The 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championship takes place March 7-8 in State College, Pennsylvania, and will feature many of the country's best college wrestlers. This event will be livestreamed on Big Ten Plus and the Big Ten Network but before the action goes down, check out the article below for a full preview with predictions for what should be an incredible tournament! 

125 Pounds

125 Pre-Seeds

1. Luke Lilledahl, PSU

2. Spencer Moore, ILL

3. Nic Bouzakis, OSU

4. Jacob Moran, IND

5. Jore Volk, MINN

6. Ayden Smith, RU

7. Nicolar Rivera, WIS

8. Dean Peterson, IOWA

9. Diego Sotelo, MICH

10. Dedrick Navarro, NU

11. Kael Lauridsen, NEB

12. Nick Corday, MSU

13. Ashton Jackson, PUR

14. Abram Cline, MD

Top 4 125 Prediction

1. Luke Lilledahl, Penn State
2. Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State
3. Jore Volk, Minnesota
4. Dean Peterson, Iowa

The biggest storyline at 125 pounds is the highly anticipated rematch between top-ranked Luke Lilledahl and #4 Nic Bouzakis. Lilledahl came out on top in their dual meeting with a takedown in overtime, and Lilledahl is my pick to win the rematch. In that first bout, Lilledahl showed he was able to withstand the early pressure of Bouzakis, which will be a key factor to success again in the potential rematch. The fact that Lilledahl has already felt Bouzakis and his unique strength, gives me confidence that Lilledahl will win the rematch. 

125 also possesses great depth in All-American Jore Volk, Dean Peterson, Jacob Moran, Spencer Moore, and Nicolar Rivera. It’s worth noting that if the pre-seeds hold, Lilledahl will have to go through two of these top contenders to make the finals, while Bouzakis will only face one. This isn’t ideal for Lilledahl, and I wouldn’t be entirely shocked if one of those 5 contenders pulled off an upset over Lilledahl or Bouzakis. 

Lilledahl's win over Bouzakis:

133 Pounds

133 Pre-Seeds

1. Marcus Blaze, PSU

2. Lucas Byrd, ILL

3. Ben Davino, OSU

4. Zan Fugitt, WIS

5. Drake Ayala, IOWA

6. Jacob Van Dee, NEB

7. Sean Spidle, NU

8. Braxton Brown, MD

9. Dylan Shawver, RU

10. Blake Boarman, PUR

11. Caleb Weiand, MSU

12. Blaine Frazier, IND

13. Gauge Botero, MICH

14. Jager Eisch, MINN

Top 4 133 Prediction

1. Marcus Blaze, Penn State
2. Ben Davino, Ohio State
3. Lucas Byrd, Illinois
4. Drake Ayala, Iowa

133 in the Big 10 might be the “best” weight across any conference this weekend. Defending NCAA Champion Lucas Byrd is undefeated on the year but received the #2 seed in this bracket because of how great Marcus Blaze has been. Blaze is also undefeated at 19-0 with an 84.2% bonus rate that includes victories over Ben Davino, Drake Ayala, Tyler Knox, Jacob Van Dee, and a host of other ranked wrestlers. Ohio State freshman Ben Davino has been almost as impressive as Blaze. Davino is 21-1 on the year with a 62.5% bonus rate and victories over Drake Ayala (twice), Evan Frost, Jacob Van Dee, Zan Fugitt, and Braxton Brown. Byrd hasn’t wrestled either of these two “Super Freshman” this year, and as surprising as it may sound, many believe the NCAA Champ should be considered the underdog heading into this weekend. 

As tough as the top 3 are at this weight, there are THREE other All-Americans in the field - Drake Ayala, Zan Fugitt, and Jacob Van Dee. Two-time NCAA runner-up Drake Ayala struggled to start the year and was only 4-4 in the middle of January. However, since then, Ayala has looked a bit more like himself with close losses to Davino and Blaze and a decisive 12-6 victory over Jacob Van Dee. Despite a loss to Fugitt this year, Ayala is the most dangerous wrestler in the field after the “big three”. 

As deep as the field is, Marcus Blaze is my pick to win this bracket. He’s almost impossible to score on and is more offensive than most give him credit for. Outside of his wrestling abilities, he’s also the ultimate competitor and just finds ways to win.

Blaze's win over Davino:

Byrd's win over Ayala from November:

141 Pounds

141 Pre-Seeds

1. Jesse Mendez, OSU

2. Brock Hardy, NEB

3. Vance VomBaur, MINN

4. Nasir Bailey, IOWA

5. Dylan Ragusin, MICH

6. Greyson Clark, PUR

7. Braeden Davis, PSU

8. Billy Dekraker, NU

9. Henry Porter, IND

10. Joey Olivieri, RU

11. Dario Lemus, MD

12. Danny Pucino, ILL

13. Carson Exferd, WIS

14. Jaden Crumpler, MSU

Top 4 Prediction

1. Jesse Mendez, Ohio State
2. Brock Hardy, Nebraska
3. Vance VomBaur, Minnesota
4. Joey Olivieri, Rutgers

Jesse Mendez is one of the biggest favorites of any wrestler to win Big 10s this weekend. Mendez is on the hunt for his third NCAA title and is currently putting together a dominant season with a 19-0 record and a 89.5% bonus rate. Mendez has faced many of the top wrestlers in this field and has bonus wins over Brock Hardy (14-3 and 4-1), Vance VomBaur (21-5), Nasir Bailey (17-1), Dylan Ragusin (19-3), and Braeden Davis (18-2). If Mendez doesn’t win this bracket, it will be one of the most surprising things to happen this weekend. 

The first round matchup between Braeden Davis and Joey Olivieri is worth highlighting in this bracket. Davis, an All-American last year at 133 pounds, hasn’t quite hit his stride at 141 but was notably beating Brock Hardy before getting pinned in the third period earlier this year. If Davis beats Olivieri, we’ll see a Davis-Hardy rematch in the quarters. However, Olivieri will be an incredible challenge for Davis. Oliveri didn’t wrestle in any Big 10 duals, but he’s 15-0 on the year with a 6-4 victory over All-American Ryan Jack. Olivieri will be an interesting wrestler to watch at Big 10s and has the potential to finish very high despite his #10 seed.

149 Pounds

149 Pre-Seeds

1. Shayne Van Ness, PSU

2. Ethan Stiles, OSU

3. Joseph Zargo, WIS

4. Lachlan McNeil, MICH

5. Carter Young, MD

6. Chance Lamer, NEB

7. Andrew Clark, RU

8. Ryder Block, IOWA

9. Michael Gioffre, ILL

10. Drew Roberts, MINN

11. Joey Buttler, IND

12. Gavin Brown, PUR

13. Clayton Jones, MSU

14. August Hibler, NU

Top 4 149 Prediction

1. Shayne Van Ness, Penn State
2. Ethan Stiles, Ohio State
3. Carter Young, Maryland
4. Lachlan McNeil, Michigan

Shayne Van Ness is another huge favorite to win Big 10s because of his dominant regular season. Van Ness is 19-0 this year with an 84.2% bonus rate. The most vulnerable Van Ness has looked this year was when Carter Young got out to a 7-0 lead, and Van Ness still won that match 31-15. Van Ness has been incredibly offensive this year and hasn’t scored fewer than nine points in a match. I expect him to continue his dominance at the Big Ten Tournament and enter NCAAs as the clear favorite to win a title.

Though Van Ness is the favorite, the field at 149 in the Big 10 is deep and could tell us who’s peaking at the right time. 149 pounds has been chaotic this year, and anyone from the #2 seed to the #11 seed could finishin the top 4 at Big 10s. 

Van Ness' win over Carter Young:

157 Pounds

157 Pre-Seeds

1. Antrell Taylor, NEB

2. PJ Duke, PSU

3. Kannon Webster, ILL

4. Anthony White, RU

5. Cameron Cartabone, MICH

6. Charlie Millard, MINN

7. Brandon Cannon, OSU

8. Luke Mechler, WIS

9. Stoney Buell, PUR

10. Victor Voinovich III, IOWA

11. Bryce Lowery, IND

12. Darius Marines, MSU

13. Mekhi Neal, MD

14. Ty Wilson, NU 

Top 4 157 Prediction

1. Antrell Taylor, Nebraska
2. PJ Duke, Penn State
3. Brandon Cannon, Ohio State
4. Kannon Webster, Illinois

157 is another incredible weight with 3 wrestlers ranked in the top 4 in the country and four in the top 10. The headliner is Antrell Taylor, who has quietly put together one of the most consistent seasons in the country after struggling with two losses at the National Duals. Taylor doesn’t always blow opponents out, but he’s a winner. Taylor has 14 straight victories since his loss in November to Brandon Cannon. During that winning streak, Taylor defeated Kannon Webster, PJ Duke, Jordan Williams, Charlie Millard, and Landon Robideau. Another big reason Taylor is my favorite to win this bracket is that he has a clear path to the finals with Duke, Webster, and Cannon all in the bottom half of the bracket. 

