Breaking down NC State wrestling's known opponents on 2025-26 schedule

Although the official 2025-26 NC State wrestling schedule hasn’t been released as of this writing, TheWolfpacker.com has compiled the upcoming slate from various other websites.

For each known date, we take a look at some of the potential top matches for this upcoming campaign where the Pack will look to replicate its 2024 top-10 NCAA finish.

Oct. 25 – Wrestle-Offs

Fans will get their first look at the Pack in the annual Wrestle-Offs. Granted we don’t hear about match-ups until the week of, but if everybody is available and steps on the mat, these are some of the matches worth watching.

133: R-Jr. Troy Hohman vs. 6th-year Zach Redding

Redding transferred in from Iowa State for his final season, while Hohman competed at 141 pounds at last year’s ACCs but is back down to his natural weight. Both will battle for the spot throughout the season, but who gets the first advantage and when will the starter be determined? The Pack coaches really like both their options at this weight.

141: 6th-year Ryan Jack vs. Fr. Daniel Zepeda

While this potential match-up will not determine the starter and might not even take place, we would love to see a 2024 All-American against one of the highest recruits in Pack history. Jack redshirted last year to set up his final season, while Zepeda, the No. 8 overall recruit in his class, is the future at this weight.

165: Fr. Brogan Tucker vs. Fr. Will Denny vs. R-Jr. Aaron Faison vs. Fr. Jason Kwaak

Every year there seems to be one weight for NC State that goes well into the season to determine the starter. Could that be 165 pounds this year? Faison has seen limited action during his time with the Pack but is in his fourth year in the room, while all three freshmen were nationally ranked recruits: Denny No. 21, Tucker No. 28, and No. 145 Kwaak. During the season, expect at least one of the freshmen to move weight classes if they haven’t done so already by the time of the wrestle-offs.

Nov. 8 – Northern Colorado

The first dual of the season happens inside Reynolds Coliseum. Unfortunately, we don’t get reigning NCAA champion Vince Robinson vs. a former member of the Pack Stevo Poulin, as he transferred to Iowa State after three years at Northern Colorado.

133: No. 14 Dominick Serrano

Whoever emerges triumphant from the wrestle-off will get a top-15 opponent in the first match of the season, an opponent that was ranked in the top-10 most of last year. Serrano is a two-time NCAA qualifier, as was seeded fifth at NCAAs last year.

Nov. 15-16 – at National Duals (Tulsa)

Brackets are not out yet, so we can’t get into individual match-ups, but NC State will get three duals against a nationally ranked squad in the first year of this event.

The field is loaded and will feature: No. 2 Nebraska, No. 4 Iowa, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 7 Lehigh, No. 8 Michigan, No. 9 Virginia Tech, No. 10 NC State, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 13 Illinois, No. 14 Cornell, No. 17 Northern Iowa, No. 18 Missouri, No. 25 Little Rock, No. 29 Wyoming, and Arizona State.

Nov. 30 – at Appalachian State

Annual NC State-App State match-up happens in Boone this year. The Mountaineers come in very underrated, as of now there is just one ranked match-up after transfers and graduations on App State’s side.

285: No. 33 Stephan Monchery

Coming off a fourth place finish at the NCAAs last year, Isaac Trumble did not see any freestyle action over the summer after having knee surgery. How long will it take him to be back to 100%? Monchery was the SoCon champion and NCAA Qualifier last year as a true freshman.

Dec. 7 – No. 15 Rutgers & Morgan State (in Fuquay-Varina)

These two duals will not be taking place inside Reynolds Coliseum, but will be held over in Fuquay-Varina as a way for wrestling to keep all the money from the gate. The highlight match-up will be a top-15 battle against Big Ten foe Rutgers. They faced off last year up in N.J., with NC State winning six of the matches in a 23-14 win.

149: No. 12 Andrew Clark

A rematch from last year, when Clark downed Koy Buesgens, 5-2. The coaches are expecting a big jump from Buesgens in his sophomore campaign. Very tough to score on last year, it will be interesting to see how his offense progressed over the summer. Clark is in his final season, a two-time NCAA Qualifier, he was the #19 seed at NCAAs last year.

174: No. 6 Lenny Pinto

A top-10 showdown. In his first season at 174 pounds, Matty Singleton won an ACC Champion and earned All-American honors with a seventh place finish at NCAAs. Pinto transferred to Rutgers for his final season, after three NCAA appearances, including the 2025 Blood Round, at Nebraska.

