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2026 NCAA wrestling championships brackets, results

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2026 NCAA wrestling championships brackets, results


285 pounds: 

All six of the former All-Americans won their first-round matches early at 285 pounds: 

  • Iowa State’s No. 1 Yonger Bastida teched No. 32 Emmanuel Ulrich of American, 22-5
  • No. 2 Isaac Trumble of NC State beat No. 31 Brenan Morgan of Virginia, 16-3
  • No. 3 Taye Ghadiali of Michigan beat No. 30 Jack Forbes of Virginia, 17-2
  • No. 4 AJ Ferrari of Nebraska beat No. 29 Luke Rasmuseen of South Dakota State, 17-2
  • No. 5 Nick Feldman of Ohio State beat No. 28 Jarrett Stoner of Missouri, 5-4
  • No. 8 Ben Kueter of Iowa beat No. 25 Alex Semeneko of Brown, 2-0 

No. 21 Juan Mora of Oklahoma picked off the first upset of the weight when he beat No. 12 Braxton Amos of Wisconsin 4-3. He’ll have Feldman next. No. 20 Dayton Pitzer of Pitt joined him on the upset winners list with his 3-2 victory over No. 13 Spencer Lanosga of Navy. No. 27 Hunter Catka of Rutgers rounded out the upset winners with his 6-3 victory against No. 6 Nathan Taylor. Pitzer will have Ferrari in the second round while Catka will wrestle No. 11 Devon Dawson of NIU who beat No. 22 Trevor Tinker of Cal Poly 7-4 to advance. 

Virginia Tech’s No. 16 Jimmy Mullen and No. 15 Brady Colbert of Army will both have All-Americans in the next round after Mullen beat No. 17 Vincent Mueller of Columbia 13-10 and Colbert beat No. 18 Christian Carroll 5-1. Mullen will now face Bastida while Colbert will wrestle Trumble.

Penn State’s No. 12 Cole Mirasola and Minnesota’s No. 14 Koy Hopke will also have an All-American in the next round in No. 8 Kueter and No. 3 Ghadali after Mirasola beat No. 24 Connor Barket of Duke 13-7 and Hopke beat No. 19 Nate Schon of Drexel 11-7. 

No. 7 Konner Doucet of Oklahoma State and No. 10 David Szuba of Arizona State round out the winners of the first round. Doucet beat No. 26 Luke Luffman of Illinois 2-1, and Szuba beat No. 23 Stephan Monchery of App State, 11-1. 

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197 pounds: 

No. 17 Dillon Bechtold of Bucknell earned the first win at the weight in the first round when he beat No. 16 Branson John of Maryland 4-1. He’ll have No. 1 Josh Barr of Penn State next who teched No. 32 Blake Schaffer of Kent State 20-4. 

Wyoming All-American No. 5 Joey Novak is into the second round on his quest for another podium finish. He beat No. 28 Kael Wisler of Michigan State by fall at 4:43 to advance. Novak will have No. 21 Rune Lawrence of West Virginia after Lawrence upset No. 12 Luke Geog of Ohio State 9-6. 

Stanford has SHOWN UP this morning. Cardinal upperweight No. 9 Angelo Posada advances with a 4-3 win over No. 24 Brock Zurawski of Rider. He’ll have No. 25 Evan Bates of Missouri who upset No. 8 DJ Parker of Oklahoma 4-3 in the first round.

Ohio picks up another second-round wrestler in No. 19 Zayne Lehman who beat No. 14 Gabe Sollars 6-4. He’ll have two-time All-American No. 3 Stephen Little of Little Rock next now that Little beat No. 30 Kade Rule of UT-Chattanooga 10-3. 

No. 29 Colton Hawks of Arizona State picked up the biggest upset of the day when he stopped No. 4 Sonny Sasso of Virginia Tech 12-8. He’ll now meet All-American No. 13 Bennett Berge of South Dakota State who beat No. 20 Wyatt Ingham of Wisconsin 8-5 in the opening round. 

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All-Americans No. 11 Camden McDanel of Nebraska and No. 10 Mac Stout of Pitt advance after wins over No. 22 Devin Wasley of North Dakota State and No. 23 Mikey Squires of Binghamton by scores of 7-2 and 5-2 respectively.

McDanel will now have No. 6 Justin Rademacher of Oregon State who won a gutsy 2-1 match over No. 27 Gabe Arnold of Iowa on one second of riding time. Arnold chose down first and escaped in four seconds. Rademacher one-upped the Hawkeye by escaping during his ride-out period in three seconds. That confident, bold decision paid off for the Beaver. 

Stout will have No. 7 Cody Merrill of Oklahoma State who beat No. 26 Ben Vanadia of Purdue 5-2. 

No. 2 Rocky Elam of Iowa State survives a tough No. 31 Kael Bennie to move on with a 9-3 win. Elam will now wrestle No. 15 Remy Cotton of Michigan State who beat No. 18 Andrew Reall of Brown 4-2. 

184 pounds:

No.1 Rocco Welsh gives Penn State an eighth athlete in the second round with his 19-4 tech fall over No. 32 Caleb Uhlenhopp of Utah Valley. Welsh will take on No. 16 Rylan Rogers of Lehigh who beat No. 17 Ian Bush of West Virginia 8-7 in the first round. 

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All-American and Big Ten finalist No. 3 Max McEnelly of Minnesota advances with a 22-6 win over No. 30 Tyler Bienus of Bucknell. He’ll face Virginia Tech’s No. 14 Jaden Bullock who battled No. 19 Jared McGill of Edinboro to a 6-5 tie-breaker win.

No. 9 Chris Moore of Illinois moves on after beating No. 24 Joe Curtis of Columbia 11-2. He’ll have Nebraska All-American No. 8 Silas Allred next who beat No. 25 Malachi DuVall of George Mason 3-1. 

No. 4 James Conway gives Franklin & Marshall its first second-round athlete after he beat No. 29 Nick Fine of Northern Iowa 4-1. 

No. 20 Brian Soldano of Oklahoma pulls off an upset 4-1 against No. 13 Isaac Dean of Iowa State. He’ll have Conway next. 

No. 2 Aeoden Sinclair of Missouri advances to the second round after a dominant 22-6 performance against No. 31 Mahonri Rushton of Northern Colorado. Sinclair will now see No. 15 Ohio wrestler Sal Perrine who beat No. 18 Jake Dailey of North Carolina 9-3. 

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Ohio State’s No. 12 Dylan Fishback survives a tough No. 21 Tomas Brooker of App State 8-6. He’ll now see a familiar opponent in No. 5 Brock Mantanona of Michigan who beat No. 28 Abraham Wojcikiewsicz of Stanford 14-9. 

Wyoming advances a wrestler into the second round as No. 6 Eddie Neitenback beats No. 27 Aidan Brenot of North Dakota State 14-1. His next opponent will be No. 22 Zack Ryder of Oklahoma State who secured an overtime takedown against No. 11 Shane Cartagenda-Walsh for the 4-1 upset win. 

Iowa’s Angelo Ferrari, who came into this tournament as the No. 7 seed after placing eighth at Big Tens, beat No. 26 Chase Kranitz of Pittsburgh 10-0 and will now face EIWA champion and No. 10 Caleb Campos of American who beat No. 23 Ceasar Garza of Cal Poly 4-1. 

174 pounds:

Penn State’s No. 1 Levi Haines also stays perfect on the year with a fall over Grant O’Dell at 1:33. He’ll now face Columbia’s No. 16 Nick Fine who beat No. 17 Jared Simma of Northern Iowa 3-2.

Ohio State All-American No. 4 Carson Kharchla is into the second round with an 8-3 win over N. 29 Avery Bassett of Lock Haven. Kharchla will have No. 20 Daschle Lamer of Oregon State who beat No. 13 Carter Baer 2-0. 

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Iowa also advanced its All-American at the weight as last years fourth-place finisher No. 5 Patrick Kennedy topped No. 28 Holden Garcia of Princeton 8-2. Kennedy will now have No. 12 Carter Schubert of Oklahoma who beat No. 21 Lenny Pinto, a 2025 Blood Round finisher, 5-4. 

