The 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships will take place from March 19 to March 21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The tournament brings together the best college wrestlers in the country, competing across 10 weight classes for the national title.
The competition will run for three days, beginning with early-round matches on Thursday, followed by quarterfinals and semifinals on Friday. The event will conclude with the championship finals on Saturday night, when the national champions in each weight category will be crowned.
Penn State enters the tournament as the top-ranked team, making them one of the favorites to win the overall team title.
NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026 Overview
| Event | 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 19–21, 2026 |
| Venue | Rocket Arena |
| City | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Weight Classes | 10 divisions |
| Championship Finals | March 21, 6:30 PM ET |
The tournament features some of the most competitive college wrestling matchups of the season, with top-ranked athletes battling through the bracket.
Team Title Race
Penn State enters the championships as the highest-ranked team. Several other programs also have strong lineups capable of competing for the team title.
| Rank | Team | Ranking Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn State | 164 |
| 2 | Oklahoma State | 95.5 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 94 |
| 4 | Nebraska | 76.5 |
| 5 | Iowa State | 68.5 |
| 6 | Iowa | 66.5 |
| 7 | Virginia Tech | 53.5 |
| 8 | Cornell | 52 |
| 9 | NC State | 48 |
| 10 | Arizona State | 41 |
Penn State leads the standings with multiple top-seeded wrestlers across different weight divisions.
NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026 Schedule
The championship tournament is divided into six sessions over three days.
| Day | Session | Time (ET) | Round | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Session I | 12:00 PM | First Round | ESPN2 |
| Thursday | Session II | 7:00 PM | Second Round / Consolations | ESPN |
| Friday | Session III | 12:00 PM | Quarterfinals / Consolations | ESPNU |
| Friday | Session IV | 8:00 PM | Semifinals / Consolations | ESPN2 |
| Saturday | Session V | 11:00 AM | Medal Matches | ESPNU |
| Saturday | Session VI | 6:30 PM | Championship Finals | ESPN |
All matches will also be available through streaming coverage on ESPN+.
Top Seeds by Weight Class
Each division features highly ranked wrestlers who earned top seeds heading into the tournament.
125 Pounds
| Seed | Wrestler | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke Lilledahl | Penn State |
| 2 | Eddie Ventresca | Virginia Tech |
| 3 | Nic Bouzakis | Ohio State |
| 4 | Sheldon Seymour | Lehigh |
| 5 | Troy Spratley | Oklahoma State |
| 6 | Jore Volk | Minnesota |
| 7 | Nico Provo | Stanford |
| 8 | Dean Peterson | Iowa |
133 Pounds
| Seed | Wrestler | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jax Forrest | Oklahoma State |
| 2 | Ben Davino | Ohio State |
| 3 | Marcus Blaze | Penn State |
| 4 | Aaron Seidel | Virginia Tech |
| 5 | Kyler Larkin | Arizona State |
| 6 | Drake Ayala | Iowa |
| 7 | Lucas Byrd | Illinois |
| 8 | Markel Baker | Northern Illinois |
141 Pounds
| Seed | Wrestler | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesse Mendez | Ohio State |
| 2 | Sergio Vega | Oklahoma State |
| 3 | Brock Hardy | Nebraska |
| 4 | Anthony Echemendia | Iowa State |
| 5 | Luke Stanich | Lehigh |
| 6 | Vince Cornella | Cornell |
| 7 | Nasir Bailey | Iowa |
| 8 | Vance Vombaur | Minnesota |
149 Pounds
| Seed | Wrestler | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shayne Van Ness | Penn State |
| 2 | Jaxon Joy | Cornell |
| 3 | Cross Wasilewski | Penn |
| 4 | Collin Gaj | Virginia Tech |
| 5 | Koy Buesgens | NC State |
| 6 | Caleb Tyus | SIUE |
| 7 | Ethan Stiles | Ohio State |
| 8 | Casey Swiderski | Oklahoma State |
157 Pounds
| Seed | Wrestler | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PJ Duke | Penn State |
| 2 | Antrell Taylor | Nebraska |
| 3 | Meyer Shapiro | Cornell |
| 4 | Kaleb Larkin | Arizona State |
| 5 | Landon Robideau | Oklahoma State |
| 6 | Jude Swisher | Penn |
| 7 | Kannon Webster | Illinois |
| 8 | Brandon Cannon | Ohio State |
165 Pounds
| Seed | Wrestler | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitchell Mesenbrink | Penn State |
| 2 | Joey Blaze | Purdue |
| 3 | Mikey Caliendo | Iowa |
| 4 | Nicco Ruiz | Arizona State |
| 5 | LaDarion Lockett | Oklahoma State |
| 6 | LJ Araujo | Nebraska |
| 7 | Max Brignola | Lehigh |
| 8 | Matty Bianchi | Little Rock |
174 Pounds
| Seed | Wrestler | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Levi Haines | Penn State |
| 2 | Simon Ruiz | Cornell |
| 3 | Christopher Minto | Nebraska |
| 4 | Carson Kharchla | Ohio State |
| 5 | Patrick Kennedy | Iowa |
| 6 | Matty Singleton | NC State |
| 7 | Cam Steed | Missouri |
| 8 | Alex Facundo | Oklahoma State |
184 Pounds
| Seed | Wrestler | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocco Welsh | Penn State |
| 2 | Aeoden Sinclair | Missouri |
| 3 | Max McEnelly | Minnesota |
| 4 | James Conway | Franklin & Marshall |
| 5 | Brock Mantanona | Michigan |
| 6 | Eddie Neitenbach | Wyoming |
| 7 | Angelo Ferrari | Iowa |
| 8 | Silas Allred | Nebraska |
197 Pounds
| Seed | Wrestler | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Barr | Penn State |
| 2 | Rocky Elam | Iowa State |
| 3 | Stephen Little | Little Rock |
| 4 | Sonny Sasso | Virginia Tech |
| 5 | Joey Novak | Wyoming |
| 6 | Justin Rademacher | Oregon State |
| 7 | Cody Merrill | Oklahoma State |
| 8 | DJ Parker | Oklahoma |
285 Pounds
| Seed | Wrestler | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yonger Bastida | Iowa State |
| 2 | Isaac Trumble | NC State |
| 3 | Taye Ghadiali | Michigan |
| 4 | AJ Ferrari | Nebraska |
| 5 | Nick Feldman | Ohio State |
| 6 | Nathan Taylor | Lehigh |
| 7 | Konner Doucet | Oklahoma State |
| 8 | Ben Kueter | Iowa |
What Makes the 2026 Brackets Competitive
The 2026 championship field includes several nationally ranked wrestlers and strong teams across different weight classes. Programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Nebraska and Iowa State have multiple athletes capable of reaching the finals.
Depth across the lineup will likely determine which team wins the overall title.
The tournament format means wrestlers must survive multiple rounds across three days, making endurance and consistency just as important as skill.
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Championship Night in Cleveland
The final session on Saturday evening at 6:30 PM ET will feature the championship matches for all ten weight classes. These bouts will determine the national champions and finalize the team standings for the season.
With top-ranked wrestlers competing in every division, the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships promise an intense and highly competitive conclusion to the college wrestling season.
