Real Woods

Last updated
Real Woods
Personal information
Full nameReal Marshall Ray Woods
Born1999
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Website realdealwrestling.com
Sport
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Sport Wrestling
Event(s) Freestyle and Folkstyle
College team Iowa
Stanford
ClubCliff Keen Wrestling Club
Titan Mercury Wrestling Club
Hawkeye Wrestling Club (formerly)
Stanford – California RTC (formerly)
Coached by Sergei Beloglazov
Tom Brands (formerly)
Terry Brands (formerly)
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2025 Zagreb 65 kg
Grand Prix
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2025 Tirana 65 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2023 Sassari65 kg
U20 Pan American Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2019 Guatemala City 65 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing Iowa Hawkeyes
NCAA Division I Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2023 Tulsa 141 lb
Big Ten Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2024 College Park 141 lb
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Ann Arbor 141 lb
Representing Stanford Cardinal
Pac-12 Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2022 Tempe141 lb
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2021 Corvallis141 lb
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2020 Stanford141 lb

Real Marshall Ray Woods (born 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of Real American Freestyle (RAF), where he is the current RAF Featherweight Champion.

Contents

In freestyle, he qualified to represent the United States at the 2025 World Championships. [1] In folkstyle, Woods was a three-time NCAA Division I All-American, twice for the Iowa Hawkeyes and once for the Stanford Cardinal. [2]

Career

High school

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Woods moved to Shungnak, Alaska early in his life, where he started wrestling at age seven. [3] He then moved to Lombard, Illinois so he could attend Montini Catholic High School, mainly due to their wrestling program. [4]

Woods was a three-time IHSA state champion and a four-time finalist, and was highly ranked in the nation when he committed to wrestle at Stanford University in 2017, before graduating in 2018. [5]

Stanford University

After a 19–1 season while wearing a redshirt in 2018–2019 at 141 pounds, Woods became a NCAA qualifier and Pac-12 champion as a redshirt freshman in 2019–2020, posting once again a 19–1 record before the NCAA tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [6]

As a sophomore, Woods only competed in the post-season, placing second at the Pac-12 Championships and going 2–2 at the 2021 NCAA tournament, finishing 6–3 on the year. In 2021–2022, he claimed his second Pac-12 title and became an NCAA Division I All-American with a sixth place finish at the 2022 NCAA tournament, closing out 17–4. [7]

University of Iowa

After earning a degree from Stanford University, Woods decided to transfer to the University of Iowa for his remaining two years of eligibility. [8]

2022–2023

For his junior year, Woods claimed the Big Ten Conference title and made it to the finals of the NCAA tournament, placing second and closing out the year with a 20–1 record. [9]

After folkstyle season, Woods made his senior level freestyle debut, placing second and going 2–1 at Italy's Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial that took place in June. [10]

2023–2024

For his final season, Woods placed third at the Big Ten Championships, and claimed All-American status for the third time with a fourth place finish at the NCAA tournament, closing out the year with a 23–5 record and his career with a 104–15 record. [11]

Post-collegiate career

In August 2024, Woods announced he would move to Michigan to join the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club and pursue freestyle accomplishments. [12]

2025

Woods took the freestyle mat for the second time in his senior level career at the Muhamet Malo Tournament in February. [13] After three dominant wins over foreign opposition, including Bulgaria's European finalist Mikyay Naim, he was stopped by Iran's World champion Rahman Amouzad in the semifinals, which pulled him into a bronze medal match where he defeated Japan's Kaiji Ogino. [14]

Competing domestically for the first time, Woods placed fourth at the US Open National Championships in April, racking up five victories though falling to Aden Valencia twice. [15]

Woods avenged his losses to Valencia in the first round of May's US World Team Trials Challenge tournament, where he claimed first place after three victories, including one over two-time NCAA champion Jesse Mendez. This set him up for a best-of-three series at Final X against US Open champion Joseph McKenna to decide the fate of the US World Team spot. [15]

In June, after two straight victories over McKenna, Woods became the US World Team member at 65 kilograms, and will represent the United States at the World Championships later in the year. [16]

Freestyle record

Senior Freestyle Matches
Res.RecordOpponentScoreDateEventLocation
2025 World Championships Bronze medal icon.svg at 65 kg
Win21-5 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Peiman Biabani 3-1September 15-16, 2025 2025 World Championships

Flag of Croatia.svg Zagreb, Croatia

Win20-5 Flag of India.svg Sujeet Kalkal 7-5
Win19-5 Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg Ikromzhon KhadzhimurodovTF 10-0
Loss18-5 Flag of Iran.svg Rahman Amouzad TF 1-12
Win18-4 Flag of Moldova.svg Maxim Saculțan TF 14-2
RAF 01 145 lb (Won Inaugural Featherweight Title)
Win17-4 Flag of the United States.svg Darrion Caldwell FallAugust 30, 2025 RAF 01

Flag of the United States.svg Cleveland, Ohio

2025 US World Team Trials Gold medal icon.svg at 65 kg
Win16–4 Flag of the United States.svg Joseph McKenna 4–4June 14, 20252025 Final X

Flag of the United States.svg Newark, New Jersey

Win15–4 Flag of the United States.svg Joseph McKenna 7–5
Win14–4 Flag of the United States.svg Brock Hardy10–6May 16–17, 20252025 US World Team Trials Challenge

Flag of the United States.svg Louisville, Kentucky

Win13–4 Flag of the United States.svg Jesse Mendez 11–9
Win12–4 Flag of the United States.svg Aden Valencia6–4
2025 US Open 4th at 65 kg
Loss11–4 Flag of the United States.svg Aden Valencia3–5April 23–27, 20252025 US Open National Championships

Flag of the United States.svg Las Vegas, Nevada

Win11–3 Flag of the United States.svg Beau Bartlett 9–8
Win10–3 Flag of the United States.svg Tom CrookTF 10–0
Win9–3 Flag of the United States.svg Luke SimcoxTF 13–1
Loss8–3 Flag of the United States.svg Aden Valencia4–5
Win8–2 Flag of the United States.svg Noah IngramFall
Win7–2 Flag of the United States.svg Marcus SpallinoTF 10–0
2025 Muhamet Malo International Bronze medal icon.svg at 65 kg
Win6–2 Flag of Japan.svg Kaiji Ogino9–1February 26, 2025 2025 Muhamet Malo Tournament

Flag of Albania.svg Tirana, Albania

Loss5–2 Flag of Iran.svg Rahman Amouzad 2–11
Win5–1 Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Adlan AskarovTF 10–0
Win4–1 Flag of Bulgaria.svg Mikyay Naim TF 10–0
Win3–1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Congbao Xie10–1
2023 Matteo Pellicone Memorial Silver medal icon.svg at 65 kg
Loss2–1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Ayub Musaev2–4June 9, 20232023 Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial

Flag of Italy.svg Sassari, Italy

Win2–0 Flag of Ukraine.svg Yaroslav HurskyyTF 12–2
Win1–0 Flag of Spain.svg Felipe FerrusolaTF 10–0

References

  1. ↑ "Nine berths on 2025 U.S. Senior Men's Freestyle World Team set during exciting Final X action in Newark". www.themat.com. 2025-06-15. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  2. ↑ "Real Woods - Men's Wrestling 2022-23". Iowa Hawkeyes Athletics - Official Athletics Website. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  3. ↑ "From above the Arctic Circle comes a wrestler who likes to throw some weight around". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  4. ↑ Batterson, Steve (2022-10-27). "College wrestling: Transfer Woods has had impact on Iowa wrestling room". Courier. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  5. ↑ Nomad, Wrestling (2017-07-10). "#3 Real Woods Commits To Stanford". FloWrestling. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  6. ↑ Bratke, Kyle (2020-03-18). "2020 NCAA Championships All-State Team". FloWrestling. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  7. ↑ "Real Woods - Wrestling 2018-19". Stanford Cardinal - Official Athletics Website. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  8. ↑ Goodwin, Cody. "Real Woods accomplished one dream at Stanford. He wants to accomplish another at Iowa". Hawk Central. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  9. ↑ Goodwin, Cody. "NCAA Wrestling: Iowa's Real Woods falls to Northern Colorado's Andrew Alirez in 141 final". Hawk Central. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  10. ↑ "Kennedy wins gold, Assad and Woods earn silver medals at Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial". www.themat.com. 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  11. ↑ "Iowa's Real Woods finishes fourth, reflects on college wrestling career". Hawk Central. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  12. ↑ admin. "Cliff Keen WC Adds Woods to Freestyle Roster". Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  13. ↑ "Muhamet Malo 2025 Ranking Series Entry List". uww.org. 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  14. ↑ "Marsteller wins gold, Woods and Lewan secure bronze at Muhamet Malo Ranking Event in Albania". www.themat.com. 2025-02-26. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  15. 1 2 admin. "Woods Claims 65kg Title, Punches Ticket to Final X". Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  16. ↑ NJ.com, Bill Evans | NJ Advance Media for (2025-06-15). "N.J. native Joey McKenna's world-team frustrations continue with Final X defeat". nj. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
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