Girls’ wrestling now the fastest-growing sport in the Country, and it starts young
When Ben Fallon was growing up in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, all he ever wanted to do was play football. Fallon was in fourth grade, and in Western Pennsylvania, pretty much every boy wants to play football. However, his parents had some strong feelings about that sport. “My parents wouldn’t let me play football, and I was just looking for a sport that I could be really physical in and get some of that energy out that I think all fourth-grade boys have,” Fallon said.
Wrestling was a sport in which he competed during middle school, high school and college. It was a passion for the sport he never really lost because, as he says, it shaped his character and his adult life. “Wrestling for me was a place where there’s no one else to blame but yourself when you are out there,” Fallon said. “You get out what you put in, and you own 100% of your success and your failure. And I liked that.”
“What really made me commit so much time and effort and energy was just wanting to not only win but show myself that I could be one of the best,” he said. When he and his wife, Corrine, got married and started having children, Fallon always believed he might find himself coaching a son. Except the son never came. Fallon, 36, smiles broadly. “I thought when my third daughter was born that wrestling was totally off the table for me,” he said. “I was kind of resigned to the fact that we were going to be a soccer family my whole life.”
And he was fine with that. However, that all changed last winter when his wife ran into the local club wrestling coach at Franklin Regional. He casually mentioned they were having “weigh-ins” if their girls wanted to join up. “When Corrine told me, I didn’t even really give my kids an option,” he said. “I just said, ‘Hey, I have good news. We’re going to try wrestling this winter.’ So it wasn’t like something that I had been planning on doing with them because I didn’t even know we had a girls’ program.”
All three girls, 8, 5 and 3, came to the first weigh-in, wrestled and fell in love with it on their own, Fallon swears. Last weekend, they competed as part of the Franklin Regional Junior Wrestling Program in their first tournament.
The girls are not alone. While the sport of wrestling has long been a male-dominated field, it has experienced significant growth among girls in middle and high school over the past decade. College-level female wrestling has also seen a big boom, Fallon said. “In fact, girls’ wrestling is now recognized as the fastest-growing high school sport in the United States, outpacing both football and basketball,” he said. “Here in Pennsylvania, nearly 250 high schools offer competitive wrestling for girls.”
Colin Dunlap, a Pittsburgh-based talk-radio host who spent … more at … https://www.timesrepublican.com/opinion/columnists/2025/12/girls-wrestling-now-the-fastest-growing-sport-in-the-country-and-it-starts-young/
Southern Virginia University Men’s Wrestling Battles Back Over Shenandoah For ODAC Dual Triumph
Buena Vista, VA — Debuting their new black uniforms, the Southern Virginia University men’s wrestling team secured their first ODAC dual win of the season in dominant fashion, defeating Shenandoah 35–17 behind clutch performances in the final bouts. The Knights struck first at 125 lbs, with Maddox Heck earning a forfeit to give the Knights an early 6–0 lead.
At 133 lbs, Jayton Wellington battled through a physical match. After falling behind 3–0 in the first period, Wellington chose neutral to begin the second and immediately responded with a takedown and four nearfall points. He entered the third period up 7–3, escaped quickly from bottom, and held strong through late stalling and penalty points to claim a 9–5 decision, extending the Knights’ lead to 9–0.
At 141 lbs, Porter Kinne wasted no time, finishing a clean single-leg takedown and maintaining dominant top control before securing a pin, pushing the Knights ahead 15–0.
Shenandoah battled back as 149 lbs saw Corbin Mecham surrender a takedown before being pinned, cutting the lead to 15–6. The Hornets kept the momentum at 157 lbs, where Kyler North gave up an early double-leg takedown and was eventually pinned, narrowing the gap to 15–12 at the halfway mark. Shenandoah briefly took the lead at 165 lbs, as Wyatt Kinne was caught in a hip toss and pinned, giving the Hornets an 18–15 advantage. But the Knights answered immediately.
At 174 lbs, Tanner Giatras delivered one of the night’s most composed performances. He opened with a clean single-leg takedown and continued to push the pace, earning stall points and multiple takedowns to build a 7–1 lead after two periods. Despite a late scramble that tightened the score, Giatras shut the door with a reversal and four-point nearfall to claim a 14–6 major decision, swinging the dual back in SVU’s favor 19–17.
At 184 lbs, Harrison Hoopes fought through an intense back-and-forth match. After falling behind early, he battled to a 10–7 lead after the first period thanks to strong nearfall work. Shenandoah tied the match 10–10 in the second, … more at … https://knightathletics.com/news/2025/12/10/southern-virginia-university-mens-wrestling-battles-back-over-shenandoah-for-dual-triumph.aspx
Iowa State Wins Second CKLV Title in Three Years
LAS VEGAS – Four Cyclones were crowned champions at the 2025 Cliff Keen Invitational as Iowa State ran away with its second team title at the event in the last three seasons.
Iowa State scored 183.5 points to win the team title, well in front of second place Michigan (99) and third place Stanford (97.5). Evan Frost (133), Anthony Echemendia (141), Rocky Elam (197) and Yonger Bastida (285) all won individual titles as ISU had a placewinniner in nine of 10 weight classes. The Cyclones scored 34.5 bonus points in the tournament thanks to 13 tech falls, seven major decisions and four pins.
Evan Frost accepted a medial forfeit from Arizona State’s No. 19 Kyler Larkin (ASU) in the 133-pound finals to win his first CKLV title. Frost had previously finished as runner-up in his previous two appearances in Las Vegas.
At 141 pounds, No. 4 Anthony Echemendia used two second period takedowns to top Rider’s No. 26 Elijah Griffin, 6-2, in the championship match. Echemendia posted a 5-0 record with two tech falls and a major decision en route to his CKLV title.
The night ended with back-to-back Iowa State-Wyoming matchups in the 197- and 285-pound finals matches. It was another high-level test for No. 2 Rocky Elam against No. 6 Joey Novak, who placed fifth at the NCAA Championships last season. Elam secured two takedowns and a riding time point in a 7-3 decision over the Cowboy. Elam logged two top-10 wins on the final day of the tournament and now has three such wins this season.
The heavyweight finals match pitted No. 1 Yonger Bastida against former Cyclone Christian Carroll. Bastida got the better of Carroll in a low scoring affair, 5-3. It marks Bastida’s second CKLV title.
No. 10 Stevo Poulin dropped a 7-0 decision to Stanford’s No. 11 Nico Provo in the 125-pound third-place bout. Provo used a takedown and a quick tilt for three near fall points in the final 30 seconds of the first period which proved to be the difference in the match. … more at … https://cyclones.com/news/2025/12/6/wrestling-iowa-state-wins-second-cklv-title-in-three-year
Wolverines Claim Second Place at CKLV Invitational, Put Five on Podium
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The University of Michigan wrestling team claimed second place at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with five individual placewinners — four in the top four at their respective weights — on Saturday (Dec. 6) at the Westgate Hotel Paradise Event Center. It was the Wolverines’ highest finish at the annual tournament in eight years.
Redshirt freshman Brock Mantanona was the Wolverines’ top performer with a runner-up finish at 184 pounds, improving on his seventh-place showing last season at 165 pounds. Mantanona fell 5-0 to Franklin and Marshall’s 12th-ranked James Conway in the championship match. He could not finish on a single in the air in the first period, then gave up a last-second takedown on the edge to fall behind 3-0 after the first. Conway added an escape point and rode out the third to seal the win.
Mantanona, the top seed and ranked seventh nationally, cruised to an 18-5 major decision against Oklahoma’s 13th-ranked Brian Soldano in the morning semifinals. The Wolverine freshman scored four takedowns, including two in the third period and one at the final buzzer, and a four-point cradle in the first. Mantanona is 9-2 on the season with four ranked wins and five bonus wins.
The Wolverines went 8-1 in the morning session with eight bonus wins to surge back from fifth to second place. Redshirt sophomore Beau Mantanona and graduate student Taye Ghadiali bounced back from quarterfinal losses to post 6-1 records and claim third place at 174 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.
Beau Mantanona, seeded third and ranked 13th, avenged his only loss of the tournament in the medal round, using a counter scramble takedown midway through the third and 1:23 in riding-time advantage to earn a 6-3 decision against South Dakota State’s 24th-ranked Moses Espinoza-Owens. He cradled and pinned Cal Poly’s Cash Stewart at 1:16 in his first bout of the day, … more at … https://mgoblue.com/news/2025/12/6/wrestling-wolverines-claim-second-place-at-cklv-invitational-put-five-on-podium
How Do You Earn A Women’s College Wrestling Scholarship?
Five head women’s coaches from different divisions weigh in on how to earn a college scholarship (and a few of the myths behind them).
How do you earn a scholarship to compete in a women’s wrestling program? The answer is more complicated than one might think.
Below are seven general insights from head women’s coaches at the NCAA (DI, II, and III), NAIA, and junior college levels.
1. Every Program Is Different
This seems obvious, but every school has different tuition rates, different coaches, different needs, different scholarship availability, and different internal expectations.
You might be one of the best high school wrestlers in the nation, but a program has two quality wrestlers at a weight, so the timing and scholarship amount might change based on need.
Some schools have different scholarship amounts. Travis Mercado coaches at Colorado Mesa — a Division II program in Grand Junction. He started with half a scholarship for his entire program, but now he’s at six. “Nobody gets a full athletic scholarship,” said Presbyterian coach Brian Vutianitis. “We are all partial. We have 30 girls, so we have six scholarships to host a team of 30.”
Junior colleges have a different athletic scholarship model. They can offer athletic scholarships to 22 LOI (Letter of Intent) wrestlers. Using a fictitious and even number of $100,000 athletic dollars means a junior college can give varying amounts to 22 athletes. One athlete might get $20,000, another $10,000, and another $5,000 — as long as it adds up to $100,000 between a maximum of 22 athletes. “Junior college commitments are only for one year,” Iowa Central coach Zak Hensley said. “All of our athletes have to re-sign if they return. That price can go up. We never like to take money away from kids, but if they’re not the right fit, you can go a different way, even though we never want to do that to a kid. You can go up or down, but it will pretty much go up for our returners.”
2. There Are Myths About Athletic Scholarships
Clout comes from telling everyone you’re on an athletic scholarship, but math teachers around the world are collectively rolling their eyes.
Tuition at college A might be $50,000, and a coach offers a $10,000 athletic scholarship.
Tuition at college B might be $25,000, and a coach offers a $5,000 athletic scholarship.
Option B is offering less money, but you’ll pay double at Option A. You can tell all your friends and family that you received twice as much athletic scholarship money and neglect to tell them you’re paying twice as much in tuition. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14920493-how-do-you-earn-a-womens-college-wrestling-scholarship
‘Bought-In’ Buckeyes Off To Blazing Start
Ohio State swept its first six duals and only dropped 10 matches along the way, but the fast start has been no surprise to those in the Buckeye room.
Ohio State cruised through the first month of the college wrestling season, winning all six of its duals convincingly while dropping just 10 individual matches along the way.
The Buckeyes are ranked second heading into Wednesday night’s home dual against Bellarmine before Ohio State has another home dual on Dec. 12 against NC State and a trip to Nashville for the Dec. 21 Journeymen Collegiate Duals.
The Buckeyes’ undefeated start — and the dominating fashion in which they’ve accomplished it — has turned heads in the college wrestling landscape. It isn’t a shock, however, to those in their practice room each day. “We’re definitely pleased with how the year has gone,” Ohio State associate head coach J Jaggers said. “But we aren’t surprised. This group has bought in. They’re finding their identity in terms of the style we want them to wrestle, the way they’re all capable of wrestling — their high attack rate, the fact that they aren’t protecting (leads), being fearless the entire match.
“It’s what we’ve preached, and the guys have bought in.” Despite convincing wins over #11 Minnesota (29-6), #7 Nebraska (33-3), #3 Iowa (27-12) and most recently, a 44-0 shutout of Kent State, Jaggers insists the team and staff realize much remains.
“Now the challenge is how we respond when we aren’t playing with house money,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of chatter about our team going into the season. It’s not like we ever left the party. We’ve never left the top 10. But the guys had a chip on their shoulders, and I think that’s helped. It’s good to hunt, to have that chip. “Things have gone well so far this year, but how do we respond when things don’t go according to script? That’s when we’ll really see.”
