Return of Div. I schools highlights 2025 NWCA National Duals

Photo: Men’s and women’s wrestlers from 102 college programs — on nearly every level of the NCAA and NAIA — will compete in the 2025 NWCA National Duals, this Friday and Saturday at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

NCAA Division I wrestling programs, which once were the only schools that competed the first 13 National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals, will return to 2025 NWCA Multi-Division National Duals this Friday and Saturday at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This is in addition to 88 other men’s and women’s programs from the NCAA Div. II and III levels and the NAIA.

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This is the first time since 2017 that Division I schools have competed for a NWCA National Duals title. The biggest difference is this year’s National Duals tournament, among NCAA Division I programs, is that all 14 teams are considered Mid-Major programs that do not compete in any of the NCAA’s Power 4 conferences in all their sports. That list of schools includes three that are ranked in WIN Magazine’s NCAA Division I Dual-Team Rankings: 9. Northern Iowa, 15. South Dakota State and 17. Little Rock.

Meanwhile in the other divisions …

• St. Cloud State (Minn.), eight-time winners of the event, will be the No. 1 seed among NCAA Division II schools, followed by second-seed Central Oklahoma, which won last year’s National Duals championship;
• Wartburg (Iowa), with 14 Dual titles, and Augsburg (Minnesota), with eight championships, are the only schools who have won past Duals Div. III titles. This year, the Knights are No. 1 and the Auggies are No. 3, with No. 2 Wisconsin-LaCrosse also ready to challenge for its first crown;
• Grand View (Iowa), 11-time winners of the Duals, will be the No. 1 seed among NAIA schools and will look to avenge last year’s National Duals finals loss to Life University (Ga.), which is seeded No. 2 in this year’s event;
• Life U., last year’s champion among NAIA women’s programs, will once again be seeded No. 1, ahead of No. 2 Grand View and No. 3 Cumberlands;
• Iowa, which sponsors the only women’s college program among NCAA Power 4 conferences, will be seeded No. 1 in this year’s event, involving NCAA schools with women’s wrestling, while North Central (which lost 21-20 to Iowa in last year’s Duals) will be seeded No. 2.

2025 NWCA National Duals Schedule

(Seeded teams are noted with numbers before their names)

NCAA Div. I (Mid-Majors) Schools

First Round – Friday, 10 a.m.

• 1. Northern Iowa vs. Sacred Heart
• 5. Wyoming vs. Drexel
• 4. Northern Colorado vs. CSU Bakersfield
• 3. Little Rock vs. SIU-Edwardsville
• 6. George Mason vs. Cal Poly
• 7. Penn vs. Ohio
• 2. South Dakota State vs. Central Michigan

Quarterfinals – Friday, noon; Semifinals – Saturday, 11 a.m.; Championship – Saturday, 3 p.m.; (Other placement duals at 1 p.m. on Saturday)

NCAA Div. II Schools

First Round – Friday, 10 a.m.

• 1. St. Cloud State (Minn.) vs. King (Tenn.)
• 8. Tiffin (Ohio) vs Maryville (Mo.)
• 5. McKendree (Ill.) vs. West Liberty (W. Va.)
• 4. Glenville State (W. Va.) vs. Upper Iowa
• 3. Nebraska-Kearney vs. Indianapolis
• 6. Augustana (SD) vs. Grand Valley State (Mich.)
• 7. Wisconsin-Parkside vs. Central Missouri
• 2. Central Oklahoma vs. Univ. of Mary (N.D.)

Quarterfinals – Friday, Noon; Semifinals – Saturday, 11 a.m.; Championship – Saturday, 3 p.m. (Other placement duals Saturday at 1 p.m.)

NCAA Div. III Schools

Prelim – Friday, 10 a.m.

• Central (Iowa) vs. Olivet (Mich.)
• Centenary (NJ) vs. Alvernia U (Pa.)
• Dubuque (Iowa) vs. Wisconsin-Whitewater
• Luther (Iowa) vs. Millikin (Ill.)
• Albion (Mich.) vs. RIT (NY)
• Adrian (Mich.) vs. Loras (Iowa)
• Coe (Iowa) vs. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.)
• Wabash (Indiana) vs. Cornell College (Iowa)

First Round – Friday, noon

• 1. Wartburg vs. Central/Olivet winner
• 8. North Central vs. Centenary/Alvernia U winner
• 5. Baldwin Wallace (Ohio) vs. Dubuque/Wisconsin-Whitewater winner
• 4. Johnson & Wales (RI) vs. Luther/Millikin winner
• 3. Augsburg vs. Albion/RIT winner
• 6. Castleton (R.I.) vs. Adrian/Loras winner
• 7. TCNJ vs. Coe/Concordia-Moorhead winner
• 2. Wisconsin-LaCrosse vs. Wabash/Cornell College winner

Quarterfinals – Friday, 2 p.m.; Semifinals – Saturday, 11 a.m.; Championship – Saturday, 3 p.m.; (Other placement duals at 1 p.m. on Saturday)

NAIA Men’s Schools

First Round – Friday, 2 p.m.

