InterMat’s Top Wrestling Stories for 2025
We’ve only got a few hours left in 2025 and are ready to look forward to a big 2026. Before changing the calendar (or letting it update on your phone), let’s take a quick look back at some of the biggest wrestling-related stories of the year for InterMat. Please let us know if you have some that we might have missed!
10. Ohio State wins National Duals Invitational
The college wrestling needs more juice. We need events that excite and energize the fanbases, creating arguments and debate, and hypotheticals. Those things are healthy. It needs to be more than just focusing on those three days in March.
The National Duals Invitational came along and filled that void very nicely. Coming into the event, one of the main storylines was whether or not Oklahoma State’s freshman-laden lineup could win it all. Maybe Nebraska could build off their second-place finish at nationals in 2025. Or trusty Iowa.
What happened was Ohio State’s lightweights blitzed the field and the Buckeyes disposed of Wyoming, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa. Nic Bouzakis debuted at 125 lbs, Ben Davino beat a returning national finalist, and Jesse Mendez prevailed in an NCAA finals rematch.
And for the 400 lb elephant in the room (or not in the room), Penn State. The Nittany Lions declined an invitation to participate. Their absence spurred plenty of debate between fans on social media and on the message board- maybe they should go in the future vs. why do they need to go, would it be better with them or without them, do they have an obligation to go? Those were all questions thrown around by fans in the days leading up to the event and in the aftermath. Whichever side you fall on in the debates, just the conversation and interest is good for our sport.
9. Recruiting/NIL/Transfer Portal
This is a bit of a catch-all for a couple of different topics. Basically, the new-era of collegiate sports wrapped up into one point. Like the “Penn State at National Duals Invitational” topic, you may not agree with one side in the debate; however, there are plenty of people interested in the overall conversation.
As someone who looks at the metrics of articles and social media, recruiting battles, recruiting flips, NIL rumors, and transfer decisions move the needle.
Some of the important stories of the year related to these categories are:
- Bo Bassett’s recruiting graphic/commitment to Iowa/decommitment and signing with Virginia Tech.
- The Hokies, along with Oklahoma State, Penn State, Iowa, and Cornell amassing huge recruiting classes.
- Three 2025 NCAA DI champions transferred in the prior offseason.
- The game of musical chairs at 184 lbs with the Rocco Welsh/Zack Ryder transfers.
- The potential for Jax Forrest to join the Oklahoma State team instead of finishing his final HS season.
- Some notable transfers are not faring as well in their new homes.
- The portal helped make Iowa State into a top-three team after missing the top 20 in Philly.
8. Iowa State finally wins the CyHawk Dual
For the first time since 2004, Iowa State has beaten their in-state rivals, Iowa, in dual meet competition. Iowa head coach Tom Brands had been in his current position since 2006-07 … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/intermats-top-wrestling-stories-for-2025-r100729/
#6 Lander Dominates King 38-6 to Open 2026
GREENWOOD – In a rematch of last season’s Conference Carolinas Championship match, the sixth-ranked Lander Wrestling team opened the 2026 calendar year in dominant fashion with a 38-6 win over King on Friday night inside Horne Arena.
The Bearcats won eight of ten bouts, with seven coming by bonus-point margin, as Lander controlled the dual from the opening whistle.
Kaden Kuenzi got the Blue and Gold rolling immediately at 125, needing just 45 seconds to record a first-period pin and give Lander (11-0, 4-0 CC) a 6-0 lead. #6 James Joplin and #1 Elijah Lusk followed with back-to-back major decisions at 133 and 141 to stretch the advantage to 14-0.
King (5-4, 4-2 CC) answered at 149 with a narrow decision to get on the board, but Lander quickly seized control once again. Reid Noble responded with a 19-3 technical fall in 4:06 at 157 before #2 David Hunsberger added an 18-1 tech fall in 4:28 at 165 to make it 24-4 through six matches. At 174, Sean Crews battled tightly with fourth-ranked Clint Morrisette, falling just short in a 4-2 decision.
Lander clinched the dual at 184 as #8 Dylan Kohn breezed to a 15-0 second-period technical fall, pushing the Bearcats past the 30-point mark. #14 Marvelous Rutledge added another hard-fought win at 197, securing a 4-1 sudden-victory decision over the 15th-ranked wrestler in the weight class, before #13 Isaac Sheeren closed the night in emphatic fashion with a first-period pin (2:06) at heavyweight.
Lander now turns its attention to the NWCA National Duals, … more at … https://landerbearcats.com/news/2026/1/2/wrestling-6-lander-dominates-king-38-6-to-open-2026.aspx
And …
Coker Cruises to a 40-7 Win Over Allen
Mason Moody, Frank Bianco, Benjamin Newton, and Hunter Miller all put 6 points on the board for the Cobras
Hartsville, S.C.: The Cobras started the new year with a win over conference rivals Allen University. The Coker won with a commanding score of 40-7. … more at … https://www.cokercobras.com/sports/wrest/2025-26/releases/20260102npgy95
And …
Maroon wrestling opens 2026 with 51-0 win over Penn College
The Facts:
Score: Roanoke 51, Penn College 0
Location: Front Royal, Va. – Skyline High School
The Short story: The Roanoke College wrestling team quickly defeated Penn College 51-0 Thursday in a non-conference dual hosted at Skyline High School in Front Royal, Va.
The Maroons had two pins and six technical falls.
Roanoke is No. 5 this week in theopenmat.com dual rankings and are No. 6 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll.
How it happened:
*The Maroons opened with three-straight technical falls to go ahead 15-0. … more at … https://roanokemaroons.com/news/2026/1/1/wrestling-maroon-wrestling-opens-2026-with-51-0-win-over-penn-college.aspx
The Comparison Trap in Youth Wrestling
Wrestling is different from most youth sports. There’s no teammate to share the moment with, no lineup to blend into, no one else on the mat when the whistle blows. Every win and every loss belongs to the athlete alone.
Because of that, wrestling parents often feel results more deeply. When another child is winning matches and their own child isn’t, it’s easy to start comparing — and even easier to assume that struggling means it’s time to try a different sport.
But in wrestling, early results are one of the least reliable indicators of long-term success.
Wrestling Exposes Development Gaps Early
In team sports, size, speed, or early maturity can be masked by teammates. In wrestling, they can’t. A stronger or more physically mature child often has a huge advantage at young ages. That doesn’t mean they’re more talented — it means they’re further along in development.
Many wrestlers who struggle early simply haven’t hit their physical or emotional growth phase yet. Strength, coordination, confidence, and mat awareness all come at different times. Comparing two wrestlers at age 9 or 11 ignores the fact that they may be years apart developmentally.
Early Wins in Wrestling Can Be Misleading
It’s common to see youth wrestlers dominate early — often because they’re bigger, stronger, or more aggressive. But wrestling evolves quickly. As athletes grow, competition tightens, technique matters more, and effort alone isn’t enough.
Many early “stars” plateau when physical advantages disappear. Meanwhile, wrestlers who struggled early often surge once their bodies and minds catch up — if they’re still in the sport.
Wrestling rewards persistence more than early success.
Why Parents Misread Losing in Wrestling
Because wrestling is one-on-one, losing can feel like a personal failure instead of part of development. Parents see their child’s hand not being raised and assume:
- They’re not good at wrestling
- They’re falling behind others
- Another sport might suit them better
But losing in wrestling often means a child is learning hard lessons: how to handle pressure, how to problem-solve mid-match, how to keep competing when things don’t go their way. Those lessons don’t show up on a bracket — but they shape better wrestlers long-term.
Switching Sports Because of Losses Sends the Wrong Message
Changing sports solely because a child isn’t winning in wrestling teaches an unintended lesson: that struggle means failure, and that success should come quickly.
Wrestling is supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to challenge kids mentally and physically. … more at … https://iawrestle.com/2025/12/29/the-comparison-trap-in-youth-wrestling/
Women’s and Girls’ Wrestling Is Ready for Its Modern Era
rom 204 high school wrestlers in 1989 to record-breaking numbers today, the sport’s long-overlooked revolution is now impossible to ignore—just in time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
If you were to ask 100 random Americans what the nation’s fastest-growing high school sport is, few would come up with the correct answer: girls’ wrestling.
The release of the documentary All American, which chronicles the challenges on and off the mat of three wrestlers, Naomi, Jo and Arham, arrives at a pivotal moment in the trailblazing journey of girls’ and women’s wrestling in the United States.
Today, a record 47 state high school associations will crown girls’ wrestling champions, with more states adding full-team competitions every year.
At the collegiate level, participation has surged. Earlier this year, the NCAA officially named women’s wrestling as its 91st championship sport. The number of college programs offering women’s wrestling has ballooned—as evidenced by the fact that the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics will soon hold its fourth national championship for women’s wrestling.
