Takedown Report

D3 Split A Necessary Step For Women’s College Wrestling

NCAA Division III programs will host a separate championship during the 2027-28 season. What does that mean for women’s college wrestling?
Whether you like it or not, NCAA Division III women’s wrestling programs will host their own championship during the 2027-28 season.
The reason? Competitive balance.
It should shock no one that this was the inevitable direction for women’s college wrestling. Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, so a separate end-of-year tournament makes sense.
D3 Hobart College in Geneva, New York, doesn’t face Power Four Alabama for the NCAA men’s football championship. Why would D3 Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois, face Power Four Iowa for the NCAA women’s wrestling title? “Any time an athletic director adds a sport, the first question they will ask is if we can be reasonably competitive to justify it,” NWCA executive director Mike Moyer said. “No athletic director wants to add a sport where they can’t provide a quality experience. It doesn’t mean they have to win a national title. They just want to know if we can reasonably provide a good experience.”
This is what competitive sports do. 
Double A teams play Double A teams in baseball.
G League teams play G League teams in basketball.
D3 schools face other D3 schools in wrestling. 
“The split was a long time coming, and in the grand scheme of women’s wrestling, it allows us to continue to grow at a high rate,” Eastern coach Andrew Taylor said. “With Division III passing the vote to split off for our own championships, Division II and Division I can use the momentum to continue their growth as well. 
“The split was a long time coming.” – Eastern coach Andrew Taylor
“For our program at Eastern, it really only changes how we approach things for two weekends out of the year. We will still be recruiting athletes who want to chase World Teams, and we will still be creating a schedule that allows us to compete against some of the best programs in the country in all divisions.
“I am excited for what the leadership committee can do to create an incredible event, and our goal will be to chase a team trophy in that first year.”
What About North Central?
For the next two years, all three divisions will compete at the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships in March. This offers a unique historical opportunity for Division III programs to win championships and become All-Americans … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles?nav_id=125

February 24, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | ncaa, sports | Leave a comment

Penn State once again unanimous No. 1 after big win over Ohio State; Nittany Lions win 85th straight, set new indoor attendance record

Manheim, Pennsylvania –With a dominant 36-5 win over second-ranked Ohio State on Friday, top-ranked Penn State extended its dual meet win streak to 85 in a row and set a new indoor dual meet attendance record, putting 16,006 fans inside the Bryce Jordan Center.  
The Nittany Lions improved to 14-0 and are a unanimous No. 1 heading into the final week of the regular season as the most recent NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday. Penn State is the lone unbeaten team left in Division I men’s wrestling this season.  
Ohio State rebounded with a 29-16 win over Maryland. Third-ranked Oklahoma State battled to a 19-12 win over No. 6 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, while Iowa State went 2-0 with a 32-7 win over then-No. 18 West Virginia and a 28-6 victory over then-No. 15 Northern Iowa.
Nebraska picked up two ranked wins, beating then-No. 11 Illinois 28-11 and then-No. 20 Indiana 34-5. Iowa won 19-17 over then-No. 10 Michigan and also topped Purdue 32-6. NC State defeated Duke 32-7, and Minnesota beat Michigan State 37-6.
Rutgers went 2-0, beating Michigan State 29-9 and Princeton 24-9. West Virginia earned a 23-13 win over Northern Iowa. Missouri beat then-No. 16 Oklahoma 23-14, while Wyoming added two wins with victories over Northern Colorado 25-10 and then-No. 16 Oklahoma 24-10.
Lehigh went 2-0 with wins over Penn 24-14 and Bucknell 24-16. Wisconsin knocked off then-No. 10 Michigan 19-17, and Stanford beat then-No. 12 Pittsburgh 21-12. Oregon State closed the week with a 20-11 win over North Dakota State.
Ranked teams are back in action this week, beginning with 11th-ranked Rutgers at Hofstra on Wednesday. Friday’s schedule includes No. 20 Stanford at 12th-ranked North Carolina, Virginia at No. 15 Pittsburgh, and Duke at sixth-ranked Virginia Tech. Saturday features No. 17 West Virginia at Lock Haven, plus No. 5 Nebraska at Utah Valley. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/2/17/national-wrestling-coaches-association-penn-state-once-again-unanimous-no-1-after-big-win-over-ohio-state-nittany-lions-win-85th-straight-set-new-indoor-attendance-record.aspx

February 23, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | ncaa, sports | Leave a comment

Stanford Dominates North Carolina

Cardinal defeats Tar Heels, 28-6

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Jack Consiglio and EJ Parco registered upsets to lead No. 14 Stanford past No. 16 North Carolina, 28-6, Friday at Carmichael Arena.
In its final dual of the season, Stanford (7-6, 4-2 ACC) won eight of 10 bouts, including two by bonus points. North Carolina drops to 9-5 overall and 2-4 in the conference.
Trailing No. 10 Luke Simcox 6-0 in the second period, Consiglio registered a reversal and then turned for the fall in 4:54 to give Stanford a 12-0 lead in the dual. It marks the highest-ranked win of Consiglio’s career, and the sixth ranked victory for the 141-pounder this season. He moves to 12-5 overall and 7-4 in duals.
Parco posted his fourth consecutive win by knocking off No 16 Bryce Harper, 2-1, at 165 pounds. The redshirt freshman, who is unranked, notched his second straight win over a ranked opponent as he improves to 10-6 overall and 6-4 in duals.
No. 9 Nico Provo opened the dual with a 4-1 decision over No. 13 Kysen Terukina at 125 pounds. The redshirt junior scored a takedown in the first and an escape in the second to improve to 11-4 overall and 6-3 in duals. He now has seven ranked wins on the season.
In the only rematch from last season’s dual against Carolina, No. 8 Tyler Knox defeated No. 27 Ethan Oakley, 3-0. The redshirt sophomore, who fell twice to Oakley last season, scored a reversal to start the second period and then rode Oakley out to lock up the riding time point. Knox is now 12-4 on the year and finishes 10-2 in duals. No. 12 Aden Valencia recorded a 16-7 major decision … more at … https://gostanford.com/news/2026/02/21/stanford-dominates-unc

North Carolina Falls To Stanford On Senior Night, 28-6
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Stanford won eight bouts on the night, defeating No. 12 North Carolina, 28-6, Friday evening in Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling action. With the loss, Carolina concludes the regular season with a 9-5 mark in dual competition, including a 2-4 record in conference matches.
On the night, Collin Carrigan (174) and Jacob Levy (285) earned decisions for the host Tar Heels. Carrigan’s 9-7 victory over Stanford’s Collin Guffey was his second-straight ACC win, following last week’s decision against No. 30 Sergio Desiante of Virginia Tech.
Rounding out the match at heavyweight, Levy collected a 9-2 decision against Brokton Borelli. The win for Levy was his first conference victory for the Tar Heel true freshman.  Up next, the Tar Heels travel to the 2026 ACC Championships on Sunday, March 8 in Blacksburg, Va.

No. 20 Stanford 28, No. 12 North Carolina 6
Feb. 20, 2026 | Carmichael Arena | Chapel Hill, N.C. | Attendance: 625
125: No. 9 Nico Provo (Stanford) over No. 13 Kysen Terukina (UNC): 4-1 Dec
133: No. 8 Tyler Knox (Stanford) over No. 27 Ethan Oakley (UNC): 2-0 Dec
141: No. 16 Jack Consiglio (Stanford) over No. 10 Luke Simcox (UNC): Fall (4:54) … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2026/2/20/wrestling-falls-to-stanford-on-senior-night-28-6

February 22, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | ncaa, sports | Leave a comment