- Three straight nights of primetime wrestling on ESPN; 19 hours of live coverage overall
- ‘MATCAST’ to present individual feeds of every mat for all sessions on ESPN3, Command Center second-screen viewing option for Saturday night’s championship matches
- Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NCAA Wrestling All-American Daniel Cormier joins as analyst
The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships return to ESPN networks with 19 hours of live coverage from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit this weekend, March 17-19. ESPN will cover every mat and every single match from start to finish, including three nights of primetime wrestling action on ESPN’s flagship network. Coverage will also feature a ‘MATCAST’ viewing option on ESPN3, as well as a Command Center second-screen experience for every championship match on Saturday night.
ESPN has presented the NCAA Wrestling Championships since 1980, making it one of the longest-running events on the network.
ESPNU will televise the early sessions over three straight days, beginning with three-and-a-half hours of first-round action on Thursday, March 17, at noon ET. The Quarterfinal (Friday) and Medal Round (Saturday) will also air on ESPNU. The three nights of primetime sessions on ESPN – including the Second Round (Thurs.) and Semifinals (Fri.) – will culminate Saturday, March 19, at 7 p.m. with the Championship matches in each weight class.
The ‘MATCAST’ option will be available through the Medal Round via ESPN3 and the ESPN App. The presentation will show multi-boxes of all the mats so fans never miss a single point. This year, ESPN is adding a dedicated announce team to further bolster the “MATCAST’ coverage. During Saturday night’s finals, the Command Center on ESPN3 will offer unique commentary as well as ISO cameras focused on coaches, family and friends, unique angles from an overhead jib, mat-side robotic cameras, and more with a collection of the most respected names in the wrestling community providing commentary.
Commentators
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NCAA Wrestling All-American Daniel Cormier will be part of ESPN’s presentation of the Championships for the first time as an analyst. Cormier will join veterans Mike Couzens, Jim Gibbons and Quint Kessenich for the primetime telecasts on Friday and Saturday. The full roster of ESPN voices on-site at Little Caesars Arena will include:
ESPN (Primetime):
- Mike Couzens (play-by-play) – A versatile ESPN play-by-play voice calling the Championships for the fifth year.
- Daniel Cormier (analyst) – Current UFC lead analyst is a former NCAA All-American (Oklahoma State) and former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
- Jim Gibbons (analyst) – Former NCAA Champion as both wrestler and coach (Iowa State), current Big Ten Network lead analyst, inducted in the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003.
- Quint Kessenich (reporter) – The multi-sport reporter and analyst will cover all sessions in his 17th year.
ESPNU (Daytime):
- Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) – ACC Network’s lead play-by-play voice.
- J’Den Cox (analyst) – Former three-time NCAA Champion (Missouri), two-time World Champion, and Olympic Bronze Medalist.
- Rock Harrison (analyst) – ACC Network’s lead analyst, former Virginia wrestler and 10-year referee.
MATCAST:
- Shane Sparks (play-by-play) – Big Ten Network’s lead play-by-play voice
- Anthony Robles (analyst) – Former NCAA Champion (Arizona State) returns to ESPN’s NCAA Wrestling coverage
* Thursday’s coverage will combine the daytime and primetime announce teams
** All nine announcers will contribute to the Command Center presentation on Saturday night
Fans can follow the action on Twitter through @NCAAWrestling and join the conversation by tagging their tweets #NCAAWrestling. For more information on the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships: https://www.ncaa.com/wrestling.
2022 NCAA Championships Schedule on ESPN:
| Date | Time (ET) | Session | Networks | ESPN3/ESPN App Mat Feeds |
| Thu, Mar 17 | Noon – 3:30 p.m. | First Round | ESPNU | 8 mat feeds and MATCAST |
| 7 – 10:30 p.m. | Second Round | ESPN | 8 mat feeds and MATCAST | |
| Fri, Mar 18 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Quarterfinals | ESPNU | 8 mat feeds and MATCAST |
| 8 – 11 p.m. | Semifinals | ESPN | 6 mat feeds and MATCAST | |
| Sat, Mar 19 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Medal Round | ESPNU | 4 mat feeds and MATCAST |
| 7 – 10 p.m. | Championship | ESPN | Command Center and Trophy Ceremony |
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