Intrigue is high at 133 pounds — especially with the second-semester addition of Oklahoma State star Jax Forrest. Forrest graduated from high school last semester and began his college career with a fall during the Bedlam dual on January 11. He is the top seed after a 13-0 true freshman campaign. 

Ohio State’s Ben Davino and Penn State’s Marcus Blaze split tiebreaker matches this year and have only one loss to each other. Neither has wrestled Forrest in college, but that could change soon. Virginia Tech’s Aaron Seidel scored three takedowns to one against Forrest in the dual, but dropped a 10-9 thriller on February 15. 

This weight has it all and is arguably the best and deepest weight at the 2026 NCAA Championships. If the seeds hold, the semifinals could be one for the ages. 

2026 NCAA Division 1 Rankings - 133 lbs

Interactive Brackets on FloWrestling

2025 All-Americans

1. Lucas Byrd (Illinois)
2. Drake Ayala (Iowa)
3. Zeth Romney (Cal Poly)
4. Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin)
5. Braeden Davis (Penn State)
6. Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech)
7. Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska)
8. Tyler Knox (Stanford)

2026 Top 8 Seeds

1. Jax Forrest, FR (Oklahoma State) — 14-0
2. Ben Davino, FR (Ohio State) — 27-1
3. Marcus Blaze, FR (Penn State) — 22-1
4. Aaron Seidel, FR (Virginia Tech) — 17-1
5. Kyler Larkin, FR (Arizona State), 17-2
6. Drake Ayala, SR (Iowa), 13-8
7. Lucas Byrd, SR (Illinois), 20-2
8. Markel Baker, JR (Northern Illinois), 26-4

The Favorites

#1 Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State)
#2 Ben Davino (Ohio State)
#3 Marcus Blaze (Penn State)

Most weights have a clear favorite. There are three at 133 — and they are all freshmen. 

Forrest dazzles with his dynamic offense, otherworldly scrambling, and showmanship. Of his 14 wins, 11 ended early (nine techs and two falls), one was a 15-2 major over #5 Kyler Larkin in the Big 12 finals, one was the 10-9 slugfest with #4 Seidel, and one was a 4-0 win over Cuba’s Reineri Andreu, a two-time U23 World champion. 

Of note, he teched returning two-time national finalist Drake Ayala, 19-3, in the dual, establishing the 19-year-old prodigy as a transcendent college star before winning a match at the NCAA Championships. 

Blaze and Davino survived a grueling Big Ten schedule and each other to earn spots on the opposite side of Forrest. Blaze achieved 17 bonus point victories, including tight wins against Ayala (twice) and Davino (once). The Nittany Lion star is nearly impossible to take down, and his square stance makes him a defensive puzzle that most can’t solve. 

Davino cracked the code with a win over Blaze in tiebreakers, but getting to his legs and scoring a takedown will be a challenge for every wrestler in the bracket. Davino has looked good all season and could be the next Buckeye superstar. He’ll earn legendary status if he can win this weight class in Cleveland. 

The Contenders

#4 Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech)
#5 Kyler Larkin, FR (Arizona State)
#6 Drake Ayala, SR (Iowa)
#7 Lucas Byrd, SR (Illinois)

If contender means challenging for a spot in the finals and possibly winning the NCAA tournament, then there are four. Seidel is a borderline favorite, but it would get crowded after three.

The Hokie freshman should not be overlooked, as he is capable of winning this weight. His lone loss was the 10-9 thriller with Forrest. Besides that, he has dismantled everyone. His 17 wins include two falls, 14 techs, one major, and ZERO decisions. Seidel posted an 18-3 tech over returning All-American Tyler Knox (Stanford) in the ACC finals — a barometer of his high ceiling. 

Larkin could meet Seidel in the quarters if the seeds hold. He, too, has a high ceiling, and his only contested loss was to Forrest, 15-2, in the Big 12 finals. Both Seidel and Larkin have loads of offense, and the national tournament is the perfect time to unleash it. 

Ayala and Byrd are the elder statesmen in a weight class filled with youth. Byrd and Ayala wrestled three times last season, with the Illinois star posting wins in the Big 10 and NCAA finals. Ayala got one back at this year’s Big 10 Championship consolation semis, earning a 4-1 win in sudden victory to eventually take third. 

