ESPN presents the NCAA Div. I Championships from Philadelphia, March 20-22; 3 nights of primetime wrestling & 19 hours of live coverage

• Three straight nights of primetime wrestling on ESPN platforms; 19 hours of live coverage overall
• ESPN+ to present every match and every mat through the Medal Round on MatCast, plus simulcasts of all televised windows
• Lead ESPN commentating team to feature former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NCAA Wrestling All-American Daniel Cormier and two-time NCAA champion, six-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs
• ESPN’s original content series, Game On: Journey to the NCAA Championship, is streaming now on ESPN+ with wrestling episode. Television debut set for ESPN2 at 2 p.m. ET on March 19

The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships return to ESPN platforms with 19 hours of live action featuring all 640 matches from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia this weekend, March 20-22. Every mat and every single match will once again be covered from start to finish, including three nights of primetime wrestling action on ESPN (Thursday, Saturday) and ESPN2 (Friday). ESPN+ coverage will feature a live MatCast viewing option, as well as simulcasts of all televised windows.

ESPN has presented the NCAA Wrestling Championships since 1980, making it one of the company’s longest-running events.

ESPNU will televise the early sessions over three straight days, beginning with three-and-a-half hours of first-round action on Thursday, March 20, at noon. The Quarterfinal (Friday) and Medal Round (Saturday) will also air on ESPNU. The three nights of primetime sessions on ESPN and ESPN2 – including the Second Round (Thurs.) and Semifinals (Fri.) – will culminate Saturday, March 22, at 7 p.m. with the Championship matches in each weight class.

The MatCast option – with every mat and every match – will be streamed live through the Medal Round via ESPN+. The presentation will show multi-boxes of all the mats, so viewers never miss a single point. ESPN once again has a dedicated announce team to further bolster the MatCast coverage.

Commentators

ESPN’s commentator team will once again feature former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NCAA Wrestling All-American Daniel Cormier and two-time NCAA champion, six-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs. UFC’s lead analyst, Cormier is a former NCAA All-American at Oklahoma State and a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. This is his third NCAA Wrestling Championships for ESPN after debuting in 2022. Burroughs, one of the most accomplished wrestlers in history, joins ESPN’s coverage for the third consecutive year. The two-time NCAA champion and 2012 Dan Hodge Trophy winner from Nebraska won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. Rock Harrison returns to ESPN’s NCAA Championships presentation as an analyst/rules expert. A 10-year referee and former Virginia wrestler, Harrison is the lead analyst on ACC Network’s wrestling coverage.

Cormier (Friday and Saturday), Burroughs (Thursday-Saturday) and Harrison (Thursday-Saturday) will join play-by-play voice Mike Couzens and reporter Quint Kessenich for primetime and Championship coverage on ESPN.

The full roster of ESPN commentators on-site at Wells Fargo Center will include:

ESPN/ESPN2 (Primetime and Championship Round):

• Mike Couzens (play-by-play) – A versatile ESPN play-by-play voice calling the Championships for the eighth year.
• Jordan Burroughs (analyst) – A two-time NCAA champion at Nebraska and Dan Hodge Trophy winner, as well as a six-time world champion and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist at the London Games, Burroughs won his most recent world title in 2022 and set the American record with seven gold medals at the Olympic and World Championship level.

• Daniel Cormier (analyst) – Current UFC lead analyst is a former NCAA All-American (Oklahoma State) and former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
• Rock Harrison (analyst/rules expert) – ACC Network’s lead analyst, former Virginia wrestler and a 10-year referee.
• Quint Kessenich (reporter) – The multi-sport reporter and analyst will cover all daytime and primetime sessions in his 20th year.

ESPNU (Daytime):

• Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) – ACC Network’s lead wrestling play-by-play voice and a regular PxP for wrestling across ESPN platforms. Lead PxP for the last six World Championships and multiple Continental Championships. 2022 NWMA Broadcaster of the Year.
• Tim Johnson (analyst) – “The voice” of college wrestling for more than three decades. Johnson has evaluated college wrestling for more than 35 years and has called hundreds of collegiate wrestling meets, including the last 20 NCAA Championships. A member of both the Iowa and National Wrestling Halls of Fame.
• Plus, Harrison (analyst/rules expert) and Kessenich (reporter)

ESPN+ MatCast:

Shane Sparks (play-by-play) – Big Ten Network’s lead wrestling play-by-play voice.

Trent Hidlay (analyst) – Five-time Division I All-American at NC State.

Game On: Journey to the NCAA Championship

Game On: Journey to the NCAA Championship puts the spotlight on wrestling for the first of four shows showcasing winter sports. Kenney and Harrison – two of ESPN’s prominent voices during tournament coverage – will serve as hosts.

Game On features include:

• A rare glimpse into the most dominant program in the sport, Penn State. The Nittany Lion Way will explore the culture and philosophy behind the team’s success since Cael Sanderson took over as coach in 2009. This year, Penn State will be aiming for its 12th title in the last 14 NCAA Tournaments.
• Couzens profiles first year Oklahoma State head coach David Taylor, who won two individual titles for Penn State and was part of the first four of Sanderson’s national titles with the Nittany Lions. The task for Taylor now is to restore the Cowboys program to its former glory.
• Kessenich reports on the origins of “Funk” wrestling from pioneer Ben Askren to his protégé Keegan O’Toole, both two-time national champions for Missouri.
• Game On also brings you an underdog story, detailing the challenges the University of Northern Iowa Panthers have overcome to establish themselves as a top five program in 2025.
• ESPN analysts will spotlight what to look for in each of the ten individual weight classes, including the much-anticipated competition at 184 between reigning champ Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott, and Penn State’s Carter Starocci, who is aiming to become the NCAA’s first five-time Division I national champion. Game On: Journey to the NCAA Championship begins streaming on ESPN+ on Friday, March 14, with the televised debut on Wednesday, March 19 at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.

Fans can follow the action on Twitter through @NCAAWrestling and join the conversation by tagging their tweets #NCAAWrestling. For more information on the NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships: http://www.ncaa.com/wrestling

2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships on ESPN Platforms

Date/Time (ET)/Session/Platforms/ESPN+ Mat Feeds

Thursday, March 20

Noon, First Round, ESPNU, 8 mat feeds

Noon, First Round, ESPN+, MatCast

7 p.m., Second Round, ESPN, 8 mat feeds

7 p.m., Second Round , ESPN+, MatCast

Friday, March 21

Noon, Quarterfinals, ESPNU, 8 mat feeds

Noon, Quarterfinals, ESPN+, MatCast

8 p.m., Semifinals, ESPN2, 6 mat feeds

8 p.m., Semifinals, ESPN+, MatCast

Saturday, March 22

11 a.m., Medal Round, ESPNU, 4 mat feeds

11 a.m., Medal Round, ESPN+, MatCast

7 p.m., Championship, ESPN

7 p.m., Championship, ESPN+       

10 p.m., Trophy Presentation, ESPN+