As the sun shines on another day in Cleveland, Ohio, the final day of the 2026 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships is in full force. With new national champions being crowned in just a few short hours, the medal matches have concluded.
The Iowa Hawkeyes came to assert dominance and it definitely shown on the first two days of action from Cleveland.
Following the medal matches, the Hawkeyes slot in fourth in the team standings with 92.5 total points. Ohio State trails behind with 84.5 points.
The final matches from Ohio will start at approximately 6:30 PM ET/ 5:30 PM CT. Fans won’t want to miss any of the action so follow along to this article for all of the live updates.
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Iowa Hawkeyes Day 3 Results
3rd Place:
174lbs:
Patrick Kennedy defeats Carson Kharchla, 9-6 by Dec.
What Time Do The NCAA Wrestling Finals Start?
The finals for the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships start at 6:30 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast on ESPN. Stay tuned to FloWrestling for live updates and results.
NCAA Wrestling Championships Finals Matchups
Finals
125 lbs – (1) Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) vs. (10) Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton)
133 lbs – (1) Jax Forrest (OK State) vs. (2) Ben Davino (Ohio State)
141 lbs – (1) Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. (2) Sergio Vega (OK State)
149 lbs – (1) Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) vs. (10) Aden Valencia (Stanford)
157 lbs – (5) Landon Robideau (OK State) vs. (2) Antrell Taylor (Nebraska)
12:00 p.m. ET: Session III (Quarterfinals, Consolation Matches) – ESPNU
8:00 p.m. ET: Session IV (Semifinals, Consolation Matches) – ESPN2
Saturday, March 21
11:00 a.m. ET: Session V (Medal Matches) – ESPNU
6:30 p.m. ET: Session VI (Finals) – ESPN
NCAA Wrestling Championships Team Scores
Last updated 10:41 p.m. ET, March 19.
1. Penn State – 40.5
2. Nebraska – 27.0
3. Iowa – 25.0
3. OK State – 25.0
5. Ohio State – 23.0
6. Iowa State – 21.5
7. Arizona State – 17.0
8. Stanford – 15.0
9. Cornell – 14.0
9. Michigan – 14.0
9. Virginia Tech – 14.0
12. Minnesota – 12.5
How To Watch NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026
The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU from March 19-21 in Cleveland.
Every match will also be streamed on ESPN+, including concurrent mat coverage.
Where To Watch The NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026?
The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be broadcast March 19, 20 and 21 across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. Every match will also be streamed live on ESPN+, including concurrent mat coverage.
When Is NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026
The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships begin March 19 and run through March 21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
What Time Does The NCAA Wrestling Tournament Start?
On March 19, the NCAA Wrestling Championships begin at 12:00 p.m. ET with Session II starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.
NCAA Wrestling Today
Today, March 19, is the beginning of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Session I starts at 12:00 p.m. ET. The tournament runs through March 21. Stay tuned for results and live updates.
Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling
Trackwrestling has officially merged with FloWrestling, bringing its powerful tournament tracking tools and live data into a modern, all-in-one platform.
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Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.
This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.
FloWrestling Archived Footage
Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.
It’s an underrated storyline that I can’t help but think will rear its head at some point this season for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
The complete overhaul of the special teams unit is a massive change for this team after years of continuity under LeVar Woods, who is now coaching at Michigan State.
The Hawkeyes will see a new placekicker, punter, and return man. Drew Stevens is kicking in the NFL, Rhys Dakin followed Woods to Michigan State to punt, and Kaden Wetjen took his return talents to the NFL as well.
Chris Polizzi is at the helm now and has a blank canvas to fill out with his depth chart before Week 1 versus Northern Illinois.
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Kicker
Kicker: Eli Ozick
The Hawkeyes only roster two kickers, Eli Ozick and Caden Buhr, who will compete for the starting job.
Ozick comes to Iowa from the North Dakota State Bison, where he was 16-for-18 last year, which earned him Second-Team FCS All-American notoriety. That performance translates well to Iowa, where I think he gets the nod in Week 1.
Should things go sideways, Caden Buhr could step in to kick. He was with Iowa last year and has one kickoff under his belt.
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Punter
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Punter: Boston Everitt
Only at Iowa is the starting punter such a focus. It’s what makes Iowa, well, Iowa. Iowa has dipped into its Australian pipeline with Boston Everitt, who comes from the University of Melbourne. Iowa’s trend of Australian punters gives Everitt the slightest of nods.
The other punter rostered is Tanner Philpott, a D3 AP All-American last year at Simpson College. Philpott has much more collegiate experience and could easily push for the job. It won’t be a shock to see Iowa give him in-game opportunities.
Long Snapper
Long Snapper: Ike Speltz
Long snappers simply don’t get enough love. No one knows their name or hears of them unless the snap has gone bad. It’s a thankless job, but someone has to do it.
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Ike Speltz saw some long snapping action in 2025, which gives him the track here. He is also Iowa’s only long snapper listed on the roster.
Kick and Punt Returners
Punt Returner: Zach Lutmer
Kickoff Returner: Nathan McNeil
I make this prediction very begrudgingly. Zach Lutmer is going to be such a focal point on defense that exposing him to injury here is a bit scary. He is that talented with the ball, though.
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Other names to watch for in the return game come from the running back room. I think Iowa could give kickoff return duties to the running back room. Nathan McNeil or Brevin Doll, two athletic backs, could get their chance on kickoffs.
On the eve of the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, Iowa basketball’s Bennett Stirtz has been talked about on several mock draft boards as potentially being the Hawkeyes’ first opening-round selection since Kris Murray was chosen No. 23 overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2023.
As the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder from Liberty, Missouri, prepares to join a collection of future stars in the NBA draft green room on Tuesday night, CBS Sports’ most recent NBA mock draft projects the former Hawkeye to slide to the back of the first round and be selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers at the No. 29 overall slot.
Here is what CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno had to say about his projection for Stirtz:
One of the point guards is bound to slide a bit on draft night. I could see that being Stirtz. The Iowa star has had an incredible rise from playing at the Division II level to being a likely first-round pick. This would be a BPA (best player available) pick from the Cavs.
In his one season with the Hawkeyes after transferring from Drake, Stirtz was the centerpiece of Iowa’s historic March Madness run that saw the program reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987, averaging 19.8 points and 4.4 assists per game on 47.7% field goal shooting and 35.8% 3-point shooting in his 37 games played.
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While a slide for Stirtz is not ideal given his immense talent, falling to a Cavaliers squad that has appeared in back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals is certainly not something to scoff at.
With a 36-year-old James Harden at the starting point guard position alongside 32-year-old Dennis Schroder, the Cavaliers will likely look for more youth at the position to add alongside Craige Porter Jr. and 2025 2nd-round pick Tyrese Proctor.
The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft will be nationally broadcast on ABC from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT on June 23.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
Iowa Realtors Association data shows the number of Iowa home sales in May jumped 17.3% compared to April.
Iowa Realtors President Erik Melloy says Iowa’s housing market was active and balanced in May. Homes were on the market for about 10 days, compared to 12 days in April. The median sales price for a home in May was $260,000. That’s 5.1% higher than April.
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The number of pending home sales was up 4.1% in May compared to the same month a year ago. The Realtors report tracks the sale of Iowa condos and townhomes, too, and shows both a reduction in the median time on the market and an increase in the number of closed sales of condos and townhomes in May.
