When David Taylor took over the head coaching position at Oklahoma State in the spring of 2024, he said in his that one of his goals in transitioning from athlete to coach was to "make a massive impact...on the sport of wrestling" and "leave wrestling in a better place."
He didn't take long to make that impact. Within his first few months on the job, Taylor pitched the idea of hosting a National Dual event, one that put teams against one another in a dual meet format and honored the best 10-man roster in college wrestling. Thanks to backing from Oklahoma State support and Paycom CEO Chad Richison, the vision came to fruition quickly. The Cowboys will now host the inaugural event in Tulsa on Nov. 15-16 and welcome 16 of the nation's top teams to compete for a combined total of $1 million dollars across top placers.
Can't wait for this 👀
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling)
The National Duals Invitational, sponsored by , is coming to Tulsa!
📰:
The National Duals takes the concept of the NCAA wrestling tournament — a big spotlight event featuring the best athletes from around the country — and gives it even more of a team twist. This event is not about the best individual or the team with the best individuals, it's truly about the full starting lineup for each program. It's about creating a two-hour fan experience and celebrating the dual meet.
Each dual meet will be scored like a typical college dual meet, with the team winner advancing in the bracket to compete in another dual meet against the respective winner on its side of the bracket until a champion is crowned Sunday night.
Here's everything you need to know about the event, the teams competing in it and the biggest storylines to watch on Day 1.
Who is competing in the event?
Sixteen teams are competing in the National Duals, headlined by the No. 2 Nebraska, No. 3 Iowa, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Oklahoma State. In fact, nine of the top 10 teams in the country will participate in the event, with the lone exception being No. 1 Penn State, who opted not to compete due to the best interest of their athletes and their overall schedule.
TOP 25 TEAMS: These are the best teams in men's college wrestling right now
Participation in the National Duals was invite only, with bids automatically awarded to the top 12 team finishers from the 2025 NCAA championships and the remainder of the bids selected randomly amongst teams that finished 13-24th at last year's tournament. Arizona State, Lehigh, Little Rock, Missouri and Wyoming picked up those wildcard bids, while Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Cornell, NC State, Northern Iowa, Illinois, Virginia Tech and Michigan earned the auto-bids.
How will the event be structured?
The National Duals will be run as a 16-team bracket. The eight first round matches include the following pairings:
- Iowa vs. Missouri
- Illinois vs. Little Rock
- Northern Iowa vs. NC State
- Oklahoma State vs. Cornell
- Ohio State vs. Wyoming
- Virginia Tech vs. Minnesota
- Arizona State vs. Michigan
- Lehigh vs. Nebraska
Winners will advance to the championships quarterfinals, while losers will continue on the consolation side of the bracket.
BREAKING: 16 elite teams have confirmed for the inaugural sponsored by . 🤝 The programs represent some of the most storied traditions in collegiate wrestling — who are you rooting for?
— BOK Center (@BOKCenter)
🎟️:
Teams that lose their second consecutive match will be eliminated, but the tournament will place out eight teams, meaning teams that advance through the consolation bracket can take a second loss in the consolation semifinals and still be eligible for prize money.
How can you watch the event?
The entirety of the event, with the exception of the championship round, will be streamed live on FloWrestling, starting with the first round matches on Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. ET. Championship quarterfinals as well as the first two rounds of the consolation bracket will be streamed on Saturday as well from 4-10 p.m. ET, with the championship semifinals, third-place duals and consolation finals, semifinals and seventh-place matches running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 16.
The championship finals will be broadcast live on Sunday night Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The winning team will receive $200,000 while the runner-up will earn $150,000.
What are the biggest potential matches to follow on Day 1?
The National Duals is a team event, so while it does feel wrong to focus on the individual bouts, the first round of the tournament could yield a number of high-profile, cross-conference, top-25 matchups to watch, including two All-American vs. All-American bouts and a potential top-5 battle at 184 pounds.
Here's the full breakdown on the top-three best individual pairings in the opening round of this event:
125 pounds: No. 4 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 8 Jore Volk (Minnesota)
The 125-pound weight class is once again expected to be one of the most interesting, chaotic weights in the country, but one of two lightweights — Virginia Tech All-American Eddie Ventresca and Minnesota All-American Jore Volk — will have the chance earn a statement top-10 win early in the season and start building a championship resume in November.
MEET THE ALL-AMERICANS: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021
Ventresca, in particular, is already off to a hot start after winning his 2025 NWCA All-Star bout against Lehigh's Sheldon Seymour 4-0 and then beating Chris Nucifora of Bucknell 5-1 in Virginia Tech's opening season dual. Volk, meanwhile, is 7-0 following his titles at the Southeast Open and the Bison Open. His best win across those two tournaments came by injury default against Big 12 champion Jett Strickenberger in his only ranked match thus far.
Ventresca and Volk have never competed against each other in college, though they have been in the same NCAA bracket once in 2023, with Ventresca outplacing Volk by finishing seventh to Volk's 0-2 performance. Volk, however, went on to finish seventh himself in 2024 before taking a medical redshirt last season while Ventresca took his redshirt in 2024 and finished on the podium again last year in fifth.
𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝑩𝑶𝑲 📍
— Virginia Tech Wrestling (@HokiesWrestling)
The last time we were in Tulsa, we brought home a program second-best 5️⃣ All-Americans. Excited to run it back in the BOK Center for the 2025 this weekend 👊 🦃
Volk and Ventresca will not only be competing for individual glory in this match though — they'll also be looking to give their team a fiery start in a dual where the Gophers are favored in five of the eight weights featuring ranked wrestler from both teams. Every bout will count in this electric dual, starting with the big one at 125 pounds.
174 pounds: No. 2 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) vs. No. 13 Cam Steed (Missouri)
On the opposite side of the bracket of the Hokies are the Hawkeyes, who will take on Missouri with the goal of advancing to the quarterfinals with a matchup against the winner of Illinois vs. Little Rock. Iowa features five athletes in the top five, led by NCAA finalist Drake Ayala who sits at No. 2 at 133 pounds, NCAA finalist Mikey Caliendo who is ranked No. 2 at 165 pounds and All-American Patrick Kennedy, the No. 2-ranked athlete at 174 pounds and the highest-ranked Hawkeye with the most interesting matchup against the Tigers.
HAWKEYE HEROS: The complete history of the Iowa wrestling program
Kennedy, who finished fourth last season, will be expected to take on Missouri All-American Cam Steed in the first collegiate meeting of these two athletes. Kennedy is 1-0 on the year with a tech fall over Grant O'Dell of Bellarmine, while Steed — who finished seventh at 165 pounds last year before moving up to 174 pounds — is 2-2 following losses to Carter Schubert of Oklahoma 6-5 and Moses Espinoza-Owens of South Dakota State 12-8. While these records imply that Kennedy has the advantage, Steed's secret weapon is his pinning ability. The Tiger won the 2025 Gorriaran Award at the NCAA tournament for pinning the greatest number of opponents in the least amount of time as a result of his falls against All-American Cam Amine, Thomas Snipes and Kyle Mosher. He's shown he has that killer instinct.
Steed has not had the same results up at 174 yet, but his match against Kennedy will likely be a clash of styles between Steed's funk and Kennedy's workmanlike offense, which could create some unpredictability.
184 pounds: No. 2 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa) vs. 8 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri)
Picking two Iowa bouts may feel like giving too much weight to the Hawkeyes, but this match is more about the weight class than the teams. The 184-pound weight is one of the most loaded groups in the country this year, led by U20 world champion and Big Ten finalist Max McEnelly of Minnesota followed by 2024 NCAA finalist Rocco Welsh of Penn State and No. 3 redshirt freshman Angelo Ferrari. Oklahoma State's Zack Ryder, who majored All-American Jaxon Smith of Maryland, is No. 4, while Smith is No. 5 followed by All-American and Big Ten champion Silas Allred at No. 6.
Business Trip.
— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling)
🆚 National Duals Invitational
➡️ Nov. 15-16
📺 FloWrestling | ESPN2 (Finals Only)
📻 KXIC/Hawkeye Radio Network
🎟️
📒
Ferrari, McEnelly and Ryder will all compete in the National Duals, with Ferrari kicking off his tournament via a potential top-10 clash with another redshirt freshman: Missouri standout No. 8 Aeoden Sinclair. In his redshirt season with the Tigers up at 197 pounds, Sinclair went 7-4 with two of his four losses coming by decision against All-Americans. Sinclair did also pick up a win against an All-American during that rookie season when he beat Isaiah Salazar of Minnesota 5-3 at the Solider Salute. So far, Sinclair is 6-0 on the year now down at 184 pounds with four falls, a tech and a countable medical forfeit win. His performances this summer, though, really highlighted what the Tiger is capable of, as he beat McEnelly 10-2 in the first match of a Best of 3 series at the U20 world team trials and earned a win against NCAA champion Michael Macchiavello 4-3 at the senior world team trials. While Sinclair ultimately finished as a runner-up in both tournaments, his willingness and ability to compete in these high-profile matches showed his fight and his potential to be a title threat as a first-year full-time starter for the Tigers.
Ferrari, however, is also not afraid of tough competition. The Hawkeye freshman posted a 6-1 record with wins over All-Americans Dustin Plott and Evan Bachman. He's now 1-0 on the season with a tech fall against Gavin Ricketts of Bellarmine. Ferrari is one of 10 ranked Hawkeyes in this dual against the Tigers — and one of eight who will be favored over Missouri. For the Tigers to stay competitive, they'll need aggression and poise from their 184-pound young star. Regardless of how this one plays out in November, these are two athletes who could meet again in March on a collision course for a spot in the national finals.
🤼♂️ STAY UPDATED: Rankings | Latest videos |
🏆 CHAMPS: History | Format
🎟️ TICKETS:
