Remy Cotton and Hunter Catka of Rutgers University advanced to the Blood Round on March 20 during Session III of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Both wrestlers are now one win away from earning All-American honors for the first time in their collegiate careers.
The advancement of Cotton and Catka is significant for Rutgers wrestling, as it keeps alive the program’s opportunity to secure multiple All-Americans for the ninth time in twelve seasons under head coach Scott Goodale. Session IV is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., with coverage on ESPN2 and streaming available on ESPN+.
Cotton, competing at 197 pounds, will face Gabe Arnold of Iowa, while Catka, wrestling in the heavyweight division, will take on Christian Carroll of Wyoming. Both athletes reached Friday’s quarterfinals after winning their second-round matches Thursday night. Cotton defeated No. 2 seed Rocky Elam from Iowa State before falling to Cody Merrill of Oklahoma State by decision. Catka earned a rematch with Taye Ghadiali of Michigan but lost by major decision.
Other Rutgers wrestlers had mixed results during the championships. Shane Cartagena-Walsh picked up a win over Dylan Fishback before losing to James Conway in consolation action. Joseph Olivieri and Lenny Pinto were eliminated after losses in their respective consolation rounds.
Reflecting on his team’s performance, head coach Scott Goodale said, “We have two quarterfinalists, that’s the focus right now, still have three other guys in the backs. We have to have a better day tomorrow, but I’m happy with the way it ended for sure. Love the way it ended, I’ll leave it at that.” The tournament continues Friday night as Rutgers looks to add more All-Americans to its history.