College wrestling 101: A beginner's guide to the sport's rules and terminology

As winter sports are underway, The Chronicle is back with our breakdown of every sport, including key rules, terminology, tournament formats and more. Here is wrestling:

Overview

A wrestling dual includes 10 contested bouts, with one at each weight class. The weight classes are 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184, 197 and 285 pounds. Weigh-ins take place an hour before the dual is set to start. 

An individual bout is broken up between three periods, lasting a total of seven minutes. The first period lasts three minutes, while the following periods are two minutes each.

In the first period, both wrestlers begin on their feet and meet in the center, starting when the referee blows his whistle. In the second and third period, each wrestler chooses to start on either the top, bottom or again in a neutral position. 

The wrestler who earns the most points during the bout wins, and the means by which they win determines the points the team gets from the bout. Teams earn six points for a pin or a forfeit, five for a technical fall, four for a major decision victory and three for a decision victory. The team with the most points at the end of all 10 bouts wins the match.

Courtesy of dimensions.com

Dual: A competition between two teams, with each team sending 10 wrestlers, one from each weight class, to participate.

Bout: A bout is a competition between two individual wrestlers on the mat. There are 10 bouts in a dual, with one bout for each weight class.

Takedown: Occurs when one wrestler forces his opponent to support his body weight with either his knees, thighs, buttocks or hands. A takedown is worth two points if a wrestler pulls it off in a match.

Escape: Occurs when a wrestler manages to regain control of himself and get away from the control of his opponent. This move is worth a point in a bout.

Reversal: Occurs when a wrestler manages to gain control over his opponent from a position where his opponent had control. A successful reversal is worth two points in a match.

Riding time: Measured as the time when one wrestler has control of another during the bout. Wrestlers can earn themselves a point by amassing higher than a minute of riding time more than their opponent during the duration of the match.

Pin/fall: A pin, otherwise known as a fall, is measured when a wrestler puts both of his opponents’ shoulders on the mat. The result is a victory in the bout and six points allocated to the team the wrestler is competing for.

Technical fall: A technical fall, also known as a tech fall, occurs when a wrestler is ahead of his opponent by 15 or more points, regardless of how much time is left on the clock in the bout. Winning by tech fall earns five points for the wrestler’s team in a dual.

Major decision: Victory by major decision occurs when a wrestler bests his opponent by between eight and 14 points after all three rounds are played. It is worth four points towards the winning wrestler’s team.

Decision: When a wrestler wins by decision, he has beaten his opponent by less than eight points at the conclusion of all three rounds. This result earns three points towards the team’s overall score. 

Penalties

Unsportsmanlike conduct: This includes excessively celebrating, continuing to wrestle after the whistle or any other unruly behavior deemed unsportsmanlike. The penalty results in one point to the opponent. 

Illegal hold: This penalty also results in one point to the opponent. Illegal holds range from exerting pressure on the opponent’s mouth or nose and thus restricting breathing or circulation to slamming the opponent onto the mat with excessive force. 

Stalling: Wrestlers must attempt to stay near the center of the mat and score points against their opponents at all times. Wrestlers will receive a warning after the first infraction, followed by a point being given to the opponent after a second and third stalling call. If a wrestler is called for a fourth stalling call, the opponent receives two points. The wrestler is disqualified upon a fifth. 

Disqualification: An excessive amount of any of these penalties may result in a disqualification on the referee’s discretion. A disqualification results in five points for the opposing team. 

Season format

This season, the Blue Devils will face off against 18 opponents in dual matches, with six of those being conference matchups. Additionally, Duke will compete in three regular-season individual tournaments against wrestlers from a variety of schools.

ACC Tournament: The Blue Devils have the unique opportunity to host the ACC Tournament this year. It will take place March 9, and is formatted with a bracket for each weight class. One wrestler from each class is crowned champion.

NCAA Tournament: The NCAA Tournament is in Philadelphia, Pa., this year, and will last from March 19-21. It will feature 33 different wrestlers per weight class, with one champion per class.

Coaching staff and recent trends

Coach Glen Lanham enters his 13th year at the helm of the Duke wrestling program. Before a disappointing 2023-24 season in which the Blue Devils finished with a 4-13 record, Lanham had sent at least one wrestler to the NCAA Championships in every season at Duke. Lanham has also coached three All-Americans and six All-ACC wrestlers during his tenure with the Blue Devils. 

While Duke did not win a single match in the ACC last year, the Blue Devils return most of their key wrestlers, including captains Gaetano Console and Connor Barket, from a season ago. Lanham still boasts a very youthful squad, with 19 of the 25 wrestlers on the roster only in their first or second year with the program. 

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