At the youth level, USA Wrestling’s iconic Fargo tournament drew more than 2,200 girls this year—a number that would have been unimaginable a generation ago. Team USA’s women are now global powerhouses, routinely medaling in world and Olympic competitions.
To the observer or new fan, girls’ and women’s wrestling seem like a sudden marvel, but the road to our current apex is filled with a long history of resistance, sacrifice and struggle. For years, even after the passage of Title IX in 1972, wrestling remained male-dominated, with opportunities for girls on the mat scarce and resistance to our inclusion supercharged.
For so many girls and women on the mat today, our story dates back to 1989, when five American women—Afsoon Roshanzamir, Asia DeWeese, Marie Ziegler, Janet Trussell and Leia Kawaii—traveled to Switzerland for the Women’s World Freestyle Championships, the first ever Women’s World Championship in which a U.S. team entered. Despite winning three medals during that tournament, they had no financial or organizational support, no national recognition, or parades; yet they persisted, representing a country whose wrestling gatekeepers had little interest or belief in our participation. Despite the hostility, their courage to compete at that time sparked the enduring flame of women’s wrestling in the United States that still reverberates.
Back then, a tiny fraction of girls wrestled in high school. In 1989, the National Federation of State High School Associations—the main body that governs high school athletics—reported that only 204 girls were wrestling at 25 schools nationwide, with virtually all of them on boys’ teams. Yet word spread about the women who had competed in Switzerland and what their example meant.
The following year, in 1990, the first official U.S. Senior Women’s World Team Trials event was held in Vallejo, Calif., with the winners qualifying for the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. The dominant theme of that weekend was not competition but gratitude and community after years of isolation. Girls who had long been alone in wrestling swapped their stories and techniques, molding a foundation for the sports that continued long after that tournament. That sense of community has remained at the forefront … more at … https://msmagazine.com/2025/12/26/womens-girls-wrestling/
Caleb Smith unlocked potential he didn’t know he had
Editor’s Note: This article appeared in WIN’s Volume 32 Issue 4, the Late December Issue.
By John Klessinger
After losing two straight matches as the No. 5 seed at 125 lbs. in the 2023 NCAA Division I Championships, Caleb Smith decided he needed a change. He already graduated from Appalachian State with a degree in marketing. With the COVID year, Smith had two remaining years of eligibility.
Smith recognized at App State he needed to grow. Before his sophomore season, he and two-time All-American Jonathan Millner trained every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6 a.m. “I had to be uncomfortable,” said Smith. “I hated waking up early. The time was one way to do that,” he added.
With two more years of eligibility and a disappointing result at the NCAAs, Smith prayed a lot and decided Nebraska was the place he needed to go. He loved Mark Manning and his staff. Smith spoke to Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion Jordan Burroughs before going to Lincoln about wrestling for the Huskers.
Burroughs told Smith there is a standard at Nebraska. “There is an expectation that you are to work towards being the best version of yourself every day. Not only wrestling, but in everything,” Smith said. Almost immediately, Smith experienced something he didn’t feel at Appalachian State. Being in the Big Ten and a high-ranking program, everything felt bigger than him. He’d go to a store, and people knew who he was. “Nebraska was the most fun I ever had. I loved the training, the competition and the fans. It is special,” said Smith.
The transition, though, didn’t come with immediate success. Wrestling in the Big Ten was not the same as the Southern Conference. Smith lost a bunch of matches early. He struggled with his confidence. He took a lopsided loss to Minnesota All-American Patrick McKee. It changed his career. After that match, a teammate said to him, “If you are doing this for God, why does it matter if you win or lose?” remembered Smith. That realization, along with Manning’s mindset, helped Smith slowly come to believe in himself. “Manning told me to look in the mirror every day and say five times, ‘I am the best,’” said Smith. “I didn’t necessarily believe it, but every time I looked in the mirror, I said it,” he added.
Before the final match of the 2024 Minnesota dual, heavyweight Harley Andrews looked at Smith and said, “I got you.” He was talking about Smith’s loss to McKee. Anderson went out and sealed the dual with an 11-7 victory over Bennett Tabor. “I learned those guys have my back. If I’d fight for them, … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2025/12/26/caleb-smith-unlocked-potential-he-didnt-know-he-had/
Top-ranked Nittany Lions set new Division I win streak record; Second-ranked Buckeyes handle third-ranked Cyclones in Nashville
Manheim, Pennsylvania – A major college record that stood since the early 1950s fell over the weekend as top-ranked Penn State improved to 6-0 and won the program’s 77th dual meet in a row at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville, Tennessee.
Penn State (6-0) shutout North Dakota State and then-No. 23 Stanford and remained atop the most recent NWCA Division I Men’s Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. The Nittany Lions are now tied with Division II St. Cloud State for the longest win streak in NCAA wrestling history. The Nittany Lions can take hold of the NCAA mark on January 10 at Rec Hall when they host Rutgers.
No. 2 Ohio State continued its perfect start, moving to 10-0 with wins over Little Rock, 34-9, and Iowa State, 21-13 also at the Collegiate Duals.
Iowa State split its weekend, defeating then-No. 20 Lehigh 26-11.
Fifth-ranked Oklahoma State added another ranked win with a 22-12 victory over No. 6 Nebraska in Lincoln. The dual drew 7,094 fans, setting a new home attendance record for the Huskers. Nebraska picked up a ranked win on Friday, defeating then-No. 16 North Carolina 27-9. North Carolina would pick up a solid win on the road in Cedar Falls, beating then No. 12 Northern Iowa 19-13. The Tar Heels (7-1) jumped to No. 13 this week, the highest the program has been ranked since it checked in at No. 7 in the final poll of the 2019-20 season.
No. 8 South Dakota State moved to 3-0 with a 45-3 win over Campbell. No. 9 NC State went 3-0 on the week, defeating The Citadel, George Mason and Buffalo.
Back in Nashville, No. 10 Illinois earned two ranked wins, edging then-No. 18 Cornell 21-18 and defeating Lehigh 24-12. Other ranked teams in action saw No.14 Pittsburgh earn a 23-12 win over Edinboro. Oklahoma posted two wins, defeating SIU Edwardsville 23-13 and Duke 40-6.
Cornell split its weekend, picking up a win over Little Rock. Wisconsin (8-0) remained unbeaten with three wins, defeating Lock Haven, Utah Valley and Arizona State.
Stanford earned a win over North Dakota State, while Oregon State … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2025/12/23/national-wrestling-coaches-association-top-ranked-nittany-lions-set-new-division-i-win-streak-record-second-ranked-buckeyes-handle-third-ranked-cyclones-in-nashville.aspx
NCAA D1 Wrestling Week 8 Roundup: 2nd Semester-ers
The world’s finest collection of noteworthy happenings from the 8th week of the 2025-26 NCAA D1 wrestling season.
Merry Christmas from the Caption Hotel in Nashville, where I am currently filling the lobby with the pitter-patter of little fingertips as I type out the latest roundup of noteworthy happenings from the 8th week of the 2025-26 NCAA D1 college wrestling season!
Week 7 Rankings | Week 8 Box Scores
Roundups: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7
I’m going to be totally real with everyone: It’s already 9:00pm on Sunday night, and I’m just now starting the Roundup. As such, it’s going to be a very truncated edition, due in part (although this is not an excuse!) to me leaving for Nashville on Friday and then being enmeshed with the Journeymen Collegiate Duals almost exclusively since then.
So consider it your Christmas gift to me to not give me a hard time this week for leaving out some noteworthy happening that you, the wise and learned fan, thought should have been included. I’m sure I will agree with you that the omission was regrettable!
I will make it up to you next Monday, when there will be literally no NCAA D1 wrestling to round up, with something special, the likes of which I will determine in the interim.
With that housekeeping out of the way, let us turn our attention to…
The Dual of the Century of the Week
Cowboys Spoil the Huskers Record-Setting Crowd
Nebraska hosted North Carolina on Friday and were victorious to the tune of 27 to 9. Sunday, however, was a different story, as most of the 7,094 fans in the Devaney Center left disappointed due to Oklahoma State placing the proverbial lump coal in the stocking by beating the home team 22-12. Still, that crowd, plus having a raised stage, and a national audience on the Big Ten Network, in addition to all the star power on the mat, is enough to earn the DotCotW this week.
#2 Sergio Vega pinning #3 Brock Hardy in the first period set the Cowpokes up for the dub. Antrell Taylor, Chris Minto and Silas Allred all got top ten wins for Nebraska, but it would not enough, especially with Nebraska being without the services of AJ Ferrari. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15042666-ncaa-d1-wrestling-week-8-roundup-2nd-semester-ers
Men’s College Notebook: Penn State Snaps Dual-Meet Record, Ohio State and Oklahoma State notch top-10 wins
Penn State Breaks 74-Year-Old Record
Not only did Penn State set a new DI team record, but they also did it in style. With a pair of wins at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals, the Nittany Lions won their 76th and 77th consecutive duals, breaking the record set by Oklahoma State in 1951.
In Nashville, Penn State shut out both North Dakota State (46-0) and then #23 Stanford (42-0). The last Penn State dual loss was January 31, 2020, at Iowa (19-17).
Nittany Lion Freshmen Shine
There was a lot of discourse this week on social media about ranking true freshmen—predictions versus season results. One thing is for sure, a pair of freshmen in the Penn State starting lineup will be national title threats come March.
Both Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke earned top-10 wins in the Stanford dual. At 133 pounds, Blaze earned a fall over 2025 All-American #6 Tyler Knox (he was up 12-2 at the time). At 157 pounds, Duke downed 2024 All-American Daniel Cardenas, 5-2.
Blaze (10-0) and Duke (9-0) are both undefeated through the first couple of months in their collegiate careers.
Barr’s Season Debut
Returning NCAA finalist Josh Barr made his season debut for Penn State at 197 pounds. He was a perfect 2-0 on the day, as both of his matches ended in the second period via technical fall. His first bout was a 19-3 tech over North Dakota State’s Devin Wasley. In his second bout of the day, Barr scored a dominant, 19-3, tech fall over #20 Angelo Posada of Stanford. In the bout, Barr reeled in five takedowns and a turn before ending the match early in the second period.
Ohio State Reigns Supreme
For the fifth time this season, Ohio State racked up a top-10 win. Even more impressive, the Buckeyes 21-13 win over #3 Iowa State was their third top-5 victory in the first two months of the season. Ohio State once again dominated in the first half of the dual, winning four of the first five bouts to take a 15-3 lead midway through the dual after … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/december/22/men-s-college-notebook-penn-state-snaps-dual-meet-record-ohio-state-and-oklahoma-state-notch-top-10-wins
Breaking down Penn State wrestling’s DI-record 77 consecutive dual wins
When Penn State wrestling beat North Dakota State and Stanford at the 2025 Collegiate Duals, the Nittany Lions not only maintained their undefeated record on the year, but they also broke the NCAA DI record for the most consecutive dual meet wins. The record was previously held by Oklahoma State from 1937 to 1951.
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Here’s the complete list of Penn State’s record 77 (and counting) consecutive dual meet wins, along with the opponent, date, final score and a memorable fact from each of the events. The tally started on Feb. 2, 2020, two days after Penn State lost its last dual to Iowa on Jan. 31, 2020 by a score of 19-17.
1. Feb. 2, 2020: Penn State vs. Maryland, 40-3
Maryland’s lone win came at 125 pounds when Brandon Cray beat Brandon Meredith 8-7.
2. Feb. 7, 2020: Penn State vs. Wisconsin, 29-10
Wisconsin’s Seth Gross beat Roman Bravo-Young 6-5 in this dual; Gross would go on to earn the No. 2 seed at NCAAs that year before the tournament was canceled. Bravo-Young was seeded fifth. Bravo-Young won the NCAAs in 2021 and 2022.
3. Feb. 9, 2020: Penn State vs. Minnesota, 31-10
Penn State’s Nick Lee earned the lone pin in this dual against All-American Mitch McKee in the first period.
4. Feb. 15, 2020: Penn State vs. Ohio State, 20-16
Nick Lee, Vincenzo Joseph and Mark Hall beat All-Americans Luke Pletcher, Ethan Smith and Kaleb Romero, with Joseph and Hall earning bonus points by major and fall.
5. Feb. 23, 2020: Penn State vs. American, 40-3
Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Shakur Rasheed earned pins on senior night. … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-men/article/2025-12-21/breaking-down-penn-state-wrestlings-di-record-77-consecutive-dual-wins
And …
Penn State Sets DI Dual Winning Streak at Collegiate Duals
On a Saturday night in Nashville, Tennessee, the top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions posted two shutout wins to etch their program’s name in the collegiate wrestling record books. The second win of the day, a 42-0 blanking of #19 Stanford, was the 77th straight dual meet win for Cael Sanderson’s program. That 77 number is a DI record. The previous mark was held by the Oklahoma State team from 1937 to 1951. Penn State’s last dual meet loss occurred against the University of Iowa on January 31, 2020.