The Cowboys of Oklahoma State once again stay perfect as No. 8 Alex Facundo beats No. 25 Sergio Desiante of Virginia Tech 12-6. Facundo will face No. 9 Beau Mantanona of Michigan after Mantanona beat Garrett Thompson of Ohio 7-3. 

George Mason earns an upset win from No. 19 Logan Messer over No. 14 Moses Espinoza-Owens of South Dakota State 6-3. Messer will have All-American Chris Minto next following Minto’s 20-4 win over No. 30 Riley Davis of Wyoming. 

In a tournament where the race of a team trophy could come down to a single match, Iowa State’s No. 11 MJ Gaitan did the Cyclones a huge favor with his fall against No. 22 Brody Baumman of Purdue at 2:41. He’ll have All-American No. 6 Matty Singleton who survived overtime against No. 27 Collin Carrigan of North Carolina with a 2-1 win.

Missouri’s No. 7 Cam Steed moves forward in the championship bracket after a 16-1 win over No. 26 Derek Gilcher of Indiana. His next opponent will be No. 10 Myles Takats of Bucknell who beat No. 23 Luca Augustine of Pittsburgh 6-4. 

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No. 2 Simon Ruiz of Cornell advances in the championship bracket with a 17-2 win over No. 31 Cael Valencia of Arizona State. Ruiz will now face No. 15 Danny Wask of Navy who All-American’d at this tournament last year and beat No. 18 Colin Kelly of Illinois 7-3 to advance. 

165 pounds:

Penn State’s No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink continues his undefeated season with 100% bonus with a win over No. 32 Cody Walsh of Drexel 21-5. Mesenbrink will face No. 16 Paddy Gallagher after Gallagher beat No. 17 Braeden Scoles of Illinois 13-4. 

Fellow returning NCAA finalist No. 3 Michael Caliendo advances after pinning No. 30 Thomas Snipes of The Citadel at 2:43. Caliendo’s next opponent will be No. 19 Noah Mulvaney of Bucknell who beat No. 14 Andrew Barbosa of Rutgers 8-2.

North Carolina advances No. 9 Bryce Hepner into the second round after Hepner topped No. 24 Sean Seefeldt of Penn 11-4. His opponent will be No. 8 Matty Bianchi of Little Rock who survived a 7-5 sudden victory battle against No. 25 Mac Church of Virginia Tech. Bianchi was the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year but needed a wild card to earn his spot in the tournament, despite earning All-American honors at this event last year.

Oklahoma State keeps its streak of winners alive as freshman No. 5 LaDarion Lockett tops No. 28 Cody Goebel of Wisconsin 9-2. He’ll have No. 12 Cesar Alvan of Columbia who beat No. 21 Brock Woodcock of SIU Edwardsville 12-2.

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No. 13 Andrew Sparks gives the Gophers a win with his victory over No. 20 Ty Whalen of Princeton 10-1. Sparks will now take on No. 4 Nicco Ruiz of Arizona State who beat No. 29 Ryan Burgos of Edinboro 17-5. 

Northern Iowa’s No. 11 Ryder Downey advances to the second round with a 9-4 win over No. 22 Matthew Olguin of Oregon State. He’ll have No. 27 EJ Parco of Stanford next who picked up one the biggest upsets of the morning with an 8-7 win over No. 6 LJ Araujo.  

NC State advances another athlete into the second round as No. 10 Will Denny earned a win over No. 23 Chris Earnest of Kent State 13-1. He’ll now wrestle No. 7 Max Brignola who beat No. 26 Tyler Lillard of Indiana 3-2. 

No. 15 Connor Euton of Iowa State and No. 2 Joey Blaze of Purdue round out the opening bout winners at 165 pounds with wins over No. 18 Gunner Filipowicz 17-2 and No. 31 Jared Keslar of Pitt 5-0 respectively. 

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157 pounds:

No. 1 PJ Duke does PJ Duke things in the opening period of his opening match at NCAAs, pinning No. 33 Yiannis Charles of Morgan State. 

Duke will now have No. 17 Luke Mechler of Wisconsin who upset No. 16 Cael Swensen of South Dakota State 2-1 with riding time. 

The Ohio State Buckeyes push another athlete into the second round as No. 8 Brandon Cannon, who has been ranked as high as No. 1 this year, tops No. 25 Mason Shrader of Central Michigan 9-4. Cannon will take on All-American No. 9 Daniel Cardenas of Stanford who topped No. 24 Jaivon Jones of Little Rock 7-2. 

Another athlete who spent some time in the No. 1 spot in the rankings this year, No. 11 Ty Waters of West Virginia also won his opening match, beating No. 22 Colton Washlewski of Virginia by fall at the 2:30 mark. He’ll have Ivy League champion No. 6 Jude Swisher next who beat No. 27 Dylan Evans of Pittsburgh 8-2.

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The Cowboys remain perfect through 157 pounds as No. 5 Landon Robideau beat No. 28 All-American Gavin Drexler of North Dakota State 5-1. He’ll now face No. 21 Charlie Millard of Minnesota who upset All-American No. 12 Vinny Zerban of Iowa State 12-6.

Harvard’s No 20 Jimmy Harrington also advanced to the second round after an upset, topping No. 13 Derek Raike of Ohio 4-1.  Harrington will now have Big 12 champion No. 4 Kaleb Larkin who beat No. 29 Bryce Lowery of Indiana 14-5. 

Virginia Tech keeps rolling as No. 14 Ethen Miller advances with a 2-0 win over No. 19 Kai Owen of Columbia. Miller will have two-time All-American and 2026 Ivy League runner-up No. 3 Meyer Shapiro of Cornell next. Shapiro beat No. 30 Laird Root of North Carolina 14-0 to advance. 

Lehigh puts another athlete in the championship bracket as No. 10 Logan Rozynski of Lehigh beat No. 23 Kaleb Burgess of Buffalo 6-1. Rozynski will face No. 7 Kannon Webster of Illinois after Webster beat No. 26 Jonathan Ley of Navy 6-2. 

Michigan’s wild man No. 15 Cameron Catrabone takes the 5-0 win over No. 18 DJ McGee of George Mason. 

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Catrabone will now face returning NCAA champion No. 2 Antrell Taylor who teched No. 31 Garrett McChesney of Edinboro to advance to the second round himself. 

149 pounds:

All-American No. 16 Jacob Frost gives the Iowa State Cyclones big team points with a fall over No. 17 Lucas Kapusta of Lock Haven in the opening round. His next opponent will be Penn State’s No. 1 Shayne Van Ness who teched No. 33 Austin McBurney of Brown 19-4. 

All-American No. 8 Casey Swiderski of Oklahoma State advances with a win over No. 25 Michael Gioffre of Illinois 7-2 on his quest for another podium finish and a team trophy for the Cowboys. He’ll have fellow transfer No. 9 David Evans of Utah Valley after Evans, formerly of Penn State, beat No. 24 Andrew Clark of Rutgers 11-5. 

The Wolfpack put another athlete in the championship round as No. 5 Koy Buesgens beat No. 28 Kade Brown of Pittsburgh 4-0. The Terps have their second championship round athlete in No. 12 Carter Young who beat No. 21 Gabe Willochell of Wyoming 16-12. Young and Buesgens will battle next. 

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ACC Champion No. 4 Collin Gaj of Virginia Tech topped No. 29 Kaden Cassidy of George Mason 9-4. Gaj will meet No. 20 Chance Lamer who pulled off the first upset at the weight with a 4-1 win over No. 13 Joe Zargo of Wisconsin. 

All-American No. 11 Lachlan McNeil of Michigan advances into the second round with a 13-3 major decision over No. 22 Eli Rivera of Princeton. McNeil will have No. 6 Caleb Tyus of SIU Edwardsville who beat No. 27 Andre Gonzales of Cal Poly 5-1. 

All-American No. 7 Ethan Stiles of Ohio State advances to the second round after a win over No. 26 Anderson Heap of Davidson 10-2. Stiles’ next opponent is No. 10 Aden Valencia who topped No. 23 Max Peterson of North Dakota State 18-6. 

Penn advances another athlete in No. 3 Cross Wasilewski who beat No. 30 Dylan Layton of Rider 12-1. 

