The NCWA experienced a 14% growth in the Men's division this year to 1,651 athletes while the Women's division grew by a 40% margin up to 290 athletes total. With this growth, the NCWA expects the 2024 NCWA National Championship to be the largest in history, surpassing the 2023 National Championship held in Puerto Rico. Both the Men's and Women's divisions require qualification at one of nine conference tournaments. The men have to place top-2 to top-6 for auto-bids depending on conference (plus wild cards) while the women all move on to the Nationals with Conference placement used as seeding criteria.

The NCWA has released the automatic bids and wild cards for each conference as follows:

Grays Harbor College won 5 of 7 head-to-head matches against Ottawa University (Arizona) to win the 2024 National Collegiate Wrestling Association Women’s National Duals on Saturday at Hoquiam High School.

The Lady Chokers opened the dual meet by defeating Fresno State 48-18 in Round 1 followed by a 36-30 win over Washington State in the second round.

After falling to Utah Tech University 39-24, GHC was paired up against Ottawa University (Arizona) in the final round.

The Lady Chokers defeated Ottawa 39-24, led by wins from Aliya Hammons (116 pounds), Elizabeth Patana (136 pounds), Courtney Jones (143), Hailee Stoken (155) and Reneah Ureste (235).

The head-to-head victories turned out to be the tie-breaking factor as both the

When Washington State University senior James Cox became president of the WSU wrestling team three years ago, he and coach Phil Burnett had a vision of building the team into one of the best club teams in the nation.

It was a tall order, considering the world was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and WSU’s wrestling team, like others across the country, could not practice or compete. The pandemic was hard on Cox, who enjoys the camaraderie and competition the sport offers, but it motivated him to think about what the wrestling program at WSU could look like once restrictions loosened.

After finishing 2nd and 3rd, respectively, at the NWCA Multi-Divisional Duals, long-time Mid-Atlantic Conference rivals, Liberty and Apprentice headed back home to take on some of the top teams from NCAA-D2, NCAA-D3, and NJCAA in the 43rd Annual Virginia Duals in Hampton, VA.

Day 1 Results

Liberty got the #8 seed in the 16-team American Division field and promptly defeated #9 seed Frostburg State (NCAA-D2) 28-13. Winning matches for the Flames were Scheeringa (125), Brown (141), Stewart (157), Over (165), Kaminski (174), Goddard (184), and Miller (197). The next round saw Liberty take on the #1 seed and eventual champion Alvernia University (NCAA-D3). This match ended in a 36-11 defeat with wins by Hayes (184) and Wheeler (285). Garrett Good lost a close 4-1 match in sudden victory to Brandon Flores-Salazar at 149 and 2x defending NCWA Champion Josiah Murphy lost 6-3 to Mauro Pellott at 197.

The Apprentice School received the #10 seed and had to face #7 Belmont Abbey (NCAA-D2) in a rematch from an earlier dual at the Averett Cougar Duals. The Builders won that previous match, but on this day Belmont came out on top 23-16. Winning for Apprentice were Olgers (125), Messick (133), Robins (141), and Uribes (285). Next up, the Builders took on Rowan College of South Jersey (NJCAA) where everyone in the Apprentice lineup won in an convincing 59-0 matchup. Pinning for the Builders was Robins (141), Alves (149), Norris (157), Seaton (174), Henson (197), and Uribes (285).

A full box score can be seen HERE.

Day 2 Results

Liberty would once again get in the win column facing off against a tough Centenary University (NCAA-D3) with a 29-22 victory. Winning for the Flames were Good (149), Stewart (157), Over (165), Goddard (184), Murphy (197), and Wheeler (285). In the 5th place match, Liberty would come up just short to King University (NCAA-D2) 29-18. Winning in defeat were Scheeringa (125), Stewart (157), Kaminski (174), and Murphy (197.

Apprentice won 6 matches out of 10 against former NCWA Penn College of Technology (NCAA-D3). Winning for the Builders were Olgers (125), Robins (141), Alves (149), Kissell (165), Seaton (184), and Henson (197). In the 9th place match, the Builders would come up short against Frostburg State (NCAA-D2) needing only 1 decision to flip in order to win the dual, losing 25-21. Winning for the Builders were Robins (141), Kissell (165), Seaton (184), and Uribes (285). Close losses included Dillon Messick to Thierno Diallo 13-9 at 133, David Norris to Mason Buckler 2-0 at 157, and Matthew Henson to William Applegarth 14-10 at 197.

A full box score can be seen HERE.

Bellarmine University had a mission to complete on Day 2 of the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa (UNI Dome): dominate the competition and repeat as NCWA National Dual Champions. Buffered by a lineup with 5 #1 ranked wrestlers, the Knights took out the other top schools in successive order with wins over #4 seed Dubuque WC 54-6, #3 seed Liberty 44-12, and #2 seed Apprentice 49-6. In all, only 2 actual matches were lost by the Knights with soon-to-be #1 ranked wrestler Jahleel Armstrong of Liberty out-pacing soon-to-be #2 ranked Trayce Eckman at 133 and Josiah Murphy of Liberty defeating Kalob Johnstone at 197. Bellarmine will head into both the Great Lakes Conference and NCWA National Championships as favorites to win. Last year, Bellarmine was runner-up to Grand Valley State at the GLC but came out victorious at the NCWA Championship in Puerto Rico. The top-4 teams at the duals ended up being Bellarmine, Liberty, Apprentice, and Washington State.

Day 2 Dual Results:

#1 Bellarmine 54 #4 Dubuque WC 6 [highlight matches: 125 - #1 Damion Ryan (BELL) dec #3 Tanner Higa (DUB) 14-8 / 285 - #13 Will Muckler (BELL) mdec #7 Franco Fontela (DUB) 12-4]
#3 Liberty 37 #2 Apprentice 18 [highlight matches: 125 - #2 Caleb Olgers (APPR) dec #18 Aiden Scheeringa (LIB) 15-12 / 133 - #5 Jahleel Armstrong (LIB) fall #1 Dillon Messick (APPR) 4:14 / 165 - #9 David Over (LIB) mdec #6 Landon Kissell (APPR) 12-2 / 285 - #5 Wade Wheeler (LIB) fall #6 Dustin Uribes (APPR) 2:39
#5 Washington State 48 #7 Colorado State 12 [highlight match: 157 - #6 Mitchell Helgert (WSU) fall #18 Fernando Luna (CSU) 1:17]
#6 Central Florida 41 #7 Colorado State 18
#6 Central Florida 34 #5 Washington State 18 [highlight matches: 133 - #12 Kevin Kerns (UCF) fall #13 Kobe Bui (WSU) 2:14 / 174 - Noel Fuentes (UCF) dec Alex Ford (WSU) 15-12 SV1]
#3 Liberty 42 #4 Dubuque WC 10 [highlight matches: 125 - #3 Tanner Higa (DUB) mdec #18 Aiden Scheeringa (LIB) 8-0 / 285 - #5 Wade Wheeler (LIB) dec #2 at 235 Joseph Pineda (DUB) 4-1 SV1]
#1 Bellarmine 49 #2 Apprentice 6 [highlight matches: 125 - #1 Damion Ryan (BELL) fall #2 Caleb Olgers (APPR) 4:13 / 133 - #4 Trayce Eckman (BELL) mdec #1 Dillon Messick (APPR) 17-6 / 174 - #2 at 165 Cole Nance (BELL) dec unranked Josh Seaton (APPR) 11-7 / #13 Will Muckler (BELL) dec #6 Dustin Uribes (APPR) 7-2
#2 Apprentice 46 #4 Dubuque WC 14 [highlight matches: 125 - #3 Tanner Higa (DUB) mdec #7 Nathan Gipson (APPR) 11-0 / 285 - #2 at 235 Joseph Pineda (DUB) default #5 at 197 Caleb Hartung (APPR)

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: #1 Bellarmine 44 #3 Liberty 12 [highlight matches: 125 - #1 Damion Ryan (BELL) tech #18 Aiden Scheeringa (LIB) 19-2 / 133 - #5 Jahleel Armstrong (LIB) dec #4 Trayce Eckman (BELL) 9-3 / 197 - #1 Josiah Murphy (LIB) dec #14 Kalob Johnstone (BELL) 9-2 / 285 - #13 Will Muckler (BELL) fall #5 Wade Wheeler (LIB) 5:42

TEAM PLACEMENT:

CHAMPION: Bellarmine University (6-0)
RUNNERS-UP: Liberty University (5-1)
3rd: The Apprentice School (4-2)
4th: Washington State University (3-3)
5th: University of Central Florida (3-3)
6th: University of Dubuque WC (3-3)
7th: Colorado State University (0-6)

For match by match results, click READ MORE below

The NWCA Multi-divisional National Duals hosted at the UNI Dome in Cedar Rapids, Iowa started off on Friday on 28 mats. The NCWA Men's competition saw very few surprises as the top-3 seeds held serve but #5 seed Washington State pulled the upset over #4 seed (and top-ranked NCWA-D2 program) Dubuque WC.

