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2026 NCAA DI Men’s Championships: Session IV Notes

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Updated: March 20, 2026

Photo: Marc-Anthony McGowan of Princeton reached the NCAA finals as a No. 10 seed at 125 pounds.

Top-10 Team Scores

  1. Penn State 153.0
  2. OK State 111.5
  3. Nebraska 90.5
  4. Iowa 81.0
  5. Ohio State 77.5
  6. Stanford 58.0
  7. Iowa State 52.0
  8. Michigan 48.0
  9. Minnesota 39.5
  10. NC State 37.0

Semifinal Match Notes

125:

(1) Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) dec. (5) Troy Spratley (OK State), 8-3.

  • The Nittany Lion converted a takedown in the first 30 seconds, collecting both legs off a single-leg attempt. With a minute remaining in the first frame, Lilledahl countered Spratley’s funk attempt and secured a takedown and two near-fall points. That would be the difference, as Lilledahl held on for the 8-3 decision.

(10) Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) dec. (14) Jacob Moran (Indiana), 4-1.

  • After a scoreless first period, McGowan struck first with an escape in just five seconds in the second frame. Moran escaped quickly in the second period as well, and the 1-1 deadlock was not broken until three seconds remained in the final frame, as the Tiger converted a late takedown on the edge.

133:

(1) Jax Forrest (OK State) maj. (4) Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech), 14-3.

  • The OK State true freshman scored off a low double in the first 30 seconds and slapped together a tough cross-body ride for much of the first period. Forrest would add a takedown in the second period and two in the third to cruise past his fellow true freshman counterpart.

(2) Ben Davino (Ohio State) dec. (3) Marcus Blaze (Penn State), 3-2 TB.

  • In a drama-filled bout that had the attention of every eyeball in the arena, Blaze nearly converted a takedown late in the match before Davino flipped through on a scramble and appeared to have secured control near the boundary. A no-takedown call was challenged by Ohio State and eventually upheld, much to the

141:

(1) Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) dec. (5) Luke Stanich (Lehigh), 4-1 SV.

  • The 1-1 deadlock was broken when the two-time defending NCAA champion drove through on a powerful double-leg takedown to earn his third-straight trip to the national finals.

(2) Sergio Vega (OK State) dec. (3) Brock Hardy (Nebraska), 5-3.

  • Vega scored a third-period takedown and was quickly reversed, which made things interesting, but the Cowboy true freshman punched his ticket to the finals when he scored an escape and added a point for riding-time advantage to cement the win.

149:

(1) Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) TF (20) Chance Lamer (Nebraska), 22-1 (5:21).

  • Van Ness dominated start to finish, as the Nittany Lion punched his ticket to his first NCAA final by scoring one takedown in the first and third periods and two takedowns in the second, while also adding two sets of four-point near-fall counts.

(10) Aden Valencia (Stanford) dec. (11) Lachlan McNeil (Michigan), 9-5.

  • The redshirt freshman Cardinal took a 3-1 lead into the third period after scoring a second-period takedown before exploding for an escape and takedown in the third period to extend his lead. McNeil closed the gap with a late takedown, but Valencia escaped late and fended off the Wolverine’s late attempts.

157:

(5) Landon Robideau (OK State) dec. (1) PJ Duke (Penn State), 3-2 TB.

  • The pair of true freshmen traded escapes but could not score otherwise in regulation. In the overtime period, Duke locked up a cradle and appeared to force Robideau to his hip, at which time a takedown was awarded and the official stopped the match. However, a coach’s challenge from OK State resulted in a reversed call, and Robideau won the bout with a reversal in the tiebreakers.

(2) Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) dec. (11) Ty Watters (West Virginia), 4-2.

  • A third-period powerful double-leg takedown from Antrell Taylor was the difference in a low-scoring affair, as the Husker will return to the finals to defend his title from last season.

165:

(1) Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) TF (12) Cesar Alvan (Columbia), 15-0 (4:11).

  • The Penn State junior planted Alvan on his back late in the first period and nearly secured the fall before adding an escape, takedown and four more near-fall points in the second period for the tech fall.

(3) Michael Caliendo (Iowa) dec. (2) Joey Blaze (Purdue), 8-5 SV.

  • Purdue’s Blaze scored a takedown early in the second period, but the Hawkeye veteran added an escape and takedown of his own in the third before quickly converting a shot just 20 seconds into the sudden-victory period.

174:

(1) Levi Haines (Penn State) TF (5) Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), 18-3 (7:00).

  • The Nittany Lion scored a takedown in each period and caught Kennedy in an unusual position as time was expiring, in which Haines had a head-and-arm lock with his own ankle stuck between the two wrestlers. The sequence resulted in four near-fall points, and with the point for riding-time advantage, the PSU senior earned the tech fall.

(3) Christopher Minto (Nebraska) dec. (7) Cam Steed (Missouri), 5-1.

  • The Nebraska Cornhusker punched his ticket to the NCAA finals for the first time on the strength of a first-period takedown, escape and point for riding-time advantage.

184:

(1) Rocco Welsh (Penn State) dec. (5) Brock Mantanona (Michigan), 4-3.

  • Welsh trailed 1-0 entering the third frame, but the Nittany Lion sophomore scored an escape and takedown before surrendering an escape and stalling point to Mantanona.

(3) Max McEnelly (Minnesota) dec. (2) Angelo Ferrari (Iowa), 3-2 TB.

  • Not much action unfolded over the course of the first nine minutes, and the Golden Gopher was able to ride the Hawkeye for 18 seconds longer than Ferrari to earn his spot in the finals for the first time.

197:

(1) Josh Barr (Penn State) maj. (5) Joey Novak (Wyoming), 14-3.

  • Josh Barr scored four total takedowns and yielded one reversal to Novak while adding 3:20 in riding-time advantage to earn his second consecutive trip to the NCAA finals.

(7) Cody Merrill (OK State) dec. (3) Stephen Little (Little Rock), 2-1 TB.

  • After nine minutes of 1-1 wrestling, Merrill rode Little for 24 seconds, prompting the Little Rock junior to opt for neutral in the second tiebreaker frame. Little nearly secured a knee-pull single, but Merrill kicked out and held on for the narrow victory.

285:

(1) Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) maj. (4) AJ Ferrari (Nebraska), 15-7. 

  • Bastida scored a blast-double leg takedown in the first 20 seconds and added a big resounding body-lock for seven points to jump out to a big lead over the Husker. Ferrari scored a third-period takedown of his own late, but the Cyclone secured a major decision by adding one final takedown in the final seconds.

(2) Isaac Trumble (NC State) dec. (3) Taye Ghadiali (Michigan), 4-1. 

  • The big men got in a minute-long scramble in which both looked to, at one point, almost establish control, but the Wolfpack senior solidified the takedown in the waning seconds. A double coach’s challenge ensued, in which both a red and green brick landed on the mat, but the official upheld the takedown for Trumble.