North Carolina wrestler Bryce Hepner advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 19, following two victories on the opening day in Cleveland, Ohio.
Hepner, competing at 165 pounds and hailing from nearby Avon, Ohio, secured an 11-4 win over Sean Seefeldt of Penn in the first round. Later that evening, he defeated eighth-ranked Matty Bianchi of Little Rock with a score of 3-0 to earn his spot in Friday afternoon’s quarterfinals. This achievement makes Hepner the first North Carolina wrestler at this weight class to reach the Friday morning quarterfinal round since Ethan Ramos in 2015. In the next round, Hepner is set to face top-ranked Mitchell Mesenbrink from Penn State.
The tournament also saw Kysen Terukina (125 pounds), Luke Simcox (141 pounds), and Jake Dailey (184 pounds) advance in their respective consolation brackets after winning their opening matches there. Laird Root (157 pounds) won his preliminary consolation match but was eliminated after a subsequent loss, finishing his tournament with a record of one win and two losses. Collin Carrigan (174 pounds), participating in his first national tournament, lost both matches and exited on day one.
Day two of competition will begin Friday afternoon at Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland. The event continues as wrestlers compete for advancement through both championship and consolation brackets.
The results highlight North Carolina’s continued presence at the national level and provide opportunities for several athletes to progress further through the tournament.