The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships are just over a week away. Before action gets underway, check out our bracket reactions for all ten Oklahoma State wrestlers who are headed to Cleveland.

125 lbs: #4 Troy Spratley - #5 Seed

Path to the finals if seeds hold:

• Rd of 32 - Andrew Binni, Navy
• Rd of 16 - Vincent Robinson, NC State
• Quarters - Sheldon Seymour, Lehigh
• Semis - Luke Lilledahl, Penn State

Troy Spratley didn’t get an easy path at the #5 seed with a potential matchup against the defending national champion, Vincent Robinson, in the second round. This would be a rematch of last year’s NCAA finals where Spratley lost in tiebreakers, 2-1. Beyond that, Spratley is 0-3 in his career against Robinson, losing 7-3 last year in a dual and 3-2 in November at the National Duals. 

If Spratley gets by Robinson, he’ll likely have Lehigh’s Sheldon Seymour. The two have never wrestled in their collegiate careers, but Seymour notably placed 6th at last year’s NCAA Tournament, with his key victory coming against Luke Lilledahl. Seymour is undefeated on the year, but he hasn’t wrestled any of the top 12 seeds in the 125-pound bracket. 

The #1 seed Luke Lilledahl looms in the semifinals, and while they’ve never wrestled in their college careers. Lilledahl has victories this year over Jore Volk, Dean Peterson, Nic Bouzakis, Nico Provo, and several other ranked wrestlers. Lilledahl should be considered the favorite based on this year, but no one should be surprised if Spratley beats Lilledahl - he just has to get there first.

Robinson's win over Spratley at National Duals:

133 lbs: #3 Jax Forrest - #1 Seed

Path to the finals if seeds hold:

• Rd of 32 - #32 Andrew Austin, Central Michigan
• Rd of 16 - #16 Zan Fugitt, Wisconsin
• Quarters - #8 Markel Baker, Northern Illinois
• Semis - #4 Aaron Seidel, Virginia Tech

In what many considered the surprise of the seeds this year, Jax Forrest received the top seed over other contenders like Ben Davino and Marcus Blaze. With the #1 seed, we should expect Forrest to cruise to the semis where he’ll have a highly anticipated rematch against Aaron Seidel. We’ll get to that matchup in a second, but it’s worth highlighting a few of Forrest’s early-round opponents first. Forrest should roll in his opening round match against Central Michigan’s Andrew Austin. Austin is 20-13 on the year with losses to 4 non-qualifiers. 

Forrest’s potential second match is where things get slightly more interesting. He’ll likely have last year’s fourth-place finisher, Zan Fugitt. Despite having such a low seed, Fugitt notably defeated Drake Ayala this year. It’s also worth noting that Fugitt wrestled incredible at last year’s NCAA Tournament with victories over Braeden Davis, Connor McGonagle, and Nasir Bailey. If Fugitt wrestles his best, this match could be closer than many expect.

I don’t want to make light of Markel Baker - he’s a MAC Champ with a 26-3 record this year. However, his losses to Gabe Whisenhunt, Dylan Shawver, and Trayce Eckman show he’s likely not a threat to Forrest. 

Forrest’s semi-final match is where things could get interesting, with a match against either #4 seed Aaron Seidel or #5 seed Kyler Larkin. Both would be rematches for Forrest - he defeated Larkin 15-2 in the Big 12 Finals and Aaron Seidel in an incredible 10-9 match last month. Forrest controlled Larkin from start to finish but was pushed to the brink against Seidel. In that match, Seidel secured 3 takedowns to Forrest’s one. However, the difference in the match was when Jax transitioned immediately from a takedown to a four-point turn in the second period. That 7-point sequence propelled Jax to victory, but Seidel was ultra-impressive in defeat. Seidel might be the biggest threat to Forrest in this bracket, and if they meet in the semis, we should expect a battle.

Forrest's win over Seidel:

141 lbs: #2 Sergio Vega - #2 Seed

Path to the finals if seeds hold:

• Rd of 32 - #31 Billy DeKraker, Northwestern
• Rd of 16 - #15 Elijah Griffin, Rider
• Quarters - #7 Nasir Bailey, Iowa
• Semis - #3 Brock Hardy, Nebraska

Sergio Vega earned the #2 seed after a perfect 19-0 record with a 52.6% bonus rate. Vega’s performance during the year suggests that he should cruise to the quarterfinals where he’ll likely face Iowa’s Nasir Bailey. Vega and Bailey had a very close match in November at the National Duals Invitational, with Vega winning in overtime (3-0). Vega and Bailey’s seasons have gone in very different directions since that match. Bailey is only 11-6 since wrestling Vega, and Bailey dipped all the way to #15 in the rankings in January. Despite that, Bailey had a great Big 10 tournament with notable victories over Dylan Ragusin, Joey Olivieri, and Vance VomBaur. Bailey could make things interesting against Vega, but Vega should still be considered the heavy favorite.

If Vega makes the semis, he’ll likely see a familiar opponent in Brock Hardy. Vega is 2-0 on the year with 2 bonus point victories. The two first wrestled at the National Duals Invitational, where Vega recorded his first statement win - a 13-2 major decision. Then, just over a month later, Vega proved that result wasn’t a fluke by pinning Hardy in the first period. Defeating an opponent as high-level as Hardy three times in one year will be a challenge, but with the past results, Vega is the favorite to reach the finals opposite Jesse Mendez. 

Vega's win over Nasir Bailey:

149 lbs: #6 Casey Swiderski - #8 Seed

Path to the finals if seeds hold:

• Rd of 32 - #25 Michael Gioffre, Illinois
• Rd of 16 - #9 David Evans, Utah Valley
• Quarters - #1 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State
• Semis - #4 Collin Gaj, Virginia Tech

After a 4-5 start to the year, Casey Swiderski closed out his season with 10 straight wins capped off by a Big 12 title. Swiderski should be considered a significant favorite in his opening round match against a tough Michael Gioffre. Gioffre finished 6th at Big Tens with losses to Joseph Zargo, Lachlan McNeil, and Ryder Block but wins over Drew Roberts and Clayton Jones. 

Swiderski should be tested by Utah Valley’s David Evans in the second round. Evans placed third at Big 12’s, defeating Benji Alanis, Hunter Hollingsworth, Willie McDougald, Max Petersen, and Jacob Frost while only losing to Caleb Rathjen (4-1 in overtime). Evans and Swiderski have never wrestled in their college careers, but everything suggests that this should be a close one that will likely be decided by a takedown or less. 

As the #8 seed, Swiderski’s biggest obstacle to making the finals is the #1 seed Shayne Van Ness. Van Ness is undefeated on the year at 21-0 and a bonus rate of 77.3%. Even with that dominance, Van Ness has shown signs of weakness with come from behind victories over Ryder Block, Lachlan McNeil, and Chance Lamer. Van Ness wrestles hard from start to finish and often breaks his opponents in the third period. If Swiderski hopes to win here, he’ll have to wrestle a complete match and make little to no mistakes. 

157 lbs: #4 Landon Robideau - #5 seed

Path to the finals if seeds hold:

• Rd of 32 - Gavin Drexler, ND State
• Rd of 16 - #12 Vinny Zerban, Iowa State
• Quarters - #4 Kaleb Larkin, Arizona State
• Semis - #1 PJ Duke, Penn State

Similar to his Cowboy teammates, Robideau didn’t receive a “favorable” draw even as the #5 seed. Robideau will wrestle 2025 All-American Gavin Drexler in his first match and then either All-American Vinny Zerban or Minnesota’s Charlie Millard second. Even with that tough draw, Cowboy fans should expect to see Robideau in the quarters where we’ll likely see a rematch of the Big 12 finals. In that match against Kaleb Larkin, Robideau lost 4-3 while surrendering a takedown and rideout in the first period. Robideau secured a takedown of his own in the second period but was unable to find another takedown to propel him to victory. The biggest challenge for Robideau in this match will be breaking through Larkin’s incredible single-leg defense. 

If Robideau does avenge the loss to Larkin in the quarters, he’ll likely have top-seeded PJ Duke in the semis. Duke looked better than ever at the Big Ten Championships with consecutive victories over Kannon Webster (4-2), Brandon Cannon (20-7), and Antrell Taylor (12-4). It’s also worth noting that Duke defeated Robideau three times in freestyle over the Summer during the U20 World Team Trials process - 9-4, 7-0, and 8-3. Duke will be the favorite in Cleveland, and this is a rematch many have been wanting to see since the start of the college season. 

Larkin's win ver Robideau:

165 lbs: #5 LaDarion Lockett - #5 seed

Path to the finals if seeds hold:

• Rd of 32 - #28 Cody Goebel, Wisconsin
• Rd of 16 - #12 Cesar Alvan, Columbia
• Quarters - #4 Nicco Ruiz, Arizona State
• Semis - #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State

After losing in the Big 12 finals to Nicco Ruiz, Dee Lockett dropped to the #5 seed and is top side with NCAA Champion Mitchell Mesenbrink and Nicco Ruiz. Lockett will be a big favorite in his first two matches to set up a potential rematch against Ruiz. In their Big 12 final, Lockett was unable to takedown Ruiz and ultimately lost in tiebreakers (2-1). Lockett will need to be more offensive this time around if he hopes to defeat Ruiz. 

If Lockett gets past Ruiz and makes the semis, NCAA champ and top seed Mitchell Mesenbrink will likely be waiting there. Mesenbrink is currently 22-0 on the year with a 100% bonus rate. Lockett has a lot of tools in his game that might be able to slow Mesenbrink down, but no one will predict the upset here. Obviously, this is a tough road for Lockett to get to the finals, and he’ll likely have to wrestle back for third in the consolation rounds. 