Buckeye Building Blocks
Jaggers was asked to pinpoint any individual stories or other factors contributing to the Buckeyes’ dominant start beyond their aggressive approach. “It’s what’s fun about this team,” he said. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14861655-bought-in-buckeyes-off-to-blazing-start
Nittany Lions Win Nine Titles at Black Knight Invitational
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Penn State wrestling team (1-0, 0-0 B1G) dominated the action at the Black Knight Invitational on Sunday, Nov. 23. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad notched nine individual champions and had six runners-up.
Penn State sent 20 wrestlers into competition at West Point and 19 placed (with the other bowing out with an injury). An important reminder, NCAA rules state that any result against a teammate does not count as a win or loss, including forfeits, medical forfeits, defaults, etc.
True freshman Nate Desmond won the title at 125. Desmond went 3-0 plus picked up a victory over teammate No. 1 Luke Lilledahl in the finals, winning 5-3. Sophomore Lilledahl went 2-0 with two tech falls to place second.
True freshman Marcus Blaze, ranked No. 14 at 133, won the title as well. Blaze went 4-0 with a pin, two techs and a major, including a 21-6 win over No. 27 Ethan Berginc of Army in the finals.
Junior Aaron Nagao, ranked No. 10 at 141, placed second, suffering an injury default. Nagao used two techs and a decision to advance to the finals before, while leading, suffering an injury to end the bout. Junior Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 1 at 149, took the crown for Penn State. Van Ness went 3-0 with two pins and a tech to advance to the finals. He met teammate Connor Pierce in the title bout and won 14-7. Pierce went 3-0 with a pin, a tech and a major to take second place.
True freshman PJ Duke won the championship at 157. Duke went 3-0 with three first period falls to advance to the title bout. He took on teammate Joe Sealey in the finals and notched a hard fought 2-1 win. Sealey went 3-0 with a pin, a tech fall and a major to move to the finals before dropping the close 2-1 bout to Duke.
Junior Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, rolled to the title as well. Mesenbrink went 4-0 with three pins and a tech fall. He pinned No. 18 Gunner Filipowicz of Army in the championship match.
Senior Levi Haines, ranked No. 1 at 174, took first for Penn State. Haines went 3-0 with three tech falls to advance to the title bout. He took on teammate William Henckel in the finals and posted a hard fought 4-0 win. Henckel, a true freshman, went 3-0 with two tech falls to take second place.
Sophomore Rocco Welsh, ranked No. 4 at 184, took first place at the tournament. Welsh went 2-0 with a tech fall and a major to advance to the finals. He met teammate Asher Cunningham in the finals and notched a 13-5 major. Cunningham, a true freshman, went 2-0 with two majors, including an 11-3 major over No. 17 Aaron Ayzerov of Columbia to place second in his collegiate debut. Redshirt freshman Connor Mirasola won the title at 197. … more at … https://gopsusports.com/news/2025/11/23/nittany-lions-win-nine-titles-at-black-knight-invitational
And …
How Nate Desmond made a stunning debut for Penn State wrestling
The dominating Penn State wrestling program just got another signal that it may, indeed, own its deepest roster yet under coach Cael Sanderson. Welcome to Penn State, Nate Desmond.
The rookie from Bethlehem, Pa. turned heads last weekend with a dramatic victory at 125 pounds in the finals of the Army Black Knight Invitational. Desmond pulled the upset over teammate and NCAA third-place finisher Luke Lilledahl in the finals. Desmond won his first three tournament matches last weekend by a combined score of 39-4 before defeating Lilledahl, 5-3.
