The University of Michigan wrestling team, ranked No. 12 nationally, will begin its postseason this weekend at the 2026 Big Ten Conference Championships in State College, Pennsylvania. The event is scheduled for March 7-8 at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center and will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network and B1G+.
Michigan aims to secure its 13th conference title in program history. The Wolverines last won the Big Ten team championship in 2022, ending a nearly five-decade drought. They currently hold the fourth-most conference team titles in Big Ten history with a total of 12.
Historically, Michigan has produced 132 individual Big Ten champions, second only to Iowa’s 210. Over the past five years, five Wolverines have claimed individual titles. Last season, Jacob Cardenas captured the 197-pound title after defeating two top-ranked opponents.
This year’s lineup includes eight wrestlers making their debut at the Big Ten Championships. Dylan Ragusin (141 pounds) returns for his fifth appearance after previously finishing as runner-up at 133 pounds in 2024. Beau Mantanona is also returning with prior tournament experience, having placed third last season at 165 pounds. Several transfers bring experience from other conferences: Taye Ghadiali was a three-time SoCon heavyweight champion while at Campbell; Lachlan McNeil placed three times at ACC Championships; and Diego Sotelo previously finished third at EIWA Championships.
At last year’s championships, Michigan finished seventh with six placewinners and seven automatic NCAA bids. Jacob Cardenas won the Big Ten title at 197 pounds by defeating Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan. Other notable performances included Beau Mantanona placing third and Josh Heindselman taking fourth.
The Wolverines ended this dual meet season with a record of 9-6 overall and a .500 mark (4-4) in conference matches, tying for eighth place in the standings. Notable victories came against Rutgers and Illinois—both teams that finished higher than Michigan this year. Under head coach Sean Bormet’s leadership over seven seasons, Michigan has achieved a cumulative conference dual record of 42-22.
Eight Wolverine wrestlers are nationally ranked within their weight classes according to InterMat rankings. Three are listed among the top ten: Beau Mantanona (No.10 at 174), Brock Mantanona (No.7 at 184), and Ghadiali (No.4 among heavyweights).
Graduate student heavyweight Taye Ghadiali went undefeated (8-0) in conference duals this season with five wins over ranked opponents—including three top-ten victories late in the schedule—and now holds a team-leading record of 20-2 with bonus points scored in most matches.
Redshirt freshman Beau Mantanona entered the top ten after an overtime win against Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy earlier this year and boasts three top-ten wins this season along with several close losses to highly ranked opponents.
Brock Mantanona also climbed into InterMat’s top ten following key victories against Ohio State’s Dylan Fishback and Nebraska’s Silas Allred during major tournaments this winter.
Together, brothers Beau and Brock Mantanona have combined for a strong record of success—32 wins versus just ten losses—with more than half those victories coming by bonus point margins.
Dylan Ragusin returned from injury to post an impressive finish to his senior campaign while closing out his collegiate career approaching triple-digit wins (96). Similarly, graduate student Lachlan McNeil is nearing his own milestone with a career total of ninety-five wins so far.
Redshirt freshman Cameron Catrabone leads Michigan in pins this season with six falls recorded at the 157-pound class; he has scored bonus points eleven times across fifteen total wins.