2026 NCAA DI Men’s Championships: Session VI Notes
Photo: Aden Valencia of Stanford was one of four freshmen to win titles Saturday night in Cleveland. Photo by Sam Janicki.
Final Team Scores
- Penn State 181.5
- OK State 131.0
- Nebraska 100.5
- Iowa 92.5
- Ohio State 84.5
- Stanford 67.5
- Michigan 66.0
- Iowa State 52.0
- Minnesota 48.5
- NC State 44.5
- Virginia Tech 41.5
- Wyoming 38.0
- Arizona State 36.5
- Missouri 34.0
- Illinois 28.0
- Lehigh 26.5
- Columbia 25.0
- Cornell 21.5
- Penn 21.0
- Princeton 20.0
Finals Match Notes
141: (2) Sergio Vega (OK State) dec. (1) Jesse Mendez (Ohio State), 4-1 SV.
- A stall warning was issued to Vega in the early going, but the first period ended scoreless. The pair traded escapes, and Vega fended off a shot from Mendez in the third period. In the sudden-victory period, Vega countered a Mendez shot and ended up slapping on a nearside cradle and getting the Buckeye to a hip when the match-winning takedown was awarded. Vega finished the season undefeated as a true freshman and did not surrender a takedown all season.
149: (10) Aden Valencia (Stanford) dec. (1) Shayne Van Ness (Penn State), 8-5 SV.
- The Cardinal struck first with a takedown in the first period, but Van Ness returned the favor in the second. The Nittany Lion fended off successive shots in the third, as the pair went to overtime deadlocked 5-5. In the sudden-victory period, Valencia converted a leg attack for a takedown as Van Ness attempted to funk and pass a leg.
157: (5) Landon Robideau (OK State) dec. (2) Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), 4-2.
- The Cowboys got their second true-freshman NCAA champion, as Robideau scored two near-fall points in the second period and earned a point for stalling in the third. Taylor, trailing 4-1 in the third period, was unable to generate any offense to tie the bout but did earn a point for stalling in the waning seconds.
165: (1) Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) TF (3) Mikey Caliendo (Iowa), 20-4 (5:13).
- Mesenbrink scored the bout’s opening takedown right off the whistle before cutting Caliendo loose and scoring another takedown 30 seconds later. The Wisconsin native would go on to score four total takedowns in the opening period to take a 12-4 lead after one. A second-period escape, takedown and two stalling points would give the Nittany Lion junior an 18-4 lead after two frames. A third-period reversal for Mesenbrink ended the bout in a 20-4 tech fall.
174: (1) Levi Haines (Penn State) dec. (3) Christopher Minto (Nebraska), 2-1.
- Stall warnings were issued against Minto in the first and second periods, while a second-period escape from Haines gave the Nittany Lion senior a 2-0 lead heading into the final frame. Minto escaped quickly in the third, but Haines fended off Minto’s late attempts to win his second NCAA title.
184: (3) Max McEnelly (Minnesota) dec. (1) Rocco Welsh (Penn State), 4-3.
- McEnelly switched off from a single to a double and scored a powerful takedown two minutes into the opening frame before Welsh escaped. The Gopher chose bottom and earned an escape of his own to take a 4-1 lead into the final period. Welsh earned an escape in the third, but the Gopher fended off Welsh’s late attempts to capture his first national title.
197: (1) Josh Barr (Penn State) dec. (7) Cody Merrill (OK State), 6-3.
- Barr scored a first-period takedown and a second-period reversal to control his way to his first NCAA title over the Oklahoma State freshman.
285: (2) Isaac Trumble (NC State) dec. (1) Yonger Bastida (Iowa State), 5-0.
- The Cyclone was in deep on a shot and nearly finished toward the end of the first period, but Trumble was able to fend him off as the time expired to end the first frame. Trumble took the lead, 1-0, on a second-period escape before the pair got in a wild heavyweight scramble in which Trumble came out on top for a three-point takedown. In the third period, Trumble slapped on a devastating leg ride and was able to ride out the period for a 5-0 victory with riding-time advantage.
125: (1) Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) dec. (10) Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton), 2-1.
- After a scoreless first period, the pair traded escapes in the second and third. McGowan was hit for a second stall warning in the third period, which resulted in a 2-1 victory for Lilledahl. With his win, Penn State set a new team-point scoring record.
133: (1) Jax Forrest (OK State) dec. (2) Ben Davino (Ohio State), 5-2.
- After a scoreless first period, Davino escaped in the second but not before being hit with a stall warning. Forrest tied the bout with a quick escape and almost immediately converted a shot into a takedown, successfully fending off Davino’s funk-roll attempt. The Cowboy earned a point for riding-time advantage and held off Davino to give OK State three NCAA champs, all of whom are true freshmen.