Day 1 Dual Results:

#1 Bellarmine 57 #7 Colorado State 0
#2 Apprentice 43 #6 Central Florida 17 [upset alert: Kevin Kerns (UCF) pinned #1 at 133-lb Dillon Messick (APPR)]
#3 Liberty 57 #5 Washington State 0 [close call: #2 at 157-lb Reid Stewart (157) dec #6 at 157-lb Mitchell Helgert (WSU) 5-3]
#4 Dubuque WC 39 #6 Central Florida 20 [upset alert: Aidan Linden (DUB) pinned #2 at 149-lb Thomas McCane (UCF) at 157]
#1 Bellarmine 57 #5 Washington State 0
#4 Dubuque WC 39 #7 Colorado State 18 [close call: #2 at 235-lb Joseph Pineda (DUB) dec Cannon Kelly (CSU) 4-2 at 285]
#2 Apprentice 45 #5 Washington State 18 [feature match: #6 at 157-lb Mitchell Helgert (WSU) pinned #6 at 149-lb Zachary Ortega (APPR)]
#3 Liberty 56 #7 Colorado State 6
#1 Bellarmine 53 #6 Central Florida 6 [key match: #4 at 133-lb Trayce Eckman (BELL) mdec Kevin Kerns (UCF) 20-10]
#2 Apprentice 47 #7 Colorado State 18 [upset alert: #18 at 157-lb Fernando Luna (CSU) pinned #6 at 149-lb Zachary Ortega (APPR)]
#3 Liberty 40 #6 Central Florida 16 [key matches: #2 at 149-lb Thomas McCane (UCF) mdec #7 at 141-lb Blake Schmitt (LIB) and #1 at 197-lb Josiah Murphy (LIB) dec unranked Ben Hughes (UCF) 4-1]
#5 Washington State 42 #4 Dubuque WC 12 [upset alert: #13 at 133-lb Kobe Bui (WSU) dec #2 at 125-lb Tanner Higa (DUB) 18-13]

For match by match results, click READ MORE below

Duals on Saturday:

9 AM: #1 Bellarmine vs. #4 Dubuque WC
9 AM: #2 Apprentice vs. #3 Liberty
9 AM: #5 Washington State vs. #7 Colorado State

10 AM: #6 Central Florida vs. #7 Colorado State

11 AM: Winner of Bellarmine/Dubuque vs. Loser of Apprentice/Liberty

11 AM: Loser of Bellarmine/Dubuque vs. Winner of Apprentice/Liberty
11 AM: #5 Washington State vs. #6 Central Florida

3 PM: Loser of Bellarmine/Dubuque vs. Loser of Apprentice/Liberty
3 PM: Winner of Bellarmine/Dubuque vs. Winner of Apprentice/Liberty - CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

The NCWA Women's National Duals and National Championships in 2023 were dominated by Ottawa University - Arizona. The Women's division will be a dog-fight this year as Grays Harbor and Ottawa both look very strong!

The current #1 ranked wrestlers in the Women's Division are as follows:

101 - Olivia Atkins (Fr, Ottawa - Arizona) 9-4
109 - Hermelinda Mendoza (Sr, Ottawa - Arizona) 3-0 [2x Defending National Champion]
116 - Mia Armstrong (Sr, Texas - Arlington) 2-0
123 - Lauren Mills (Fr, Utah Tech) 14-0
130 - Viveca Pannell (Jr, M.I.T.) 9-3 [Defending National Champion]
136 - Samantha Tuttle (Sr, Grand Canyon) 2-0
143 - Veloria Pennell (So, M.I.T.) 9-3 [Defending National Champion]
155 - Leilani Frazer (So, Santa Rosa JC) 3-1
170 - Samantha Meyer (Jr, Big Bend CC) 0-0 [Defending National Champion]
191 - Renaeh Ureste (Jr, Grays Harbor) 12-2 [Defending National Champion]
235 - Kali Hood (So, Grays Harbor) 4-1

The top-10 teams in the NCWA Women's Division are as follows:

1. Grays Harbor - 65
2. Ottawa - Arizona - 58
3. Liberty - 44
4. Washington State - 37
5. Grand Canyon - 33
6. Santa Rosa JC - 32
7. Utah Tech - 31
8. Colorado State - 27
9. Big Bend CC - 25
10. Allen - 22

For a full list of top-10 rankings per weight and the top-15 for NCWA-Women's click READ MORE!

The NCWA National Duals and National Championships in 2023 were dominated by Bellarmine University. 2024 is starting out looking like a repeat for the Men's Division.

The current #1 ranked wrestlers in the Men's Division are as follows:

125 - Damion Ryan (RS Fr, Bellarmine) 9-3
133 - Dillon Messick (Sr, Apprentice) 7-3
141 - Alfonso Vargas (Sr, Florida) 1-1 [Defending National Champion]
149 - Zac Cowan (Jr, Bellarmine) 11-3 [Defending National Champion]
157 - Gray Ortis (Fr, Bellarmine) 10-2
165 - Grant O'Dell (So, Bellarmine) 11-1 {defeated Nat'l Champ / teammate Cole Nance who is ranked #2}
174 - Zachary Kaminski (So, Liberty) 6-5
184 - Ben Liss (Sr, Rutgers WC) 10-1
197 - Josiah Murphy (Gr, Liberty) 8-0 [2x Defending National Champion]
235 - Jacob Meek (Sr, Toledo) 9-4
285 - Thadd Huff (So, Bellarmine) 11-4

The top-10 teams in NCWA-D1 are as follows:

1. Bellarmine - 77 pts
2. Apprentice - 60
3. Liberty - 58
4. Lindenwood - 47
5. Thomas More - 42
6. Toledo - 25
7. Florida - 23
8. Allen - 22
9. Springfield Tech - 20
10. Queens - 17

For a full list of top-20 rankings per weight and the top-20 for NCWA-D1 and top-10 for NCWA-D2 click READ MORE!

Liberty graduate 197-pound wrestler Josiah Murphy and 157-pounder Reid Stewart went 4-0 and 5-0 in their respective weight classes to lead the Flames.

Liberty University's men's wrestling team finished fifth out of 12 teams in Friday's and Saturday's Blithe Memorial Duals, hosted by Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich.

"This tournament has a very special meaning to me due to it being named after my late grandson whom we lost at birth," Flames Head Coach Jesse Castro said noting that Blithe was the son of Cornerstone Head Coach Chris Williamson, his son-in-law who formerly served as assistant coach at Liberty.

Castro said the tournament field was a step up from last year's eight-team draw, and that the Flames lost to both the eventual champion and runner-up team.

Bryan Knepper credits his love for the Detroit Lions as one of the reasons he has such a passion to rebuild a college wrestling program like few others could.

“I’m almost an apologist,” laughed Knepper. “We are not really fans, but those who have been beaten down over the years.”

But that opinion of his beloved NFL team has changed as the Lions had a winning record last year and led their division this fall after eleven weeks. What’s more, the HBO-produced “Hard Knocks” series on the Lions inspired him to use such a medium in his higher goal to rebuild the University of Toledo wrestling program.

“It got me so pumped up about the Lions and believing in. >>>. Read More

The National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) has been around since 1997 and has expanded from 20 programs that inaugural season to over 175 programs in the United States, Canada, and the island of Puerto Rico. The 2023 season has seen a rapid expansion both in new programs AND in programs that were once in the NCWA but had disbanded at some point in time. On top of this, the NCWA added 7 new athletic department programs in Puerto Rico during the 2022-2023 season culminating in the 2023 National Championship in San Juan, PR. Finally, the NCWA currently has 6 programs transitioning from one National Governing Body (NGB) to another, which makes them post-season ineligible.

The showdown featured intense bouts and unexpected turns that kept the audience engaged throughout the evening.
The action kicked off at the 141-pound weight class, where Northeastern's Michael Tavares showcased his dominance with a commanding technical fall victory over Caleb Baliton of UMass. Tavares demonstrated his prowess on the mat, securing a 17-1 victory and setting the tone for a competitive dual.
However, UMass quickly retaliated at the 149-pound weight class, as Beckett Herman pinned Northeastern's Ezekiel Gunnison in a contest that lasted 2 minutes and 46 seconds. The pin not only earned valuable team points for UMass but also shifted the momentum in their favor.
The 157-pound weight class witnessed an unexpected

Liberty University's men's wrestling team got a preview of the level of competition it can expect to see in Saturday's Lindenwood Open when the Flames wrestled the Lions in a dual match on Friday in St. Charles, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.

Lindenwood opened a 19-0 lead before Liberty finally got on the scoreboard by virtue of a forfeit win before pulling within 19-12 on a pin by 165-pound graduate Reid Stewart over Logan Johnson. But the Flames would get no closer as the Lions went on to win the last four matches, the last two by fall, in a 34-12 triumph.

SHENANDOAH, Va. - The Apprentice School wrestling team was on the road this past weekend competing at Shenandoah University. The invitational had seven teams competing in the tournament ranging from NCAA Division II to junior colleges. The Apprentices showed up with five starters out of their lineup for healing purposes from the week before and still managed to pull a solid fourth place finish (93 points) behind Johns Hopkins University (103 points), Shenandoah University (138 points) and Frostburg State University (143.5 points).

The Toledo Rockets haven't dropped off much since the end of the 2022-2023 season, where they finished a record-high 6th place in the NCWA-D1. Fueling the season early for Toledo has been Senior standout Jacob Meek (Oregon Clay HS). Meek finished in 3rd place at 285 at the 2023 NCWA National Championship in San Juan, PR to claim All-American honors.

In a match featured on ESPN+, the Bellarmine Knights wrestling team sweeps dual with Kentucky Wesleyan in electric home opener with 2000 in attendance

https://athletics.bellarmine.e...

OUAZ Women's Wrestling has another strong recruiting class for the 2023-2024 season. With 12 new team members, OUAZ's defending National Champion team looks to stay very competitive.
There are two, 2 time State finalists from Utah. Anja Hansen was the State Champ last year and Runner-up the year before. Alyssa Lujan was a 2 time State Runner-up.

There are also two other State Placers in Olivia Atkins from Missouri and 2 time State Placer Deonne Gonzalez from Texas.
Additionally, the team has other multi-time State Qualifiers, a Masters Qualifier, and a District Champion.
"This is shaping up to be an amazing team" Cruz said. We also have

Liberty University men's wrestling team's Fall 2023 recruiting class includes a trio of student-athletes who should help the Flames contend for their fifth NCWA National Duals and Grand National championships in six seasons next spring.

Jahleel Armstrong, a Virginia High School League Group 6A 126-pound state champion at Grassfield High School in Chesapeake, Va.; Giovanni DeGeorge, a 141-pound competitor for two-time-defending New Jersey Group 3 state champion Delsea Regional High School; and Timothy Goddard, a Massachusetts 182-pound state champion and New England runner-up from Algonquin Regional High School will bring tremendous experience to Liberty Mountain as they compete for the Flames over the next four seasons.

Liberty is coming off runner-up showings to Bellarmine University at both the NCWA National Duals in Louisville

NEWPORT NEWS - The Apprentice School wrestling team and head coach Micah Amrozowicz has announced the 2023-24 schedule.
The season kicks off with wrestle offs on October 27 before the first tournament of the year at James Madison on November 5. The Builders will then head to Averett for the first time of the season on November 12 before returning to Danville on December 9 for the Cougar Duals.
Apprentice will travel to Shenandoah on November 19 and York, Pennsylvania, for the New Standard Invitational on December 1. The 2023 portion of the schedule ends with a December 22 trip to the Wilkes Open.

The Builders jump right back in

Pullman, WA — The Washington State University Men & Women’s Wrestling Team eagerly announces its transition to a Varsity Wrestling Club Status Program for the upcoming 2023-2024 season.

In the men's division, the team boasts a formidable lineup of 37 NCWA members competing on the intercollegiate squad. Leading the charge are two seasoned blood-round wrestlers: 165 lb. Senior Bobby Shepard and 133 lb. Sophomore Kobe Bui.
Meanwhile, the women's team showcases 19 intercollegiate .....>>