It was an impressive collegiate debut for Desmond, who still figures to redshirt this season. He arrived at Penn State after winning two state titles at Bethlehem Catholic and a third at wrestling power Wyoming Seminary. He also won a national prep title as a high school junior. … more at … https://www.ydr.com/story/sports/college/penn-state/2025/11/24/nate-desmond-beat-penn-state-wrestling-teammate-luke-lilledahl/87124357007/
And …
Wrestling School: An Open Letter For Penn State Wrestling To Battle In Beaver Stadium
Beaver Stadium is best known as the home of Penn State football, but this year, the stadium announced it will be welcoming some new guests into its legendary atmosphere. For the first time in program history, both the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams will take the ice on one of the biggest stages in college sports. The event marks a major step forward in transforming Beaver Stadium into a multi-sport venue. As Beaver Stadium begins to welcome other sports, one team that deserves a chance to compete on the iconic stage is Penn State wrestling.
Growing up, I watched Penn State wrestling with my dad, who was a wrestler himself. Even then, I never cared too much about the sport. It wasn’t until I attended my first Penn State wrestling dual meet in high school that I truly fell in love.
The meet was against Rutgers and was held in the Bryce Jordan Center. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but I was floored by the atmosphere. By that point, I had already been to a few Penn State White Out games, and this may be controversial, but the energy at the dual felt just as electric. Knowing a bit about wrestling from my dad certainly helped, but even without that, the energy in the arena was magnetic.
Every single wrestler was met with a surge of applause the moment they stepped onto the mat. But once the whistle blew, the entire place fell silent. Then came that single moment when the Penn State wrestler … more at … https://onwardstate.com/2025/11/21/open-letter-why-penn-state-wrestling-deserves-its-moment-in-beaver-stadium/
NCAA DI Rankings Updated (11/25/2025)
We didn’t have a week filled with duals and results like last week, but there was enough to make an impact on the rankings. It appears we may have another year like 2023-24 at 125 lbs. Chaos every single week. At this point, none of the main contenders are undefeated. The only 125 lbers in the top ten that are completely undefeated are Stevo Poulin at #9 and Nicolar Rivera at #10. With Dean Peterson and the CyHawk dual looming, a win from Poulin might get him into the top tier of contenders. Rivera won’t have any matches with those caliber opponents until the B1G schedule rolls around.
There’s a change at the top at 125 lbs with Luke Lilledahl losing to teammate Nathan Desmond at the Black Knight Invite. At this point, there’s no perfect answer at the weight, as far as the #1 spot goes. We’re going with the returning champion Vince Robinson for now.
At 141 lbs, we removed CJ Composto as he’d expected to sit out the entire fall semester. He will be inserted at a fair spot when he returns.
We’re getting to the point where wrestlers start to drop from the rankings if they don’t compete. The general rule is that I look to do this after they miss three official competition dates. Sometimes less if we have good information about their status, sometimes less if we have solid evidence of a return date. Remember, this is based on their respective team’s dates. For example, Penn State did not compete during the first two weeks of the season. That means that Josh Barr has only missed two dates, despite being out for the month. Should he continue to miss dates, then it could spark a change.
For the rest of the rankings, the big mover was Iowa’s Massoma Endene. He picked up a huge win in Iowa’s shutout win over Pitt. Endene used a last-second takedown to defeat returning All-American Mac Stout. In six matches, Endene has wins over Stout, Cody Merrill, Evan Bates, and Seth Shumate. He isn’t blowing anyone out, but he’s stacking wins. Endene’s rise … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/ncaa-di-rankings-updated-11252025-r100662/
Virginia Colleges news & results
Averett Men’s wrestling defeats Southern Virginia
BUENA VISTA, Va. — Averett University men’s wrestling picked up their second conference win against Southern Virginia University on the road Thursday, defeating the Knights 41-6.
The Cougars (4-1, 2-0 ODAC) dominated in all but two weight classes against the Knights (0-2, 0-2 ODAC), picking up three technical falls, three falls and two major decisions.
Junior Adrian Samano started the match off right at 125 pounds, defeating Southern Virginia’s Jaton Wellington by technical fall 18-2 and giving Averett an early lead. Junior A.J. Orlando III secured a 15-0 technical fall at 133 pounds to increase the Cougars’ lead 10-0.
Freshman Akram Guliyev fell to Southern Virginia’s Porter Kinne by decision. At 149, sophomore Luke Zadrazil picked up his sixth pin of the season at 3:07. Senior Carter Shupert held Kyler North scoreless with a 15-0 technical fall in the 157 pound weight class.
Senior Xavier Swanson continued to impress at 165 pounds, pinning Wyatt Kinne in one minute and 56 seconds. Senior Michael Gabbard picked up his fourth consecutive win of the season the 174 pound weight class by fall at 2:24.
Freshman Bryson Caudle fought to stay close, but ultimately lost by a 5-4 decision … more at … https://averettcougars.com/news/2025/11/20/mens-wrestling-mens-wrestling-defeats-southern-virginia.aspx
And …
Wrestling Sweeps Weekly ODAC Awards
FOREST, Va. – The Shenandoah University wrestling team swept this week’s ODAC Wrestlers of the Week awards, as announced by the conference on Monday.
Sean Rinebolt earned the conference’s Lighter Weight Wrestler of the Week, and Tyler-Nicholas Ritz was named Heavier Weight Wrestler of the Week.
Rinebolt, wrestling at the 141 weight class, placed second at the Shenandoah Invitational on Sunday. The senior 3-1 at the invite, winning by fall in his first two matches of the day and advancing to the championship round after a victory by decision in the semifinals.
Ritz, a transfer from Averett, wrestled at 174 and placed fourth this weekend. The Moseley, Virginia native won his first and second round bouts by fall, before earning another victory by fall … more at … https://suhornets.com/news/2025/11/17/mens-wrestling-wrestling-sweeps-weekly-odac-awards.aspx
And …
Cavaliers trounce Wasps in Virginia
EMORY, Va.— The Montreat College women’s wrestling team traveled to the state of Virginia Thursday evening for its initial team dual matchup of the year. Going head-to-head against the Emory & Henry University Wasps, the Cavaliers rolled past the hosts, cruising to a 38-10 triumph and matching the second-largest margin of victory in program history. With the lopsided win, the Cavs start the year 1-0, while the Wasps begin the campaign 0-1.
Montreat jumped out to a 30-0 advantage before Emory & Henry managed to find its way onto the scoreboard. Manoela Almeida, Ashlyn Eggers and Dayra Martinez recorded forfeit victories across the opening three weight classes. Daniela Espinal, Annastasia Skoda and Izzy Campbell then followed up those free wins with three consecutive pins at 124, 131 and 138. Espinal scored five points for her squad in 1:20, while Skoda and Campbell did the same in 1:41 and 5:00, respectively.
The Wasps scored back-to-back wins in the 145-lb and 160-lb weight classes. An 11-0 tech fall got the hosts on the board, and a pin in 59 seconds helped Emory & Henry close the gap further. However, 30-9 proved to be as close as the home side could get.
Shay Potter, who is tied for No. 20 at 180 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 poll, seized a tight 4-3 decision over her opposition. Daniella Jenkins then wrapped up the evening with a win via pin, needing just 1:29 to do so in the 207-lb matchup. … more at … https://montreatcavaliers.com/news/2025/11/6/womens-wrestling-cavaliers-trounce-wasps-in-virginia.aspx
And …
No. 8 Lehigh Downs Duke, Virginia at Journeymen WrangleMania
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 8 Lehigh opened the dual meet season Saturday by defeating a pair of ACC opponents at Journeymen WrangleMania, held at Liberty High School. The Mountain Hawks opened the day with a dominant 38-7 victory over Duke, with Lehigh claiming bonus points in all eight of its match wins. Lehigh’s second dual of the day was a back-and-forth affair against Virginia, with wins from junior Rylan Rogers at 184 and graduate student JT Davis at 197 carrying the Mountain Hawks to a 21-17 victory.
Rogers and Davis both went 2-0 on the day along with graduate student Sheldon Seymour (125) and senior Max Brignola (165). Sophomore Logan Wadle and first-year Mason Ziegler both bumped up to 133 and picked up their first career dual meet victories.