Wasilewski will face No. 14 Caleb Rathjen of Northern Iowa who beat No. 19 Brock Herman of Little Rock 3-1. 

Iowa has advanced all four of its wrestlers so far, as No. 15 Ryder Block punches his ticket to the second round with a win over No. 18 Eugene Harney of Morgan State 11-2. Block will have his hands full next with No. 2 Jaxon Joy of Cornell who teched No. 31 Ryan Michaels of Edinboro 16-1. 

141 pounds:

No. 17 Caedyn Ricciardi of Navy picks up an upset over No. 16 All-American Ryan Jack of NC State, 4-1. His prize is a shot against the two-time NCAA champion No. 1 Jesse Mendez of Ohio State who majored No. 33 Aldo Hernandez of App State 12-3. 

All-American No. 8 Vance Vombaur of Minnesota advances in the championship bracket with a 14-2 win over No. 25 Tom Crook of Virginia Tech. Crook is one of ten Hokies in this tournament and the first to lose in this opening round. Vombaur will have Oregon State’s No. 24 Nash Singleton of Oregon State next who upset No. 9 Joey Oliveri of Rutgers 2-1 to earn a match in the second round. 

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Lehigh’s No. 5 Luke Stanich continues his undefeated redshirt sophomore season with a 21-6 technical fall win over No. 28 Pierson Manville of Arizona State. He’ll have No. 21 Tyler Wells of Oklahoma after Wells upset No. 12 Luke Simcox of North Carolina 3-2. 

2025 Big Ten champion and NCAA finalist No. 3 Brock Hardy is moving on in the championship bracket after teching No. 30 Darius Lemus of Maryland 18-1. His next opponent will be Penn State All-American No. 14 Braeden Davis who beat No. 19 Haiden Drury of Utah Valley 2-0. 

No. 13 Wyatt Henson of Lock Haven will advance in the championship bracket to take on No. 4 All-American Anthony Echemendia of Iowa State after Henson beat No. 20 Julian Tagg of South Dakota State 11-2 and Echemendia topped No. 29 Jordan Titus of West Virginia 5-1. 

No. 10 Jack Consiglio of Stanford brings the Cardinal fan base to their feet with a 9-5 win over No. 23 Dylan Chappell of Bucknell. He’ll have Iowa All-American and Big Ten bronze medalist No. 7 Nasir Bailey of Iowa who beat No. 26 Braeden Basile of Army 14-3. 

Oklahoma State is 3-for-3 in the first round so far as No. 2 Sergio Vega advances over No. 31 Billy DeKraker of Northwestern 6-0. He’ll have No. 15 Eli Griffin of Rider who beat No. 16 Carter Nogle of Air Force 7-4. 

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Two-time All-American No. 11 CJ Composto is moving off after a gutsy 2-0 win over No. 22 Lorenzo Frezza. His next opponent will be No. 6 Vince Cornella of Cornell who beat No. 27 Gable Porter of Virginia 8-0. 

133 pounds:

No. 8 Markel Baker of Northern Illinois picked up the first win in the championship round at 133 pounds when he beat No. 25 Will Betancourt of Rider 8-1. He’ll have No. 9 Dominick Serrano of Northern Colorado next following Serrano’s 16-14 barn-burner win against the always dangerous Blake Boarmann who upset 2025 NCAA champion Lucas Byrd in the Big Ten tournament. 

Big 12 finalist No. 5 Kyler Larkin of Arizona State advances in the championship bracket to take on No. 12 Evan Mougalian of Penn after Larkin topped No. 28 Garrett Grice of Iowa State 13-0 and  Mougalian beat No. 21 Sean Spidle of Northwestern 8-1.

No. 20 Julian Farber picks up the third upset of the morning with his 5-4 win over All-American Jacob Van Dee of Nebraska, igniting a cheer from the Panther faithful. He’ll have freshman sensation No. 4 Aaron Seidel after Seidel teched No. 29 Luke Willochell of Wyoming 17-2. 

No. 17 TK Davis of Gardner-Webb gives the Bulldog an athlete in the second round after he beat No. 16 All-American Zan Fugitt of Wisconsin, 4-1. He’ll face Jax Forrest next after the freshman phenom teched No. 33 Carter Schmidt of Oklahoma in the first period. 

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No. 3 Marcus Blaze, a Big Ten finalist, advances in into the second round of his first NCAA tournament following a 17-2 win over No. 30 Gabe Whisenhunt of Oregon State. He’ll have No. 19 Gage Walker of Missouri next who upset No. 14 Ethan Berginc of Army.

NCAA champion No. 7 Lucas Byrd of Illinois tops All-American No. 26 Dylan Shawver of Rutgers 11-7 as he continues his quest to defend his title. He’ll have fellow Big Ten foe No. 23 Braxton Brown after Brown beat a tough Maximillian Leete of American 4-2 who just won his first EIWA title. 

Iowa’s two-time NCAA finalist No. 6 Drake Ayala advances to the second round after he beat No. 27 Marcel Lopez of SIU Edwardsville 11-1. He’ll have No. 11 Tyler Ferrara of Cornell now that Ferrara has beaten No. 22 Zach Redding of NC State 6-2. 

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Stanford All-American No. 15 Tyler Knox advances in the championship bracket with a 10-3 win over No. 18 Gunner Andrick of West Virginia. Knox’s reward will be Big Ten champion No. 2 Ben Davino of Ohio State who teched No. 31 Gable Strickland 17-2. 

125 pounds: 

No. 17 Jett Strickenberger of West Virginia avenges a loss from earlier this season to No. 17 Ezekiel Witt of North Dakota State 13-5. Witt previously beat Strickenberger twice in the Big 12 tournament. This time is all Strickenberger as the Mountaineer advances to face No. 1 Luke Lilledahl after Lilledahl beat No. 32 Mack Mauger of Missouri 11-2. 

No. 8 Dean Peterson of Iowa beats No. 25 Kael Lauridsen of Nebraska 9-1 to give the Hawks the first win of the morning. The Black and Gold faithful are here in full force and gave Peterson, a former Blood Round finisher, a big round of applause after his victory. He’ll have Oregon State’s No. 9 Maximo Renteria of Oregon State next after Renteria beat No. 24 Ayden Smith of Rutgers 8-7. 

No. 5 Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State, a 2025 NCAA finalist at the weight, won his opening bout against No. 28 Andrew Binni of Navy 11-2. He’ll have a rematch with NCAA champion No. 12 Vincent Robinson in the next round following Robinson’s 5-1 win over No. 21 Conrad Hendricksen of Oklahoma. Robinson is 3-0 against Spratley so far in their careers. 

No. 13 Stevo Poulin, a 2025 All-American for Northern Colorado who is now wrestling for Iowa State beat fellow transferNo. 20 Deigo Sotelo of Michigan (formerly of Harvard) 10-6. He’ll have All-American No. 4 Sheldon Seymour of Lehigh next following Seymour’s 14-1 dominant performance over No. 29 Tyler Chappell of Pittsburgh.

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No. 3 Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State advances in the championship bracket of 125 pounds following a 9-5 win over No. 30 Sulayman Bah of Columia. He’ll have No. 14 Jacob Moran of Indiana next. Moran just beat No. 19 Kysen Terkunia of North Carolina 4-2. 

No. 11 Tyler Klinsky of Rider is moving on after teching No. 23 Davis Motyka of Penn 19-3. He’ll have All-American and Big Ten finalist No. 6 Jore Volk of Minnesota after Volk beat No. 27 Brady Roark of South Dakota State 8-2. 

No. 18 Spencer Moore earns a takedown in sudden victory against No. 15 Koda Holeman for the first second in the championship round, 4-1. Moore will two-time All-American No. 2 Eddie Ventresca of Virginia Tech after Ventresca survived a tough and scrappy No. 31 Desmond Pleasant of Drexel, 8-6. 

No. 7 Nico Provo of Stanford is moving on after a win over No. 26 Cooper Flynn of UT-Chattanooga, 8-2. He has No. 10 Marc Anthony McGowan of Princeton next after McGowan beat No. 23 Nicolar Rivera of Wisconsin, 16-2. 





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Cleveland, OH

Northeast Ohio drag performers speak out against HB 249

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Northeast Ohio drag performers speak out against HB 249


CLEVELAND — For Kyle Burnett, drag is more than just a hobby, discovering the art form after falling into a deep depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Burnett, who is nonbinary, has been living in Ohio for more than a decade and has performed as “Zoey Zegai” for five of those years. 


What You Need To Know

  • 2025 is considered one of the most dangerous years on record for LGBTQ+ Americans, according to GLAAD

  • The nonprofit reports that more than 930 anti-LGBTQ incidents were recorded last year, ranging from hate speech to threats and physical violence

  • Ohio is now one of several U.S. states at the center of political debate over LGBTQ rights

  • House Bill 249, widely referred to as the “drag ban,” is now heading to the Ohio Senate after passing in the House this week


“It was a tough time … I found drag not only as a way of entertainment, but embracing myself as a queer member of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Burnett, who uses he/they pronouns.

While Burnett has been met with substantial support, he said, he’s noticed a recent shift in societal attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community over the last year.

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“I had my purse and was wearing short shorts because Ohio gets hot in the summertime, and I had a beer bottle thrown at me from outside of someone’s car window,” Burnett said.

“Zoey Zegai,” which Burnett said, is influenced by old-school divas like Joan Crawford and newer divas like Jinkx Monsoons.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been proposed during the 2026 legislative session nationwide.

One of these bills is HB 249, or the “Indecent Exposure Modernization Act,” which would restrict drag performances to adult entertainment venues. The policy also changes the definition of public indecency to include “performers or entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performer’s or entertainer’s biological sex using clothing, makeup, prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts, or other physical markers.”

TransOhio Executive Director Dara Adkison said the bill uses broad language and could criminalize gender-diverse expression.

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“It’s really making a statute that law enforcement professionals get to enforce their personal ideas about what is and isn’t appropriate gender representation, what is and isn’t performance. You know, is it singing karaoke? Is it being and drag queen? I know, is it a trans person walking down?” said Adkison, who uses they/them pronouns.

While many Ohioans are expressing concerns about the bill targeting transgender people and drag performers, nonprofit Equality Ohio said, the legislation’s impact expands to athletes and countless others.

The bill revises a previous code banning the exposure of “private parts” to now ban the exposure of “private areas,” said Dwayne Steward, Executive Director of Equality Ohio.

“Because the language they use is so vague, it really can apply to anyone, really. The language has been shifted from ‘obscenity’ … someone showing their genitals … to anyone showing their ‘genital area’, which could mean anyone who’s wearing a sports bra, a cheerleader who may be showing their midriff. “

Supporters of HB 249 said the bill is meant to protect children, while others have said this argument reinforces a harmful narrative surrounding drag performances.

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“People, immediately when they see drag, they think that it is something that is sexual, something that is trying to indoctrinate children, to expose them to sexual content. And that’s not the case in any capacity,” Olivia Kowslowski.

Kowslowski is born and raised in northeast Ohio, now performing as “Monica Mod.”  

Kowslowski, who started first started performing drag in Jan. 2022.

“I think that my perspective is important because it just shows that the bill is harmful to many people, including people that they were not expecting to be impacted by this,” she said. “… Most people don’t realize that when I’m in drag, I am, I’m a cisgender woman.”

While she’s become well known around her college campus’ drag scene, Kowslowski said, she and other performers are facing additional barriers.

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“I have found that finding bookings is much more difficult because many venues are a lot more hesitant to host drag events at their spaces, or even support drag entertainers and their venues. Mainly from HB 249,” she said.

 

 

The Democratic Society of America’s Cleveland chapter recently announced it is launching a Gender Freedom Policy Petition that would go against “recent legislation calling to limit and ban drag performances,” calling it, “an injustice to not only the drag scene but also the broader Cleveland community.”

The petitions also includes provisions “that safeguard drag performers” and call for city-backed gender-affirming care services.

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HB 249 now remains under review by the Ohio Senate and would require the governor’s signature before going into effect.

While the future remains uncertain, Burnett said, he and others in the drag community are hoping to build wider solidarity across all Ohio populations.