The bottom half of the bracket is brutal, and we’ll likely see #3 Brandon Cannon and #4 PJ Duke meet in the quarterfinals! Cannon is currently undefeated this year (outside of a loss to high schooler Melvin Miller), and notably majored Antrell Taylor in November. Cannon earned the #1 ranking after National Duals but hasn’t wrestled since January 23 because of an injury. With Cannon’s questionable health, Duke is the clear favorite. In fact, Duke would be considered the favorite even if Cannon was healthy because of Duke’s regular season that included victories over Cam Catrabone, Jordan Williams, Daniel Cardenas, Logan Rozynski, and several other ranked wrestlers. Duke’s only loss was a razor-thin one to Antrell Taylor, and Duke is absolutely capable of flipping that result and winning a Big 10 title. 

Illinois’ Kannon Webster is the dark horse in this bracket and might be overlooked because of Talyor, Duke, and Cannon. Webster finished as the Big 10 runner-up last year at 149 pounds and surprised everyone when he defeated Shayne Van Ness. Webster’s only losses this year were narrow ones to Antrell Taylor (4-2) and Meyer Shapiro (2-1). Webster is right there with the best at this weight, and no one should be surprised if he makes the Big 10 finals again this year or even wins the title at 157.

Antrell Taylor's win over PJ Duke:

Brandon Cannon's win over Antrell Taylor:

165 Pounds

165 Pre-Seeds

1. Mitchell Mesenbrink, PSU

2. Michael Caliendo, IOWA

3. Joey Blaze, PUR

4. Andrew Sparks, MINN

5. LJ Araujo, NEB

6. Braeden Scoles, ILL

7. Andrew Barbosa, RU

8. Paddy Gallagher, OSU

9. Tyler Lillard, IND

10. Cody Goebel, WIS

11. Jacob Bostelman, NU

12. Justin Gates, MICH

13. AJ Rodrigues, MD

14. Jack Conley, MSU

Top 4 165 Prediction

1. Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State
2. Joey Blaze, Purdue
3. Michael Caliendo, Iowa
4. LJ Araujo, Nebraska

“Mitchell Mesenbrink next topic!” That’s how most feel about 165 in the Big Ten, and for good reason. Mesenbrink is 19-0 this year with a 100% bonus rate, and that includes a major decision win over Michael Caliendo (11-2). Mesenbrink will look to carry that bonus rate through Big 10s and continue to make his case as the Hodge favorite. 

Michael Caliendo and Joey Blaze will present an incredible challenge for Mesenbrink. Blaze is currently 18-0 this year and notably defeated Caliendo when they met in the dual a few weeks ago (7-4). On top of that, Blaze also has high victories over Braeden Scoles, Tyler Lillard, LJ Araujo, and Nicco Ruiz. Blaze obviously hasn’t wrestled Mesenbrink yet, but his performance in the regular season shows Blaze might be the biggest threat to dethrone Mesenbrink. 

Despite the loss to Blaze, Caliendo is still one of the pound-for-pound best wrestlers in the country and has wrestled Mesenbrink closer than anyone over the past two years. Caliendo is also fresh off a 4-2 victory over LaDarion Lockett, flipping their match from the National Duals Invitational. As a three-time All-American and returning national runner-up, Caliendo wrestles his best at the end of the year, and we should expect the Hawkeye to be in peak form at Big Tens. 

Joey Blaze's win over Michael Caliendo:

174 Pounds

174 Pre-Seeds

1. Christopher Minto, NEB

2. Levi Haines, PSU

3. Patrick Kennedy, IOWA

4. Beau Mantanona, MICH

5. Carson Kharchla, OSU

6. Derek Gilcher, IND

7. Ethan Riddle, MINN

8. Brody Baumann, PUR

9. Colin Kelly, ILL

10. Lenny Pinto, RU

11. Eddie Enright, NU

12. Luke Condon, WIS

13. Connor O’Neil, MSU

14. Seth Digby, MD

Top 4 Prediction

1. Levi Haines, Penn State
2. Patrick Kennedy, Iowa
3. Christopher Minto, Nebraska
4. Carson Kharchla, Ohio State

No seed was worse than Christopher Minto receiving the #1 seed over Levi Haines. I fully expect the coaches to right this wrong on Friday, so we’ll operate as if Haines is the #1 seed in this preview. 

