The Dual of the Century of the Week

The 13th week of the 2025-26 NCAA D1 college wrestling season brought some unforgettable moments, but one match stood out as the “Dual of the Century.” Ohio State narrowly defeated Nebraska in a thrilling 17-16 victory. Both teams had doubleheaders on Big Ten weekend, with Ohio State beating Minnesota 29-9 and Nebraska defeating Iowa 22-14.

This wasn’t the first time these teams met; at the National Duals, Ohio State had dominated 33-3. On Sunday, the Buckeyes seemed to be heading for another win when they secured four straight wins from 125 to 149 pounds. Nic Bouzakis returned to the lineup, winning by major decision, while Ben Davino remained undefeated with a win over #8 Jacob Van Dee. Jesse Mendez also impressed, dominating Brock Hardy 14-3.

At 149 pounds, #4 Ethan Stiles won in overtime over #12 Chance Lamer, making it look like another loss for Nebraska. However, things turned around at 157 pounds. Nebraska capitalized on the absence of Brandon Cannon and Paddy Gallagher, with #5 Antrell Taylor winning by major and #7 LJ Araujo securing a narrow 1-0 victory.

Nebraska then pulled off three minor upsets: #6 Chris Minto beat #4 Carson Kharchla, #7 Silas Allred beat #5 Dylan Fishback in tiebreakers, and #12 Camden McDanel defeated #9 Luke Geog 9-6. The final showdown came at heavyweight between Nick Feldman and AJ Ferrari. After a tight battle, Feldman won 4-1 in overtime, giving Ohio State the narrow victory.

Nebraska fans filled the Devaney Center both nights, witnessing high-quality wrestling despite not securing team victories.

Elsewhere in Duals

Weather disrupted several duals this week. Oklahoma State, Lock Haven, Indiana, SIUE, and Chattanooga postponed their matches, while Buffalo canceled its dual with Hofstra.

In the Ohio State vs. Minnesota dual, Vinny Kilkeary, ranked third at 125 behind Brendon McCrone and Nic Bouzakis, beat #6 Jore Volk. Jesse Mendez continued his dominance, tech-falling #9 Vance VomBaur 21-5. Nick Feldman also impressed, defeating #8 Koy Hopke 11-2.

Minnesota secured wins at 165 and 184, with Andrew Sparks beating Paddy Gallagher and #4 Max McEnnely surviving a top-five battle against #5 Dylan Fishback.

Iowa faced Nebraska without their starting 125 and 184 pounders but still managed wins at those weights. Joey Cruz beat Alan Koehler at 125, and Gabe Arnold beat Silas Allred 4-1, showcasing impressive depth.

Nebraska fans were relieved as Brock Hardy and Antrell Taylor avoided upsets from Nasir Bailey and Jordan Williams. Ryder Block pinned Chance Lamer with a feet-to-back pinfall.

A contender for the “Dual of the Century” appeared in the MAC when Northern Illinois defeated Kent State in dramatic fashion. NIU’s Collin Arch won the final bout at 149 to secure the win. NIU also beat the Ohio Bobcats 20-17, giving Huskie fans back-to-back MAC wins.

Other Notable Results

In New Jersey, Rider defeated Princeton 20-19, though the win was due to a headgear ‘toss’ that cost the Tigers a team point. In Raleigh, NC State took on UNC in a heated rivalry, with the Wolfpack winning seven of ten matches. At 165, #11 Will Denny beat #10 Bryce Hepner, while #12 Like Simcox scored a minor upset at 141 over #10 Ryan Jack.

In the ACC, Virginia Tech defeated Stanford 22-14. True freshman Aaron Seidel made an immediate impact, defeating #7 Tyler Knox 12-0. #14 Collin Gaj upset #6 Aden Valencia, and #2 Eddie Ventresca beat #11 Nico Provo.

Oklahoma State dominated Missouri 33-3, with Jax Forrest tech-falling #27 Gage Walker and Landon Robideau beating Teague Travis 4-0. #8 Casey Swiderski won a hard-fought battle with Missouri’s Seth Mendoza 4-3.

In the Big 12, Iowa State beat South Dakota State in Humboldt, Iowa, with ISU’s #2 Rocky Elam defeating #5 Bennett Berge. Northern Iowa defeated Arizona State 27-11, with #6 Ryder Downey beating #12 Nicco Ruiz.

West Virginia beat Wyoming 21-15, with #15 Rune Lawrence defeating Lane Foard 9-4. Christian Carroll picked up a major in the third-to-last match, and back-to-back wins by #9 Jett Strickenberger and #17 Gunner Andrick secured the win.

Illinois narrowly beat Rutgers 17-16, needing criteria to win. The only upset was at 184, where #18 Chris Moore defeated #15 Shane Cartegena-Walsh 2-1.

Penn State had two shutout wins, 48-0 over Indiana and 51-0 over Maryland. Maryland’s Carter Young briefly led Shayne Van Ness 7-1 before Van Ness teched him 31-15.

Underappreciated Stars

Oregon State defeated Little Rock 29-10, with no #3 Stephen Little for the Trojans. SIU Edwardsville’s Caleb Tyus, ranked #3 at 149, has an undefeated record against D1 competition and has beaten two All-Americans: Ethan Stiles and Casey Swiderski.

Columbia is emerging as a contender in the Ivy League, with wins over Princeton and Penn. Coach Pritzlaff has done a great job developing talent in New York City’s only D1 wrestling program.

Edinboro beat George Mason 26-13, featuring five ranked wrestlers, and Franklin & Marshall defeated Sacred Heart 21-15. James Conway, ranked #6 at 184, is 26-1 on the season.

A Cool Video

In honor of the Hawkeyes’ win over Nebraska, here are “The BEST Tom and Terry Brands Quotes of All-Time.” Watch this video on YouTube.

Why Try? Ask AI

To find more entertaining wrestling matches, I asked ChatGPT: “What are the most entertaining wrestling matches from the Olympics?” Here’s what it suggested:

• Kurt Angle vs. Abbas Jadidi — 1996 Atlanta (Final, 100 kg)
• Jordan Burroughs vs. Khetag Gazyumov — 2012 London (Final, 74 kg)
• Abdulrashid Sadulaev vs. Kyle Snyder — 2016 Rio (Final, 97 kg)
• Taha Akgül vs. Geno Petriashvili — 2020 Tokyo (Final, 125 kg)
• Frank Chamizo vs. Selim Yaşar — 2016 Rio (Bronze, 65 kg)
• Aleksandr Karelin vs. Rulon Gardner — 2000 Sydney (Final, Super Heavyweight)
• Roman Vlasov vs. Kim Hyeon-woo — 2012 London (Final, 74 kg)
• Helen Maroulis vs. Saori Yoshida — 2016 Rio (Final, 53 kg)
• Amit Elor vs. Meerim Zhumanazarova — 2024 Paris (Final, 68 kg)
• Sara Dosho vs. Erica Wiebe — 2016 Rio (Final, 75 kg)

While some matches are legendary, others were incorrectly listed. Despite the inaccuracies, the list includes some iconic bouts.

Okay, that’s enough A.I. heckling. See you next week, wise and learned wrestling fans! And stay warm!