Field for 2026 National Duals Invitational Announced

After a strong performance in Tulsa this past season, the Cowboys will again wrestle in the National Duals Invitational in 2026.

Not that it was ever in much doubt, but on Tuesday, National Duals announced the field for the 2026 event, which is Dec. 12 and 13 and the BOK Center. Here are the 16 teams that will compete ordered by their NCAA Championships finish this past season:

Oklahoma State
Ohio State
Stanford
Iowa State
Minnesota
NC State
Virginia Tech
Wyoming
Arizona State
Missouri
Little Rock
Pitt
Oklahoma
North Carolina
Maryland
Rutgers

The 16 programs have combined for 54 NCAA team titles and more than 400 individual crowns in their histories.

The winning team will leave Tulsa with $250,000 — a $50,000 increase from last year — while the teams that finish second and third will each earn $175,000. Fourth and fifth will take home $100,000, and sixth through eighth will get $40,000, $25,000 and $20,000, respectively. Each team gets $20,000 for attending, and there will be $50,000 in takedown bonuses awarded.

“Seeing this caliber of programs commit so quickly reinforces what we’re building in Tulsa,” said Matt Surber, tournament director and father of former Cowboy Luke Surber. “The National Duals Invitational is bringing together some of the most historic programs to compete for significant prize money in the exciting duals format. We expect this tournament to continue elevating the sport of college wrestling.”

It’s a Big 12-heavy field with six of the 16 schools coming from the Cowboys’ conference. The field also includes five ACC squads and four Big Ten teams. Little Rock is the lone team outside of those three conferences in the event.

Ohio State won the event last year and returns to defend their crown. That group will be led by 133-pounder Ben Davino, who wrestled Jax Forrest in the national final this past season.

The Cowboys took third at this event last season, falling to Iowa in the semis. But the Hawkeyes aren’t in this year’s field. Given how hot the Cowboys finished the season and the fact that they return almost everyone, OSU will likely be the favorite come December.

Another squad that ought to be right in the mix is Virginia Tech with a lineup that’ll likely include two-time All-American Eddie Ventresca, third-place finisher Aaron Seidel, national champ Caleb Henson and superstar freshman Bo Bassett.

Tickets for the event go on sale May 26.