Six wrestlers from South Dakota State University are set to compete at the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which will take place from March 19 to 21 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Jackrabbits’ lineup includes Brady Roark, Julian Tagg, Cael Swensen, Moses Espinoza-Owens, Bennett Berge, and Luke Rasmussen. Cale Seaton will join as an alternate in the 133-pound category.
The event is significant for the Jackrabbits as they aim to build on last year’s performance when they qualified a program-record nine wrestlers and had one All-American. This year’s team hopes to achieve even greater success at Rocket Arena.
The tournament schedule begins with preliminaries on Thursday afternoon and continues through Saturday evening’s championship finals. Notable matchups include Roark facing Jore Volk of Minnesota at 125 pounds and Tagg meeting Wyatt Henson of Lock Haven at 141 pounds. Swensen enters as the highest-placing Jackrabbit from the recent Big 12 Championships, where he finished fourth in his weight class after defeating Gavin Drexler of North Dakota State University to secure his spot at nationals.
Bennett Berge and Moses Espinoza-Owens both placed fifth in their respective brackets during the Big 12 Championships. Berge rebounded from a semifinal loss to win his fifth-place match against Colton Hawks, while Espinoza-Owens took fifth after Wyoming’s Riley Davis withdrew due to injury. Other qualifiers include Tagg and Rasmussen, who each finished sixth in their brackets.
Julian Tagg is highlighted as a wrestler to watch this weekend. The senior returns to his home state with an overall record of 18-6 and aims for a podium finish in his final collegiate competition. Last year, he reached the round of 16 at nationals.
Under head coach Damion Hahn, South Dakota State has continued setting records by sending more athletes to national tournaments and achieving notable individual performances. Hahn recently became the winningest coach at the Division I level in school history with over 65 wins.