Oklahoma State's Sergio Vega to Receive Amateur Wrestling News Hammer Award

Amateur Wrestling News will present The Hammer, its annual award, to Oklahoma State’s Sergio Vega, who was the Arizona winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA) in 2025.

The award is presented to the wrestler who wins the national title at what the writers at AWN determine to be the most competitive weight class during the NCAA Tournament.

Six Champions Propel Menlo to Second-Straight NCWA Men’s National Championship

BOSSIER CITY, La. – Menlo won six of the 11 weight classes at the 2026 NCWA Men’s National Championships to claim its second consecutive team title. The Oaks had nine wrestlers finish in the top five to earn All-American honors at the three-day event at Brookshire Grocery Arena.

Tarleton State Repeats as NCWA Women’s National Champions

BOSSIER CITY, La. – For the second-straight season, Tarleton State won the team title at the 2026 NCWA National Championships behind five individual champions. The Texans racked up 215 points over the three-day tournament at Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City, La.

Along with having five champions, Tarleton State had 13 All-Americans.

Valencia Wins Gold at Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International

2025 World champion Zahid Valencia, who was the California and National winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2015, rolled to the gold medal after going 4-0 at 86 kg at the 63rd annual Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International at “Kolodruma” in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

National Duals Invitational Announces 2026 Automatic Qualifications

The National Duals Invitational, a groundbreaking $1 million collegiate wrestling event sponsored by Paycom, has announced the teams earning automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament. Featuring top programs from across the country, the tournament will bring elite competition and high-stakes prize money to Tulsa this December.

Penn State, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio State, Stanford, Michigan, Iowa State, Minnesota and NC State have all received automatic qualifier invitations. Because all four of last year’s National Duals Invitational top finishers also placed in the NCAA Championships’ top 10, only 10 automatic qualification spots will be awarded in 2026.

Finalists Named for 2026 USA Wrestling Anthony-Maroulis Trophy

Five finalists have been selected for the 2026 USA Wrestling Anthony-Maroulis Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s best women’s college wrestler—Kennedy Blades of Iowa, Erin Hikiji of Providence, Audrey Jimenez of Lehigh, Cristelle Rodriguez of Doane and Kylie Welker of Iowa.

Hikiji was the Hawaii winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award in 2022 while Jimenez was the Arizona and West Region winner in 2024.

Blades, Jimenez and Welker were champions at the inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling National Championships. Hikiji and Rodriguez earned national titles at the NAIA Women’s Wrestling Championships.

The award winner will be selected by a vote from three constituent groups—women’s college head coaches, national wrestling media and the fans. Each group accounts for one-third of the total vote.

Public voting is now open at usawrestlingevents.com/wcwoty and will run through Tuesday, March 31. The winner will be announced on Thursday, April 2.

Valencia Competes at Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International Friday

2025 World champion Zahid Valencia, who was the California and National winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2015, is the lone entrant for the U.S. at the 63rd annual Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International. In the 86 kg bracket, Valencia competes on Friday at the “Kolodruma” in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Friday’s competition begins at 10:30 a.m. local time/4:30 a.m. ET. Repechage and medal matches are slated to start at 5 p.m. local time/11 a.m. ET.

Hall of Fame Launches 50th Anniversary Coloring Books

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is excited to announce that it is creating a series of wrestling coloring books as part of its 50th Anniversary Celebration. 

The series of five coloring books are being created by Foundation for Wrestling Art & Innovation founder and former wrestler Ross Bendik, a member of the Hall of Fame's 50th Anniversary committee. 

The coloring books will be divided into five decades, beginning with 1976 when the museum opened.