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Wrestling Headed Back to National Duals Invitational
4/15/2026 1:49:00 PM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota wrestling team has confirmed its participation in the second annual National Duals Invitational, scheduled for December 12-13 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
The 16-team event will feature a total purse of more than $1.2 million. The top eight teams will all earn payouts, with the winning squad walking away with $250,000. The second- and third-place teams will earn $175,000, while fourth and fifth place are both set to win $100,000. Sixth through eighth place payouts will be: $40,000, $25,000 and $20,000, respectively. All participating teams will receive $20,000 for attending and have the opportunity to compete for $50,000 in takedown bonuses, as well.
Automatic entry was awarded to the top 10 teams in the final 2026 NCAA Division I standings, at which Minnesota finished ninth. The remaining spots will be filled by teams drawn from those finishing 11th through 20th in the NCAA rankings. At press time, the other teams confirmed for the event were host-Oklahoma State and Wyoming.
Penn State, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio State, Stanford, Michigan, Iowa State and NC State are the remaining teams that finished in the top 10 but have not yet confirmed participation. In addition, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Missouri, Illinois and Lehigh have all received automatic qualifier invitations.
Minnesota competed in the inaugural event a year ago, finishing in fifth place and taking home $50,000 in prize money. The Gophers went 4-1 at the event with the only loss coming to eventual Duals champion, Ohio State. Along the way, Minnesota secured a pair of wins over Virginia Tech, while also defeating Northern Iowa and Missouri.
The Gophers are set to return eight starters from last season's squad, including five that competed at the NCAA Championships, headlined by 184-pound national champion Max McEnelly, as well as 125-pound All-American Jore Volk.
Final teams, brackets and television information will be listed on NationalDualsInvitational.com as the information is announced.
The 16-team event will feature a total purse of more than $1.2 million. The top eight teams will all earn payouts, with the winning squad walking away with $250,000. The second- and third-place teams will earn $175,000, while fourth and fifth place are both set to win $100,000. Sixth through eighth place payouts will be: $40,000, $25,000 and $20,000, respectively. All participating teams will receive $20,000 for attending and have the opportunity to compete for $50,000 in takedown bonuses, as well.
Automatic entry was awarded to the top 10 teams in the final 2026 NCAA Division I standings, at which Minnesota finished ninth. The remaining spots will be filled by teams drawn from those finishing 11th through 20th in the NCAA rankings. At press time, the other teams confirmed for the event were host-Oklahoma State and Wyoming.
Penn State, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio State, Stanford, Michigan, Iowa State and NC State are the remaining teams that finished in the top 10 but have not yet confirmed participation. In addition, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Missouri, Illinois and Lehigh have all received automatic qualifier invitations.
Minnesota competed in the inaugural event a year ago, finishing in fifth place and taking home $50,000 in prize money. The Gophers went 4-1 at the event with the only loss coming to eventual Duals champion, Ohio State. Along the way, Minnesota secured a pair of wins over Virginia Tech, while also defeating Northern Iowa and Missouri.
The Gophers are set to return eight starters from last season's squad, including five that competed at the NCAA Championships, headlined by 184-pound national champion Max McEnelly, as well as 125-pound All-American Jore Volk.
Final teams, brackets and television information will be listed on NationalDualsInvitational.com as the information is announced.
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