NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship 2026: Seeds, Top Contenders, Schedule & How To Watch

The most anticipated inaugural edition of the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship will be held on March 6-7 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The tournaments will feature multiple athletes competing from Division I, II, and III. The athletes will compete for the first NCAA titles in the sport’s history, a year after women’s wrestling was officially added in NCAA Championships.

The top three athletes from each of the ten weight classes from the six regional qualifying tournaments have earned the spot to compete at the historic National Championships. A total of 180 athletes (18 individual wrestlers across 10 weight categories) will compete on March 6 and 7, 2026. The 180 athletes will compete across 10 weight categories, including 103, 110, 117, 124, 131, 138, 145, 160, 180, and 207 pounds.

Women’s wrestling officially became the NCAA’s 91st championship sport on Jan. 17, 2025. Let’s take a look at elite athletes who will compete at the 2026 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship.

Seeds And Top Contenders At The 2026 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship

Heather Crull of McKendree University will enter as the top seed in the 103lbs category, and she will vie against Valarie Solorio of Iowa in her opening round. Audrey Jimenez of Lehigh University will lead the 110lbs category. The Paris Olympics silver medalist, Kennedy Blades, will represent Iowa at Xtream Arena. She will enter the event as the top seed in the 160 lbs category. Her teammate and two-time bronze medalist, Kylie Welker, will headline the 180lbs category.

The top seeds of each weight category at the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships are given below:

• 103lbs: Heather Crull – McKendree University
• 110lbs: Audrey Jimenez – Lehigh University
• 117lbs: Yu Sakamoto – McKendree University
• 124lbs: Sara Sterner – North Central (Illinois)
• 131lbs: Cameron Guerin – McKendree University
• 138lbs: Katerina Lange – Grand Valley State
• 145lbs: Reese Larramendy – Iowa
• 160lbs: Kennedy Blades – Iowa
• 180lbs: Kylie Welker – Iowa
• 207lbs: Tristan Kelly – McKendree University

The other top seeds from Iowa, McKendree University, and North Central are given below.

Iowa:

103: Val Solorio — 2
110: Nyla Valencia — 5
117: Brianna Gonzalez — 5
124: Cali Leng — US
131: Karlee Brooks — 4
138: Lilly Luft — 4
145: Reese Larramendy — 1
160: Kennedy Blades — 1
180 Kylie Welker — 1
207: Katja Osteen — 5

McKendree
103: Heather Crull — 1
110: Gabby Tedesco — 4
117: Yu Sakamoto — 1
124: Shelby Moore — 4
131: Cam Guerin — 1
138: Haylie Jaffe — 3
145: Alexandra Szkotnicki — 5
160: Savannah Gomez — 2
180: Destiny Rodriguez — 2
207: Tristan Kelly — 1

North Central:

103: Maddie Avila — 5
110: Kaelani Shufeldt — 3
117: Riley Rayome — 3
124: Sara Sterner — 1
131: Yele Aycock — 6
138: Claire DiCugno — 2
145: Bella Mir — 2
160: Taylor Graveman — 6
180: Shenita Lawson — 4
207: Caroline Ward — 3

Schedule For The 2026 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship

Friday, March 6
10:00 a.m. — Session 1 – Preliminaries and 1st Round, 4 mats

4:00 p.m. — Session 2 –Championship Quarterfinals, 1st & 2nd Round Consolation, 4 mats,

Saturday, March 7
10:00 a.m. — Session 3 – Championship Semifinals, Consolation Semifinals, 3rd/5th/7th place matches

6:40 p.m. – Parade of All Americans

7:00 p.m. – Session 4 – Championship Finals, 1 mat, approx. 2.5 hours, (Team Awards Ceremony immediately after Session 4)

*All times are Central.

How To Watch The 2026 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship

Fans can tune in to ESPN+ to watch the action unfold live at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The broadcasting will commence at 11 a.m. (first round) on Friday, March 6. The second round will start at 5 p.m. The semifinal round will begin at 3 p.m. on March 7, followed by the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships final at 8 p.m. All times are E.T. The live coverage of the historic event is also available on FloWrestling and the FloSports App.