Dec. 12 – at No. 5 Ohio State

The fourth match-up between the squads since 2018, with Ohio State winning all three, including 21-20 two seasons ago when the Buckeyes recorded a pin in each of the first three matches. Ohio State features a ranked wrestler at every weight, six in the top-10. Of course whoever emerges at 184 pounds for the Pack will have former teammate, No. 6 Dylan Fishback after he transferred this offseason. On the reverse transfer side, the Pack’s coaches are hoping this is the dual that 2025 NCAA Qualifier, 197-pounder Patrick Brophy will be eligible to be in the line-up after transferring from The Citadel after their coaching change.

141: No. 1 Jesse Mendez

A battle of a pair of wrestlers that earned All-American honors in 2024. Mendez is the reigning two-time NCAA champion at 141 pounds, going a combined 60-5 over the last two years. The two have history, with Mendez scoring a 5-2 win at the Cliff Keen two years ago, then scoring a late pin in a dual just two weeks after that.

157: No. 8 Brandon Cannon

Also coming off a redshirt campaign, Jackson Arrington will be making the move from 149 to 157 pounds this year and gets a top-10 foe on the road. Cannon earned the starting spot during the season last year, placed second at the Big 10s and was the #5 seed at NCAAs reaching the Blood Round, which Arrington has done in both of his first two seasons.

Dec. 21 – Buffalo, The Citadel, George Mason

Dubbing this day as the Pat Popolizio Pupil Duals, as former Wolfpack assistants Frank Beasley (George Mason) and Donnie Vinson (Buffalo) bring their squads to Raleigh. Sadly we couldn’t get North Dakota State (Obe Blanc) and Utah Valley (Adam Hall) to make this quite the day of Pack assistant memories. Beasley’s squad is the most accomplished of the teams visiting, which also includes The Citadel under their first-year coach.

165: No. 26 Evan Maag

165 pounds is wide open for the Pack. With three duals this day, expect to see at least a couple of Pack wrestlers take the mat looking to win the job full-time. Maag won a 2024 MAC championship and has gone to back-to-back NCAAs, going 2-2 last year.

184: No. 19 Malachi DuVall

Just like 165, a ranked opportunity for one of the Pack wrestlers vying for the 184-pound spot. A R-Sr., DuVall was the 2024 MAC champion and is a two-time NCAA Qualifier.

Jan. 9 – Virginia

NC State has won 11 straight in the series, with UVA only claiming one individual victory in the dual each of the last four years. But the Cavs will be a bit different last year, as they suffered through a slew of injuries and redshirted others last season. They will be young, but they are very athletic, especially at the lower weights.

133: No. 25 Marlon Yarbrough

Yarbrough had a breakout season in 2024, only losing one ACC dual, taking third at ACCs and earning his first NCAA bid. He missed all of last year with injury.

165: No. 10 Nick Hamilton

One thorn in the Pack’s side against UVA the last few years is Hamilton. He is a two-time NCAA Qualifier, and 2024 ACC champion and 2025 runner-up.

Jan. 16 – at No. 12 Stanford

NC State-Virginia Tech has sometimes been called the NCAA Dual of the Year recently, but this NC State-Stanford match-up might be the one I’m looking forward to the most this year. The Cardinal redshirted four last year that are all ranked to start the season, and that sets them up to compete for an ACC title and maybe even NCAA team trophy this year. This is the Pack’s first-ever trip to a California school, four previous match-ups were either a neutral site or last year when NC State downed Stanford in Raleigh in the first-ever meeting, 27-13.

125: No. 11 Nico Provo

125 pounds in the ACC has been a two-horse race for years, but this year, it might be the deepest weight along with 174 pounds. Provo was ranked No. 1 nationally at 125 pounds after winning the 2023 Cliff Keen Invite, but missed all of last year with injury.

157: No. 4 Daniel Cardenas

A top-10 battle between a pair of wrestlers coming off a redshirt season. In his two seasons in the lineup, Cardenas has been the #6 seed at NCAAs both seasons, and earned All-American honors with a fourth place finish in 2024 before sitting out last year.

Jan. 18 – at Cal State Bakersfield

Two days after facing ACC foe Stanford, the Pack will stay in California and face the Roadrunners. Bakersfield had A.J. Ferrari placed third at 197 pounds last year, but he transferred to Nebraska and is the preseason No. 1 at heavyweight.

