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Bel­larmine dom­i­nates on Day 2 of NCWA Nation­al Duals — Repeats as National Dual Champions

| Bryan Knepper

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

NCWA Nation­al Duals — Day 1 Results!

| Bryan Knepper

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

NCWA Wom­en’s December Rankings Released!

| Bryan Knepper

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!

NCWA Men’s December Rankings Released!

| Bryan Knepper

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 Men Place 5th in Blithe Memorial Duals

| Liberty SID

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.

Tole­do Wrestling is On the Rise” in the NCWA

| Mike Finn

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

NCWA Sees Promis­ing Resur­gence in Programs in 2023

| Bryan Knepper

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.

UMass Amherst Pre­vails in Tight Dual Against Northeastern

| Jim Giunta

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 Flames Men’s Wrestlers Receive Wake-up Call in Dual with Lindenwood Lions

| Liberty SID

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.

Appren­tice Wrestling Stays Con­sis­tent With Strong Showing at Shenandoah

| Apprentice SID

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).

Jacob Meek Starts Strong at 285 with Look Towards 235-lb National Title

| Bryan Knepper

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.

Ottawa — Ari­zona Women Pick-up Twelve in Their 2023 – 24 Recruiting Cass

| Ottawa SID

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.

Anja Hansen, 2023 Utah State Champion, Crimson Cliffs High School


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 recruits will improve depth, strength throughout lineup

| Liberty SID

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 Flames Wrestling room
Armstrong visited Liberty this past weekend and saw
the wrestling team's facility in the Liberty Club Sports Complex.

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

Builders Release 2023 – 24 Competition Schedule

| Apprentice SID

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

Wash­ing­ton State Wrestling Ele­vates to Var­si­ty Club Sta­tus for 2023 – 24 Season

| Washington State SID


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 .....>>

Texas Wel­comes Coach Grant Leeth

| Jim Giunta

The NCWA and The Texas Collegiate Wrestling Foundation (TCWF) are thrilled to welcome Coach Grant Leeth as the new leader for Tarleton State University's NCWA Intercollegiate wrestling program. The establishment of this new team, chartered just last month, marks a significant development in Tarleton State's skyrocketing academic and athletic growth. The team is set to compete as a proud member of the NCWA, while the TCWF passionately pursues its goal of raising the required $2,000,000. This ambitious fundraising initiative aims to

Nation­als Host Hotel Announced

| Jim Giunta

The host hotel for the 2024 National Collegiate Wrestling Championships will be the Shreveport Hilton Convention Center Hotel. To book housing with the Hilton or any other hotel housing national attendees please go to NCWANationals.org. and click on "Event Host Hotels" in the top right corner to access housing options.

Online Coach­ing Course for Those Coach­ing Female Ath­letes — Free until 10/1/23

| Jim Giunta

Coaches, Wrestle Like A Girl and USA Wrestling have partnered together to create an online coaching course for those coaching female athletes. It is currently available for free to everyone until September 30th. You do not have to be a member of USA Wrestling to take this course, but you will need a USA Wrestling profile. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Go to www.joinusawrestilng.com
  2. If you already have an account, login. If you do not, create a free account profile.

Nation­al Duals Host­ed by The Uni­ver­si­ty of Northern Iowa

| Jim Giunta

The NCWA Board of Directors met on Monday Sept 5th and unanimously voted to attend the NWCA Multi-Divisional Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa with a required minimum of 8 teams.
This event will be shown on our schedules as the NCWA National Duals and will provide placing teams with points toward Grand National Championship honors
The event will be held on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa on January 5th & 6th of 2024.


The Teams having placed bids to attend the National Duals are:
Apprentice, Bellarmine, Central Florida, Liberty, Queens, Toledo, Utah Tech & Washington State.
The NCWA will be accepting bids through completed contracts expected in mid September.