Regardless of where Haines is seeded, he’s the clear favorite to win this bracket. Haines has notable victories this year over Chris Minto (8-6), Beau Mantanona (16-1), Gabe Arnold (4-2), and Lorenzo Norman (14-4). Beyond this season, Haines defeated Patrick Kennedy 3 times and Carson Kharchla once last season. It’s a strong bracket, but Haines is 6-0 against the top contenders and the clear final boss at 174 pounds. 

While Haines is such a heavy favorite, the group of Minto, Kennedy, Mantanona, and Kharchla will be great to watch at Big Tens because of their back-and-forth results throughout the year. Check out the results for this group below to see how they’ve traded wins and losses:

Christopher Minto

• Wins - Carson Kharchla, Beau Mantanona, Alex Facundo, Danny Wask, Myles Takats, Jared Simma, Derek Gilcher, Colin Kelly
• Losses - Levi Haines, Patrick Kennedy, Alex Facundo, Carson Kharchla

Patrick Kennedy

• Wins - Alex Facundo (twice), Carson Kharchla (twice), Christopher Minto, Cam Steed, Colin Kelly, Alex Facundo, Luca Augustine
• Losses - Beau Mantanona, MJ Gaitan

Beau Mantanona 

• Wins - Patrick Kennedy, Colin Kelly, Lenny Pinto, MJ Gaitan, Eddie Enright (twice)
• Losses - Levi Haines, Carson Kharchla, Christopher Minto, Moses Espinoza-Owens, Cam Steed

Carson Kharchla

• Wins - Beau Mantanona, Matthew Singleton, Christopher Minto, Derek Gilcher, Ethan Riddle (twice), Derek Gilcher, Daschle Lamer
• Losses - Patrick Kennedy (twice), Christopher Minto

Levi Haines' win over Christopher Minto:

184 Pounds

184 Pre-Seeds

1. Rocco Welsh, PSU

2. Max McEnelly, MINN

3. Silas Allred, NEB

4. Brock Mantanona, MICH

5. Chris Moore, ILL

6. Dylan Fishback, OSU

7. Shane Cartagena-Walsh, RU

8. Angelo Ferrari, IOWA

9. Sam Goin, IND

10. James Rowley, PUR

11. J.D. Perez, NU

12. Sepanta Ahanj-Elias, MD

13. Ryan Boucher, MSU

14. Cale Anderson, WIS

Top 4 184 Prediction

1. Max McEnelly, Minnesota
2. Rocco Welsh, Penn State
3. Angelo Ferrari, Iowa
4. Dylan Fishback, Ohio State

184 pounds in the Big Ten is LOADED. #1 Rocco Welsh, #2 Angelo Ferrari, #4 Max McEnelly, #6 Silas Allred, #7 Brock Mantanona, and #8 Dylan Fishback - ALL IN ONE BRACKET! Based on the regular season, Rocco Welsh should be considered a slight favorite. Welsh is undefeated on the year with notable victories over Angelo Ferrari, Dylan Fishback, Brock Mantanona, and Silas Allred. And how does Welsh get rewarded after this phenomenal season? He’ll likely have to wrestle #2 Angelo Ferrari in the quarterfinals! Ferrari hasn’t wrestled since the match against Rocco Welsh (January 16) when he hurt his ankle. Because Ferrari has missed so much time, and with the Big Ten’s new seeding criteria, Ferrari is likely stuck at the #8 seed. 

With Rocco Welsh having to wrestle Ferrari so early in the tournament, I don’t feel comfortable picking him to win this bracket. Beyond that, Welsh has wrestled some surprisingly close matches this year against Rylan Rogers (4-2), Eddie Neitenbach (4-1), and Dylan Fishback (7-6). Of course, Welsh has won all of those matches, but it’s only a matter of time before he drops one of those close bouts.

For my champion pick, I’m rolling with Max McEnelly. After winning a U20 world title over the summer and finishing third at NCAAs last year, McEnelly hasn’t been as dominant as I expected. In fact, he even dropped an early match to Aeoden Sinclair at the National Duals Invitational. Despite that, we saw McEnelly wrestle incredibly well in the postseason last year, with his only two losses coming in overtime against Carter Starocci and Parker Keckeisen. I like McEnelly for his neutral offense compared to Welsh and Ferrari, who sometimes struggle to generate points consistently. 

Rocco Welsh's win over Angelo Ferrari:

197 Pounds

197 Pre-Seeds

1. Josh Barr, PSU

2. Camden McDanel, NEB

3. Remy Cotton, RU

4. Branson John, MD

5. Luke Geog, OSU

6. Wyatt Ingham, WIS

7. Kael Wisler, MSU

8. Gabe Sollars, IND

9. Ben Vanadia, PUR

10. Hayden Walters, MICH

11. Gavin Nelson, MINN

12. Dylan Connell, ILL

13. Gabe Arnold, IOWA

14. Alex Smith, NU 

Top 4 197 Prediction

1. Josh Barr, Penn State
2. Camden McDanel, Nebraska
3. Gabe Arnold, Iowa
4. Luke Geog, Ohio State

Josh Barr is currently 16-0 on the year with bonus victories in every match. Barr has dominated this field with victories over Camden McDanel (21-9), Remy Cotton (18-3), Branson John (19-4 and a pin), Luke Geog (11-2), and Gabe Sollars (14-6). Barr should dominate this bracket, and it’d be a little surprising if he doesn’t bonus his way to a Big Ten Title. 

After Barr, the biggest storyline to follow in this bracket is Iowa’s Gabe Arnold. A natural 174-pounder, Arnold has 174, 184, and 197 this year for the Hawkeyes. Unfortunately, he only has 2 matches at 197 and received the #13 seed. Still, Arnold recorded significant victories this year over Brock Mantanona and Silas Allred, while only losing close matches to Zack Ryder, Dylan Fishback, Levi Haines, Max McEnelly, and Danny Wask. We’ll learn a lot about Gabe Arnold at 197 pounds this weekend, but I think he’ll transition up in weight just fine.

285 Pounds

285 Pre-Seeds

1. Taye Ghadiali, MICH

2. AJ Ferrari, NEB

3. Nick Feldman, OSU

4. Cole Mirasola, PSU

5. Braxton Amos, WIS

6. Luke Luffman, ILL

7. Koy Hopke, MINN

8. Hunter Catka, RU

9. Josh Terrill, MSU

10. Ben Kueter, IOWA

11. Hayden Filipovich, PUR

12. Joey Schneck, MD

13. Gabe Christenson, NU

14. Caleb Marzolino, IND

Top 4 285 Prediction

1. Cole Mirasola, Penn State
2. Nick Feldman, Ohio State
3. AJ Ferrari, Nebraska
4. Braxon Amos, Wisconsin

The battle for the heavyweight title will be fascinating to watch, considering the results from the top 4 wrestlers at this weight this year. Taye Ghadiali defeated Nick Feldman and Cole Mirasola but lost to AJ Ferrari. Feldman defeated AJ Ferrari twice but lost to Mirasola and Ghadiali. Ferrari defeated Cole and Taye Ghadiali but lost to Feldman. Mirasola defeated Nick Feldman and Ben Kueter but lost to Taye Ghadiali and AJ Ferrari. You could make a pretty equal case for any of these top 4 guys to win this bracket. 

I’m picking Cole Mirasola based on the progression I’ve seen from him this year. Mirasola struggled in December, losing matches to Nathan Taylor and Christian Carroll. Then he responded in January by beating Ben Kueter and in February with a victory over Nick Feldman. Even in his losses to Ghadialia and Ferrari, Mirasola impressed me, and if he cleans a few things up, I think he has the best potential of any wrestler in this bracket. 

Braxton Amos is the only wrestler outside of the top 4 that I could see winning or even making a run to the finals. Amos is one of the bigger wrestlers in this bracket but still moves well and has solid leg attacks. He has four close losses on the year to Taye Ghadiali (2-1 in OT), Nick Feldman (6-4), Ben Kueter (4-1 in OT), and Yonger Bastida (5-4). We're still waiting for Amos to knock off one of the wrestlers in this tier, and his big win could come at Big Tens!

Feldman's win over Ferrari at the National Duals Invitational: