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How To Choose A Women’s College Wrestling Program

Here is what a high school girl needs to know when selecting a women’s college wrestling program.
Recruiting season is in full swing, and it’s time to make a college decision. Here is what you need to know about picking a women’s college wrestling program. 
What Are My Options?
Many schools offer women’s college wrestling, ranging from NCAA to NAIA to junior college to California junior college. Below is a breakdown of the number of programs in each division. 
NCAA Division I: 10
NCAA Division II:42
NCAA Division III:81
Total NCAA: 133

NAIA:52
NJCAA: 38
CCCAA: 21
Division III does not offer athletic scholarships, whereas the other divisions do. However, it does not mean you aren’t eligible for financial aid. A Division III program might be less expensive if you meet the qualifications. It’s important to ask questions and understand the process.
Several major colleges don’t sponsor women’s college wrestling but have a club program. These colleges won’t compete at the end-of-year championships but typically wrestle in open tournaments. 
The National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) is a folkstyle option with an end-of-season tournament, but this is a guide for colleges that offer women’s wrestling as a varsity sport. 
All three NCAA divisions compete at the NCAA Championships, but that will change during the 2027 season when Division III programs host a separate championship. 
The best resource to get started is thewcwc.com. It provides detailed information about available college programs and coaches. Most college athletic websites have a recruiting form to get started. 
Also, some colleges created a women’s wrestling program and are in transition. That could mean waiting for a year or two for a varsity schedule to begin. 
Know what you want, be open-minded, and take all your visits. 

What Kind Of Team Do You Want To Be A Part Of?
The answer varies for every wrestler, but it’s important to consider when deciding on a college. Every program has a different competitive level, and every coach has a different vision.
Do you want to be part of a big team or a small team?
Do you want to be part of an upstart or established program?
Do you want … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12794622-how-to-choose-a-womens-college-wrestling-program?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

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

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/

January 1, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Gary Abbott Was The Right Person At The Right Time For USA Wrestling

ary Abbott leaves a lasting legacy after 37 years as USA Wrestling’s director of communications.
By this point, everyone has a Gary Abbott story. My favorite was at the 2019 World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Several members of the U.S. delegation experienced some sort of bug, and, halfway through the tournament, it got Gary. I saw him in the bathroom with a handful of paper towels when I asked what happened. He puked on press row and was about to clean up his mess. 
Gary vomited three times and never left the tournament. He powered through like a Jordan Burroughs double-leg takedown. 
I moved as far away from Gary as possible, hoping to avoid his fate. I held my breath if he was near. I used paper towels to open doors. I didn’t make eye contact. I tried everything. 
Well, it didn’t work. I got sick the next day and puked three times — just like Gary. 
Only I returned to the hotel to recover. Andy Hamilton, Trackwrestling’s content manager at the time (this was at the peak of the Track vs Flo wars), said Gary defeated me 3-3 on criteria since he kept working through the session, and I did not. 
There’s a strong chance we used “BarfingGary1” as a password for one of our Trackwrestling accounts when we returned home. 
This was quintessential Gary Abbott. Nothing would ever stand in the way of getting the job done — even if you have to sacrifice your health to make it happen. There’s a reason USA Wrestling’s executive director, Rich Bender, calls Abbott the hardest working man in wrestling, and Gary always proved it. 
Gary is calling it a career after 37 ½ years as USA Wrestling’s director of communications. He covered the Olympics, World Championships, NCAA Championships, youth tournaments, beach wrestling, and everything in between. 
His greatest legacy will be the advancement of women’s wrestling. There were times when Abbott was the lone voice for a sport that was working to find its place. 
Bender was an intern at USA Wrestling in 1988 when he was asked to make a presentation to the board of directors about sending a women’s team to the 1989 World Championships. The presentation must have worked since the first U.S. women’s World team competed the following year.
He credits Abbott for the presentation and for his groundbreaking women’s wrestling coverage.  “Few, if anyone, has had a bigger impact on the promotion of women’s wrestling than Gary Abbott,” Bender said. “He’s long been a bulldog on the idea of women having the same opportunities as men. Gary doesn’t jump to the front for credit, … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14588959-gary-abbott-was-the-right-person-at-the-right-time-for-usa-wrestling

October 3, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Tony Dungy: An uncommon bond with Minnesota Gophers Wrestling

By Brian Jerzak
Since 1977, the Gopher Wrestling Club has been supporting the Minnesota Gophers’ wrestling program. The year before, the football program graduated, at the time, their career leader in pass attempts, completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes. Many years later, the Gophers’ wrestling program and its NFL Hall of Fame inductee alumni – former Pittsburg Steelers player and former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts – Tony Dungy will continue their long-time relationship with each other with Dungy as the featured speaker at the Minnesota Gophers’ wrestling gala next month. Dungy grew up in Big Ten country, cheering for the maize and blue of Michigan and the green and white of Michigan State.
“I grew up in Jackson, Michigan, and it is midway between the University of Michigan and Michigan State,” Dungy said. “My dad got his undergrad degree from Michigan, and my mom was a Spartan. They both did graduate work at Michigan State, so I grew up on the Michigan State campus. When I was in middle school and high school, my dad would take me to Michigan games. I felt like I was going to go to one of those places. I fell in love with Michigan State. In the middle of my senior year of high school, [Michigan State head football coach] Duffy Daugherty announced his retirement. His number one assistant, Cal Stoll, got the head coaching job at Minnesota. Coach Stoll talked to me about why he was at Minnesota, how wonderful it was, and how I could set my own legacy. I decided I wanted to get away from those campuses. I visited Minnesota, and it was amazing. I decided this was the place I had to be.” Early in his time at Minnesota, Dungy, who had never wrestled a day in his life, struck up a friendship with Gopher wrestler Pat Neu, starting a nearly fifty-year relationship for Dungy with the wrestling program. “At the University of Minnesota, all of the athletes were kind of together in study hall and in the same dorm, and I got to become friends with Pat,” Dungy said. “He was a dynamic wrestler and a good guy. We hung out together on campus and in study halls. I would see how hard the wrestlers worked. They were not only good guys, but they were also so disciplined. That is what caught me. … more at … https://theguillotine.com/2025/04/tony-dungy-an-uncommon-bond-with-minnesota-gophers-wrestling/?doing_wp_cron=1750739698.2963581085205078125000

July 24, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Cuyler Captures Fourth Championship of Freshman Year at Midlands

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Freshman phenom May Cuyler of the seventh-ranked Presbyterian College women’s wrestling team continued an immaculate start to her Blue Hose career on Monday night, winning a first-place crown at the famed Midlands Championships just outside of Chicago.
Eight PC grapplers represented head coach Brian Vutianitis at the NOW Arena for the 60th edition of the Midlands bracket, where Cuyler (160) boosted her outstanding personal record to 16-1. Fellow newbie Carina Giangeruso earned a bronze trinket on Monday by winning back-to-back consolation-round matches, allowing Presbyterian to tally 18 individual W’s in all.
Cuyler’s first three victories came by either technical fall or pin, snatching the gold prize in a highly-competitive decision over North Central’s Tiera Jimerson (10-7). In fact, there were 13 matches between PC and a North Central opponent in the Windy City. Both programs have become a mainstay in the NWCA national top ten. … more at … https://gobluehose.com/news/2024/12/30/womens-wrestling-cuyler-captures-fourth-championship-of-freshman-year-at-midlands.aspx

January 1, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment