The Mat Stats Show by the NWCA
by Jason Bryant, Glenn Gormley and Kevin Hazard
Welcome to the NWCA’s latest venture to help our favorite sport. Glenn Gormley, Jason Bryant and Kevin Hazard outline their effort to bring statistical analysis to wrestling. Mat Stats is the NWCA’s attempt to bring wrestling up to speed with so many other sports by incorporating stats. It is the same sport, the wrestlers are just older and better.
Episodes
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These Guys Are Good: Review and Challenge Data from the NCAA D1 Championships - Mat Stats Ep. 58
In this episode, the MatStats crew tackles the "Upon Further Review" culture in collegiate wrestling. Joining the show is Dr. Mike McCormick, former D1 referee and current NCAA Coordinator of Officials, who provided 6 years of comprehensive video review data from the NCAA Men’s D1 Championships...
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Why Does Rice Play Texas? - Mat Stats Ep. 57
Why Does Rice Play Texas? The structure of American collegiate athletics is entirely unique to this country—a cultural and social phenomenon that functions far beyond simple athletic competition. While media conglomerates celebrate massive television contracts and multi-million-dollar multimedia...
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I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Part 3) - Mat Stats Ep. 56
Episode 56 of The Mat Stats Show wraps up the three-part deep dive into the three-point takedown rule with Glenn Gormley, Kevin Hazard and Jason Bryant taking the research down to the round-by-round and weight-by-weight level. Using six NCAA Division I Championships worth of data before and after...
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I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Part 2) - Mat Stats Ep. 55
In Episode 55 of The MatStats Show, hosts Glenn Gormley, Jason Bryant, and Kevin Hazard continue their "Moneyball" deep dive into the impact of the 3-point takedown rule. Analyzing over 3,300 matches from the 2021–2026 NCAA Championships, the team investigates whether the recent rise in total...
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I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Mat Stats 54
Episode 54 of The Mat Stats Show gets back into the speakeasy with Jason Bryant shaking off 25 days, seven countries, two continental championships, 66 medal ceremonies and whatever number of anthems came through Kyrgyzstan and the Balkans. Jason, Kevin Hazard and Glenn Gormley start with a quick...
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Root Locally, Support Nationally! - Mat Stats 53
Episode 53 of The Mat Stats Show recaps the conclusion of the 2026 collegiate wrestling season across all major divisions, with hosts Jason Bryant, Glenn Gormley, and Kevin Hazard breaking down the numbers behind the NCAA, NAIA, and NCWA championships. The discussion opens with reflections on the...
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Waiting for a friend: A look at the NCAA women's championships - Mat Stats 52
The Mat Stats Show discussed the growth and significance of women's wrestling, highlighting the upcoming NCAA Women's Championship in Coralville, Iowa. The NCAA now has 127 women's wrestling teams, set to surpass rowing in numbers. The NAIA Women's Championship will be held in Park City, Kansas,...
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Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. A look at the history of the NCAA - Mat Stats Ep. 51
The Mat Stats Show, hosted by Jason Bryant, Glenn Gormley, and Kevin Hazard, discussed the current state of college wrestling, particularly the dominance of Penn State and the potential of Ohio State. They highlighted the upcoming NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships in 2028 and the recent drop…
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Ask what you can do for wrestling - Mat Stats 50
The discussion on Episode 50 of Mat Stats digs into the growth and challenges of collegiate wrestling. Key points include the significant growth of NCAA wrestling teams, with 137.5% of the increase coming from D2 and D3 schools. The University of Utah's $500 million investment from Otro Capital…
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Don't Stop Believin' - A look at NCAA men's participation statistics - Mat Stats 49
The MatStats boys analyze the participation numbers of Men’s NCAA Wrestling from 1981-82 to 2024-25. How the new roster cap limits on D1 will affect the numbers and the possibilities to help augment the losses from the roster cap limits. Slideshow for Episode 49:...
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These ARE the good old days - a look at HS wrestling participation numbers - Mat Stats 48
MatStats does it s annual dive into HS wrestling. We look at the participation numbers, if having a separate coach for the girls helps, the number of forfeits, states HS numbers and number of college teams, how the 3-point TD rule has affected HS wrestling & analyze the state of HS wrestling....
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On A Clear Day You Can See College Athletics (Part 3 of 3) – Mat Stats 47
In this three-part series, MatStats does a business study using stats and financial data to help the viewers understand the drastic changes in college sports. It is so confusing, it is tough to understand the business of college sports in 2025. MatStats investigates how we got here, the…
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On A Clear Day You Can See College Athletics (Part 2 of 3) - Mat Stats 46
In this three-part series, MatStats does a business study using stats and financial data to help the viewers understand the drastic changes in college sports. It is so confusing, it is tough to understand the business of college sports in 2025. MatStats explores the revenues, expenses, & profits…
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On A Clear Day You Can See College Athletics (Part 1 of 3) - Mat Stats 45
In this three-part series, MatStats does a business study using stats and financial data to help the viewers understand the drastic changes in college sports. It is so confusing, it is tough to understand the business of college sports in 2025. MatStats explores the revenues, expenses, & profits…
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Looking at the second-year impact of the three-point takedown - Mat Stats 44
Episode #44 is our annual follow up of a statistical analysis of how the new 3-point takedown has affected our sport. MatStats analyzes the number of scoring moves, total points per match, Margin of Victory, the change in the frequency of majors & techs, and is it time to adjust the MOV needed…
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What's going on? A look at the state of college championships in the U.S. - Mat Stats 43
The MatStats crew looks where we have been and where we are as a table setter for a future show on where we are going and how to be prepared. We analyze historical statistics with attendance at the NCAA Championships, participation numbers at National tourneys, NCAA Men’s number of teams and...
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The annual dive into Jason Bryant's D1 Preview Guide - Mat Stats 42
It’s the annual stats mound of news, notes, facts, data and more as co-host Jason Bryant talks about his annual mega-collection of stats for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. With over 250 pages, “The Guide,” as it’s become known, hits every pertinent stat and figure for the upcoming...
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Exploring the journey to women's collegiate wrestling championships - Mat Stats 41
MatStats does a shout out to the NCAA for approving women’s wrestling a championship sport. We do a quick history of women’s intercollegiate sports organizations. MatStats dives into the chronology of women’s national tourneys and the numbers in the 2024-2025 women’s teams, conferences and…
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Looking at the history of the National Duals - Mat Stats 40
MatStats does a recap and brief history of the NWCA/USMC National Duals. We do an analysis on past tourneys. We find out how many new teams are here and how many states. We also show how competitive this tourney is and how important it is for our sport. MatStats show how much this event has grown...
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Be True To Your School: Analyzing the NFHS Participation Stats (Part 2) - Mat Stats 39
MatStats does its second annual assessment of HS wrestling numbers. We analyze the participation numbers and growth of wrestling. Part 1 deals with the National Federation of High School (NFHS) participation numbers over the years. Part 2 analyzes the state survey and questionnaire that the NWCA...
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Be True To Your School: Analyzing the NFHS Participation Stats (Part 1) - Mat Stats 38
MatStats does its second annual assessment of HS wrestling numbers. We analyze the participation numbers and growth of wrestling. Part 1 deals with the National Federation of High School (NFHS) participation numbers over the years. Part 2 analyzes the state survey and questionnaire that the NWCA...
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The impact of the 3-point takedown on college wrestling: Part 3 - Mat Stats 37
MatStats takes on the new rule change for Takedowns in collegiate wrestling. We do our normal statistical analysis of how the new rule has affected our sport. The gang shoots deep into the Men’s NCAA D1 & D2 Championships to see what results we can find. It is such an important topic that we are...
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The impact of the 3-point takedown on college wrestling: Part 2 - Mat Stats 36
MatStats takes on the new rule change for Takedowns in collegiate wrestling. We do our normal statistical analysis of how the new rule has affected our sport. The gang shoots deep into the Men’s NCAA D1 & D2 Championships to see what results we can find. It is such an important topic that we are...
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Live from the NWCA Convention: Taking a look at the Olympic wrestling competition - Mat Stats 35
Mat Stats is live at the NWCA Convention with hosts Kevin Hazard and Glenn Gormley talking about the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. Co-host Jason Bryant joins remotely and provides some backstory on some of the wrestlers who have college connections competing in the field for other countries....
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The impact of the 3-point takedown on college wrestling: Part 1 - Mat Stats 34
MatStats takes on the new rule change for Takedowns in collegiate wrestling. We do our normal statistical analysis of how the new rule has affected our sport. The gang shoots deep into the Men’s NCAA D1 & D2 Championships to see what results we can find. It is such an important topic that we are...
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Looking at the growth of men's wrestling and men's sports since 1981-92 - Mat Stats 33
The boys at MatStats deliver a statistical state of the sport address. MatStats concentrates on Men’s NCAA wrestling. We are all aware women’s wrestling is booming. The gang dives into the data and analyze the numbers to help educate the viewers and wrestling fans on where the sport is on the...
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How does 2024 Penn State stack up as one of the best D1 wrestling teams of all-time? Mat Stats 32
The gang at MatStats uses data and stats to determine who had the best collegiate wrestling team since 1974. The battle comes down to the old Iowa teams and the 2024 Penn State team. If you want to have an educated opinion on the best team since 1974, MatStats provides a stats and analytics...
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Scores were up, but were they? Looking at the impact of the college scoring changes - Mat Stats 31
Episode 31 of the Mat Stats Show deals with how team scoring changed with the new 3-point TD and 2,3, & 4 point near fall, how accurate is the seeding process, and a recap of the 2023-24 season. Join hosts Glenn Gormley, Kevin Hazard and Jason Bryant as we dive into those numbers. Slideshow to...
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It's an ultimate stats dig for Kansas City with Jason Bryant's Preview Guide - Mat Stats 30
Episode 30 of the NWCA's Mat Stats Show gets a look into the annual monstrosity that is the Mat Talk Online Division I Wrestling Championships Preview Guide - or as many call it - The Guide. With over 250 pages, the Mat Talk Online NCAA Division I Wrestling Fan Guide is the ultimate digital...
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Digging into historical match counts across Division I champions - Mat Stats 29
The boys at MatStats study the trends in the number of matches the men’s NCAA qualifiers and champions have wrestled over the years. We also see if the best teams agree with Alan Jackson. Finally, we compare wrestling to other NCAA sports in the number of contests. Full Slideshow:...
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Analyzing the Ivy League's upcoming departure from the EIWA - Mat Stats 28
The boys at MatStats discuss the Ivy League leaving the EIWA. MatStats uses stats and past shows to inform the viewers why the Ivy League departing the EIWA could increase the chances for growing the sport. MatStats looks at the big picture and reveals reasons we should wrap our arms around the...
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Examining the growth of high school wrestling participation (Part 2) - Mat Stats 27
Part 2 of the Mat Stats deep dive into participation numbers at the high school level continues, this time focusing on girls high school participation. Joining hosts Jason Bryant, Glenn Gormley and Kevin Hazard is NWCA Deputy Director Dr. Jackie Paquette. We’ll look at what factors may or may not...
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Examining the growth of high school wrestling participation - Mat Stats 26
The episode, titled "Rock ‘N’ Roll High School (Part 1)," features special guest Dr. Jackie Paquette from the NWCA, who will discuss recent trends in high school wrestling participation. The episode will explore the growth in the number of high school wrestlers, with particular attention to the...
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There's something happening here - Mat Stats 25
In this episode, MatStats discusses the robust state of collegiate wrestling, showcasing a surge in the number of teams and participants, especially in smaller private schools and NCWA, underscoring the positive impact of women's wrestling on the sport. Key trends revealed include a notable…
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Thinking Globally! Looking at the numbers from the 2023 World Championships - Mat Stats 24
MatStats provides the viewers with a preview of the World Wrestling Championships in Serbia 9/16-9/24/23. MatStats also offers some stats from the past World Championships. Think Globally, Root Locally! USA! USA! USA! Slideshow Link:...
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Back Where I Come From - Mat Stats 23
The boys from MatStats explore what colleges the Men & Women Wrestlers form the Worlds & Olympics attended. It is a common thread across sports to say what college an athlete went to. It is such a big part of our conversations that the NFL announces which college the player went to for every…
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Do You Know, Do You Know, Do You Know ... college's four-time champions? - Mat Stats 22
The boys at MatStats deliver a statistical primer on who has won the most collegiate wrestling titles in various categories. This includes Men’s, Women’s, NCAA, NAIA, WCWA, NCWC. MatStats wants the viewers to be educated on many subjects. Slideshow Link:...
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The Best There Ever Was (at least since 1974) - Mat Stats 21
The MatStats gang provides data and stats to help settle bar arguments on what team was the best NCAA Men’s team ever and what was the greatest dynasty ever. One of the MatStats boys is a former bar owner. Nothing he likes more than an educated bar discussion on the greatest wrestling teams ever....
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I'm Here For The Party: A dig into college wrestling attendance - Mat Stats 20
The boys at MatStats offer suggestions on how to better feature the “lost” dual meet and how to draw more fans.We need to make the dual meet more fun.We need to co-market/co-brand the dual meet.The students on campus do not get enough opportunities to see a dual meet. It has become a forgotten…
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Prepping for D1 as we dive into The Guide - Mat Stats 19
For the 11th year in a row, Jason Bryant is producing the massive Mat Talk Online Division I Championship Digital Preview Guide. A staple at the head table and on press row for over a decade, Glenn Gormley, Kevin Hazard and Bryant dive into some of the things in this year’s guide as they build...
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R-E-S-P-E-C-T and growing women's wrestling with Lori Ayres - Mat Stats 18
R-E-S-P-E-C-T On this Episode, the MatStats boys do their monthly statistical analysis on women’s collegiate & girls HS wrestling. Where it is today, how it compares with other sports & where it seems to be heading. MatStats shows that men & women wrestling have a symbiotic relationship and can…
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To win the Stanley Cup … you have to make the playoffs - Mat Stats 17
The MatStats boys research the conference qualifiers. They inform the viewers how you qualify for the Men’s & Women’s NCAA & NAIA national championships. The gang also does a statistical dive into the inordinate number of defaults in the placement bouts in the NCAA Men’s (D1, D2, & D3) conference...
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Why Do You Rob Banks? Because That's Where the Money Is - Mat Stats 16
Why Do You Rob Banks? Because That's Where the Money Is. Why is the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Dual Meet Championships so important? Because that's where the teams are. The MatStats Posse explains why this dual meet tournament is so important. This is even though the fan favorite NCAA Men's…
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Now More Than Ever: Looking at the statistical history of the All-Star Classic - Mat Stats 15
The MatStats boys talk about the NWCA All-Star Match coming back on 11/22/22. They discuss the history of this classic. MatStats also uses the NWCA All-Star Match as a control group for possible team scoring changes and how much they are needed for the fans and to promote more action and scoring....
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If Not Now, When? If Not You, Who? Part II - Mat Stats 14
The crew at MatStats continues their study on potential changes on team scoring. This Episode examines the concept of continuing the Margin of Victory dual meet scoring with the inclusion of Placement Points for tournaments. Using the data from Men's D1 Championships (1988-1992 & 2017-2022),...
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Mat Stats 13: If Not Now? When? If Not You? Who? Part I - SOW25
The crew at MatStats continues their study on potential changes on team scoring. This Episode examines the concept of continuing the Margin of Victory dual meet scoring with the inclusion of Placement Points for tournaments. Using the data from Men's D1 Championships (1988-1992 & 2017-2022),...
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Mat Stats 12: Should we change dual meet scoring? A Margin of Victory Method - SOW24
The dual meet is one of the great features our sport has to welcome new fans, to pack arenas and to see how one team matches up with another. While dual meet scoring has undergone some changes over the past 50-plus years, does the team scoring metric adequately represent the scoring that takes...
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Mat Stats 11: Analyzing the scoring trends from the NCAA Division I wrestling championships - SOW23
The MatStats gang, Glenn Gormley, Jason Bryant, and Kevin Hazard, does a deep penetration step into the scoring, pins, & OT of 3,366 wrestlers & 6,060 bouts at NCAA D1 Men’s Championship bouts. MatStats compiles a comprehensive statistical study on scoring categories of the Men’s NCAA D1...
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Mat Stats 10: Jason Bryant's plan to renovate Division I wrestling conferences - SOW22
There are 32 conferences in the Division I athletics landscape. Among the 350 Division I schools, there will be 81 that have wrestling at the start of the 2023-24 season. Those 81 teams will be spread across 28 different all-sports conferences and collected into seven conferences that sponsor...
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Mat Stats 9: The unique role of the NCWA in college wrestling - SOW21
Welcome to the NWCA’s latest venture to help our favorite sport. Glenn Gormley, Jason Bryant and Kevin Hazard outline their effort to bring statistical analysis to wrestling. MatStats is the NWCA’s attempt to bring wrestling up to speed with so many other sports by incorporating stats. The…
more
About this show
Welcome to the NWCA’s latest venture to help our favorite sport. Glenn Gormley, Jason Bryant and Kevin Hazard outline their effort to bring statistical analysis to wrestling. Mat Stats is the NWCA’s attempt to bring wrestling up to speed with so many other sports by incorporating stats. It is the same sport, the wrestlers are just older and better.
Hosted by
Jason Bryant, Glenn Gormley and Kevin Hazard
Categories