CLEVELAND, Ohio – The 202-27 wrestling season begins Sunday morning as ten of the 11 Mid-American Conference wrestling teams take the mat for the first time.
Buffalo will open its season on Sunday, Nov. 7 at South Dakota State.

On Friday, the MAC announced its 2026-27 MAC Wrestling Preseason Poll and 10 individual weight-class rankings, with SIUE ranked first in the league.

This wrestling season kicks off this Sunday, Nov. 1, and will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2027. All 11 teams will compete at the 2027 MAC Wrestling Championships on March 5-6 in SIUE’s First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Ill.

Below is the team-by-team preview for the upcoming season in order of the preseason rankings:
SIUE Cougars
First-year SIUE wrestling Head Coach Daryl Thomas knows that his team will have to earn every win and every accolade through hard work and perseverance.

As the team's previous associate head coach, Thomas has had a large presence not only in day-to-day practices but also as a lead recruiter for Cougar wrestling. The result is a program coming off a Mid-American Conference West Division title last season and 11 dual match victories, the most in the Division I era.

That confidence includes SIUE receiving votes in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I Coaches Preseason Poll. The Cougars get their first opportunity to compete Sunday at the Cowboy Invitational in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The 2026-27 roster includes returning NCAA Tournament participants Marcel Lopez at 133 pounds and Brock Woodcock at 165 pounds.

SIUE also features six other wrestlers who competed for the Cougars at the 2026 MAC Wrestling Championships. That list includes Drew Davis (125), Ben Lunn (141), Hayden Whidden (157 in 2026), Dominic Lopez (174), Nick Nosler (197) and Bryson Buhk (285).


Lock Haven Bald Eagles
With the 2026-27 season fast approaching, the Lock Haven men's wrestling team gets the new season underway this weekend at the Navy Classic.

The Bald Eagles are receiving votes in the most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll and return six placewinners from last season's Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.

Head Coach Scott Moore welcomes 15 newcomers to a deep roster that came within two points of hoisting the program's fourth MAC team title.

The Haven sent four wrestlers to nationals a season ago with Wyatt Henson's eighth-place finish earning him All-America honors. Henson, who joins Moore on the coaching staff this season, became Lock Haven's 46th All-American with his efforts in Cleveland. 

Redshirt junior Lucas Kapusta is Lock Haven's lone returning national qualifier from last year. Kapusta finished the 2026-27 season with a 25-6 mark and a stellar 14-2 record in dual meet action and is the program's lone returning MAC champion from a season ago.

Redshirt sophomore Sam Gautreau also returns after posting a 24-10 record in his first year in the Crimson and White singlet. Gautreau finished fourth at last season's MAC Championships after earning three victories on the weekend at 184 pounds.

Junior Tucker Hogan returns to the mix after placing fourth at last year's MAC Championships at 197 pounds. Hogan finished last year with a 19-12 overall record and a 9-6 record in dual meet action.

Nick Kunstek, Nick Stampoulos and Kade Sottolano also return to the mix for The Haven after podium finishes at the MAC Championships.

The Bald Eagles' schedule includes nine home events and seven duals. Lock Haven's schedule is highlighted by the Journeymen Collegiate Duals on Nov. 7 and 8 along with home dual meets with Bucknell, Kent State, Iowa State, Rider, SIUE, Bloomsburg and Edinboro. The matchup with Iowa State will be the first time the Cyclones visit Thomas Fieldhouse and MatTown USA, and marks the second time the two programs have met.


Edinboro Fighting Scots
Preview coming soon...


Kent State Golden Flashes
The Kent State Wrestling team will hit the mat for year two of the Golden Era under Head Coach Josh Moore and his staff Fred Garcia, Devin Schrider and Kyle Conel. Their first challenge will be a trip to Purdue to take on the Boilermakers of the Big Ten on Sunday at Holloway Gymnasium for a 1 P.M. start.

It will also be a return to Purdue for Kent State Assistant Coach Devin Schroder. Schroder spent six seasons with the Boilermakers from 2016-2022. In that time he was a four-time national qualifier and finished top 20 in program history in wins with 96.

The Team
In 2025-2026, the Flashes showed much improvement with the team's most dual wins in eight seasons. Kent State also defeated their rival Ohio to win the Grudge Match Trophy for the first time in five years.

They also produced their fair share of individual success, producing three MAC-placers, and two national qualifiers in Blake Schaffer and returner Chris Earnest. Before his time in Cleveland, Earnest won the first Mid-American Conference Championships for the Flashes in four years in the 165-pound division.

This year the blue and gold bring in a good mix of returners from last year's team and newcomers to the squad. Eight of the 10 representatives for Kent State at the MAC Championships in 2026 will be back, including MAC-placer Nick Molchak, Landen Duncan, Silas Stits, Reese Stephen, Chris Earnest, Ethan Barr, Ronnie Dimmerling and Brentan Simmerman.

Ten newcomers will also don a Flashes singlet for the first time highlighted by a stellar freshman class loaded with nationally ranked talent out of high school. That class includes Jordan Fincher, Connor Peterson, Jake Landis, Colin Whyte, Nico Kapusta and Aiden Milam.

Transferring into the program this year includes Dylan Russo, who was a representative for the Wisconsin Badgers at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. JR Reed (Cleveland State), Tyler Adams (Navy) and Tommy Reed (Cleveland State/Glenville State) also look to make noise at KSU this season.


Central Michigan Chippewas
The Central Michigan wrestling team will partake in the 6th Annual Chippewa Challenge on Sunday, Nov. 1. The Chippewas will take on American and host Cal State Bakersfield in the unique tournament.
    
Chippewa Challenge History: The Chippewa Challenge began in the 2021-22 season as a tribute to former Central Michigan coach Tom Borrelli, who retired in 2024 after 33 years in leading the program to 30 Mid-American Conference titles, 15 of which came in the regular season, 15 came in the MAC Championships. It pits the Chippewas against opponents which are coached by former CMU wrestlers who wrestled for Borrelli at CMU. Those coaches are Jason Borrelli (American) and Luke Smith (CSU Bakersfield). When the Chippewa Challenge began, it was a four-team event, including Campbell, which was then coached by former Chippewa Scotti Sentes. Sentes is no longer the coach at Campbell.
 
Chippewa Challenge winners: 2022, Central Michigan; 2023, American; 2024, Campbell; 2025, Campbell; 2025, Central Michigan.
 
Getting it Started: The Chippewas are coming off a season in which they finished 10-7 in dual meets including 3-3 in MAC duals. They finished sixth in the 12-team MAC Championships.
 
MAC poll: Six Central Michigan wrestlers are ranked in their respective weight classes in the MAC preseason individual rankings. CMU wrestlers and their rankings: Andrew Austin, 133 pounds, first; Archer Anderson, 125, second; Luke Cochran, 197, third; Jimmy Nugent, 149, fourth; Leo Contino, fifth, 165; Wyatt Ferguson, 174, seventh. The Chippewas are fifth in the MAC team rankings. SIUE is ranked first.


Ohio Bobcats
The Ohio wrestling team opens the 2026-27 season on Sunday, Nov. 1 when they head to Salem, Va., for the 2026 Southeast Open. The event is set to begin at 9 a.m. ET inside the Cregger Center on the campus of Roanoke College.

The Bobcats finished last season with a 4-7 overall record and sent four Bobcats to the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. 

The Bobcats return key contributor in redshirt senior Derek Raike. Raike finished the 2025-26 season with a 21-7 record at 157 pounds, going 9-3 in duals and 10-1 against MAC opponents while recording one technical fall and a team-high nine major decisions. He was named MAC West Co-Wrestler of the Week once, captured his first MAC Championship, and qualified for the NCAA Championships as the No. 13 seed.

The Bobcats open the home portion of their schedule on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. ET for the 2026 Ohio Showcase inside the Convocation Center. This year's event will once again feature three mats going on at once. The DI mat will see Ohio take on Bellarmine; DII will be Ashland against UIndy, with DII featuring Baldwin Wallace and Wabash.   


Rider Broncs
The Rider University wrestling team opens its 2026–27 campaign on Sunday, November 1, at 9 a.m. at the Princeton Open in Princeton, NJ.

The Broncs enter the season following a historic campaign that saw them capture their first-ever MAC Tournament Championship and send four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Rider returns an experienced lineup highlighted by Brock Zurawski and Dylan Layton.

The Broncs open the season at the Princeton Open before a schedule that features nine home dates, five Power Four duals, and a return to the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas. Highlighting the slate are home duals against Big Ten opponents Michigan on November 20 and Indiana on December 20.

Top Returners to Watch

• Brock Zurawski (197 lbs) – Zurawski returns for his senior season after helping the Broncs capture their first MAC Tournament Championship. He enters the season ranked No. 1 in the MAC preseason rankings at 197 lbs and No. 18 nationally by FloWrestling.
• Dylan Layton (149 lbs) – Layton enters his senior season ranked No. 2 in the MAC preseason rankings. He is also nationally ranked No. 19 by WrestleStat and No. 27 by InterMat.
• Noah Michaels (125 lbs) – Michaels enters his junior season ranked No. 4 in the MAC preseason rankings.
• Kendrick Hodge (165 lbs) – Hodge returns for his junior season ranked No. 7 in the MAC preseason rankings.

Key Additions

• Shay Addison –  A transfer from Arizona State, Addison joins the Broncs after posting a 9-11 overall record and going 4-4 in dual competition during the 2025-26 season. He is a two-time Big 12 Championship participant and NWCA Scholar All-American.

MAC Preseason Rankings

• The Mid-American Conference's 2026–27 Preseason Poll projects the Broncs to finish seventh, with four wrestlers ranked in their respective weight classes, including three in the top five.
• Leading the way is Brock Zurawski, ranked No. 1 at 197 lbs, followed by Dylan Layton, ranked No. 2 at 149 lbs.
• Noah Michaels enters the season ranked No. 4 at 125 lbs, while Kendrick Hodge is ranked No. 7 at 165 lbs.

George Mason Patriots
The George Mason wrestling team kicks off its 2026-2027 season on Sunday as the Patriots head to Roanoke, Virginia, to compete in the Southeast Open tournament. The team looks to build on its 2025-26 season, which culminated in four Patriots competing in the NCAA Championship Tournament.
 
The team includes 11 returning Patriots and 13 incoming freshmen, all of whom will make their Patriot debuts on Sunday.
 
DJ McGee enters his senior season and is ranked second in the MAC's preseason poll. The three-time NCAA Division 1 qualifier earned his third trip to the NCAA Championships this past spring, where he finished top 16. McGee Defeated Wisconsin's Luke Mechler, 10-4, and Edinboro's Garrett McChesney, 6-3, during his NCAA run. He also placed third at the MAC Championships en route to securing his third straight NCAA berth.
 
Ranked atop the MAC preseason poll at 174 pounds, Evan Maag is another returning senior to watch. The 2024 NCAA Qualifier entered the 2025-2026 season ranked No. 2 in the MAC preseason rankings at 165 pounds. During the season, he earned MAC East Wrestler of the Week honors after opening dual competition with a fall over Campbell's Kendrick Hodge and a 10-2 major decision over No. 10 Thomas Snipes of The Citadel.
 
Sophomore Tate Hisey returns after his first season, when he served as George Mason's starter at 141 pounds as a true freshman.  placed sixth at the MAC Championships, earning three victories during his conference tournament debut. He also opened the MAC Championships with a 24-6 technical fall over Clarion's Scott Johnson and an 11-0 major decision over Ohio's Kolten Barker before adding an 8-5 sudden-victory decision over Central Michigan's Nick Blackburn. During the season, Hisey ranked as high as No. 3 in the MAC.
 

Bloomsburg Huskies
The Bloomsburg wrestling team opens its 2026-27 campaign Sunday, Nov. 1, with a challenging early-season test against Big Ten Conference opponent Wisconsin. The Huskies and Badgers will square off at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) at De Simone Arena on the campus of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The season opener marks the beginning of another demanding NCAA Division I schedule for head coach John Stutzman and the Huskies, who will look to build on last season's experience while integrating returning contributors and new faces into the lineup.

Sunday's matchup provides Bloomsburg with an immediate opportunity to measure itself against Big Ten competition before continuing a challenging November slate that includes matchups against Duke, Sacred Heart, Penn State and Navy. Wisconsin, led by head coach Chris Bono, also opens its season Sunday. The dual will be streamed through Rokfin.

THE MATCH
Bloomsburg enters Sunday's season opener following a 2025-26 campaign in which the Huskies finished 10-18 overall and 0-7 in Mid-American Conference competition. The Huskies gained experience against Rutgers, Virginia, Northern Iowa, Navy and several MAC opponents. Bloomsburg earned dual victories against Campbell, LIU, Sacred Heart, VMI and CSU Bakersfield, along with a 54-0 shutout of Mercyhurst in February. Wisconsin represents an early-season challenge across all 10 weight classes and gives the Huskies an opportunity to establish their lineup ahead of conference competition.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Bloomsburg returns several wrestlers with significant Division I experience, led by heavyweight Mason Rebuck, 149-pounder Jay Chase, 184-pounder Braidon Woodward and 133-pounder Austin Pollard.

Rebuck headlines the returning group after posting a team-best 23 victories during the 2025-26 season. He finished 23-10 overall with a 17-5 dual-meet record, recording six falls, three technical falls and two major decisions. Rebuck enters the campaign with a 34-27 career record and 19 career bonus-point victories.

Chase finished 15-9 overall at 149 pounds, recording three falls and three technical falls while going 3-2 in dual competition. Woodward went 15-15 overall and 9-13 in duals, totaling six bonus-point victories. Pollard posted a 3-3 overall record and went 3-1 in duals, with all three victories coming by bonus points.

At 125 pounds, Justin Jones returns after an 11-11 season with nine bonus-point victories, including two falls, four technical falls and three major decisions. Wyatt Bush posted a 7-4 overall record and 6-1 dual mark at 197 pounds.

The projected lineup also includes Scotty Johnson at 141 pounds, Michael Turi at 157, Morgan Schwarz at 165 and George Johnson at 174. Their performances will help establish the Huskies' depth entering November.

HUSKIES ON THE ROAD
Following Sunday's opener, Bloomsburg travels to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for Wrangle Mania on Saturday, Nov. 7, facing Sacred Heart at 10 a.m. and Duke at noon. The Huskies remain in Bethlehem for the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday, Nov. 8. Bloomsburg then visits Penn State on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m., and Navy on Friday, Nov. 20.


Clarion Golden Eagles
The start of a new wrestling season can only mean one thing – the Clarion Open in Tippin Gymnasium. This year's event is scheduled for Sunday, November 1 at 9:00 a.m. Action takes place on six mats in the main gym.

Most of the Golden Eagles' roster will see mat time, including previous Clarion Open placers Adrian Gacek (184 pounds) and Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (165 pounds). Gacek, a redshirt junior, was fifth at 184 pounds a year ago, while Herrera-Rondon, a redshirt senior, was the 157-pound runner-up in 2023 and took fourth at that weight in 2024. Sophomore Gabe Lilly (174) advanced to the blood round last season in his first outing as a Golden Eagle.

Three transfers are making their Clarion debuts Sunday – junior Zachery Marrero (133 pounds), redshirt freshman Easton Belfiore (197 pounds), and redshirt senior Andrew Blackburn-Forst (285 pounds). In 2025-2026, Marrero wrestled for Western Wyoming C.C.; Belfiore, from nearby Brookville, for Edinboro, and Blackburn-Forst for North Dakota State.

Returners Keegan Oler (141 pounds), a sophomore, and Talan Hubbard (149 pounds), a redshirt freshman, are newly christened starters looking to get their seasons off to a strong start. After two injury-plagued seasons, junior Weston Pisarchick (125 pounds) is anxious to establish himself in the Clarion line-up.

The last Golden Eagle to earn the iconic knight's helmet awarded to Clarion Open champions was Will Feldkamp, who won at 184 pounds to start his 2023 campaign. Clarion assistant coach Brock Zacherl has three knight's helmets in his trophy case (2015, 2017, 2019) and volunteer assistant coach Evan Delong one (2015).

Ohio State, Utah Valley, Air Force, and Bloomsburg scheduled the Clarion Open as their season openers

The Buckeyes are sending a formidable contingent highlighted by five Top 10 Intermat-ranked wrestlers – Nic Bouzakis (#9 at 141 pounds), Brandon Cannon (#4 at 157 pounds), Jaxson Smith (#4 at 174 pounds), Dylan Fishback (#9 at 184 pounds), and Nick Feldman (#3 at 285 pounds).

Other Intermat-ranked wrestlers on the Ohio State roster coming to Clarion are 125-pounder Vinny Kilkeary (#14) and 165-pounder Ethan Stiles (#16). Cannon was an All-American in 2026, Smith and Stiles in 2025, and Feldman in 2024. Utah Valley travels to Clarion sporting a trio of upper weights with Intermat rankings  – Moses Espinoza-Owens (#23 at 174 pounds), Caleb Uhlenhopp (#22 at 184 pounds), and Kael Bennie (#23 at 197 pounds). Air Force has one Top 5 Intermat-ranked grappler that'll see action, 141-pounder Carter Nogle (#4). He is a returning All-American.

MAC rival Bloomsburg could have two familiar faces taking the mat Sunday – 141-pounder Scott Johnson, who transferred from Clarion at the end of last season, and local product Gavin Hannah, the 184-pounder a high school teammate of the Golden Eagles' Belfiore at Brookville.
 

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