Despite returning on three All-Americans from 2025, this year's field at 157 lbs just might be the deepest and most exciting collection of talent in any weight class at NCAAs. Before conference weekend, this weight lacked a clear front, but PJ Duke's dominance at Big Tens has put him at the front of the pack. Wrestling fans won't want to miss any of the action at 157 lbs this year.

2026 NCAA Division 1 Rankings - 157 lbs

Interactive Brackets on FloWrestling

2025 All-Americans

1st Place - Antrell Taylor, Nebraska

2nd Place - Joey Blaze, Purdue

3rd Place - Tyler Kasak, Penn State

4th Place - Trevor Chumbley, Northwestern

5th Place - Meyer Shapiro, Cornell

6th Place - Vinny Zerban, Iowa State

7th Place - Matty Bianchi, Little Rock

8th Place - Caleb Fish, Oklahoma State

2026 Top 8 Seeds

1) PJ Duke, Penn State

2) Antrell Taylor, Nebraska

3) Meyer Shapiro, Cornell

4) Kaleb Larkin, Arizona State

5) Landon Robideau, Oklahoma State

6) Jude Swisher, Penn

7) Kannon Webster, Illinois

8) Brandon Cannon, Ohio State

The Favorite

#1 PJ Duke, Penn State

For most of the season, this weight class lacked a true favorite, but after Big Tens, Penn State true freshman PJ Duke has emerged as the man to beat at 157 lbs. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Duke has ascended to that status after just four and a half months of NCAA wrestling. After all, he made a Senior World team before he graduated from high school and brought home U20 World gold and U23 World bronze during the off season.

Duke's lone loss on the year 2-1 tiebreaker defeat at the hands of 2025 NCAA champ Antrell Taylor of Nebraska, but Duke avenged that loss by 12-4 major decision in the Big Ten finals. He also majored #8 Brandon Cannon at Big Tens and defeated #7 Kannon Webster 4-2.

PJ Duke vs Antrell Taylor in the Big Ten Finals

Throughout the season, Duke has racked up a 19-1 record with a 71.43% bonus rate. His only regular season decision victories came over #11 Daniel Cardenas, Iowa's Jordan Williams, #17 Cam Catrabone, and teammate Joe Sealey.

Contenders

#2 Antrell Taylor, Nebraska

#3 Kaleb Larkin, Arizona State

#4 Landon Robideau, Oklahoma State

#5 Vinny Zerban, Iowa State

#6 Meyer Shapiro, Cornell

#7 Kannon Webster, Illinois

#8 Brandon Cannon, Ohio State

#9 Ty Watters, West Virginia

#11 Daniel Cardenas, Stanford

Normally, it would be overkill to list nine contenders at a given weight class, but this 157 group is not normal. The list starts with 2025 NCAA champ Antrell Taylor who had a bumpy start at National Duals where he took losses to Cannon and Rozynski but has been consistent against the best guys since then. He defeated Duke, Robideau, Webster, Catrabone, and Millard during the season and reached the Big Ten finals where he fell to Duke in their rematch.

Highlights from Antrell Taylor & Meyer Shapiro's 2025 NCAA Semifinal

ASU freshman Kaleb Larkin started the season at 149 lbs where he burst on the scene with a major over All-American Lachlan McNeil at National Duals and just one loss at the weight against Cornell's Jaxon Joy. Since moving up to 157 lbs, Larkin has knocked off Ty Watters twice along with Zerban and Robideau. His lone loss at the weight was to Meyer Shapiro.

Oklahoma State true freshman Robideau started his season with a major decision against Daniel Cardenas before beating Jackson Arrington and Vinny Zerban later in the year. He has two losses: a one-point tie-breaker against Antrell Taylor and a 4-3 Big 12 final against Larkin.

Vinny Zerban moved to Iowa State after an All-American finish last year at Northern Colorado. He left the Big 12 Championships early after a victory against Daishun Powe in which he was in concussion protocol for an extended period of time. The only two contested matches he's lost this season were one-takedown bouts against Robideau and Larkin. He has defeated Cardenas and Watters this year.

Cornell's Meyer Shapiro enters NCAAs after 5th and 3rd place finishes the past two seasons. He nearly completed an undefeated season that might have given him the #1 seed but fell in the Ivy finals 8-3 to Jude Swisher who he had defeated 9-2 exactly one month earlier. He also has wins on the season against Webster and Larkin and boasts a 75% bonus rate.

Meyer Shapiro vs Kannon Webster at Journeymen Collegiate Duals

After a round of 12 finish at 149 lbs a season ago, Kannon Webster moved up to 157 lbs where he finished 3rd at Big Tens. His losses this season came at the hands of Duke, Taylor, and Shapiro. Both Duke and Taylor took one takedown victories from Webster while Shapiro won 2-1. Webster defeated Brandon Cannon 9-2 at Big Tens and majored Charlie Millard earlier this year.

West Virginia's Ty Watters was 4th as a true freshman and has moved up to 157 lbs after redshirting last season. He has two losses this season to Larkin and one to Zerban, but his scrambling ability and feet to back potential make him dangerous at this weight.

2024 All-American Daniel Cardenas of Stanford is fresh off an ACC title. He's fallen to Duke, Robideau, and Zerban this year but has been largely dominant with a 65% bonus point rate. He sits at the #9 seed, but he's a less than ideal matchup for Cannon in the second round or Duke (who beat him in a one takedown match in December) in the quarters.

Sleepers & Landmines

#14 Cam Catrabone, Michigan (15th seed)

#15 Charlie Millard, Minnesota (21st seed)

#25 Gavin Drexler, North Dakota State (28th seed)

Cam Catrabone has earned the "must watch" designation throughout his freshman season. He's unpredictable with an unconventional style that gives opponents trouble and gives fans plenty to get excited about. His signature win on the season was a 5-3 come from behind thriller against Jordan Williams during Michigan's dual against Iowa. He also had a wild 12-10 match with PJ Duke in which he earned the first takedown of the match and actually held a 9-7 lead with less than a minute to go. He could have an electric tournament in Cleveland.

Cam Catrabone's Comeback Against Jordan Williams

Minnesota's Charlie Millard could also be dangerous from the #21 seed. He'll have Zerban in the first round whose health is questionable after defaulting after Big 12s, then he could see either Robideau or Drexler. Millard nearly knocked off Antrell Taylor earlier this season, and he may be poised to go on a run on either side of this bracket.

NDSU's Gavin Drexler can't be overlooked. He finished 8th a season ago from the #22 seed and knocked off Kannon Webster in the bloodround. Leaving him off the sleeper list would be a real "fool me twice" situation.

Early Matches to Watch

R32 - #15 Charlie Millard vs #5 Vinny Zerban

Minnesota's Millard has proven to be very tough this season, and he's starting his tournament against Zerban who had to injury default out of Big 12s after winning a first round match with an extended concussion protocol delay. Keep an eye on this one.

R32 - #4 Landon Robideau vs #25 Gavin Drexler

Drexler may not have a high ranking, but the NDSU Bison made the podium last season after falling in the first round. He locked up All-American status with a victory over a very tough Kannon Webster. Robideau will need to be ready.

R16 - #8 Brandon Cannon vs #9 Daniel Cardenas

If seeds hold, Cannon vs Cardenas in round two should be electric. Both guys have bonus rates over 65% and know how to put up points. This would be the first meeting between the two and will have major implications on the rest of the bracket. 

R16 - #4 Landon Robideau vs #5 Vinny Zerban

Robideau won round one of this matchup 4-1 in the Iowa State vs Oklahoma State dual. Big 12 fans expected a rematch in the semifinals, but Zerban had to pull out of the tournament due to injury. If seeds hold, we'll get the rematch with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.

R16 - #9 Ty Watters vs #10 Jude Swisher

Conventional wisdom would say that Ty Watters is a big favorite in this matchup, but Jude Swisher is fresh off an Ivy championship in which he upset two-time All-American Meyer Shapiro who had defeated him earlier in the season. Swisher appears to be competing his best in the post season, so don't miss this showdown in the second round.

R16 - #7 Kannon Webster vs #13 Logan Rozynski

Webster defeated Rozynski 8-2 when they met at National Duals, but Rozynski has proven himself to be dangerous. Anyone who majors NCAA champ Antrell Taylor is dangerous, and that's what Rozynski did. Expect this to be much more competitive than their first contest.

R16 - #14 Cam Catrabone vs #2 Antrell Taylor

Antrell Taylor is 2-0 against Catrabone, and neither match has been particularly close. Their first contest was a tech for Taylor, and their Big Ten rematch was 7-1. Still, Catrabone is unpredictable, unconventional, and may dig into his bag of tricks for round three.

Predictions

1st Place - PJ Duke, Penn State

2nd Place - Meyer Shapiro, Cornell

3rd Place - Antrell Taylor, Nebraska

4th Place - Kaleb Larkin, Arizona State

5th Place - Landon Robideau, Oklahoma State

6th Place - Ty Watters, West Virginia

7th Place - Kannon Webster, Illinois

8th Place - Brandon Cannon, Ohio State

R12 - Cam Catrabone, Michigan

R12 - Charlie Millard, Minnesota

R12 - Vinny Zerban, Iowa State

R12 - Daniel Cardenas, Stanford

No matter what happens in Cleveland, some very good wrestlers will be going home without a trophy. Fans won't want to miss many of the matches in this bracket. We'll be talking about this weight for a long time.