Eight wrestlers from South Dakota State University have been included in the first set of coaches’ rankings for the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which were released by the NCAA on Thursday.
Bennett Berge received the highest ranking among the Jackrabbits, coming in at No. 5 in the 197-pound weight class. Other SDSU athletes ranked in the top 20 of their respective classes include Julian Tagg (11th at 141 pounds), Moses Espinoza-Owens (14th at 174 pounds), Cael Swensen (15th at 157 pounds), and Brady Roark (19th at 125 pounds). Additional team members listed in the top 30 are Marcus Espinoza-Owens (28th at 165 pounds), Luke Rasmussen (24th at 285 pounds), and Alek Martin (26th at 149 pounds).
The rankings are determined by a vote of three coaches for each weight class. Only wrestlers who have been designated as starters and have competed in at least eight Division I matches—one within the last month—are eligible to be ranked.
According to the NCAA, “The coaches’ ranking is one of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process along with head-to-head competition, quality wins, Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.”
The full selection process for the championships can be found on ncaa.org.
This year’s championships will take place March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. It is the third time Cleveland has hosted this event.