In one of just two matches without Penn State representation, Hodge Trophy contender Jesse Mendez continued his great season by winning another individual title for Ohio State at 141 pounds over Nebraska’s Brock Hardy, 7-2.
🤼 MORE COLLEGE WRESTLING 🤼
The Nittany Lions earned another individual belt when Shayne Van Ness pinned Ohio State’s Ethan Stiles to take the 149-pound crown.
After losing to Antrell Taylor during the dual season, Penn State freshman PJ Duke beat the Cornhusker on his home mat to win the Big Ten title at 157 pounds by major decision, 12-4. Mitchell Mesenbrink then won a second straight major decision for the home team with a 12-3 major over Iowa representative Michael Caliendo. This marks Mesenbrink’s third Big Ten title and keeps him undefeated in the conference in his career.
Levi Haines gave Penn State yet another Big Ten individual title, becoming a four-time champion of the conference with a narrow 2-1 win over Nebraska’s Christopher Minto. At 184 pounds, Penn State No. 1 seed Rocco Welsh survived a challenge from Max McEnelly and beat the Gopher in tiebreakers.
Josh Barr became the 197-pound Big Ten champion, winning the title for Penn State with a 19-4 tech fall over Nebraska’s Camden McDanel. Barr, Welsh, Mesenbrink, Van Ness and Lilledahl will head into NCAAs undefeated.
In the heavyweight match, Taye Ghadiali’s third-period takedown made him a 5-2 winner over AJ Ferrari, giving Michigan an individual title at the expense of Nebraska.
Full results:
| WEIGHT | RESULT |
|---|---|
| 125 | No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) over No. 6 Jore Volk (Minnesota), 4-1 (SV) |
| 133 | No. 3 Ben Davino (Ohio State) over No. 1 Marcus Blaze (Penn State), 2-1 (TB-1) |
| 141 | No. 1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) over No. 2 Brock Hardy (Nebraska), 7-2 |
| 149 | No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) over No. 2 Ethan Stiles (Ohio State), FALL (3:28) |
| 157 | No. 2 PJ Duke (Penn State) over No. 1 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), 12-4 |
| 165 | No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) over No. 3 Mikey Caliendo (Iowa), 12-3 |
| 174 | No. 1 Levi Haines (Penn State) over No. 2 Chris Minto (Nebraska), 2-1 |
| 184 | No. 1 Rocco Welsh (Penn State) over No. 2 Max McEnelly (Minnesota), 2-1 |
| 197 | No. 1 Josh Barr (Penn State) over No. 2 Camden McDanel (Nebraska), 19-4 |
| 285 | No. 1 Taye Ghadiali (Michigan) over No. 2 AJ Ferrari (Nebraska), 5-2 |
THIRD PERIOD: With Ferrari on the bottom, Ghadiali allowed his opponent an easier escape to try and gain a takedown. Ghadiali gained Ferrari’s back and took the Cornhusker down. Another stall call on Ferrari gave the Wolverine another point. Ferrari needed injury time, and Ghadiali chose to go down on the restart. Ferrari gave Ghadiali the escape, needing a takedown and rideout to go to sudden victory. Ghadiali defended the attacks to beat Ferrari and win the Big Ten title, his fourth overall conference championship and his first in the Big Ten.
The Champ is here. 🏆@D1Taye | #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/BqmmI9z6y4
— Michigan Wrestling (@umichwrestling) March 8, 2026
SECOND PERIOD: Ghadiali chose to start down, and Ferrari picked up some solid riding time before a Michigan challenge for locked hands. An unsuccessful challenge kept the match scoreless and kept Ferrari on top. Ferrari rode out the period and earned 1:57 of riding time, and both men took stall warnings in the process.
FIRST PERIOD: In the final match of the night, neither Taye Ghadiali nor AJ Ferrari found a way to score in the opening three minutes.
THIRD PERIOD: Barr started the third down and escaped, immediately taking down McDanel again. After McDanel escaped, Barr secured the riding time point to go up further. Barr took McDanel down again and allowed an escape, finishing the tech fall performance off with yet another takedown and becoming the Big Ten champion.
SECOND PERIOD: McDanel escaped to start the second period, but Barr went right back to attacking. The Nittanly Lion took McDanel down again, continuing to build his lead both on the scoreboard and in riding time. Barr led 9-2 after two periods.