Other good news for Nittany Lion fans on Saturday was the return of 2025 NCAA finalist Josh Barr at 197 lbs. Barr was injured at the U23 World Championships and had not competed collegiately in 2025-26 before Saturday. He showed no signs of rust with a pair of 19-3 tech falls. The second came over … more at …https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/big-10/penn-state-sets-di-dual-winning-streak-at-collegiate-duals-r100713/
And …
Memorable victories in Penn State wrestling’s record-setting dual win streak
Penn State is coming off a shutout victory over Stanford, breaking Oklahoma State’s 74-year record of 76 consecutive victories, earning win No. 77 over the Cardinals. Throughout the win streak, the Nittany Lions created many memorable moments and victories, holding the No. 1 spot for a majority of the streak. Here are a few of those memorable moments during Penn State’s historic stretch.
Start of the streak
There’s no better way to start than the first win of the 77. Entering the match, Penn State had two No. 1-ranked wrestlers in Vincenzo Joseph and Mark Hall, a No. 2-ranked wrestler, Nick Lee, and a No. 3-ranked wrestler, Roman Bravo-Young.
Those four combined for 22 points towards the dual, with Joseph and Hall recording falls, and Lee and Bravo-Young notching tech falls.
In front of a sold out Rec Hall, the Nittany Lions cruised to a 40-3 victory, with No. 15 Seth Nevills closing things out with a tech fall at heavyweight. It’s been a one-sided matchup between Penn State and the Terrapins throughout Cael Sanderson’s coaching tenure.
Nittany Lions take down Hawkeyes in Iowa City
On Jan. 28, 2022, No. 1 Penn State traveled to Iowa City to take on No. 2 Iowa. The Hawkeyes, with the home crowd behind them, had upset aspirations in an attempt to dethrone the top-ranked Nittany Lions. However, that was put to rest behind Penn State’s top wrestlers, leading the team to a 19-13 victory. The Nittany Lions had four No. 1’s — Bravo-Young at 133 pounds, Nick Lee at 141 pounds, Carter Starocci at 174 pounds and Aaron Brooks at 184 pounds. The biggest of the victories came from Lee and Starocci, … more at … https://www.psucollegian.com/sports/wrestling/memorable-victories-in-penn-state-wrestling-s-record-setting-dual-win-streak/article_2599e6a3-0f42-4aec-b0b9-33a0a2073edf.html
2025-26 Girls High School Wrestling National Rankings – Dec. 19, 2025
Women of Ironman results, weight shifts and inactive stars are reshaping the latest Girls’ National Wrestling Rankings — including new No. 1s, key lineup changes and what’s coming next on the national calendar
This week’s update to the Girls’ National Wrestling Rankings factors in the Women of Ironman results as well as the other tournaments from last week around the country that had results posted online.
Why Weight Changes Matter: Inside Our Ranking Adjustments
We are moving the ladies around as we see them in different weights than we have them ranked. There are exceptions, and these determinations are made when we can see what the girls weighed. Some tournaments post their weight when stepping on the scale.
An example of this is a wrestler that is ranked at 105 pounds competing at 110 yet staying in the 105-pound rankings. After the holiday break, the women like the boys, receive a two-pound weight allowance. Making 105, 107 pounds. If said wrestler weighed in at 108.6, it is very likely she will be at 105 pounds after the break.
We don’t mind moving people around and will do so, but we try to be practical about it and not move people if there is evidence that they will likely stay at the weight where they are currently ranked.
Inactive Standouts Removed (For Now) — And What It Means
As time allows and we’re not seeing some of the girls come across our radar, we are searching for results. In some cases, we are not finding any, which suggests they are homeschooled or only participate during the Spring and Summer Freestyle events.
These athletes have been removed (for now). They will be added back in when they step on the mat. If they are planning on competing during the high school season shoot us a message, but if they are not wrestling, no one as the opportunity to beat them, so it’s not fair to hold on to a ranking if they are not participating.
New No. 1s Emerge as Turner, Leydecker and Joyce Step Aside
This cleared out three previous number ones and escalated new blood into those spots as we’ve witnessed Morgan Turner’s Lockport squad at the Dan Gable Donnybrook and the Women of Ironman sans Turner. Everest Leydecker and Gray Joyce are the other two top-rated girls that we’ve set aside. … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/2025-26-girls-high-school-wrestling-national-rankings-dec-19-2025-01kcvkb1qb5b
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 