This week, Philly is home to the biggest event in college wrestling. Here’s how it all works.
From a takedown to the different ways to earn a fall to how points are scored, this Inquirer guide takes you through the motions and what you need to know before the NCAA championships begin.
The most significant event in Division I wrestling takes is weekend at the Wells Fargo Center. The NCAA wrestling championships come to Philadelphia with more than 300 Division I wrestlers competing for individual national titles across 10 weight classes from Thursday through Saturday.
Penn State is amid one of the best dynasties in sports history, having won 11 of the last 13 team national titles. It’s sending its entire starting lineup to the tournament. Local schools like Penn and Drexel also have wrestlers who will fight for All-America status this weekend.
But if you’re not a wrestling aficionado, it might be difficult to keep track of the action over the three-day tournament.
From what a takedown is to the different ways to earn a pin to how points are scored, this Inquirer guide takes you through the motions and what you need to know.
How long are the matches?
A college wrestling match lasts seven minutes and is divided into three periods: The first period is three minutes long, and the second and third periods are two minutes long. A standard folkstyle wrestling match begins when both wrestlers step on the red and green lines in the center of the mat, starting in the neutral position.
How do wrestlers score points?
There are multiple ways to score points in a wrestling match, but the primary way is a takedown. This occurs when a wrestler takes control of his opponent, causing his hands, knees, or thigh, to hit the mat while the other wrestler is on top. The wrestler who scored the takedown is awarded three points — the NCAA changed it from two points in 2023, and it went into effect last season.
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If a wrestler exposes his opponent’s back to the mat but doesn’t finish off a pin, he is awarded near fall points, commonly referred to as “back points.” Back points can range from two to four points, depending on how many seconds a wrestler can keep at least one of his opponent’s shoulder blades pinned to the mat.
Like the takedown scoring system, back points also were altered in the 2023 scoring update. Previously, a three- and four-second back point count netted the wrestler two points, and a five-count was awarded three points.
How is a winner determined?
If both shoulder blades touch the mat at any point, that’s a pin (also known as a fall), and the match ends. If a wrestler is taken down but can get out of the bottom position and take control of his opponent’s back, he is rewarded a reversal, which is worth two points. If a wrestler is taken down and escapes from the bottom position and returns to the neutral standing position, this is an escape, and the wrestler is awarded one point.
If a wrestler is up by 15 or more points in a match, that is a technical fall, commonly referred to as a “tech fall,” and the match is over.
After the first period is over, the referee flips a coin to decide which wrestler gets to decide how the second period will start. The wrestler can either select the top, bottom, or neutral positions or defer to his opponent. If a defer is chosen, that wrestler gets to choose how the third period begins.
How does the NCAA championship bracket work?
Thirty-three wrestlers from each weight class qualify for the NCAA championships. One match in each bracket is known as a “pigtail” match, similar to the First Four in the NCAA basketball tournament. From there, the winners’ bracket shrinks in half after each round until two undefeated wrestlers meet in the national championship.
The NCAA championships are double elimination, so wrestlers move to the consolation bracket after a loss, where they will battle for third place. The top eight wrestlers stand on the podium at the end of the tournament and are deemed All-Americans.
The tournament is broken up into six sessions. Starting at noon on Thursday (ESPNU, ESPN+), the first session includes every first-round match. The second session begins at 6 p.m., will be televised on ESPN, and consists of the first round of the consolation bracket and the second round of the winner’s bracket.
In the third session, which starts at noon on Friday (ESPNU, ESPN+), all quarterfinal matches will be wrestled, followed by the second and third rounds of the consolation bracket. The semifinals will be wrestled on Friday (8 p.m., ESPN2, ESPN+), followed by the “blood round,” or the fourth round of the consolation bracket. Winners of the blood round will have officially punched their tickets on the podium and earned All-American status.
The consolation bracket semifinals will be wrestled on Saturday (11 a.m., ESPNU, ESPN+), followed by eighth, fifth, and third-place matches. The final session, which starts at 7 p.m. Saturday (ESPN), features the national championship matches.
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