University of Minnesota Athletics
Photo by: Chris Eutsler
Wrestling Schedule Announced for 2026-27 Campaign
9/29/2026 3:00:00 PM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota wrestling team has unveiled its 2026-27 schedule, head coach Brandon Eggum announced Tuesday in conjunction with the Big Ten. Match Start times and TV designations will be announced at a later date.
Seven home duals plus a return trip to the National Duals Invitational highlight the schedule for a Gopher team that returns seven starters from last season's squad, including five that competed at the NCAA Championships, headlined by defending 184-pound national champion Max McEnelly.
In addition, the Gophers bring back reigning All-American Jore Volk (125 pounds), as well as two-time All-American Vance VomBaur (141), plus Charlie Millard (157) and Koy Hopke (285), who both competed in their first NCAA Championships last season.
Minnesota also benefits from the return of starters Ethan Riddle (174) and Gavin Nelson (197).
In addition, the team welcomes in transfer Drayden Morton from Cal Baptist, as well as eight incoming freshmen.
After the team's open practice on Oct. 23, the season starts up on Nov. 8 at the Daktronics Invitational, hosted by South Dakota State.
The next week sees the Gophers travel to the East Coast for the Appalachian State's Mountaineer Invitational on Nov. 15.
Minnesota then opens its home slate with three straight duals at Maturi Pavilion, beginning with its first ever matchup against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 20. Two days after the home opener, Bucknell visits The Pav on Nov. 22.
The three-match homestand concludes Dec. 1 when SIUE comes to Minneapolis for the first time since 1973.
One of the most anticipated events of the non-conference slate comes Dec. 12-13 at the National Duals in Tulsa, Okla. The 16-team event will feature a total purse of more than $1.2 million. Last season, Minnesota finished fifth and took home $50,000 as part of the NDI payout structure. That was on top of the $20,000 that each team was given for participating in the event.
The new year opens with the final tournament of the season as the Gophers head to the Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa, for the fourth straight year. This year's edition is set to take place Jan. 2-3 at the Xtream Arena.
Focus then shifts to the Big Ten season, which features eight duals with four at home and four on the road.
The conference slate starts on Jan. 10 with a home dual against Maryland. Minnesota has won eight straight duals over the Terrapins, including last season's 37-6 rout in College Park.
The weekend of Jan. 15-17 sees the Gophers head out on the road for a pair of matches. The Border Battle with Wisconsin kicks off the weekend on Friday the 15th as Minnesota looks for its fifth straight win, and 14th victory in the last 15 matchups, in the series. The road trip continues that Sunday at Purdue. Minnesota has taken each of the last three duals with the Boilermakers and 15 of the past 16.
Minnesota returns home on Jan. 24 when it meets Rutgers for the fourth season in a row. The Gophers have won seven of the eight all-time matchups between the schools.
The Golden Gophers host five-time defending national champion Penn State on Jan. 29 in what will be their first meeting since the Nittany Lions came to Minneapolis in February of 2020.
The month of February begins with a road dual at Nebraska on Feb. 5. The teams have met every year since 2019.
A visit from Illinois on Feb. 12 closes out the home slate at Maturi Pavilion. It'll be the Illini's first visit to Minneapolis since Jan. of 2023, while the Gophers have taken seven straight in the series and 12 of the past 13.
The regular season concludes on Feb. 14 with a road dual at Michigan. The Gophers were last in Ann Arbor in Jan. of 2022.
The postseason starts March 6-7 with the Big Ten Championships, hosted by Ohio State at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, while the NCAA Championships are slated for March 18-20 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Seven home duals plus a return trip to the National Duals Invitational highlight the schedule for a Gopher team that returns seven starters from last season's squad, including five that competed at the NCAA Championships, headlined by defending 184-pound national champion Max McEnelly.
In addition, the Gophers bring back reigning All-American Jore Volk (125 pounds), as well as two-time All-American Vance VomBaur (141), plus Charlie Millard (157) and Koy Hopke (285), who both competed in their first NCAA Championships last season.
Minnesota also benefits from the return of starters Ethan Riddle (174) and Gavin Nelson (197).
In addition, the team welcomes in transfer Drayden Morton from Cal Baptist, as well as eight incoming freshmen.
After the team's open practice on Oct. 23, the season starts up on Nov. 8 at the Daktronics Invitational, hosted by South Dakota State.
The next week sees the Gophers travel to the East Coast for the Appalachian State's Mountaineer Invitational on Nov. 15.
Minnesota then opens its home slate with three straight duals at Maturi Pavilion, beginning with its first ever matchup against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 20. Two days after the home opener, Bucknell visits The Pav on Nov. 22.
The three-match homestand concludes Dec. 1 when SIUE comes to Minneapolis for the first time since 1973.
One of the most anticipated events of the non-conference slate comes Dec. 12-13 at the National Duals in Tulsa, Okla. The 16-team event will feature a total purse of more than $1.2 million. Last season, Minnesota finished fifth and took home $50,000 as part of the NDI payout structure. That was on top of the $20,000 that each team was given for participating in the event.
The new year opens with the final tournament of the season as the Gophers head to the Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa, for the fourth straight year. This year's edition is set to take place Jan. 2-3 at the Xtream Arena.
Focus then shifts to the Big Ten season, which features eight duals with four at home and four on the road.
The conference slate starts on Jan. 10 with a home dual against Maryland. Minnesota has won eight straight duals over the Terrapins, including last season's 37-6 rout in College Park.
The weekend of Jan. 15-17 sees the Gophers head out on the road for a pair of matches. The Border Battle with Wisconsin kicks off the weekend on Friday the 15th as Minnesota looks for its fifth straight win, and 14th victory in the last 15 matchups, in the series. The road trip continues that Sunday at Purdue. Minnesota has taken each of the last three duals with the Boilermakers and 15 of the past 16.
Minnesota returns home on Jan. 24 when it meets Rutgers for the fourth season in a row. The Gophers have won seven of the eight all-time matchups between the schools.
The Golden Gophers host five-time defending national champion Penn State on Jan. 29 in what will be their first meeting since the Nittany Lions came to Minneapolis in February of 2020.
The month of February begins with a road dual at Nebraska on Feb. 5. The teams have met every year since 2019.
A visit from Illinois on Feb. 12 closes out the home slate at Maturi Pavilion. It'll be the Illini's first visit to Minneapolis since Jan. of 2023, while the Gophers have taken seven straight in the series and 12 of the past 13.
The regular season concludes on Feb. 14 with a road dual at Michigan. The Gophers were last in Ann Arbor in Jan. of 2022.
The postseason starts March 6-7 with the Big Ten Championships, hosted by Ohio State at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, while the NCAA Championships are slated for March 18-20 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Players Mentioned
285 lbs.
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184 lbs.
/ Wrestling
157 lbs.
/ Wrestling
165 lbs.
/ Wrestling
197 lbs.
/ Wrestling
174 lbs.
/ Wrestling
125 lbs.
/ Wrestling
141 lbs.
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