For the first time since 2018, the Collegiate Wrestling Duals are back! Thanks to Journeymen Wrestling, there will be 12 teams competing in this year’s event in Niceville, Florida. Iowa, Penn State, Cornell, Arizona State, and more teams are travelling to Florida in December to compete for the dual meet title.
All of the details about the event, including format, location, and teams competing is below.
What are the Collegiate Duals?
The Collegiate Wrestling Duals, not to be confused with the National Collegiate Duals, is a meet competition to decide the best dual team in the NCAA. In recent years there has not been a “dual-meet-style NCAA tournament.” The NCAA Wrestling Championships determine the individual team champion, but the Collegiate Duals will determine the dual meet champion.
Similar to the upcoming Bout at the Ballpark, this is another innovating wrestling event hitting the wrestling world for the 2021-2022 season.
What is the Format of the Duals?
You may be wondering, “what is the format of the duals?” The first day will consist of competition amongst four pools, seeded and separated by conferences. The winner of each pool will advance to day two, which will feature a four-team bracket, similar to the College Football Playoffs.
Where are the Collegiate Wrestling Duals?
The dual series will take place in Fort Walton Beach, FL on December 20th and 21st. Wrestling starts at 9:00am EST on day one and at 12:00pm EST on day two.
Only 2,100 fans will be permitted to attend, so snag your tickets now. You can find ticket and hotel information on the Journeymen website. If you cannot attend the dual, you can watch the live stream on Rokfin.
Which Teams are Competing in the Collegiate Duals?
There are 12 total teams competing in the 2022 Collegiate Duals, including the returning NCAA Champions, the Iowa Hawkeyes. Journeymen invited the top two returning teams from every conference.
This means, the Collegiate Duals will feature the top wrestlers in the NCAA, including 3X NCAA Champion Spencer Lee; 2X NCAA Champion Yianni Diakomihalis; NCAA Champions Roman Bravo-Young, Nick Lee, Carter Starocci, and Aaron Brooks; and even 2021 NCAA finalists Trent Hidlay and Brandon Courtney.
Initially, Michigan accepted an invitation; however, after the Big Ten released the master dual schedule, fans found out that they would no longer attend the dual. In their place, Penn State decided to join in the competition.
Below is a list of teams competing in the 2022 Collegiate Duals.
- Arizona State Sun Devils (Pac 12)
- Binghamton Bearcats (EIWA)
- Central Michigan Chippewas (MAC)
- Cornell Big Red (EIWA)
- Hofstra Pride (EIWA)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (Big Ten)
- Lehigh Mountain Hawks (EIWA)
- Missouri Tigers (Big 12)
- North Carolina State Wolfpack (ACC)
- Northern Iowa Panthers (Big 12)
- Penn State (Big Ten)
- Virginia Tech Hokies (ACC)
With the return of the Collegiate Wrestling Duals, which team do you think will emerge victorious? Will the Hawkeyes fly away with the trophy, or can the Nittany Lions, Sun Devils, or another team stop their dominant reign?