The Hawkeye star is peaking at the right time after suffering eight losses. A 4-1 sudden victory setback to Blaze at Big 10s shows he can contend, even though Blaze is accustomed to winning tight matches. 

Byrd is the returning NCAA champion, but took a head-scratching 7-3 loss to Purdue’s under .500 Blake Boarman in the Big 10 quarterfinals. He rebounded for fifth, including a 5-2 win over Boarman in his final match of the tournament. Byrd’s gritty style and tough top game will need to be front and center if he wants to repeat as NCAA champion. 

Watch highlights from Byrd and Ayala's 2025 NCAA finals match

Sleepers & Landmines

#13 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska)
#15 Tyler Knox (Stanford)
#16 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin)

Van Dee is 17-6 on the season, but look at his fully contested losses.
— 12-6 to Ayala
— 7-2 to Davino
— 5-1 to Blaze
— 5-1 to Davino

We’ll throw out getting pinned against American’s Marcel Lopez at the Navy Classic early in the season as an aberration. 

Van Dee finished seventh at nationals in 2025, part of Nebraska’s second-place run. The Cornhusker star injury defaulted to Byrd at the Big 10s, so his status is uncertain. He should not be overlooked, and there’s no reason he can’t reach the second round against, presumably, Seidel. 

Knox finished eighth last year, falling to Van Dee in his final match of the season. His contested losses are to Seidel (twice), Blaze (once), and Larkin (once). He could face Davino in the Round of 16. 

Fugitt had an impressive run at the 2025 NCAA Championships, finishing fourth. He finished fourth at the Big 10 Championships, falling to Ayala twice, but he is dangerous as the 16-seed — even though he could meet Forrest in the second round. 

Watch highlights from the 2025 NCAA seventh-place match between Van Dee and Knox

Early Matches To Watch

R32: #9 Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado) vs #24 Blake Boarman (Purdue)
Remember, Boarman defeated Byrd at the Big 10 Championships. He transferred from Chattanooga, where he posted a 20-8 record and qualified for nationals. Boarman is 12-15, but a Big 10 schedule skews everything. Serrano is 15-3, but fell to Missouri’s Gage Walker, 4-1 SV, at the Big 12s and injury defaulted to Oklahoma’s Carter Schmidt. 

R32: #8 Markel Baker (Northern Illinois) vs #25 Will Betancourt (Rider)
Baker is ranked #29 and Betancourt #30 in FloWrestling’s rankings, making this a dead heat. These two met in the MAC Championship finals, with Baker winning 2-1. 

R32: #13 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) vs #20 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa)
This is more than a rubber match. These two have met six times in college, with Farber winning the first two and Van Dee taking the last four. This is the third time they’ve wrestled at the NCAA Championships. 

Here’s their college history:
December 1, 2023: Farber over Van Dee, 9-5
January 6, 2024: Farber over Van Dee, 8-1
March 21, 2024: Van Dee over Farber, 5-1
January 5, 2025: Van Dee over Farber, 5-0
March 21, 2026: Van Dee over Farber, 4-2
January 3, 206: Van Dee over Farber, 5-0

R32: #7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs #26 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers)
Shawver is a 2024 All-American (7th) and 2025 Round of 12er who has wrestled Byrd tight in two college losses. He fell 3-1 and 6-5 in duals the past two seasons. Two All-Americans going head-to-head in the first round shouldn’t be overlooked. 

Byrd lost in the second round and wrestled back for fifth in 2021, and lost in the first round and finished fifth in 2022 -- so there's precedent. 

R16: #1 Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State) vs #16 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin)
Forrest (if he wins) could face last year’s fourth-place finisher in the second round. 

R16: #4 Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech) vs #13 Jacon Van Dee (Nebraska)
Like Forrest, Seidel (if he wins) could face a returning All-American in the second round.

R16: #2 Ben Davino (Ohio State) vs #15 Tyler Knox (Stanford)
Like Forrest and Seidel, Davino (if he wins) could face a returning All-American in the second round. 

Watch Van Dee and Farber at the 2023 CKLV

Predictions

1. Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State)
2. Marcus Blaze (Penn State)
3. Ben Davino (Ohio State)
4. Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech)
5. Drake Ayala (Iowa)
6. Lucas Byrd (Illinois)
7. Kyler Larkin (Arizona State)
8. Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin)