The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships are set for March 19 to 21 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The brackets and seeds were released on March 11 after the selection show, featuring 33 wrestlers per weight class across 19 divisions.
Multiple top-notch contenders, including Penn State’s Luke Lilledahl, Oklahoma freshman Jax Forrest, and many more, are aiming to win the national title and earn All-American honors. Along with the individual titles, teams will also fight for the prestigious NCAA team trophy.
Penn State is entering the championships as the favorite after securing seven individual Big Ten champions in 2026. 50 NCAA wrestlers will be competing for the team, making it the team with the highest number of NCAA participants, which will increase the team’s chances of securing the maximum opportunity to score points. Behind this team are Ohio and New Jersey, with the most participants, as they have 28 wrestlers.
Let’s have a look at the seeds, top contenders, and the schedule of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026: Top Seeds
Each of the 10 weight classes from 125 to 285 pounds seeds top wrestlers 1-33 based on coaches’ rankings, RPI, conference results, and head-to-head wins. Penn State leads seven No. 1 seeds, signaling their dominance. Here are the top three seeds of the weights.
125 lbs
No. 1 – Luke Lilledahl – Penn State
No. 2 – Eddie Ventresca – Virginia
No. 3 – Nic Bouzakis – Ohio State
133 lbs
No. 1 – Jax Forrest – Oklahoma State
No. 2 – Ben Davino – Ohio State
No. 3 – Marcus Blaze – Penn State
141 lbs
No. 1 – Jesse Mendez – Ohio State
No. 2 – Sergio Vega – Oklahoma
No. 3 – Brock Hardy – Nebraska
149 lbs
No. 1 – Shayne Van Ness – Penn State
No. 2 – Jaxon Joy – Cornell
No. 3 – Ethan Stiles – Ohio State
157 lbs
No. 1 – PJ Duke – Penn State
No. 2 – Antrell Taylor – Nebraska
No. 3 – Meyer Shapiro – Cornell
165 lbs
No. 1 – Mitchell Mesenbrink – Penn State
No. 2 – Joey Blaze – Purdue
No. 3 – Mikey Caliendo – Iowa
174 lbs
No. 1 – Levi Haines – Penn State
No. 2 – Simon Ruiz – Cornell
No. 3 – Chris Minto – Nebraska
184 lbs
No. 1 – Rocco Welsh – Penn State
No. 2 – Aeoden Sinclair – Missouri
No. 3 – Max McEnelly – Minnesota
197 lbs
No. 1 – Josh Barr – Penn State
No. 2 – Rocky Elam – Iowa State
No. 3 – Stephen Little
285 lbs
No. 1 – Yonger Bastida – Iowa State
No. 2 – Isaac Trumble – NC State
No. 3 – Taye Ghadiali – Michigan
2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships: Brackets
The NCAA Wrestling championship brackets for each of the 10 weight classes follow a standard 33-man single-elimination format with wrestle-backs, where top seeds get favorable early paths but face tough late-round matchups. Here’s a breakdown of the brackets with key early seeds, potential clashes, and path challenges.
125 lbs
No. 1 Luke Lilledahl tops the bracket. The early rounds might witness the returning NCAA champion Vincent Robinson and No. 5 Troy Spratley lock horns in the second round, and the one who wins could meet No. 4 Sheldon Seymour. The winner of this bout is likely to then meet Luke Lilledahl. On the other hand, No. 2 Eddie Ventresca has high chances of heading to the semifinals, with a possible showdown against No. 7 Nico Provo.
133 lbs
Jax Forrest leads with no losses, but Aaron Seidel could show up in the semis from a tight past match. Ben Davino and Marcus Blaze have locked horns before, so they could be a potential quarterfinal match. Drake Ayla might meet Blaze in the championships.
141 lbs
Jesse Mendez, who has already won two titles, will have to face Ryan Jack and Vance Vombaur to progress to the semifinals. Sergio Vega might face Nasir Bailey in the quarterfinals, and the early rounds will witness a face-off between Brock Hardy and Braeden Davis.
149 lbs
This weight has been dominated by Shayne Van Ness the entire year, as he enters the championships as the undefeated wrestler. He might meet Jacob Frost in the second round, and his quarterfinal clash might come against Oklahoma’s No. 8 Casey Swiderski. His semi-final clash is expected to be against Cornell’s Jaxon Joy.
157 lbs
The 157-pound bracket features a mix of experienced wrestlers and rising stars. One of the biggest names here is PJ Duke, who recently dominated the Big Ten finals after besting the defending champion, No. 2 seed Antrell Taylor. Along with Duke and Taylor, another name to look forward to in this clash is Daniel Cardenas, and he could be Duke’s contender in the quarterfinals. Along with Cardenas, Duke might also face a challenge against No. 5 Landon Robideau. Taylor is likely to face Cameron Catrabone, Kannon Webster, and Meyer Shapiro in the championships.
165 lbs
The 165-pound division is led by one of the most dominant wrestlers, Mitchell Mesenbrink. He has been one of the highest-scoring wrestlers in the NCAA this season. He might face LaDarionn Lockett and Nicco Ruiz in the early rounds, and then the quarterfinals of this weight could witness a clash between Joey Blaze and Mikey Caliendo. Following this, Mesenbrink might lock horns with Blaze in the semifinals, and the potential final might witness Caliendo and Mesenbrink.
174 lbs
One of the top contenders of the 174 lbs, who has remained unbeaten this season, is Levi Haines. The 2024 NCAA champ has his eyes on nabbing the NCAA champion title once again; however, he might face a tough challenge against Chris Minto and Simon Ruiz. Haines might square off against Dean Hamiti in the semifinals, and his potential final contender could be Minto.
184 lbs
Another Penn State wrestler dominating a weight class is Rocco Welsh, who claimed the top seed after his strong performance at the NCAA Championships. To win the NCAA champion title, Welsh might have to compete against tough contenders, Aeoden Sinclair and Silas Allred, in the semifinals and finals, respectively.
197 pounds
The 197-pound bracket features powerful wrestlers with strong records, including Josh Barr, another Penn State top seed. He has been extremely dominant throughout the season and enters the tournament as the favorite. His possible semifinal matchup is Camden McDanel, and the final contender could be Rocky Elam.
285 lbs (heavyweight)
The 285 lbs will crown a new champion this year, as no previous champion is returning to this division, and the possible wrestlers to take the win home are Yonger Batisda, Isaax Trumble, and Taye Ghadiali. The potential final round candidates for the heavyweight is expected to be Bastida and Trumble.
Top Contenders of the NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026
Multiple wrestlers top the list of contenders at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships. These athletes are No. 1 seeds with commanding records, big wins, and high chances of claiming the title. Let’s have a look at a few of them:
- Mitchell Mesenbrink
This Penn State wrestler is unbeatable this season, sitting at 28-0 with an impressive 100% bonus rate. He has a strong resume with a world championship medal from last year and will be going through early rounds against LaDarion Lockett and Nicco Ruiz before a possible semifinal with Joey Blaze. His recent win came at the Big Ten Championships, where he won his third consecutive Big Ten title at 165 pounds, and he is also entering the NCAA Wrestling 2026 Championships as the defending champion.
2. Jesse Mendez
Ohio State’s Mendez is already a two-time champ and is looking to grab his third title at just the age of 22. After dominating the Big Ten at 141 lbs after defeating Nebraska’s Brock Hardy, he is all set to claim the NCAA title. He is also a three-time Pan Am World gold medalist, and with his experience, he is all set to face top contenders from Penn State to prove his prowess once again at the NCAA championships.
3. Luke Lilledahl
Luke Lilledahl is flawlessly ruling the 125 lbs, as he is currently sitting at 32-0. He has multiple feathers on his cap, including the 2025 U23 World Champion title, the 2024 U20 World Champion title, the 2022 U17 World Champion title, and more. His recent dominance came at the Big Ten Championships, where he registered a 4-1 decision victory over Jore Volk. With this win, he remained undefeated (20-0).
Schedule of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Let’s have a look at how the sessions will be held at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships from March 19 to 21.
March 19
First round – 12:00 pm
Second round – 7:00 pm
March 20
Quarterfinals – 12:00 pm
Semifinals – 8 pm
March 21
Medal round – 11:00 am
Championship – 6:30 pm
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