Williamsburg, KY – The University of the Cumberlands Men's Wrestling team has announced its 2025–26 schedule ahead of another highly anticipated season under Head Coach Corey Ruff. The Patriots will compete in a challenging slate of duals and tournaments beginning in November and culminating with the NAIA National Championships in March.
 
UC opens its season on November 1^st by hosting the Pepsi Patriot Open in Corbin, KY. The following week, the Patriots travel to Midway, KY, for the conference opener against Midway University before heading to Des Moines, IA, for the Grand View Open on November 15^th. They close out the month at the Life Open in Marietta, GA, on November 22^nd.
 
 
December brings a pair of marquee events as the Patriots compete at the Conner/Oppenheim Doane Open in Crete, NE, on December 6^th and the Rocky Top Duals in Gatlinburg, TN, on December 13^th. UC then rounds out the fall semester by hosting the Battle in the Bluegrass on December 19^th.
 
 
Coach Ruff summarized the season plan and why the schedule was built that way: "We are going to go to four open tournaments, one of them we host… and then you throw the Missouri Valley Invite in there, and the NWCA/NAIA National Duals — that's six events. Those are by far the six toughest events in the country for the NAIA, and we're going to be at all six of them."
 
 
The Patriots return to action on January 5^th with a home conference dual against Georgetown College. They will then head to Waterloo, IA, for the NWCA/NAIA National Duals January 9^th–10^th. Cumberlands continues conference competition with a road dual at Rio Grande on January 15^th, followed by a home contest against Campbellsville on January 20^th.
 
 
UC closes January at the MVC Invitational in Marshall, MO, on January 23^rd, before hosting Lindsey Wilson on January 28^th. February begins with back-to-back days in Lebanon, TN, as the Patriots compete in the Cumberland Open on February 1^st and face Cumberland University in dual action on February 2^nd.
 
 
The postseason opens February 13^th with the Mid-South Conference Championships in Bowling Green, KY. The NAIA National Championships will be held March 5^th–7^th in Wichita, KS.
 
 
Ruff acknowledged the schedule's difficulty but welcomed it: "Our schedule's nasty… adding Doane to this schedule is really challenging. It's of the toughest in the country, and the rest of the country will get a good look at us — that doesn't scare me. It excites me."
 
 
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