The 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships was the 95th annual NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championship that took place from March 19–21, 2026 in Cleveland at the Rocket Arena.[1]
 | |
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 68 |
| Format | Double-elimination |
| Finals site | Rocket Arena Cleveland, Ohio |
| Champions | Penn State (14th title) |
| Runner-up | Oklahoma State |
| Winning coach | Cael Sanderson (13th title) |
| MOW | Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) |
| Attendance | 16,625 (session I) 16,777 (session II) 17,067 (session III) 17,115 (session IV) 17,621 (session V) 17,845 (session VI) |
| Television | ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPN+ |
Penn State won its 14th national team title and its 13th under head coach Cael Sanderson. The championship was also the program's fifth consecutive NCAA team title.[2] The Nittany Lions also broke their 2025 tournament record for most amount of points scored in a single tournament with 181.5 points.[3]
Penn State had the most individual champions, with four wrestlers winning NCAA titles: Luke Lilledahl, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Levi Haines, and Josh Barr. Oklahoma State had three individual champions: Jax Forrest, Sergio Vega, and Landon Robideau. Stanford, Minnesota, and NC State each had one individual champion, with Aden Valencia, Max McEnelly, and Isaac Trumble, respectively, winning titles. Oklahoma State finished in second place, their highest team placement and largest point total at the NCAA tournament since 2016.[4] Nebraska finished in third place with 100.5 points marking their second-highest team point total in team history.[5]
Qualification
editPre-allocations
editThe NCAA announced qualifying tournament pre-allocations on February 26, 2026.[6]
| Conference | 125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACC | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 39 |
| Big 12 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 63 |
| Big Ten | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 87 |
| EIWA | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 26 |
| Ivy League | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 23 |
| MAC | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 27 |
| Pac-12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| Southern | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Pre-allocations | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 288 |
At-large selections
editParticipating teams
editA total of 68 teams qualified wrestlers.[8] California Baptist University announced that it would discontinue the wrestling program following the 2025–26 season.[9] Morgan State University made its debut with two NCAA qualifiers.
- Air Force (2)
- American (3)
- Appalachian State (3)
- Arizona State (7)
- Army (4)
- Bellarmine (2)
- Binghamton (2)
- Bloomsburg (2)
- Brown (3)
- Bucknell (5)
- Buffalo (1)
- Cal Poly (4)
- Central Michigan (2)
- Chattanooga (2)
- Columbia (7)
- Cornell (5)
- Davidson (1)
- Drexel (3)
- Duke (1)
- Edinboro (4)
- Franklin & Marshall (1)
- Gardner–Webb (1)
- George Mason (4)
- Harvard (1)
- Illinois (8)
- Indiana (6)
- Iowa (9)
- Iowa State (10)
- Kent State (2)
- Lehigh (6)
- Little Rock (4)
- Lock Haven (4)
- Maryland (4)
- Michigan (6)
- Michigan State (2)
- Minnesota (6)
- Missouri (6)
- Morgan State (2)
- Navy (5)
- NC State (7)
- Nebraska (10)
- North Carolina (6)
- North Dakota State (5)
- Northern Colorado (2)
- Northern Illinois (2)
- Northern Iowa (5)
- Northwestern (2)
- Ohio (4)
- Ohio State (10)
- Oklahoma (7)
- Oklahoma State (10)
- Oregon State (6)
- Penn (6)
- Penn State (10)
- Pittsburgh (8)
- Princeton (5)
- Purdue (4)
- Rider (5)
- Rutgers (9)
- SIU Edwardsville (3)
- South Dakota State (6)
- Stanford (8)
- The Citadel (1)
- Utah Valley (5)
- Virginia (3)
- Virginia Tech (10)
- VMI (1)
