Redshirt sophomore Ty Watters of West Virginia University earned his second career All-America honor after advancing to the semifinals at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland on March 20.
Watters secured his place in the semifinals by defeating Cornell’s No. 3 seed Tyler Shapiro with a close 6-5 decision. The match was decided by an escape from Watters in the third period, which gave him the lead and ultimately the win. This marks Watters’ second consecutive All-America recognition, following a fourth-place finish at 149 pounds in 2024. He missed most of the 2024-25 season due to injury.
For West Virginia University, this achievement extends its streak to seven consecutive seasons with an NCAA All-American, a first in program history. Under head coach Tim Flynn, West Virginia has produced at least one All-American in seven of his eight seasons leading the team.
In the semifinals, Watters narrowly lost to Nebraska’s No. 2 seed Antrell Taylor by decision, 4-2. Despite this loss, he remains in contention for third place and will compete again on Saturday during session five of the tournament.
Four other Mountaineers also competed on Friday. Freshman Gunner Andrick, redshirt freshman Rune Lawrence, and redshirt senior Jordan Titus saw their seasons end during the first session. Titus concluded his collegiate career with over 90 victories and four NCAA qualifications. Graduate student Jett Strickenberger advanced to the blood round after two key wins but was defeated by Minnesota’s Jore Volk and ends his WVU career with more than 60 victories, three NCAA qualifications, and a Big 12 Championship in 2025.
The tournament continues Saturday morning with medal matches scheduled for session five.