Lehigh won the first six bouts against Duke, taking a 23-0 lead in the process. … more at … https://lehighsports.com/news/2025/11/8/mens-wrestling-no-8-lehigh-downs-duke-virginia-at-journeymen-wranglemania
And …
King Wrestling Dominates Ferrum 31–16, Falls in Tight Battle to Mount Olive 23–19 in Tri-Meet Showdown
Tigerville, S.C. – The King University men’s wrestling team (1-1) split its tri-meet Tuesday evening, rolling to a 31–16 win over Ferrum College before dropping a tight 23–19 decision to the University of Mount Olive inside Hayes Gymnasium. The Tornado picked up bonus points in multiple bouts against Ferrum, showcasing dominance across the lineup, but came up just short in a back-and-forth battle with Mount Olive.
King’s victory over Ferrum was highlighted by three technical falls and two pins, while veterans like Jamarius Koshko, Clinton Morrisette, and David Bertrand led the charge. Against Mount Olive, King battled through several close decisions, but the Crusaders capitalized on a pair of forfeits and edged out the team score.
King vs. Ferrum
The dual began at 125 pounds, where Ferrum’s Riley Conway opened with a major decision over Phoenix Sandifer (8–0). King quickly responded at 133, as Gilbert Balbuena pinned Josiah Canales at 4:57 to put the Tornado on the board.
Alex Fernandez III followed with a 9–6 decision at 141, and Jamarius Koshko delivered a dominant tech fall (17–2, 4:03) at 149. David Bertrand added a 7–4 decision at 157 before Ferrum regained points with a forfeit at 165.
King answered emphatically at 174, where Clinton Morrisette pinned Genowa Lane in just 55 seconds. Luke Justice controlled his bout at 184 with a 7–1 decision, and Bertrand returned at 197 to post another tech fall (17–2, 3:43). Ferrum closed with a pin at heavyweight, but King’s Josef Pociask capped the dual with a 19–4 tech fall at 2:31 in an extra match.
Final Score: King 31, Ferrum 16
King vs. Mount Olive
Mount Olive struck first at 125, as Christian Luker earned a tech fall (15–0, 1:43) over Sandifer. Eli Pendergrass followed with a 9–3 decision at 133, and Jeffrey Richards added a 4–0 win at 141 to give UMO an early lead. … more at … https://kingtornado.com/news/2025/11/13/mens-wrestling-king-wrestling-dominates-ferrum-31-16-falls-in-tight-battle-to-mount-olive-23-19-in-tri-meet-showdown.aspx
Denny Making Impact For NC State As Pack Wait For Arrival Of Key Veterans
Freshman Will Denny has been a key piece for the NC State wrestling as it waits for the arrival of All-American Isaac Trumble and transfer Patrick Brophy.
Between now and the turn of the calendar to 2026, NC State will have seven non-conference duals. Among the Pack’s upcoming duals will be battles against a pair of Big Ten opponents — at #2 Ohio State and against #14 Rutgers. “We are going to see some really good, high-level guys,” head coach Pat Popolizio said.
That stretch starts this weekend with a road trip to Appalachian State. “We just need to be ready every week and make those adjustments to get your hand raised,” Popolizio said.
Upper Weight Reinforcements Arriving Soon
NC State has been dealing with the absences of a 2025 All-American and another 2025 NCAA qualifier this first month of the season at the upper weights. At heavyweight, Isaac Trumble finished fourth at the NCAA Championships last year. However, during that run to his first podium finish, he suffered a knee injury but gutted out his final few matches.
After the season he had surgery and spent the entire summer rehabbing the injury. He was just cleared for full participation during the first week of the season but has been held out of action thus far. “Health-wise, he is in a very good spot,” Popolizio said. “We are going to err on the side of caution. To me, I’d rather have a guy like that win a national title than throw him in and compete to win a dual. “We continue to work with our trainer and doctors, and I think we have a really good plan. We are just going to have to be patient.”
The Pack will also have a new addition joining the team soon. Patrick Brophy has already signed a financial aid agreement with NC State and will be joining the team for the second semester at 197 pounds. Due to a late coaching change at The Citadel, Brophy was able to transfer and be eligible this season. At The Citadel, he was a two-year starter and an NCAA qualifier last season. He is currently ranked #27 nationally by FloWrestling. “I feel once he’s in our room full-time, he is going to make some big gains and already has some really good wins under his belt,” Popolizio said … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14831405-denny-making-impact-for-nc-state-as-pack-wait-for-arrival-of-key-veterans
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 