- West Virginia (6)
- Wisconsin (8)
- Wyoming (6)
Competition schedule
editThe NCAA announced the competition schedule on March 4, 2026.[10]
| Date | Time (ET) | Session | Events | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Session I | Pigtails and First Round | ESPN2 ESPN+ |
| 7:00 p.m. | Session II | First Round Wrestle-Backs, Second Round, and Consolation Round | ESPN ESPN+ | |
| March 20 | 12:00 p.m. | Session III | Quarterfinals, Second Round Wrestle-Backs, and Third Round Wrestle-Backs | ESPNU ESPN+ |
| 8:00 p.m. | Session IV | Semifinals, Blood Round, and Fifth Round Wrestle-Backs | ESPN2 ESPN+ | |
| March 21 | 11:00 a.m. | Session V | Semifinal Wrestle-Backs, Third-Place Matches, Fifth-Place Matches, and Seventh-Place Matches | ESPNU ESPN+ |
| 6:30 p.m. | Session VI | First-Place Matches | ESPN ESPN+ |
Team results
edit| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
 |
Penn State | 181.5 |
 |
Oklahoma State | 131.0 |
 |
Nebraska | 100.5 |
| 4 | Iowa | 92.5 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 84.5 |
| 6 | Stanford | 67.5 |
| 7 | Michigan | 66.0 |
| 8 | Iowa State | 52.0 |
| 9 | Minnesota | 48.5 |
| 10 | NC State | 44.5 |
Individual results
edit| Weight | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | Seventh | Eighth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 lbs | Luke Lilledahl Penn State |
Marc-Anthony McGowan Princeton |
Nico Provo Stanford |
Vincent Robinson NC State |
Troy Spratley Oklahoma State |
Jacob Moran Indiana |
Jore Volk Minnesota |
Tyler Klinsky Rider |
| 133 lbs | Jax Forrest Oklahoma State |
Ben Davino Ohio State |
Aaron Seidel Virginia Tech |
Marcus Blaze Penn State |
Drake Ayala Iowa |
Tyler Knox Stanford |
Jacob Van Dee Nebraska |
Lucas Byrd Illinois |
| 141 lbs | Sergio Vega Oklahoma State |
Jesse Mendez Ohio State |
Luke Stanich Lehigh |
Brock Hardy Nebraska |
Carter Nogle Air Force |
Anthony Echemendia Iowa State |
CJ Composto Penn |
Wyatt Henson Lock Haven |
| 149 lbs | Aden Valencia Stanford |
Shayne Van Ness Penn State |
Lachlan McNeil Michigan |
Chance Lamer Nebraska |
Collin Gaj Virginia Tech |
Ryder Block Iowa |
Cross Wasilewski Penn |
Casey Swiderski Oklahoma State |
| 157 lbs | Landon Robideau Oklahoma State |
Antrell Taylor Nebraska |
PJ Duke Penn State |
Brandon Cannon Ohio State |
Kannon Webster Illinois |
Ty Watters West Virginia |
Cameron Catrabone Michigan |
Meyer Shapiro Cornell |
| 165 lbs | Mitchell Mesenbrink Penn State |
Mikey Caliendo Iowa |
Cesar Alvan Columbia |
Nicco Ruiz Arizona State |
Andrew Sparks Minnesota |
Joey Blaze Purdue |
Bryce Hepner North Carolina |
Paddy Gallagher Ohio State |
| 174 lbs | Levi Haines Penn State |
Christopher Minto Nebraska |
Patrick Kennedy Iowa |
Carson Kharchla Ohio State |
Cam Steed Missouri |
Danny Wask Navy |
Beau Mantanona Michigan |
MJ Gaitan Iowa State |
| 184 lbs | Max McEnelly Minnesota |
Rocco Welsh Penn State |
Aeoden Sinclair Missouri |
Caleb Campos American |
Brock Mantanona Michigan |
Angelo Ferrari Iowa |
Eddie Neitenbach Wyoming |
Zack Ryder Oklahoma State |
| 197 lbs | Josh Barr Penn State |
Cody Merrill Oklahoma State |
Stephen Little Little Rock |
Joey Novak Wyoming |
Camden McDanel Nebraska |
Angelo Posada Stanford |
Gabe Arnold Iowa |
Branson John Maryland |
| 285 lbs | Isaac Trumble NC State |
Yonger Bastida Iowa State |
Taye Ghadiali Michigan |
Konner Doucet Oklahoma State |
Ben Kueter Iowa |
AJ Ferrari Nebraska |
David Szuba Arizona State |
Christian Carroll Wyoming |
Finals matches
edit| Weight | Champion | Result | Runner-up | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 lbs | #1 Luke Lilledahl | Penn State | Dec 2–1 | #10 Marc-Anthony McGowan | Princeton |
| 133 lbs | #1 Jax Forrest | Oklahoma State | Dec 5–2 | #2 Ben Davino | Ohio State |
| 141 lbs | #2 Sergio Vega | Oklahoma State | Dec SV 4–1 | #1 Jesse Mendez | Ohio State |
| 149 lbs | #10 Aden Valencia | Stanford | SV–1 8–5 | #1 Shayne Van Ness | Penn State |
| 157 lbs | #5 Landon Robideau | Oklahoma State | Dec 4–2 | #2 Antrell Taylor | Nebraska |
| 165 lbs | #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink | Penn State | TF 20–4 (5:13) | #3 Mikey Caliendo | Iowa |
| 174 lbs | #1 Levi Haines | Penn State | Dec 2–1 | #3 Christopher Minto | Nebraska |
| 184 lbs | #3 Max McEnelly | Minnesota | Dec 4–3 | #1 Rocco Welsh | Penn State |
| 197 lbs | #1 Josh Barr | Penn State | Dec 6–3 | #7 Cody Merrill | Oklahoma State |
| 285 lbs | #2 Isaac Trumble | NC State | Dec 5–0 | #1 Yonger Bastida | Iowa State |
Medal table
edit| Rank | Team | First | Second | Third | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn State | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Oklahoma State | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Stanford | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Nebraska | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 6 | NC State | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 8 | Iowa | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Iowa State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Princeton | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 | Michigan | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 12 | Columbia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Lehigh | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Little Rock | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Missouri | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Virginia Tech | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (16 entries) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | |
Awards
edit| Award | Recipient | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler | Mitchell Mesenbrink | Penn State | [11] |
| NCAA Tournament Coach of the Year | Chris Ayres | Stanford | [12] |
References
edit- ↑ "Penn State wins 2026 DI wrestling championship for fifth straight title". NCAA. March 21, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Dochterman, Scott (March 21, 2026). "Penn State extends wrestling dynasty with fifth straight NCAA title, record-setting weekend". The New York Times. The Athletic. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Reinhardt, Brian (March 21, 2026). "Penn State sets NCAA scoring record with four champs; Record four freshmen stand atop podium". USA Wrestling. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Allen, Daniel (March 23, 2026). "Cowboys Claim Three National Titles at NCAA Championships — Best Team Finish in a Decade for Oklahoma State". The Stillwegian. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Huskers Secure Third-Place Finish at 2026 NCAA Championships". Nebraska Huskers. March 21, 2026. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ↑ "NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee releases qualifying tournament allocations for 2026 championships". NCAA. February 26, 2026. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ↑ "NCAA releases at-large selections for 2026 DI men's wrestling championships". NCAA. March 11, 2026. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Full Field Qualifiers List" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ↑ Gerhart, David (January 27, 2026). "Keep CBU Wrestling Movement Initiated, Donate and Share To Assist Cal Baptist Wrestling Program". USA Wrestling. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ↑ Foley, Caitlin (March 4, 2026). "ESPN presents championship collegiate wrestling this March with the 2026 NCAA men's and inaugural women's wrestling National Championships". ESPN Press Room. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
- ↑ Deal, Andrew (March 21, 2026). "Penn State wrestling's Mitchell Mesenbrink earns pair of accolades after winning national title". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Valencia Wins National Title". Stanford Cardinal. March 21, 2026. Retrieved June 18, 2026.