David Taylor’s impact on wrestling has entered a new phase at Oklahoma State, where the Olympic champion is now shaping one of the sport’s most storied programs.

 In his second season as head coach, Taylor already has the Cowboys positioned as a contender at the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships, with multiple seeded wrestlers and a No. 2 team ranking.

• All 10 Cowboys Head To NCAAs As Oklahoma State Eyes Peak Performance
• 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championship Preview & Predictions - 133 Pounds
• Jax Forrest Took A Unique Path To Oklahoma State Wrestling

Oklahoma State sits behind Penn State in the latest team rankings and boasts top-eight seeds across several weight classes, including No. 1 seed Jax Forrest at 133 pounds. 

That momentum follows a strong first season under Taylor, when the Cowboys finished third at the NCAA Championships, went 13-1 in duals and captured a Big 12 title.

The 2026 NCAA Championships take place March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, featuring prelims Thursday, semifinals Friday night and championship finals Saturday evening. As Taylor returns to the sport’s biggest stage in a new role, his legacy as a competitor remains one of the standard-setting careers in NCAA history.

Here are some incredible things to know about David Taylor.

David Taylor Won Two NCAA Titles And Two Outstanding Wrestler Awards

Taylor claimed NCAA championships at 165 pounds in 2012 and 2014, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors both times.

David Taylor Is A Two-Time Dan Hodge Trophy Winner

He captured the Hodge Trophy in 2012 and 2014, including a near-consensus selection in his final season.

David Taylor Posted A Historic Penn State Career Record

Taylor finished 134-3, never lost a dual meet and went 56-0 against Big Ten opponents during his career.

David Taylor Won Olympic Gold In A Last-Second Thriller

At the Tokyo Olympics, Taylor secured gold with a late takedown to defeat Hassan Yazdani 4-3.

David Taylor Has Won Three Senior World Titles

Taylor captured world titles in 2018, 2022 and 2023, including a pin in the 2023 final to secure his third gold.

NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026 Schedule

Thursday, March 19

• 12:00 p.m. ET: Session I (First Round) - ESPN2
• 7:00 p.m. ET: Session II (Second Round, Consolation Matches) - ESPN

Friday, March 20

• 12:00 p.m. ET: Session III (Quarterfinals, Consolation Matches) - ESPNU
• 8:00 p.m. ET: Session IV (Semifinals, Consolation Matches) - ESPN2

Saturday, March 21

• 11:00 a.m. ET: Session V (Medal Matches) - ESPNU
• 6:30 p.m. ET: Session VI (Finals) - ESPN

How To Watch NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026

• The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU from March 19-21 in Cleveland. 
• Every match will also be streamed on ESPN+, including concurrent mat coverage.

NCAA Wrestling Championships Seeds 2026

Here are the top eight seeds for each weight class at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. See more here. 

125 lbs

• (1) Luke Lilledahl, Penn State
• (2) Eddie Ventresca, Virginia Tech
• (3) Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State
• (4) Sheldon Seymour, Lehigh
• (5) Troy Spratley, Oklahoma State
• (6) Jore Volk, Minnesota
• (7) Nico Provo, Stanford
• (8) Dean Peterson, Iowa

133 lbs

• (1) Jax Forrest, Oklahoma State
• (2) Ben Davino, Ohio State
• (3) Marcus Blaze, Penn State
• (4) Aaron Seidel, Virginia Tech
• (5) Kyler Larkin, Arizona State
• (6) Drake Ayala, Iowa
• (7) Lucas Byrd, Illinois
• (8) Markel Baker, Northern Illinois

141 lbs

• (1) Jesse Mendez, Ohio State
• (2) Sergio Vega, Oklahoma State
• (3) Brock Hardy, Nebraska
• (4) Anthony Echemendia, Iowa State
• (5) Luke Stanich, Lehigh
• (6) Vince Cornella, Cornell
• (7) Nasir Bailey, Iowa
• (8) Vance Vombaur, Minnesota

149 lbs

• (1) Shayne Van Ness, Penn State
• (2) Jaxon Joy, Cornell
• (3) Cross Wasilewski, Penn
• (4) Collin Gaj, Virginia Tech
• (5) Koy Buesgens, NC State
• (6) Caleb Tyus, SIUE
• (7) Ethan Stiles, Ohio State
• (8) Casey Swiderski, Oklahoma State

157 lbs

• (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

165 lbs

• (1) Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State
• (2) Joey Blaze, Purdue
• (3) Mikey Caliendo, Iowa
• (4) Nicco Ruiz, Arizona State
• (5) LaDarion Lockett, Oklahoma State
• (6) LJ Araujo, Nebraska
• (7) Max Brignola, Lehigh
• (8) Matty Bianchi, Little Rock

174 lbs

• (1) Levi Haines, Penn State
• (2) Simon Ruiz, Cornell
• (3) Christopher Minto, Nebraska
• (4) Carson Kharchla, Ohio State
• (5) Patrick Kennedy, Iowa
• (6) Matty Singleton, NC State
• (7) Cam Steed, Missouri
• (8) Alex Facundo, Oklahoma State

184 lbs

• (1) Rocco Welsh, Penn State
• (2) Aeoden Sinclair, Missouri
• (3) Max McEnelly, Minnesota
• (4) James Conway, Franklin & Marshall
• (5) Brock Mantanona, Michigan
• (6) Eddie Neitenbach, Wyoming
• (7) Angelo Ferrari, Iowa
• (8) Silas Allred, Nebraska

197 lbs

• (1) Josh Barr, Penn State
• (2) Rocky Elam, Iowa State
• (3) Stephen Little, Little Rock
• (4) Sonny Sasso, Virginia Tech
• (5) Joey Novak, Wyoming
• (6) Justin Rademacher, Oregon State
• (7) Cody Merrill, Oklahoma State
• (8) DJ Parker, Oklahoma

285 lbs

• (1) Yonger Bastida, Iowa State
• (2) Isaac Trumble, NC State
• (3) Taye Ghadiali, Michigan
• (4) AJ Ferrari, Nebraska
• (5) Nick Feldman, Ohio State
• (6) Nathan Taylor, Lehigh
• (7) Konner Doucet, Oklahoma State
• (8) Ben Kueter, Iowa

FloWrestling College Wrestling Team Rankings

1. Penn State (Points: 164, Prev Rank: 1)
2. OK State (Points: 95.5, Prev Rank: 3)
3. Ohio State (Points: 94, Prev Rank: 2)
4. Nebraska (Points: 76.5, Prev Rank: 5)
5. Iowa State (Points: 68.5, Prev Rank: 4)
6. Iowa (Points: 66.5, Prev Rank: 6)
7. Virginia Tech (Points: 53.5, Prev Rank: 9)
8. Cornell (Points: 52, Prev Rank: 7)
9. NC State (Points: 48, Prev Rank: 8)
10. Arizona State (Points: 41, Prev Rank: 14)

Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling

Trackwrestling has officially 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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