FIRST PERIOD: Josh Barr took a low shot and gained single-leg control over Camden McDanel, turning the attack into three points after consistent pressure. McDanel escaped, but Barr attacked again and scored another takedown against the Cornhusker. Barr held on until the end of the period to lead 6-1 with over a minute of riding time.
TIEBREAKERS: Welsh won the flip again and went down again. McEnelly returned Welsh to the mat, but the Nittany Lion rolled through to escape in three seconds. McEnelly attacked late in the first tiebreaker, but he failed to score the takedown before time expired. In the second tiebreaker period, McEnelly chose a neutral start to try and attack. Welsh defended and won the Big Ten title.
OUR 6th B1G CHAMP IS ROCCO WELSHHH!!! 🗣️🔥#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/p4w90PRrFi
— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) March 8, 2026
SUDDEN VICTORY: McEnelly tried to win the title with a low shot, but Welsh brought the pair back to their feet. McEnelly continued to push, and Welsh shot back to no avail. Nine minutes was not enough to separate Welsh and McEnelly.
THIRD PERIOD: McEnelly started the third period down and escaped to tie the match. The Gopher shot an agressive counter-attack, but Welsh got out of trouble. Both men tried to attack to avoid sudden victory, but the match went beyond seven mintues anyway.
SECOND PERIOD: Welsh won the flip and chose to start the period down. He escaped quickly to take the match lead. Welsh tried to shoot low, but McEnelly defended to keep his deficit at only one point heading to the final two minutes.
FIRST PERIOD: After losing last year’s Big Ten championship in sudden victory, Max McEnelly looks to claim the conference title against Rocco Welsh. Neither wrestler generated much in the first period, and the match proceeded scoreless into the second.
THIRD PERIOD: Haines started the third period down and escaped quickly. Minto attacked with aggression but Haines defended his legs. Haines took a low shot, and Minto looked to counter. After a stalemate, Haines shot again. While he did not score, he prevented Minto from attacking. The strategy was successful, and Haines held on to become a four-time Big Ten winner.
4⃣✖️Levi!
Haines downs Minto 2-1 to become Penn State’s fourth four-time Big Ten Champion!#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/ZCVi3c4Hli— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) March 8, 2026
SECOND PERIOD: Minto started the second period down and got out after 26 seconds. An illegal hold call against Minto allowed Haines to tie the match, and Nebraska challenged the call in frustration. The officials upheld the call after review, and the match remained tied heading to the third.
FIRST PERIOD: Levi Haines started his Big Ten title match with an aggressive single-leg attack, but he gave up attacking chances to Christopher Minto. In the scramble, Minto defended to get a stalemate call. After both men continued to attack, neither scored in the first period.
THIRD PERIOD: Caleiendo chose bottom to start the third and escaped. The Hawkeye had to be aggressive to get points back. Caliendo tried to work on a single-leg, but Mesenbrink defended to win another Big Ten championship.
Major Mesenbrink!!!
Mitchell rolls to the 12-3 major decision to claim his third Big Ten title!#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/AEXWBnk1xm— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) March 8, 2026
SECOND PERIOD: Mesenbrink started on bottom and escaped. The reigning national champion took Caliendo down again and tried to turn him over. Caliendo conceded a stalling point from the bottom position, and Mesenbrink led 11-2 after two.
FIRST PERIOD: Mitchell Mesenbrink comes right out to pick up an early takedown on Michael Caliendo, and the Hawkeye escapes. Mesenbrink continued to try and score, and the Hodge candidate found a second takedown in the final minute. Caliendo escaped again, and Mesenbrink led 6-2 after the first.
THIRD PERIOD: Duke elected to start bottom and earned another point with a quick escape. Duke continued to shoot on offense and took Taylor down a third time before letting the Cornhusker up. A second stall penalty on Taylor gives Duke another point to the frustration of the Nebraska corner. Duke wanted to make a statement, and he did so with the 12-4 major win.
DUKEEE!!!🗣️ OUR NEXT B1G CHAMP!! WAY TO GO 💪#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/asfkqetZ3B
— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) March 8, 2026
SECOND PERIOD: Taylor started down and escaped quickly. Both wrestlers continued their attacking pressure. Duke got behind Taylor again for another takedown. Taylor escaped in a stalemate, and Duke led 6-3 after two.
FIRST PERIOD: After beating PJ Duke during the dual season, Antrell Taylor was hit with a stall call early in the first period. Duke continued his attacking flurry, getting around Taylor and taking him down. Taylor escaped and tried to get his takedown back but could not find an attack before the period expired.
SECOND PERIOD: Van Ness won the flip and deferred, and Stiles started on the bottom. Van Ness turned Stiles over and found the pin to win the Big Ten championship.
🔥🔥 SVN with the FALL! 🔥🔥
Van Ness pins Stiles at 3:28 in the second to earn his first Big Ten title!#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/1hSdCG57rs— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) March 8, 2026
FIRST PERIOD: In a battle of All-Americans, neither Shayne Van Ness nor Ethan Stiles scored in the first period. Van Ness forced action in some scrambles but did not come up with a takedown.
THIRD PERIOD: Mendez held on to start the third period, but Hardy escaped after 15 seconds. Hardy maintained his aggressive style while being down, but Mendez got a stalemate. Mendez attacked deep, but Hardy defended well. Hardy continued to shoot, trying to create any offensive chances. Mendez gained a late takedown to clinch his second Big Ten title.
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) March 8, 2026
SECOND PERIOD: Hardy gained some riding time with Mendez starting on bottom, but Mendez escaped after a minute. Neither wrestler could score further, and Mendez led 4-1 after two.
FIRST PERIOD: After winning by major decision against Brock Hardy earlier in the season, Jesse Mendez started as the aggressor in the 141-pound title match. Mendez scored the first takedown in the final minute of the period. Hardy escaped, but Mendez led 3-1 after one.
TIEBREAKERS: Blaze wins the disc flip and takes bottom. Blaze stands up right away, but Davino returns him to the mat. Blaze escapes after 17 seconds. Davino also chooses to go down, needing a quick escape. Davino gets out after just three seconds, but Blaze starts heavily attacking knowing a stall call wins him the Big Ten title. Davino defends successfully, avenging his loss to Blaze in enemy territory to win the conference championship.
133 | DAVINO IS A B1G TEN CHAMPION ‼️‼️#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/wxpBOWbyJI
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) March 8, 2026
SUDDEN VICTORY: Because both men have a stall, both a takedown or a mistake will end the match. Blaze held mat control for most of the period but failed to use it. Just as they did in the dual season, Blaze and Davino go past nine minutes.
THIRD PERIOD: Blaze takes bottom and escapes to tie the match. Both freshmen continued to fight through their position. Davino got single-leg control again but still could not take Blaze down. For the second time, Blaze and Davino go to sudden victory.
SECOND PERIOD: Davino wins the flip and chooses bottom. He escaped in nine seconds, and Blaze went back to attacking. Davino gained single-leg control of Blaze late in the period, but the Nittany Lion defended to keep the score at 1-0 to Davino. The referee issued a double stall warning.
FIRST PERIOD: In a match of star freshmen, Ben Davino and Marcus Blaze both have the power to attack. Neither man found a way through in the opening three minutes.
SUDDEN VICTORY: Lilledahl gained a single leg for the third time, but Volk defended, conceding a stall warning in the process. Lilledahl went aggressive in the scramble again, finally registering the takedown to win his second Big Ten championship.
LUUUUUUUUKE!!!
Lilledahl with the takedown at 1:04 in SV to win the Big Ten Championship 4-1!#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/DscbeRgwFU— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) March 8, 2026
THIRD PERIOD: Some blood from Volk delays the third-period start. Lilledahl took bottom and stood up right away, escaping after 20 seconds to tie the match. Lilledahl continued to search for a single-leg to generate offense, but Volk stood strong. A major scramble looked like an opportunity for Lilledahl to score, but Volk defended and kept the match tied going to sudden victory.
SECOND PERIOD: Volk took bottom to start the second and escaped after 14 seconds. Late in the period, Lilledahl gained control of a single leg but failed to register the takedown. After two, Volk leads 1-0.
FIRST PERIOD: Looking to pull an upset on last year’s national champion, Jore Volk started with an offensive mindset against Luke Lilledahl. As the period went on, Lilledahl began to take more control of the matchup. Neither wrestler found a way through in the opening period, and the first three minutes went scoreless.
285 pounds
3rd place: No. 3 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) over No. 10 Ben Kueter (Iowa), 6-2
5th place: No. 4 Cole Mirasola (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin), MFF
7th place: No. 7 Koy Hopke (Minnesota) over No. 6 Luke Luffman (Illinois), 4-2
3rd place: No. 4 Brock Mantanona (Michigan) over No. 5 Chris Moore (Illinois), 4-1 (SV)
5th place: No. 7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers) over No. 3 Silas Allred (Nebraska), MFF
7th place: No. 7 Koy Hopke (Minnesota) over No. 6 Luke Luffman (Illinois), 4-2
197 pounds
3rd place: No. 5 Luke Geog (Ohio State) over No. 8 Gabe Sollars (Indiana), 8-1
5th place: No. 6 Wyatt Ingham (Wisconsin) over Remy Cotton (Rutgers), FALL (4:11)
7th place: No. 4 Branson John (Maryland) over No. 9 Ben Vanadia (Purdue), MFF
184 pounds:
3rd place: No. 4 Brock Mantanona (Michigan) over No. 5 Chris Moore (Illinois), 4-1 (SV)
5th place: No. 7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers) over No. 3 Silas Allred (Nebraska), MFF
7th place: No. 6 Dylan Fishback (Ohio State) over No. 8 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa), MFF
174 pounds:
3rd place: No. 4 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) over No. 3 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), 7-3
5th place: No. 5 Beau Mantanona (Michigan) over No. 11 Lenny Pinto (Rutgers), 7-5
7th place: No. 9 Colin Kelly (Illinois) over No. 8 Brody Baumann (Purdue), 11-5
165 pounds:
3rd place: No. 2 Joey Blaze (Purdue) over No. 4 LJ Araujo (Nebraska), INJ
5th place: No. 5 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) over No. 7 Andrew Barbosa (Rutgers), 8-6
7th place: No. 8 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) over Braeden Scoles (Illinois), MFF
157 pounds:
3rd place: No. 3 Kannon Webster (Illinois) over Brandon Cannon (Ohio State), 9-2
5th place: No. 4 Cam Catrabone (Michigan) over No. 11 Bryce Lowery (Indiana), MFF
7th place: No. 8 Luke Mechler (Wisconsin) over No. 6 Charlie Millard (Minnesota), MFF
149 pounds:
3rd place: No. 4 Lachlan McNeil (Michigan) over No. 5 Carter Young (Maryland), 1-0
5th place: No. 3 Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) over No. 9 Michael Gioffre (Illinois), 9-3
7th place: No. 7 Andrew Clark (Rutgers) over No. 13 Clayton Jones (Michigan State), MFF
141 pounds
3rd place: Nasir Bailey (Iowa) over Vance Vombaur (Minnesota), 7-4
5th place: No. 10 Joey Olivieri (Rutgers) over No. 11 Darius Lemus (Maryland), 5-2
7th place: No. 6 Braeden Davis (Penn State) over No. 8 Billy DeKraker (Northwestern), 8-1
133 pounds
3rd place: No. 5 Drake Ayala over No. Zan Fugitt, 4-2
5th place: No. 2 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) over No. 10 Blake Boarmann (Purdue), 5-2
7th place: No. 7 Sean Spidle (Northwestern) over No. 6 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska), MFF
125 pounds
3rd place: No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) over No. 4 Jacob Moran (Indiana), 4-2
5th place: No. 8 Dean Peterson (Iowa) over No. 9 Diego Sotelo (Michigan), 5-2
7th place: Kael No. 11 Lauridsen over No. 5 Ayden Smith (Rutgers), 6-3
Twenty athletes will compete for a Big Ten title tonight at 4:30pm ET. You can watch the action on Big Ten Network or follow live updates on NCAA.com. Third and fifth-place matches will also happen alongside the finals.
Meet the finalists:
125 pounds: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Jore Volk (Minnesota)
133 pounds: No. 1 Marcus Blaze (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Ben Davino (Ohio State)
141 pounds: No. 1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Brock Hardy (Nebraska)
149 pounds: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Ethan Stiles (Ohio State)
157 pounds: No. 1 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) vs. No. 2 PJ Duke (Penn State)
165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Michael Caliendo (Iowa)
174 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Chris Minto (Nebraska)
184 pounds: No. 1 Rocco Welsh (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Max McEnelly (Minnesota)
197 pounds: No. 1 Josh Barr vs. No. 2 Camden McDanel
285 pounds: No. 1 Taye Ghadiali (Michigan) vs. No. 2 AJ Ferrari (Nebraska)
285 pounds: No. 3 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) will take on No. 10 Ben Kueter (Iowa) for third
No. 10 Ben Kueter (Iowa) over No. 4 Cole Mirasola (Penn State), 2-0: Ben Kueter earned the opening point of the match by escaping in the second period, and he rode Cole Mirasola for the entire third period to win, 2-0. This reverses the results from the dual earlier this semester.
No. 3 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) over No. 5 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin), 4-1: Nick Feldman and Braxton Amos wrestled a scoreless first period. Amos escaped to score in the second, and Feldman tied the match by getting his point back. With both men being aggressive late in the match, Feldman scored a winning takedown with 18 seconds left to go to the third place match.
197 pounds: No. 5 Luke Geog (Ohio State) and No. 8 Gabe Sollars set for consi finals clash
No. 5 Luke Geog (Ohio State) over No. 3 Remy Cotton (Rutgers), 10-0: Luke Geog started his day with a takedown of Remy Cotton, accumulating over two minutes of riding time through the period. Geog piled on the pressure in the second, continuing to ride Cotton and earning a two-point near fall. Geog continued to fire on offense and finished the match a 10-0 winner.
No. 8 Gabe Sollars (Indiana) over No. 6 Wyatt Ingham (Wisconsin), 8-1: Gabe Sollars began his consolation semifinal by taking down Wyatt Ingham late in the first period. Neither man scored in the second. Sollars continued his offense late to beat Ingham, 8-1.
197 – Consi Semis | Gabe got creative for 3⃣!#IUWR pic.twitter.com/vico5yJVZv
— Indiana Wrestling (@IndianaWR) March 8, 2026
184 pounds: No. 4 Brock Mantanona (Michigan) will take on No. 5 Chris Moore (Illinois) for bronze
No. 4 Brock Mantanona (Michigan) over No. 7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers), 10-2: With an offensive outpouring, Brock Mantanona advances to the third place match with a 10-2 win.
No. 5 Chris Moore (Illinois) over No. 3 Silas Allred (Nebraka), MFF
174 pounds: All-Americans Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) and Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) will wrestle for third tonight
No. 3 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) over No. 5 Beau Mantanona (Michigan), 2-1: Patrick Kennedy and Beau Mantanona wrestled to a scoreless first period with both men forced to defend for most of the frame. Mantanona scored the first point of the match with a second-period escape. Mantanona was hit with a stall warning as he tried to find offense in the second. Kennedy tied the match with a quick third-period escape. The two men moved to sudden victory where neither wrestler scored in the extra two minutes. In the tiebreakers, Mantanona started down but did not escape in the 30 seconds. Kennedy elected for a neutral start and after a scoreless 30 seconds used his riding time to advance.
No. 4 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) over No. 11 Lenny Pinto (Rutgers), 7-0: Carson Kharchla’s first-period takedown gave him an early 3-0 lead over Lenny Pinto. Kharchla escaped early in the second, and no other points were scored in the frame. After electing for a neutral start, Pinto gave up another takedown, handing a 7-0 win to his Buckeye opponent.
165 pounds: No. 2 Joey Blaze (Purdue) & No. 4 LJ Araujo (Nebraska) move on to third-place match
No. 2 Joey Blaze (Purdue) over No. 5 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota), 3-1: After trading escape points in the second and third periods, Joey Blaze and Andrew Sparks went to a sudden victory period tied 1-1. Still deadlocked after nine minutes, Blaze started on bottom for tiebreakers and earned a two-point reversal. Sparks elected for a neutral start in the second tiebreaker half, but he failed to score and lost to Blaze.
Blazer delivers once again! 🔥
He wins a slugfest with a reversal in tiebreakers to beat the #11 wrestler in the country.@joeyblaze18 will wrestle for the B1G bronze medal! pic.twitter.com/EDkvEKe4lh
— Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) March 8, 2026
No. 4 LJ Araujo (Nebraska) over No. 7 Andrew Barbosa (Rutgers), 11-0: LJ Araujo’s offense was on point as he advanced to the third place match with an 11-0 win over Andrew Barbosa.
157 pounds: 2025 Big Ten finalists No. 3 Kannon Webster and No. 7 Brandon Cannon set to meet in 2026 consi finals
No. 7 Brandon Cannon (Ohio State) over No. 4 Cameron Catrabone (Michigan), 4-0: After a scoreless first period, Brandon Cannon rode Cameron Catrabone for the entire second period to keep the match tied. Cannon elected for a neutral start to the third period and used Catrabone’s aggressiveness against him, countering for a late takedown. Cannon moves to the third-place match with a 4-0 win.
No. 3 Kannon Webster (Illinois) over No. 11 Bryce Lowery (Indiana) by default: Bryce Lowery is forced out due to injury, so Webster advanced.
149 pounds: No. 4 Lachlan McNeil (Michigan) and No. 5 Carter Young (Maryland) both become first consi finalists for their schools this year
No. 4 Lachlan McNeil (Michigan) over No. 9 Michael Gioffre (Illinois), 8-3: Lachlan McNeil picked up the only takedown of the first period against Michael Gioffre, and he escaped to start the second. Gioffre got one point back with another escape, but McNeil added another takedown and the riding time point for the 8-3 win.
149: McNeil uses takedowns in the first, third periods and 1:39 riding time to beat Illinois’ Gioffre, 8-3. He’ll wrestle for third place. pic.twitter.com/2YSm95U2oz
— Michigan Wrestling (@umichwrestling) March 8, 2026
No. 5 Carter Young (Maryland) over No. 3 Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin), 11-3: Carter Young began his match against Joseph Zargo with an offensive flurry, recording two takedowns in the opening 90 seconds. Zargo got a point back with an escape after starting down, but Young kept firing toward an 11-3 win.
141 pounds: No. 3 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) and No. 4 Nasir Bailey (Iowa) will compete for third in a battle of All-Americans
No. 4 Nasir Bailey (Iowa) over No. 10 Joey Olivieri (Rutgers), 11-6: After a scoreless first period, Nasir Bailey escaped to start the second against Joey Olivieri. Bailey found his first takedown with 30 seconds to go in the period, and he rode Olivieri for the rest of the period. Olivieri earned an escape point to start the third and took Bailey down, but the Hawkeye escaped to take back a one-point lead. Bailey took Olivieri down on the edge of the mat, causing some protest from Rutgers coaches but no challenge brick. An escape and stall point brought Olivieri within two, but one final takedown ended the match in favor of the Hawkeye.
No. 3 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) over No. 11 Dario Lemus (Maryland), 20-3: Dario Lemus was no match for Minnesota’s Vance Vombaur, who advanced via tech fall.
VomBaur heads to the 3rd-place match this afternoon after a dominant 20-3 tech fall win over Lemus at 5:48! pic.twitter.com/xzL6GYT2h8
— Minnesota Wrestling (@GopherWrestling) March 8, 2026
133 pounds: No. 4 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) and No. 5 Drake Ayala (Iowa) will run back their second-round match in the consi finals
No. 4 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) over No. 10 Blake Boarman (Purdue), 11-1: Zan Fugitt’s offense was on point as he beat Blake Boarman, 11-1.
No. 5 Drake Ayala (Iowa) over No. 2 Lucas Byrd (Illinois), 4-1: In a rematch of last year’s Big Ten and NCAA final, Lucas Byrd and Drake Ayala wrestled a scoreless opening three minutes in their consolation semifinal. Byrd opened the match’s scoring with a quick escape to start the second. Ayala defended from a knee, and Byrd could not find a way through the Hawkeye. To start the third, Ayala chose down and escaped with relative ease. Neither wrestler found any offense, sending the match past seven minutes just like the national championship match. Unlike last year in Philadelphia, Ayala found a sudden-victory takedown and ended a three-match losing streak against Byrd.
— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) March 8, 2026
125 pounds: No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) will wrestle No. 4 Jacob Moran (Indiana) for bronze
No. 4 Jacob Moran (Indiana) over No. 9 Diego Sotelo (Michigan), 9-7: Jacob Moran got off to an early start in his consolation semifinal, taking Diego Sotelo down twice to get a 6-2 lead after the opening three minutes. Moran earned another takedown in the second, and Sotelo found a takedown in the third. Moran advances to the third-place match, 9-7.
125 – Consi Semi | Moving on!
No. 4 Jacob Moran (IU) will advance to the 3rd place match with his 9-7 win over No. 9 Diego Sotelo (MICH). pic.twitter.com/WoTq8kqQJU
— Indiana Wrestling (@IndianaWR) March 8, 2026
No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) over No. 8 Dean Peterson (Iowa), 6-4: Dean Peterson begins the match with a first-minute takedown of Nic Bouzakis, and the Buckeye gets out quick. Bouzakis found a takedown back inside the opening three minutes and led 4-3 after the first. Peterson won the flip and deferred, and Bouzakis grabbed another point for escaping after choosing down. Bouzakis held Peterson down to start the third, trying to gain some riding time advantage. Peterson gained a penalty point for locked hands, but Bouzakis’ riding time gave him a 6-4 win.
285 pounds:
- No. 9 Josh Terrill (Michigan State) over No. 13 Gabe Christenon (Northwestern), 7-2
- No. 8 Hunter Catka (Rutgers) over No. 11 Hunter Filipovich (Purdue), 4-1
After wrestling for Virginia Tech for five years, Catka now advances in his first Big Ten tournament. He’ll face Terrill, who he beat 4-2 earlier this year.
197 pounds:
- No. 13 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) over No. 10 Hayden Walters (Michigan),4-2
- No. 7 Kael Wisler (Michigan State) over No. 11 Gavin Nelson (Minnesota), 7-3
Wisler medically forfeited out of his match, making Gabe the winner of his 11th-place consolation bracket.
184 pounds:
- No. 10 James Rowley (Purdue) over No. 12 Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (Maryland), 8-0
- No. 9 Sam Goin (Indiana) over No. 11 JD Perez (Northwestern), 13-12
Goin is 1-0 against Rowley, beating him 7-1 in the dual two weeks ago.
174 pounds:
- No. 6 Dylan Gilcher (Indiana) over No. 10 Eddie Enright (Northwestern), 11-7
- No. 12 Luke Condon (Wisconsin) over No. 7 Ethan Riddle (Minnesota), 4-2
Condon and Gilcher met in this same consolation bracket last year with Condon earning the win 4-2. Condon then lost his next match by fall last year to Rutgers’ Jackson Turley to end his chances at qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Gilcher has qualified for the tournament once in his career, in 2023, while Condon has never qualified. Gilcher beat Condon in the dual this year 8-3.
165 pounds:
- No. 9 Tyler Lillard (Indiana) over No. 14 Jack Conley (Michigan State), 13-2
- No. 10 Cody Goebel (Wisconsin) over No. 12 Justin Gates (Michigan), 4-2
Goebel and Lillard wrestled for ninth in last year’s Big Ten tournament. Goebel won by fall.
157 pounds:
- No. 10 Victor Voinovich (Iowa) over No. 5 Tony White (Rutgers), 7-3
- Darius Marines (Michigan State) & Stoney Buell (Purdue), DOUBLE FORFEIT
Because of the double forfeit, Voinovich will win the 9th-place bracket.
149 pounds:
- No. 8 Ryder Block (Iowa) over No. 12 Gavin Brown (Purdue), 8-0
- No. 6 Chance Lamer (Nebraska) over No. 10 Drew Roberts, Minnesota, 11-3
Block pinned Lamer in their last meeting on Jan. 23. The winner of this match will punch his ticket to NCAAs. Block has never competed at nationals before, while Lamer is a three-time qualifier and two-time Blood Round finisher.
Lamer earns an 11-3 major over No. 10 Drew Roberts (MIN)🔥 pic.twitter.com/2MViTt7dG0
— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) March 8, 2026
133 pounds:
- No. 8 Braxton Brown (Maryland) over No. 14 Jager Eisch (Minnesota), MFF
- No. 9 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) over No. 13 Gauge Botero (Michigan), 9-5
This ninth-place match will be a rematch of the opening round of the Big Ten tournament where Shawver (a former Big Ten champ) earned the win over Brown 3-2 in tie-breakers.
125 pounds:
- No. 7 Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin) over No. 12 Nick Corday (Michgan State), 12-1
PUSHING FORWARD
#7 Nicolar Rivera zooms past #12 Nick Corday, MD 12-1, to move to the semifinals of the 9th place bracket! pic.twitter.com/sGr0UrY0ne
— Wisconsin Wrestling (@BadgerWrestling) March 8, 2026
- No. 3 Spencer Moore (Illinois) over No. 10 Dedrick Navarro (Northwestern), 8-1
Rivera majored Moore 11-3 in their lone meeting in last year’s NCAA tournament.
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