When Is The 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship?

Virginia Tech is the defending ACC wrestling champion and the host of the 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship on March 8. Can the Hokies repeat? Learn more.

Jan 2, 2026 by Matt Cannizzaro

When Is The 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship?

The Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling roster may be small, but it’s mighty, with all seven teams ranked among the top 50 in the latest 2025-2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Rankings from FloWrestling.

In just over two months, those squads will converge on Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia, for the 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship, which will determine this season’s conference champions and the wrestlers who will represent the ACC at the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships.

The host venue, opened in 1962, is the home of Virginia Tech men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling and volleyball.

The one-day ACC Wrestling Championship will take place March 8, and Virginia Tech enters as the defending champion. The Hokies, who last hosted the ACC Championship in 2019, won the 2025 edition, ending a run of six consecutive NC State victories.

After winning the ACC title, Virginia Tech went on to finish 11th at the 2025 NCAA Division Wrestling Championships, continuing a run of being in, or around, the top 10, but the Hokies still are looking for a breakthrough performance.

However, VT nailed down the No. 4 recruiting class in the country, plus three transfers, to join four returning starters, including three-time All-American and 2024 national champion Caleb Henson (149) and ACC champion/two-time All-American Eddie Ventresca (125).

The outlook for Virginia Tech took a hit in October when it was announced that Henson would be redshirting for the 2025-2026 season to focus more on other competitions.

How much will the loss of the program’s second national champion, and first back-to-back national finalist, affect the Hokies in their quest to repeat as ACC champions and improve on their performance at the NCAA Championships?

As of Dec. 22, all seven ACC teams landed among the top 50 in the FloWrestling rankings, so there’s no doubt the rest of the regular season, and the upcoming ACC Championship, will be tightly contested.

Here is where the ACC teams are ranked: NC State (tied, No. 5), Stanford (No. 11), Virginia Tech (No. 16), Pitt (No. 31), North Carolina (tied, No. 35), Duke (tied, No. 48) and Virginia (tied, No. 48).

The ACC also crowns a regular-season champion (Regular Season Dual Meet Championship), and that honor was shared by three teams last year – NC State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

As further proof of the depth of the mighty ACC, the conference sent a league-record 46 wrestlers to the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

The new wrestling regular season, and a competitive slate of dual competitions for the ACC teams, kicked off in November and will run through the last week of February. Then, the spotlight becomes brighter, as dynasties and legacies are built.

The 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship will be held on two mats during one exciting day at Cassell Coliseum.

The ACC sponsors 28 sports – 15 women and 13 men. No Power 4 conference sponsors more than 28 sports or 15 women’s offerings.

What Teams Compete In ACC Wrestling?

The ACC wrestling landscape includes seven teams:

How To Watch The 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship

Coverage of the 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship again will be provided by the ACC Network and ACC Network Extra.

These channels are part of ESPN’s increasing live coverage of college sports.

The ACC Network launched in 2019 and is exactly as described – the one-stop location for all things ACC – available by subscription and as part of the ESPN Unlimited package.

ACCNX is a digital platform that broadcasts events that are not available through traditional TV/cable providers and subscription services.

As part of your subscription that includes access to ACCN, you’ll be able to watch ACCNX through the ESPN app or on ESPN.com.

If you’re going to be in Virginia and want to see the 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship in person, click here for ticket and spectator information.

ACC Wrestling Championship Schedule

All of the competition at the 2026 ACC Wrestling Championship will take place March 8, with the matches being split across two mats.

Complete coverage again will be provided by the ACC Network and ACC Network Extra.

All Times Eastern

Sunday, March 8

TBD – First-Round Matches
TBD – Consolation Quarterfinals
TBD – Semifinals
TBD – Consolation Semifinals
TBD – Consolation Finals
TBD – Finals

What Team Won At The 2025 ACC Wrestling Championship?

Virginia Tech turned in a dominant performance at the 2025 ACC Wrestling Championship and claimed the title with 91.5 points. Pitt was second with 63.5.

The event was held at the Cameron Indoor Stadium on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Final Team Standings

Virginia Tech - 91.5
Pitt - 63.5
NC State - 62.5
North Carolina - 45.5
Stanford - 45.0
Virginia - 38.5
Duke - 1.5

