CLEVELAND — Penn State leads after the first day of the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, with 40.5 points. Nebraska is in second place with 27.0 points, followed by Iowa (25.5), Oklahoma State (25.0), and Ohio State (23.0), according to updated team scores released Friday morning.
The championships began Thursday with the first and second rounds, and continue Friday with quarterfinal and consolation matches. Saturday will feature medal rounds and the finals.
Penn State had a strong showing in the round of 16, advancing wrestlers in all weight classes. Luke Lilledahl (125 pounds) defeated Jett Strickenberger of West Virginia, while Dean Peterson of Iowa won his bout against Maximo Renteria of Oregon State. Jax Forrest of Oklahoma State secured a tech fall victory over T.K. Davis of Gardner-Webb in the 133-pound bracket. Brock Hardy of Nebraska and Vince Cornella of Cornell also advanced in the 141-pound weight class.
Several Ohio wrestlers remain in contention. Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State is still competing in the 125-pound bracket after winning his initial match. Ethan Stiles (Ohio State), Austin McBurney (Brown), Brock Herman (Little Rock), and Eugene Harney (Morgan State) are all alive in the consolation bracket at 149 pounds. Jaivon Jones of Little Rock and Paddy Gallagher of Ohio State are also competing in the consolation rounds at 157 pounds. Tyler Lillard of Indiana and Sean Seefeldt of Penn are also still in the running at 165 pounds. Logan Messer of George Mason and Dylan Fishback of Ohio State are competing at 174 and 184 pounds respectively.
The quarterfinals are scheduled for noon on Friday, to be broadcast on ESPNU. The semifinals will be held at 8 p.m. On ESPN2. Saturday’s medal rounds will air on ESPNU at 11 a.m., followed by the finals on ESPN at 6:30 p.m.
Returning NCAA champions Jesse Mendez of Ohio State (141 pounds), Levi Haines of Penn State (174 pounds), and A.J. Ferrari of Nebraska (285 pounds) are all competing in this year’s championships. Mendez and Haines are both seeking their second consecutive titles.
The field has been narrowed to 80 quarterfinalists vying for titles in ten weight classes. Match pairings for the quarterfinals have been released, including Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) versus Dean Peterson (Iowa) at 125 pounds, and Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State) versus Markel Baker (NIU) at 133 pounds. At 141 pounds, Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) will face Vance Vombaur (Minnesota).
A total of 36 wrestlers with ties to Ohio are participating in the tournament, either as current students at Ohio State, Kent State, or Ohio University, or as graduates of Buckeye State high schools.
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