Branson John of the Maryland wrestling team was named an All-American after finishing eighth at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships, according to a March 21 announcement from the university.
John became the 22nd All-American in Maryland wrestling history and only the second since 2019. He competed as a true sophomore and reached this milestone in his second consecutive appearance at the national tournament. After losing his opening match on Day One, John advanced through the consolation bracket with several victories, including a 5-0 decision over Blake Schaffer of Kent State, an 11-4 win against Rocky Elam of Iowa State, and a 4-1 victory over Mac Stout of Pittsburgh. He secured his All-American status by defeating Colton Hawks of Arizona State in a tiebreaker before ultimately placing eighth following a loss to Gabe Arnold of Iowa.
Maryland finished 33rd overall as a team with 8.5 points. Other notable performances included Braxton Brown at 133 pounds, who won matches against Maximilian Leete (American) and Will Betancort (Rider), but fell to Lucas Byrd (Illinois) and Tyler Knox (Stanford). At 141 pounds, Dario Lemus earned one win over Matthew Martino (Princeton) after dropping his first match to Brock Hardy (Nebraska). Carter Young competed at 149 pounds, securing wins over Gabe Willochell (Wyoming) and Koy Buesgens (North Carolina State), before being eliminated by Chance Lamer (Nebraska) and Ryder Block (Iowa).
John’s achievement highlights continued progress for Maryland wrestling on the national stage. His performance through the consolation rounds demonstrated resilience and skill against highly ranked opponents.
The results mark another step forward for Maryland’s program as it seeks further success in future NCAA championships.