University of Michigan wrestler Taye Ghadiali secured the Big Ten heavyweight title with a 5-2 win over Nebraska’s A.J. Ferrari on Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania. Ghadiali achieved victory after a late third-period takedown, helping Michigan finish fifth in the team standings with 86.5 points, just half a point behind Iowa.
Ghadiali, who was seeded first and ranked fourth nationally, trailed by two points late in the match before scoring the decisive takedown with 25 seconds remaining. He added two more points—one from a stall call against Ferrari and another from an escape following injury time. The win allowed Ghadiali to avenge an earlier season loss to Ferrari and made him Michigan’s 133rd Big Ten champion and sixth since 2021.
“With the victory, Ghadiali avenged one of his two losses on the season. He previously lost to Ferrari, 11-3, at the National Duals in November. Ghadiali became Michigan’s 133rd Big Ten champion and sixth since 2021 — and second heavyweight since 2023, joining Mason Parris. He is now a four-time conference champion, previously capturing three SoCon heavyweight titles while at Campbell University.”
Other notable performances for Michigan included Lachlan McNeil (149 pounds) and Brock Mantanona (184 pounds), both of whom finished third in their respective weight classes during their Big Ten Championships debuts. McNeil defeated Maryland’s Carter Young 1-0 for third place, while Mantanona earned a 4-1 overtime decision against Illinois’ Chris Moore.
Redshirt freshmen Cameron Catrabone (157 pounds) and Beau Mantanona (174 pounds) each placed fifth. Catrabone won by medical forfeit in his final match after losing to Ohio State’s Brandon Cannon in the consolation semifinals. Beau Mantanona claimed fifth place with a win over Rutgers’ Lenny Pinto.
Graduate student Diego Sotelo took sixth place at 125 pounds after close losses to Indiana’s Jacob Moran and Iowa’s Dean Peterson.
The Wolverines qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA Championships scheduled for March 19-21 in Cleveland, Ohio. NCAA at-large selections will be announced on March 10, followed by seeds and full brackets on March 11.
Penn State led the final team standings with 184 points, followed by Ohio State (148.5), Nebraska (116.5), Iowa (87), and Michigan (86.5).