The NCAA announced on Mar. 11 the seeds and brackets for the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships, which will take place next week at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
This announcement is important for college wrestling fans and athletes as it sets the stage for one of the sport’s most significant annual events. The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) will send five wrestlers to compete, continuing a streak of qualifying at least five athletes each year since 2016 under head coach Doug Schwab.
Ryder Downey leads UNI as the 11-seed at 165 pounds, with Caleb Rathjen seeded 14th at 149 pounds. Jared Simma is seeded 17th in the 174-pound bracket, Julian Farber holds the 20th seed at 133 pounds, and Nick Fox is seeded 29th at 184 pounds. Trever Anderson will serve as an alternate in the 125-pound bracket. The opening matchups include Farber facing Jacob Van Dee from Nebraska, Rathjen meeting Brock Herman from Little Rock, Downey wrestling Matthew Olguin from Oregon State, Simma taking on Nick Fine from Columbia, and Fox matched against James Conway from Franklin & Marshall.
Farber enters his third NCAA Championship after finishing third at the Big 12 Championships with an 18-9 record. Rathjen returns to nationals following a runner-up finish in conference competition. Downey makes his third appearance after placing fourth in his weight class during conference play. Simma also returns for his third national tournament appearance, while Fox debuts after a ninth-place finish in Tulsa.
Under Schwab’s leadership since 2011, UNI has produced several All-Americans including David Bonin (2013), Joe Colon (2014), Max Thomsen (2017, 2020), Drew Foster (2017, 2019), Parker Keckeisen (2021-2025), and others. The program has consistently qualified multiple wrestlers each year and achieved notable team finishes such as ninth place in both the Big 12 Championships this season and nationally in recent years.
The championships will be broadcast on ESPN networks with live results available via FloWrestling. Fans can follow updates through UNI’s NCAA Championship Hub or on social media platforms throughout the event.