win over Kannon Webster. It was actually quite a scary situation as Webster appeared to be knocked out on his feet.
Ethen Miller reappears at #16 after his win over Dylan Evans. That area is consistent with his prior work at this weight. Kai Owen makes his debut in the 157 lb rankings after pinning DJ McGee.
There wasn’t much work needed at 165 lbs. There was some shuffling after Brock Woodcock’s win over Ryan Burgos and a loss from Cesar Alvan at the F&M Open. With his win in the Bedlam dual over CKLV champion Carter Shubert, Alex Facundo moves into the top ten. His only losses this year have come to opponents in the top six and he’s generally wrestled a tough schedule. Garrett Thompson is reinserted after his perfect weekend at the National Duals. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/ncaa-di-rankings-updated-1132026-r100754/

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

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