The North Carolina wrestling team is set to compete in the 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship on Sunday at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia. The tournament will begin at 10 a.m. with the first round and continue throughout the day, concluding with the finals scheduled for 8 p.m. Fans can follow the event on ACC Network Extra and ACC Network.
Luke Simcox leads the Tar Heels as the highest-seeded wrestler from North Carolina, entering as the second seed at 141 pounds. Other team members earning notable seeds include Kysen Terukina (125), Laird Root (157), Bryce Hepner (165), and Jake Dailey (184), all seeded fourth in their respective weight classes. Ethan Oakley (133) and Robert Platt (197) hold fifth seeds, while Nate Askew is seeded seventh at 149 pounds. Collin Carrigan and Jacob Levy are both sixth seeds at 174 and heavyweight divisions, respectively.
The ACC has received a record total of 39 automatic qualifiers for this year’s NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which will take place in two weeks. The allocations by weight class are: five spots each at 125 and 141 pounds; three each at 133, 174, and 197 pounds; four each at 149, 157, 165, 184, and heavyweight.
In first-round matchups for North Carolina wrestlers: Kysen Terukina faces Tyler Chappell of Pitt at 125 pounds; Ethan Oakley takes on Evan Tallmadge of Pitt at 133; Luke Simcox meets Raymond Adams of Duke at 141; Nate Askew matches up against Aden Valencia of Stanford at 149; Laird Root wrestles Colton Washleski of Virginia at 157; Bryce Hepner faces Jared Keslar of Pitt at 165; Collin Carrigan competes against Aidan Wallace of Duke at 174; Jake Dailey goes up against Don Cates of NC State at 184; Robert Platt takes on Patrick Brophy of NC State at 197; and Jacob Levy faces Jimmy Mullen of Virginia Tech in the heavyweight division.