• 1. Grand View (Iowa) vs. Morningside (Iowa)
• 8. Southern Oregon vs. Indiana Tech
• 5. Cumberlands (Ky.) vs. Montana St. Northern
• 4. Southeastern (Fla.) vs. Eastern Oregon
• 3. Campbellsville (Ky.) vs. Missouri Valley
• 6. Doane U. (Neb.) vs. Corban U. (Ore.) vs.
• 7. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) vs. Providence (Mont.)
• 2. Life U. (Ga.) vs. Oklahoma City

Quarterfinals – Friday, 4 p.m.; Semifinals – Saturday, 11 a.m.; Championship – Saturday, 3 p.m.; (Other placement duals at 1 p.m. Saturday)

NAIA Women Schools

First Round – Friday, 2:30 p.m.

• 1. Life U. (Ga.) vs. Missouri Baptist
• 8. Campbellsville (Ky.) vs. Hastings (Neb.)
• 5. William Penn (Iowa) vs. St. Mary (Kan.)
• 4. Providence (Mont.) vs. Texas Wesleyan
• 3. Cumberlands (Ky.) vs. Baker (Kan.)
• 6. Southern Oregon vs. Lourdes (Ohio)
• 7. Indiana Tech vs. Oklahoma City
• 2. Grand View (Iowa) vs. Doane (Neb.)

Quarterfinals – Friday, 4 p.m.; Semifinals – Saturday, 10:30 a.m.; Championship – Saturday, 1:30 p.m.; (Other placement duals at 3 p.m. on Saturday)

NCAA Women Schools

First Round – Friday, 10 a.m.

• 1. Iowa vs. Aurora (Ill.)
• 8. Wartburg (Iowa) vs. Adrian College (Mich.)
• 5. Presbyterian (SC) vs. Wisconsin Stevens Point
• 4. McKendree (Ill.) vs. Emmanuel (Ga.)
• 3. King (Tenn.) vs. Lock Haven (Pa.)
• 6. Colorado Mesa vs. Sacred Heart (Conn.)
• 7. Elmira College (N.Y.) vs. Schreiner U (Texas)
• 2. North Central (Ill.) vs. Mt. Olive (N.C.)

Quarterfinals – Friday, 11:30 a.m.; Semifinals – Saturday, 10:30 a.m.; Championship – Saturday, 1:30 p.m.; (Other placement duals at 3 p.m. on Saturday)

2024 Results

The following are the first-place and third-place results from the 2024 National Duals

• Div. II Championship – Central Oklahoma 37, Augustana 3; Third Place – St. Cloud State 24, Lander (Ohio) 16

• Div. III Championship – Wartburg 21, Augsburg 19; Third Place – Wisconsin-LaCrosse 22, North Central 15

• NAIA M Championship – Life U. 24, Grand View 17; Third Place – Menlo (Calif.) 25, Southeastern 17

• NAIA W Championship – Life U. 25, Menlo (Calif.) 21; Third Place – Texas Wesleyan 39, Providence 10

• NCAA W Championship – Iowa 21, North Central 20; Third Place – McKendree 29, King U. 16

All-time NWCA National Duals Champs … by Division

Source: National Wrestling Coaches Association

# – Women represented the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association between 2005 and 2019

Sites of Past NWCA National Duals

The following breaks down where past NWCA National Dual Championships have been held. It was just a tournament for NCAA Div. I schools before 2002, when the NWCA also offered the event from schools in the NCAA Div. II and III as well as NAIA, NJCAA and women’s college teams. The Div. I Duals were held separately from the Multi-Division Duals 2012-17.

* – Rutgers, Cornell, Iowa State and Oklahoma State served as regional sites.

# – Division I schools competed in the Multi-Divisional National Duals between 2002-11.

Source: Jason Bryant