Recaps courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Four Rider Broncs Stay Alive, Advance to Day Two at NCAA Championships
CLEVELAND, OH - Four Broncs kept their seasons alive, advancing to Day II of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena on Friday as they continue their push for All-American honors through the consolation bracket.

(11) Tyler Klinsky (125 lbs)
Klinsky opened his day against Davis Motyka (Penn) and wasted no time getting on the board. Pushing the pace from the start, he rolled to a dominant 19-3 technical fall in the third period. In the second round, Klinsky faced No. 6 Jore Volk (Minnesota). After a scoreless first period, Volk escaped to take a 1-0 lead. Klinsky started the final period on bottom, but Volk accumulated riding time and controlled the period, handing Klinsky a 2-0 loss and snapping his 20-match win streak. Klinsky will continue his All-American quest in the consolation bracket tomorrow afternoon.

(25) Will Betancourt (133 lbs)
Betancourt faced Markel Baker (Northern Illinois) in a rematch of the MAC final from two weeks ago. Baker struck early, building a 3-0 lead, and added another takedown late to secure an 8-1 decision. Dropping to the consolation bracket, Betancourt matched up with No. 24 Blake Boarman (Purdue). Much like their regular-season meeting, it was a tight, gritty battle. After trading escapes, the match went to overtime tied 1-1. Betancourt capitalized with a quick reattack, securing the takedown to stay alive and advance to day two.

(15) Elijah Griffin (141 lbs)
Griffin opened against No. 18 Carter Nogle (Air Force) and jumped ahead early with a takedown. An escape and another takedown extended his lead, and he held on for a 7-4 decision to advance. In the second round, Griffin took on No. 2 Sergio Vega (Oklahoma State). After a scoreless first period, Vega escaped and added a late takedown in the second to take control. Vega extended his lead in the third before locking up a cradle on Griffin for the fall. Griffin will drop to the consolation bracket tomorrow morning. 

(30) Dylan Layton (149 lbs)
Layton fell to No. 3 Cross Wasilewski (Penn) by a 12-1 major decision, sending him to the consolation bracket. In the consolation round, Layton faced No. 32 Clayton Jones (Michigan State). After a 1-1 tie through escapes, Layton delivered a clutch third-period takedown and added riding time for a 4-1 decision. Layton's consolation run continued against No. 19 Brock Herman (Little Rock), but an early 7-0 hole after a dump in the first period proved too much to overcome. Despite a late takedown, Layton fell 10-3, closing out a strong first season with the Broncs.

(24) Brock Zurawski (197 lbs)
Zurawski struck first against No. 9 Angelo Posada (Stanford), taking an early 3-0 lead. However, Posada responded with an escape and takedown before turning Zurawski for the fall in the final seconds of the first period.  In the consolation bracket, Zurawski drew No. 8 DJ Parker (Oklahoma), setting up another tough matchup after their regular-season meeting ended in a tech fall for Parker. This time, Zurawski flipped the script. He came out aggressive, scoring seven quick points on a takedown and four near-fall to take a 7-0 lead after one. Parker answered with a takedown in the second, but Zurawski responded with a reversal and another takedown to extend his advantage to 12-3, ultimately securing a 12-5 decision to avenge the earlier loss and punch his ticket to day two.

Up Next
Four Broncs return to action tomorrow for Day II of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Session III is set to kick off at 12 p.m.


SIUE's Lopez, Tyus Continue to Day Two at NCAAs
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Marcel Lopez and Caleb Tyus will compete in the consolation bracket Friday after advancing through the opening rounds of the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena.

Lopez, a 133-pounder, dropped his opening-round match to Iowa's Drake Ayala 11-1. He then received a medical forfeit in the preliminary consolation round by North Carolina's State's Zach Redding. His next opponent is Penn's Evan Mougalian, the No. 12 seed headed into the tournament.

Tyus earned a 5-1 victory over Cal Poly's Andre Gonzalez in the opening round of the tournament. Michigan's Lachlan McNeil edged Tyus in the second round 5-3. Tyus next faces Wyoming's Gabe Willochell, the No. 21 seed at 149 pounds.

SIUE's Brock Woodcock dropped both of his matches at 165 pounds. He was defeated by Colorado's Cesar Alvin 12-2 and Wisconsin's Cody Goebel 11-7.

Complete Results
133 | Marcel Lopez (27-10)
Champ. Round 1 - Drake Ayala (Iowa) 15-8 won by major decision over Marcel Lopez (SIUE) 27-10 (MD 11-1)
Cons. Round 1 - Marcel Lopez (SIUE) 27-10 won by medical forfeit over Zach Redding (NC State) 12-10 (MFFL)

149 | Caleb Tyus (23-3)
Champ. Round 1 - Caleb Tyus (SIUE) 23-3 won by decision over Andre Gonzales (Cal Poly) 18-12 (Dec 5-1)
Champ. Round 2 - Lachlan McNeil (Michigan) 19-6 won by decision over Caleb Tyus (SIUE) 23-3 (Dec 5-3)


NIU's Baker Breaks Through to Quarterfinals, Dawson Fights on at NCAA's
CLEVELAND—Markel Baker advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as he and Devon Dawson represented the Northern Illinois University Huskies wrestling program on the first day of the championships. 
 
Baker extended his winning streak to 17-straight while Dawson's win streak came to an end in the evening session.  
 
In the rematch from the MAC Championships, Baker got a first-period takedown over Will Betancourt of Rider. Baker went up 4-0 after a second-period escape before grabbing a second takedown in the third period as he won in an 8-1 decision.
 
In his second match, Baker was taken down by Dominick Serrano of Northern Colorado in the first round. Baker got back-to-back escape points before taking the lead with a late takedown in the third. Serrano tied it up with 20 seconds remaining in the third to force overtime. Baker achieved the takedown to advance to the quarterfinals, his first sudden victory win.
 
Dawson faced future PAC-12 foe Trevor Tinker of Cal Poly in his first round, earning a second-period reversal to go up 2-0. Dawson added a quick third-period takedown and captured the riding time point as he won 7-4 to advance.
 
In the second round, Dawson faced Hunter Catka of Rutgers in what was a rematch of the championships from the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in December 2025. Dawson got a third period escape to tie the match at one before falling via tie-breaker 1 (TB-1, 2-1).
 
Baker will face Jax Forrest, the No. 1 seed, from Oklahoma State on Friday (March 20) in the quarterfinals.
 
Dawson moves to the consolation bracket and will face Braxton Amos of Wisconsin. Amos is the 12-seed in the tournament.
 
Action resumes tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. CT for the third session. The fourth session will start at 7 p.m. CT. 


Lock Haven Men's Wrestling Opens 2026 NCAA Championships; Henson Leads the Way and Advances to Friday
CLEVELAND - The Lock Haven men's wrestling team wrapped up day one of three at the 2026 NCAA Division I National Championship at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
 
Four Bald Eagles wrestled on Thursday during sessions one and two of the National Championship and Wyatt Henson (141) led the way by advancing to session three on Friday morning.
 
Gable Strickland (133), Lucas Kapusta (149) and Avery Bassett (174) also competed in the opening two sessions.
 
No. 13 Henson started the day 1-0 before falling in the second round, 14-4 (maj. dec.), to Iowa State's No. 4 Anthony Echemendia. During session one earlier today, Henson downed No. 20 Julian Tagg (South Dakota State) with an 11-2 major decision.
 
Henson draws Utah Valley's 19^th-seeded Haiden Drury in the second round of wrestlebacks on Friday.  
  
Strickland, seeded No. 33 at 133, fell by a 6-1 decision to West Virginia's No. 18 Gunner Andrick. Strickland wraps up a decorated career at The Haven as a three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time Mid-American Conference (MAC) Individual Champion, and over 100 wins after racking up 25 as a senior.
 
The 17^th seed at 149 pounds, Kapusta fell in a heartbreaking 4-3 decision to No. 33 Austin McBurney (Brown). Kapusta led 2-1 through two periods, but a late takedown from McBurney proved to be the match-winner. Kapusta finishes his breakout sophomore season as a MAC Individual Champion and a 25-6 record.
 
Bassett, seeded 29^th at 174, was edged in a 4-1 sudden victory decision by Binghamton's No. 13-seeded Carter Baer. Bassett evened the score at 1-1 with an escape in the second period, but a takedown by Baer in overtime sealed the victory. Bassett, who also went over 100 wins in his career and was a two-time NCAA qualifier, wrapped up his senior season with 25 victories, three tech falls, three pins, and five major decisions.
 

All Four George Maosn Patrios Advance at NCAA Championships
CLEVELAND, Ohio – All four George Mason wrestlers remain alive after day one of the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena.

It was a strong showing for the Patriots, with each wrestler posting a 1-1 record on Thursday and advancing to Friday's sessions beginning at noon. Highlighting the day, Malachi DuVall recorded his 100th career victory.

Ohio native Logan Messer opened his tournament with an impressive sudden victory win over 14-seed Moses Espinoza-Owens (SDSU). Trailing 3-2 entering the third period, Messer secured a riding time point to tie the match before delivering an early takedown in SV-1 to earn his first NCAA Championship victory.

In the second round, Messer faced Nebraska's Christopher Minto, a familiar opponent from earlier this season. Minto built an early lead and ultimately secured a major decision, 11-3.

 At 149 pounds, Kaden Cassidy fell in his opening match to fourth-seeded Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech), 9-4. Cassidy bounced back in the consolation preliminaries with a statement performance, pinning 13-seed Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin) in 4:23.

Competing in his third NCAA Championship, DJ McGee dropped a 5-0 decision to Michigan's Cameron Catrabone in the championship bracket. McGee responded in the consolation round with a 6-3 win over MAC opponent Garrett McChesney (Edinboro), using a first-period takedown and steady control to stay in the tournament.

Malachi DuVall narrowly fell in the championship round to Nebraska's Silas Allred, 3-1, in a tightly contested match. DuVall rebounded with a dominant effort in consolations, pinning Columbia's Joe Curtis (1:50), tying the NCAA leader in falls with 11 this season.

All four Patriots will continue competition Friday in the consolation rounds beginning at noon.


Buffalo's Burgess Advances to Day Two at NCAA Championships 
CLEVELAND, OH – Kaleb Burgess went 1-1 on the first day of the NCAA Championships on Thursday held at Rocket Arena in Cleveland to advance to day two action.

Burgess dropped a 6-1 decision to Lehigh's Logan Rozynski, the 10-seed, in his first match of the day.

The redshirt-senior rebounded in a big way in his first match of the consolation bracket, earning a 12-1 major decision over Navy's Jonathan Ley. Burgess had a big second period with an escape, a takedown and a four-point nearfall to take control of the match.

With his win in the consolation bracket, Burgess advanced to Friday action. He will face Stanford's Daniel Cardenas, the ninth seed, in his first match of the day.


Edinboro's McGill Advances to Day Two at NCAA Championships 
Cleveland – Edinboro wrestling 184-pounder Jared McGill advanced to the second day of the NCAA Championships with his victory in the second session on Thursday.
 
McGill dropped a tough 6-5 decision to 14^th seeded Jaden Bullock in his first round matchup. McGill scored the first take down of the match with 1:11 left in the first period. Bullock and McGill traded reversals to make the score 5-2 in favor of the Scot. Bullock escaped to cut the lead to 5-3. The Hokie rode out the second period and with a third period escape and riding time tied the score 5-5. After a scoreless sudden victory, Bullock escaped in the first tiebreak and rode out the second.
 
In his consolation bout, McGill scored the first take down of Indiana's Sam Goin. McGill rode the first 1:27 of the second before Goins escaped to make it 3-1. McGill escaped to open the third to go up 4-1. Goin scored a take down, but an escape and riding time gave McGill a 6-4 win. He advanced to take on No. 4 James Conway of Franklin & Marshall.
 
At 149, Ryan Michaels dropped his opener to No. 2 Jaxon Joy 16-1. The Scot took on Eugene Harney of Morgan State in his consolation match. After an early Michaels take down was overturned, Harney scored the opening points of the match with a take down. Michaels scored a reversal and Harney an escape to make it 4-2 after one. Harney extended the lead to 8-2 with an escape and a take down. Michaels reversed Harney to start the third to cut the advantage to 8-4. Harney escaped and Michaels scored a take down, but fell 9-7.
 
Garrett McChesney opened his NCAA Tournament against second-seeded and defending national champion Antrell Taylor of Nebraska. McChesney dropped a 19-4 tech fall to the Cornhusker. In the consolation round, McChesney took on George Mason's DJ McGee. The Patriot struck first with a take down in the first. McGee extended the lead with an escape in the second. McChesney scored a take down in the third and a McGee escape and riding time point gave the Patriot a 6-3 decision.
 
At 165, Ryan Burgos took on Nicco Ruiz of Arizona State in the opening round. Burgos dropped a 17-5 major decision to Ruiz. In the consolation round, Burgos took on Princeton's Ty Whalen. The Tiger scored the opening take down, but Burgos notched the reversal and four near-fall points to build a 6-3 lead. After a locked hands call and an escape Whalen scored a takedown to take an 8-6 lead after one. Whalen went on to an 18-9 major.


Ohio's Perrine, Lehman Advances to Day Two at NCAA Championships 
CLEVELAND—The Ohio Bobcats wrestling team wrapped up day one of competition at the 2026 NCAA Championships on Thursday (Mar. 19), with redshirt seniors Sal Perrine and Zayne Lehman getting opening round wins for the Bobcats.
 
Redshirt junior Derek Raike and redshirt senior Garrett Thompson saw their seasons come to an end, each going 0-2 on Thursday.
 
Session I
At 157 lbs, 13^th seeded Derek Raike was the first Bobcat to take the mat, facing No. 20 Jimmy Harrington of Harvard in the opening round. Both wrestlers battled back and forth through a tense match that went to sudden victory tied at 1-1, but Raike was unable to convert, giving up a takedown to drop the match by 4-1 decision, moving to the consolation round.
 
Next, at 174 lbs. the 24^th seed Garrett Thompson faced Michigan's ninth-seeded Beau Mantanona. Thompson battled for all seven minutes but came up short, losing by 7-3 decision and moving on to the consolation bracket.
 
15^th seeded Sal Perrine was next on the mat for the Bobcats at 184 lbs, squaring off with 18^th seed Jake Daley of North Carolina. Perrine set the tone with an early first period takedown, lifting Daley off the mat for a mat return and three point takedown. Perrine was strong from the top position, recording an another takedown before the first period expired, taking a 6-1 lead in the match. Starting on bottom, Perrine recorded a quick escape point to begin the second period, before holding strong on top and building riding time. Perrine allowed Daley to earn an escape point to begin the third period, but successfully fended off offensive moved from Daley and secured a bonus point for riding time to secure the 9-3 decision victory, moving on to the second round in the championship bracket.
 
At 197 lbs, Zayne Lehman was the final Bobcat to take the mat in the opening session, battling the 15^th seeded Gabe Sollars of Indiana. Lehman went on the offensive early, reaching for a takedown late in the first period that Sollars defended, ending the period 0-0. Lehman fought through the second period from bottom, unable to escape and receiving a one point penalty for stalling. Facing a 2-0 deficit to begin the third period, Lehman roared to life, forcing Sollars off balance and grabbing a hold of both legs for the takedown, jumping to a 3-2 lead in the match. Lehman rode the momentum to another takedown in less than a minute, securing a come from behind 6-4 decision victory and a spot in the second championship round.
 
Session II
Derek Raike returned to the mat seeking to avenge his first round defeat, facing 29^th seeded Bryce Lowery of Indiana. After a minute of grappling, Raike successfully got in on a single leg and converted for the takedown, before holding Sollars in nearfall position adding four points. Raike gave up a takedown at the end of the period, leading 7-4 after three minutes of action. Sollars would get the fall in the second period, ending Raike's run at the NCAA Championships.
 
Garrett Thompson returned to the mat looking to bounce back from an opening round defeat, facing the 25^th seeded Sergio Desiante of Virginia Tech. Thompson fought hard but could not overcome Desiante, dropping by the match by 5-2 decision, concluding his run at the NCAA championships.
 
Perrine's opening round victory earned him a match with second seeded Aeoden Sinclair of Missouri. The two battled through a scoreless first period, before Sinclair recorded an escape point to begin the second. Perrine battled for all seven minutes, but could not overcome the #2 seed, eventually dropping a 4-0 decision. Perrine moves on to the 184 lb consolation bracket, where he will face 32^nd seeded Caleb Uhlenhopp of Utah Valley.
 
Lehman's first round triumph set him up for a bout with third seeded Stephen Little of Arkansas-Little Rock. Facing a 4-0 deficit entering the third, Lehman recorded an escape point to begin the period. In the end, Lehman could not overcome the two time All-American Little, losing by 7-1 decision. Lehman moves to the 197 lb. consolation bracket, where he will face either Wyatt Ingham of Wisconsin or Sonny Sasso of Virginia Tech
 
Perrine and Lehman will return to the mat tomorrow morning for consolation matches. Competition will start at 12 p.m. ET, with coverage on the ESPN family of networks.