Jan. 23 – No. 20 North Carolina

NC State has won a school-record 12 straight in the series, but UNC now under third-year head coach Rob Koll has improved dramatically through recruiting. They will be worth the watch up until this dual, as preseason talk has the Tar Heels will be relying on first-year wrestlers throughout their lineup.

125: No. 20 Kysen Terukina

125 pounds has been a huge advantage for the Pack in recent memory in this dual. NC State has won 10 of the last 11 matches at 125 pounds in the series, including last year’s Robinson’s victory in the final bout as the dual was tied. Terukina transferred from Iowa State (former training partner of the Pack’s Redding) for his final year of eligibility after Spencer Moore transferred to Illinois. He was a three-time NCAA Qualifier with the Cyclones, but limited last year due to injury.

174: No. 14 Josh Ogunsanya

These two battled twice last year in close bouts. Ogunsanya won the dual, 5-4, Singleton got revenge in the ACC semifinals en route to his title, 7-6. Ogunsanya is a three-time NCAA Qualifier, including last year which was his first year at UNC after transferring from Columbia and also his first year up at 174 pounds.

Jan. 30 – No. 9 Virginia Tech

The two squads have protected their home gym each of the last six meetings, trading wins each year dating back to NC State winning three straight from 2018-20. Keep an eye on the Hokies’ lineup through the season, they have one of the best freshmen classes in the nation and could replace some established starters as the season moves on. They broke the Pack’s string of six straight ACC Championships with their first since 2018 last year.

125: No. 4 Eddie Ventresca

The thorn in NCAA champion Robinson’s side. In two meetings last year, Robinson was unable to get a takedown and give up a late score – either in the third period or in OT in the ACC final – and fell to Ventresca twice, 4-1. A two-time All-American, including fifth last year, Ventresca is in his final season.

285: No. 14 Jimmy Mullen

Mullen came to VT to play both football and wrestle, but gave up football after his first season on campus. Last year he won the starting job early and was both the ACC runner-up and qualified for NCAAs. In the dual last year, Trumble won 5-3.

Feb. 6 – at No. 21 Pitt

Will the ACC Dual Championships come down to the late road dual which takes the Pack up to Pitt? Including last year tying with Virginia Tech and North Carolina at 5-1, the Pack has won at least a share of the ACC regular season championship six of the last eight years. Pitt could be breaking in four starters after placing an all-time best second at last year’s ACC Championship. Since the Panthers joined the ACC in 2014, NC State has won 10 of the 12 duals including six straight.

197: No. 5 Mac Stout

The top of the mountain in the ACC at 197 pounds is Stout. Last year as a sophomore, Stout finished seventh at the NCAAs to earn All-American honors, after winning the ACC title. Brophy will be well established in the lineup, how does he stack up against the conference’s best?

285: No. 7 Dayton Pitzer

Two of the most athletic heavyweights in the nation, they faced off three times last year with Trumble holding a 2-1 edge. In the dual, it was a 10-1 major decision for Trumble, but Pitzer got his revenge in the ACC semifinals, 4-1, en route to his ACC title. In the second round at the NCAAs, Trumble once again prevailed 5-2.

Feb. 13 – at Duke

NC State has won 10 straight in the series, including 47-0 last year. Don’t expect much to change in this final ACC dual of the season.

Feb. 20 – No. 14 Cornell

Third straight year the two squads are facing off. The Pack won in Raleigh two years ago, 24-9 and won last year at Cornell in a classic battle, 20-18. Although it looks like the Big Red will have as many as seven different wrestlers in the line-up versus NC State than just last year. The Cornell squad that takes the mat for this dual will look a lot different that the team that competes before Christmas, as at least four starters will be out/on a pitch count, the first semester.

157: No. 3 Meyer Shapiro

Might be one of the most anticipated matches of the year. Arrington is coming up a weight class and starts in the top-10, Shapiro is easily one of the contenders for the national title at 157 pounds for the second straight year. He is a two-time All-American, third in 2024 and fifth last year (despite missing a chunk of action in February after he suffered seizures and was in a coma with serious lung issues).

174: No. 3 Simon Ruiz

The theme of this piece looks like it is how difficult a schedule Singleton has. In the ACC, 174 looks to be one of the deepest weights with five ranked in the top-20. Singleton gets his best opponent last in this non-conference dual, a top-4 battle. Ruiz placed fifth at the NCAAs as a freshman last year and has a very impressive freestyle season this summer. They battled three times last year: Ruiz winning 6-1 at the Cliff Keen but Singleton reversing the outcome in the dual, 6-5. Ruiz then broke the tie winning 10-0 at the NCAAs.