“We’re all just trying to live the same day-to-day life, get groceries, pay bills, drive to-and-from work. But there’s no room for hate,” Burnett said. “There’s no room for violence. We just want to feel like Ohio citizens.”



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Cleveland, OH

Cleveland Guardians Legend Announces Retirement From MLB Before Opening Day

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Cleveland Guardians Legend Announces Retirement From MLB Before Opening Day



Getty

CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 01: Roberto Perez #55 of the Cleveland Indians reacts after Addison Russell #27 of the Chicago Cubs , hit a two-run RBI double during the first inning in Game Six of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on November 1, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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On Thursday evening, the Cleveland Guardians will play their first game of the 2026 regular season when they visit the Mariners in Seattle.

Before Opening Day, a franchise legend announced that he is calling it quits on his baseball career.

Cleveland Guardians Legend Announces Retirement

GettyCLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 10: Roberto Perez #55 of the Cleveland Indians hits a two-run home run against the Detroit Tigers in the second inning during a game at Progressive Field on April 10, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Roberto Perez (who last played in 2023) announced his retirement from baseball (h/t MLB Trade Rumors).

Perez wrote (via Instagram): “After much thought and reflection, I have decided to officially retire from baseball. This game has been a major part of my life and has shaped me both on and off the field. Through baseball, I’ve learned discipline, resilience, teamwork, and the importance of commitment. I am deeply grateful for every coach, teammate, trainer, and supporter who helped me along the way and believed in me throughout my journey. While this decision was not an easy one, I feel confident that it is the right time to step away and begin the next chapter of my life. I leave the game with nothing but respect and appreciation for everything it has given me. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this experience and for the opportunities, lessons, and memories that will stay with me forever. Sincerely, Roberto Bebo Perez🙏🏻⚾️”

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Perez’s MLB Career

GettyCHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 29: Roberto Perez #55 of the Cleveland Indians walks across the field in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs in Game Four of the 2016 World Series at Wrigley Field on October 29, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Perez was picked in the 33rd round of the 2008 MLB Draft.

He spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Guardians.

In that span, the 37-year-old won two Gold Glove Awards (and helped the franchise reach the World Series).

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GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 31: Roberto Perez #55 and Brad Hand #33 of the Cleveland Indians hug at the mound after defeating the Minnesota Twins 6-2 at Target Field on July 31, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

Perez also spent the final two seasons of his ten-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants.

Over 516 career games, he batted .207 with 55 home runs, 193 RBI’s and 165 runs.

GettyNEW YORK, NY – MARCH 30: Roberto Perez #1 of the San Francisco Giants hits a single during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Current Guardians

GettyCLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 30: Manager Stephen Vogt #12 of the Cleveland Guardians speaks with the media following game one of the American League Wild Card Series against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on September 30, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

The Guardians are coming off a season where they won the AL Central with an 88-74 record.

They lost to the Detroit Tigers in the Wild Card Round.

Ben Stinar Ben Stinar has been covering the NBA for over seven years. 

He has written for OnSI, Forbes, Amico Hoops, The Big Lead and had a podcast with former All-Star Jameer Nelson. More about Ben Stinar

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Cleveland, OH

Cavs vs. Heat: How to watch, odds, and injury report

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Cavs vs. Heat: How to watch, odds, and injury report


Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (45-27) vs. Miami Heat (38-34)

Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH

When: Wed., March 25 at 7:30 PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports App, NBA League Pass

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Point spread: Cavs -2.5

Cavs injury report: Max Strus – OUT (injury management), Dean Wade – QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Jaylon Tyson – OUT (toe), Jarrett Allen – OUT (knee), Craig Porter Jr. – OUT (groin), Larry Nance Jr. – QUESTIONABLE (illness), Olivier Sarr – OUT (G League)

Heat injury report: Terry Rozier – OUT (not with team), Vladislav Goldin – OUT (G League), Trevor Keels – OUT (G League), Jahmir Young – OUT (G League)

Cavs expected starting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Keon Ellis, Sam Merrill, Evan Mobley

Heat expected starting lineup: Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo

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Previous matchup: The shorthanded (and later fined) Cavs defeated the Heat 130-116 on Nov. 12.



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