The North Carolina wrestling team, ranked 13th nationally, will begin its 2026 schedule at the Soldier Salute tournament in Coralville, Iowa. The two-day event is set to take place at Xtream Arena from January 3 to January 4.
Nineteen wrestlers from North Carolina are expected to compete. This comes after the team’s recent success on December 21, when they secured a 19-13 victory over No. 12 Northern Iowa. That win marked the program’s highest-ranked road victory since defeating Nebraska in the 2017-18 season.
Six Tar Heels contributed wins in that match: Kysen Terukina (125), Nate Askew (149), Bryce Hepner (165), Jake Dailey (184), Robert Platt (197), and Jacob Levy (285). Four of those victories—by Dailey, Platt, Levy, and Terukina—came consecutively for North Carolina. Both Dailey and Terukina earned wins against ranked opponents during this stretch.
At 165 pounds, Bryce Hepner defeated eighth-ranked Ryder Downey with a score of 7-4. Hepner’s performance included a reversal and four nearfall points in the second period following a scoreless first period.
Kysen Terukina was named Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week last week. This is his first season with North Carolina and his first time receiving this honor. Terukina went undefeated against both Nebraska and Northern Iowa, including a decision over Alan Koehler of Nebraska (4-1) and a ranked win over Trever Anderson of Northern Iowa (5-3). His current record stands at 6-0 for the season—all victories coming in dual matches—and he remains unbeaten among Tar Heel wrestlers this year.
Six North Carolina athletes are featured in the latest InterMat Wrestling rankings: Kysen Terukina (#13 at 125 lbs.), Ethan Oakley (#17 at 133 lbs.), Luke Simcox (#21 at 141 lbs.), Bryce Hepner (#17 at 165 lbs.), Jake Dailey (#23 at 184 lbs.), and Nolan Neves (#29 at heavyweight). As a team, North Carolina holds the No. 13 spot in the NWCA Coaches Poll.
The lineup for this weekend includes:
125: Kysen Terukina (#13), Cameron Stinson Jr.
133: Ethan Oakley (#17), Matthew Botello
141: Luke Simcox (#21), Nick O’Neill
149: Nate Askew
157: Laird Root, Joey Showalter
165: Bryce Hepner (#17), Charlie Darracott
174: Collin Carrigan, Nicholas Fea, Cade Tenold
184: Jake Dailey (#23), Aidan Schlett
197: Mikey Calcagno, Robert Platt
285: Jacob Levy