Dom Serrano’s first significant action for the UNC Bears wrestling team this season worked out well for the sixth-year lightweight from Windsor.
Serrano, who dealt with an injury through most of the fall, won the 133-pound title last weekend at the prestigious Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Serrano won tight matches in the semifinals and finals and was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler. The five matches were the most he wrestled competitively since early November because of a back injury.
A four-time Colorado high school state champion at Windsor, Serrano this week tried to remember if he’d previously earned outstanding wrestler honors.
“I think that was just like a good confidence booster, for sure,” Serrano said of the five matches at the Southern Scuffle. “But you know, you have to have kind of a short memory with it too at the same time. Keep yourself humble. And you know, understand that there’s still a lot of season left.” Northern Colorado Bears wrestler Dominick Serrano wrestles with a teammate at a wrestling practice on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
The Bears’ next step in the season is Sunday afternoon when they host nationally ranked University of Pennsylvania. The dual begins at 2 p.m. at Bank of Colorado Arena.
Serrano said he expects to be in the lineup against the No. 22 Quakers. He’s ranked 11th nationally by FloWrestling at 133 and third in the Big 12 Conference. Serrano is the defending Big 12 champion. He went to the NCAA Championships seeded fifth last year but did not place. UNC Bears wrestler Dominick Serrano talks with assistant coach Earl Hall during a wrestling practice Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026 at UNC. Serrano, a Windsor High School graduate in his sixth collegiate season, came up with big wins last weekend on the way to the 133-pound title at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer) First-year UNC coach Teyon Ware said Serrano was a little rusty at the Southern Scuffle, but he wrestled with a lot of heart.
Serrano, 7-0 this season according to The Open Mat, beat North Carolina State’s Zach Redding in sudden-victory overtime Nov. 8. He didn’t wrestle again until a late-December Big 12 dual win at California Baptist University.
“He hadn’t sharpened his skills because he hadn’t had much competition,” Ware said. “He gave up take downs. He gave up reverses. But he still kept himself in the game.”
At the Southern Scuffle, three of Serrano’s wins came against nationally ranked opponents. He defeated No. 17 Max Leete of American 8-5 in sudden-victory overtime in the semifinals. Serrano then beat No. 14 Braxton Brown of Maryland 5-4 in the final.
“Dom’s been doing the small things right ever since March,” Ware said. “He knows what that taste felt like. Being the Big 12 champion and then not coming home with hardware. He made a change in his life, and he decided to do the small right things, which is what we preach.” UNC Bears wrestler Dom Serrano, second from right, listens to a coach with his teammates a team practice Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026 at UNC in Greeley. Serrano is back on the mat after an early-season injury. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
Serrano said the time off the mat with the injury was difficult. He felt good about his preseason, saying it was one of his best. Through the layoff, Serrano had to overcome a feeling that he wasn’t doing enough instead of accepting he needed time to heal to be ready for the second half of the season.
“Watching my teammates compete, it’s hard on the mind,” he said.
Serrano is wrestling for March and post-season championships. When Serrano’s back felt off after the N.C. State match, Ware decided to keep him out of action.
“That was a big thing for me too,” Serrano added. “Understanding that piece because I do want to be out there. That’s probably a better decision for him to make than myself because I would’ve been, ‘I’m good, I’m good.’ “
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