Remy Cotton and Hunter Catka advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships after Thursday’s matches at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Both wrestlers are now one win away from earning All-America honors and reaching the national semifinals for the first time in their collegiate careers.
Their progress marks a significant achievement for Rutgers wrestling, as it is the first time since 2021 that multiple team members have reached the championship quarterfinals in the same national tournament. 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.”
Cotton secured his spot by defeating No. 2 seed Rocky Elam of Iowa State with a major decision after previously winning against Andrew Reall of Brown. Catka advanced by overcoming Devon Dawson of Northern Illinois in tiebreakers, following an earlier upset victory over Nathan Taylor of Lehigh.
Other Rutgers wrestlers remain active on the consolation side of their brackets. Joseph Olivieri (141 pounds), Lenny Pinto (174), and Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) each won their second matches to stay alive in competition. Meanwhile, Ayden Smith (125), Dylan Shawver (133), Andrew Clark (149), and Andrew Barbosa (165) concluded their participation after two losses each.
The team currently stands 24th overall with 6.5 points after Session II, which drew an attendance of 16,777 spectators. Quarterfinal matchups are scheduled for Friday at noon on ESPNU.