Men’s College Notebook: Week Two Primer

After a lighter schedule last weekend opened the 2026-27 Division I season, this weekend features a full slate of both dual and tournament action for many more programs.

U.S. Men's Freestyle Team Has Record-Setting 2026 World Championships

The 2026 Senior World Championships were held from October 24 through November 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Here are notable records and achievements from the U.S. men’s freestyle team that competed.

The 2026 Senior World Championships were held from October 24 through November 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Here are notable records and achievements from the U.S. men’s freestyle team that competed.

The U.S. set a new record for medals won by a single team at the World Championships across all Olympic disciplines, with nine medals in men’s freestyle.

U.S. Women Have Record-Setting 2026 World Championships

The 2026 Senior World Championships were held from October 24 through November 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Here are notable records and achievements from the U.S. women’s freestyle team that competed.

Women's College Notebook: Season Kicks Off With A Bang

Just like that, we’re officially back in the thick of women’s college wrestling season.

Last weekend, teams around the country made their 2026-27 debuts.

For some, big open tournaments served as the first foray in an all-new journey. Meanwhile, others dove into competition via what some would argue to be the purest form of this sport – the dual.

Whichever their fancy, it was just great to see and hear about teams from coast to coast getting back on the mat. And for myself here, doing the Women’s College Notebook, it’s fantastic to have real matches to discuss once again.

November 4 National Wrestling Coaches Association DI Men’s Coaches Poll

With just seven duals involving ranked teams during the opening week of the season, there was minimal movement in the first regular-season NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll presented by Theraworx, released on Wednesday. Sixteen of the 25 teams held their spots, and there were no upsets of ranked teams to shake things up.

Penn State remained No. 1 with 16 first-place votes, and the entire top eight was unchanged. Second-ranked Oklahoma State, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 4 Iowa, No. 5 Virginia Tech, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Stanford and No. 8 Minnesota have yet to compete.

Distinguished Member Larry Kristoff Passes Away

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame was saddened to learn that Larry Kristoff, a Distinguished Member inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, passed away on Saturday, at the age of 83. 

The family has announced arrangement to include a memorial service Dec. 4 at Hileman and Rendleman Funeral Home, 301 West Spring Street, Anna, Illinois 62906 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. with a post-service gathering from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at Giant City Lodge. Kristoff will be laid to rest at Zion Cemetery in Carbondale. 

One of America's all-time great heavyweight wrestlers, Larry Kristoff threw his weight around in the coaching arena as well.

Men’s College Notebook: Meet the New Head Coaches - Part 2

For the 2026-27 collegiate season, there are six new head coaches in DI men’s wrestling. Today we meet Lehigh’s Brad Dillon; Iowa State’s Brent Metcalf, who was the Michigan and Midwest Region winner of the DSHSEA in 2005; and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s (SIUE) Daryl Thomas.

In the first part of this series last week, we introduced Rider’s Nic Bedelyon; Air Force’s Joe Johnston, who was the Kansas winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2001; and The Citadel’s Tim McCall.

UWW Ranking Series Hosts for 2027: Zagreb, Coralville, Ulaanbaatar

United World Wrestling has announced the hosts for the Ranking Series 2027, part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualification process.

The Ranking Series will have three stops in 2027, with points earned at these stops contributing to the qualification of the wrestlers for LA 2028.

The second stop of the Ranking Series will travel to Coralville, United States in late May.