Championship Finals

125 – No. 4 Eddie Ventresca (VT) decision No. 5 Vince Robinson (NCSU), 4-1 (SV-1)
133 – No. 11 Connor McGonagle (VT) decision No. 13 Kai Orine ^ (NCSU), 5-2 (SV-1)
141 – No. 19 Dylan Cedeno (UVA) decision No. 10 Sam Latona (VT), 8-6
149 – No. 1 Caleb Henson (VT) decision No. 6 Lachlan McNeil (UNC), 4-1 (SV-1)
157 – No. 10 Rafael Hipolito (VT) decision No. 15 Ed Scott (NCSU), 7-3
165 – No. 13 Hunter Garvin (STAN) decision No. 20 Nick Hamilton (UVA), 5-1
174 – No. 20 Matty Singleton (NCSU) decision No. 22 Luca Augustine (PITT), 5-2
184 – No. 13 Reece Heller (PITT) decision No. 14 Dylan Fishback (NCSU), 4-1 (SV-1)
197 – No. 10 Mac Stout (PITT) major decision No. 15 Nick Stemmet (STAN), 10-2
285 – No. 14 Dayton Pitzer (PITT) decision No. 13 Jimmy Mullen (VT), 4-1 (SV-1)

Revisit the FloWrestling coverage from the 2025 ACC Wrestling Championship.

2025-2026 FloWrestling NCAA DI Wrestling Rankings

Top 25 as of Dec. 22, 2025

1. Penn State – 134.5 points (Previous: 3)
2. Ohio State – 114.5 points (Previous: 1)
3. Iowa – 99 points (Previous: 2)
4. Iowa State – 88 points (Previous: 4)
T5. NC State – 65.5 points (Previous: 6)
T5. OK State – 65.5 points (Previous: 5)
7. Nebraska – 64.5 points (Previous: 7)
8. Cornell – 44.5 points (Previous: 9)
9. Illinois – 31.5 points (Previous: 10)
10. Minnesota – 29.5 points (Previous: 11)
11. Stanford – 27 points (Previous: 8)
12. Arizona State – 26 points (Previous: 13)
13. Lehigh – 24 points (Previous: 12)
14. Missouri – 23.5 points (Previous: 15)
15. Little Rock – 23 points (Previous: 14)
16. Virginia Tech – 22 points (Previous: 17)
17. Michigan – 20 points (Previous: 18)
18. West Virginia – 19 points (Previous: 15)
19. Penn – 16 points (Previous: 29)
T20. Purdue – 14.5 points (Previous: 23
T20. Wyoming – 14.5 points (Previous: 23)
22. SD State – 14 points (Previous: 22)
T23. Oregon State – 13 points (Previous: 20)
T23. Rutgers – 13 points (Previous: 21)
25. Maryland – 12.5 points (Previous: 25)

See the complete FloWrestling rankings here.

When Is The 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships?

The 2026 collegiate wrestling season will come to a close with the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, set for March 19-21.

The event will take place at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland.

Penn State is the four-time defending national team champion in Division I wrestling and has won the title 12 of the 14 times the competition has been held since 2011. The Nittany Lions have won in four consecutive years three times during the streak.

A team from the Big Ten has won the team title 18 consecutive times. The last non-Big Ten team to win was Oklahoma State, which won four straight championships from 2003-2006.

Results From The 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships

Here’s the top 10 in the team standings at the 2025 NCAA Championships:

1. Penn State, 177
2. Nebraska, 117
3. Oklahoma State, 102.5
4. Iowa, 81
5. Minnesota, 51.5
(tie) Ohio State, 51.5
7. Cornell, 50
8. North Carolina State, 46.5
9. Northern Iowa, 45.5
10. Illinois, 44.5

Here are the results of the individual final matches at the 2025 NCAA Championships:

125: No. 4 Vincent Robinson, North Carolina State, dec. No. 7 Troy Spratley, Oklahoma State, 2-1, TB-1
133: No. 1 Lucas Byrd, Illinois, dec. No. 2 Drake Ayala, Iowa, 3-2, TB-2
141: No. 3 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State, dec. No. 1 Brock Hardy, Nebraska, 12-9
149: No. 2 Ridge Lovett, Nebraska, dec. No. 1 Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech, 1-0
157: No. 3 Antrell Taylor, Nebraska, dec. No. 8 Joey Blaze, Purdue, 4-2
165: No. 1 Mitchell Messenbrink, Penn State, dec. No. 3 Mikey Caliendo, Iowa, 8-2
174: No. 3 Dean Hamiti, Oklahoma State, dec. No. 1 Keegan O’Toole, Missouri, 4-1, SV
184: No. 1 Carter Starocci, Penn State, dec No. 2 Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa, 4-3
197: No. 2 Stephen Buchanan, Iowa, dec. No. 4 Josh Barr, Penn State, 5-2
285: No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson, Oklahoma State, dec. No. 1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota, 5-4

Who’s Actually Favored: Virginia Tech Or NC State?

While this video is about the 2024-2025 season, the question is timeless, the rivalry continues and they’ll meet again during the 2025-2026 campaign, including the ACC Wrestling Championship.

Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling

Trackwrestling officially has merged with FloWrestling, bringing its powerful tournament tracking tools and live data into a modern, all-in-one platform.

Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.

This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.

FloWrestling Archived Footage

Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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