Ruiz's win over Lockett:

174 lbs: #8 Alex Facundo - #8 Seed

Path to the finals if seeds hold:

• Rd of 32 - #25 Sergio Desiante, Virginia Tech
• Rd of 16 - #9 Beau Mantanona, Michigan
• Quarters - #1 Levi Haines, Penn State
• Semis - #4 Carson Kharchla, Ohio State

After losing in the Big 12 finals to Cam Steed, Facundo dropped to the #8 seed and will have a tough road on the top side. He drew Virginia Tech’s Sergio Desiante in the first round, and while Desiante had a roller coaster year, Facundo only defeated him 4-1 last month with a late, third-period takedown. It’s certainly not an ideal first-round match, and if Facundo wins, he’ll wrestle Michigan freshman Brock Mantanona. Mantanona is dangerous and has ranked wins this year over Chris Moore, Shane Cartagena-Walsh, Dylan Fisbhack, Tomas Brooker, Caesar Garza, Brian Soldano, and Silas Allred. As most #8 vs #9 matchups are, this is a toss-up, and Facundo will have to wrestle his best to defeat Mantanona.

Should Facundo make the quarters, we’ll likely see him against the top seed and Facundo’s former Nittany Lion teammate Levi Haines. The two have never wrestled in their college careers, but Facundo did notably defeat Haines in freestyle at the 2024 Olympic Trials (6-0). A lot of time has passed since then, and Haines has had much better folkstyle results than Facundo. Still, the familiarity could play a role in this match, and this is one of the more fascinating potential quarterfinals of the tournament. 

If Facundo makes it to the semis, he’ll likely wrestle #4 seed Carson Kharchla or #5 seed Patrick Kennedy. Facundo will be an underdog against either wrestler, considering he’s 1-1 against Kharchla and 0-3 against Kennedy. 

184 lbs: #12 Zack Ryder - #22 seed

Path to the finals if seeds hold:

• Rd of 32 - #11 Shane Cartagena-Walsh, Rutgers
• Rd of 16 - #6 Eddie Neitenbach, Wyoming
• Quarters - #3 Max McEnelly, Minnesota
• Semis - #2 Aeoden Sinclair, Missouri

Zack Ryder is unfortunately nursing a serious shoulder injury heading into the post-season and had to forfeit to 8th place at the Big 12 Tournament. Because of that injury, I don’t expect much from Ryder, and he’ll have a tough road as the #22 seed. Shane Cartagena-Walsh and Eddie Neitenbach are his first two potential opponents, and both have the potential to reach the podium. Then, title contender Max McEnelly will likely be waiting in the quarterfinals. I don’t expect Ryder to make it there, and I think the best case scenario for Ryder is keeping his shoulder intact and working his way through the consolation bracket. 

197 lbs: #6 Cody Merrill - #7 seed

Path to the finals if seeds hold:

• Rd of 32 - #26 Ben Vanadia, Purdue
• Rd of 16 - #10 Mac Stout, Pittsburgh
• Quarters - #2 Rocky Elam, Iowa State
• Semis - #3 Stephen Little, Little Rock

Cody Merrill had a great freshman season with a 17-4 record and a third-place finish at the Big 12 Tournament. He’ll be a significant favorite in his first round match against Purdue’s Ben Vanadia. However, things will get tough for him in the second round against 2025 All-American Mac Stout. Stout is 19-4 on the year with his only losses coming against Sonny Sasso (4-1 in OT), Angelo Posada (5-2), Dillon Bechtold (4-1 in OT), and Massoma Endene (5-4). Merrill also lost to Sasso (2-1) and Endene (4-3) but defeated Angelo Posada (5-3). The Stout-Merrill match should be a close one, and there’s a great chance we see it go to overtime.

If Merrill makes the quarterfinals, he’ll have a rematch against Iowa State’s Rocky Elam. Their match in the dual was incredibly close, with Elam coming out on top in overtime (4-1). Merrill will need to wrestle his best against Elam if he hopes to pull off the upset and make the semifinals. 

Elam's win over Merrill:

285 lbs: #8 Konner Doucet - #7 seed

Path to the finals if seeds hold:

• Rd of 32 - #26 Luke Luffman, Illinois
• Rd of 16 - #10 David Szuba, Arizona State
• Quarters - #2 Isaac Trumble, NC State
• Semis - #3 Taye Ghadiali, Michigan

Konner Doucet has been rock solid all year long with a 17-3 record, and his only losses have come against Yonger Bastida (two) and AJ Ferrari. Still, Doucet has a tough draw with a first-round match against Illinois Luke Luffman, who finished in the round of 12 last year. Then, Doucet will likely have Arizona State’s David Szuba. After a slow start to the season, Szuba finished strong, winning 13 of his final 14 matches and placing third at Big 12s. Doucet is 2-0 in his career against Szuba, winning 5-2 earlier this year and 4-0 three years ago. I expect a similar close match in Cleveland with Doucet as the favorite.

If Doucet makes the quarters, he’ll likely wrestle #2 seed Isaac Trumbe from NC State. Trumble has been phenomenal this year with a 16-0 record and an 81.25% bonus rate. On top of the record, Trumble has significant victories this year over Dayton Pitzer, Nick Feldman, and Jim Mullen. Trumble and Doucet have never wrestled in their college careers, but based on the results from this season, Trumble should be considered the favorite. 

Doucet's win over Szuba from 2023: