Lopers Enters NCAA Ranked Third, Have Three Top Three Seeds

3/10/2026 1:11:00 PM

Kearney, Neb. – The brackets are now finalized for the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships this weekend in Sioux Falls.

The now third-ranked Lopers have seven qualifiers who'll compete Friday and Saturday (March 13-14) at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. Live results and video are available for those not in attendance.

Gannon (Pa.) University and Central Oklahoma are first and second in the latest rankings as the Knights have nine qualifiers and the Bronchos eight. UCO won national titles in 2023 and 2024 and was runner up in 2022; GU has never finished first or second since the D2 Championships began in 1963.

UNK has three five seeds and one at two, three, four and nine. A top eight finish in each of 10 brackets earns All-American honors.

133 lbs.
1st Round – 9th-seed Zach Ourada (18-8) Vs. 5th-seed James Joplin (Lander, S.C.)
Next Round – Elijah Carrington (Belmont Abbey, N.C.) or. 4th-seed Thaddeus Long (McKendree, Ill.)

141 lbs.
1st Round – 5th-seed Joseph Airola (23-4) vs. Joey Ortega (Kutztown, Pa.)
Next Round – Carsen Richards (Lake Erie, Ohio) or 4th-seed Colton Stoneking (Fairmont State, W.V.)

165 lbs.
1st Round - 5th-seed Trenton Munoz (23-5) vs. Kole Marko (Minnesota State)
Next Round – Carson Lindsey (Ft. Hays State) or 4th-seed Grant Mackay (Gannon, Pa.)

174 lbs.
1st Round – 3rd-seed Otgonbayar Batsuuri (17-7) Vs. Cole Ritter (Maryville, Mo.)
Next Round – Christian Arrington (Belmont Abbey, N.C.) or 6th-seed Emilio Arellano (Tiffin, Ohio)

184 lbs.
1st Round – 5th-seed Kaden Hart (15-6) Vs. Oliver Byerly (West Liberty, W.V.)
Next Round – Wyatt Reisz (Colorado School of Mines) or 4th-seed Damon Ashworth (Central Missouri)

197 lbs.
1st Round – 4th-seed Jackson Kinsella (18-5) Vs. Ethan Farnell (Indianapolis)
Next Round – 5th-seed Logan Kvien (McKendree, Ill.) or Wayne McIntyre (Kutztown, Pa.)

285 lbs.
1st round – 2nd-seed Crew Howard (23-3) Vs. Jake Powell (Tiffin, Ohio)
Next Round – 7th-seed Luke Tweeton (Mary, N.D.), Cale Gray (Indianapolis) or Nathan Coley (King, Tenn.)

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