Pre-Seeds Announced for 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Mar 02 | Wrestling
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Big Ten Conference announced the preliminary seeds for the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 7-8 at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania.
The pre-seeds, produced this year through WrestleStat's Tournament Seeder Program utilizing allocation criteria approved by conference coaches, rank 14 starters in all 10 weight classes.
Remy Cotton (197) earned the program's highest pre-seed, checking in at No. 3 ahead of this weekend's conference tournament. No. 4 seed Anthony White (157), No. 6 seed Ayden Smith (125), No. 7 seed Andrew Clark (149), No. 7 seed Andrew Barbosa (165), No. 7 seed Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) and No. 8 seed Hunter Catka (HWT) all earned top eight pre-seeds.
2026 Rutgers Big Ten Championships Pre-Seeds
125: No. 6 Ayden Smith
133: No. 9 Dylan Shawver
141: No. 10 Joseph Olivieri
149: No. 7 Andrew Clark
157: No. 4 Anthony White
165: No. 7 Andrew Barbosa
174: No. 10 Lenny Pinto
184: No. 7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh
197: No. 3 Remy Cotton
HWT: No. 8 Hunter Catka
To automatically qualify for the 2026 NCAA Championships, held from March 19-21 in Cleveland, each Scarlet Knight will have to finish within the threshold listed at his weight. The Big Ten leads the country with 87 of the total 288 automatic bids on the table, with a total conference breakdown below.
The complete list of Big Ten Championships pre-seeds can be found below:
125 lbs
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)
133 lbs
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)
141 lbs
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. JOSEPH OLIVIERI (RU)
11. Dario Lemus (MD)
12. Danny Pucino (ILL)
13. Carson Exferd (WIS)
14. Jaden Crumpler (MSU)
149 lbs
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)
157 lbs
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)
165 lbs
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)
174 lbs
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)
184 lbs
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)
197 lbs
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)
285 lbs
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)
The pre-seeds, produced this year through WrestleStat's Tournament Seeder Program utilizing allocation criteria approved by conference coaches, rank 14 starters in all 10 weight classes.
Remy Cotton (197) earned the program's highest pre-seed, checking in at No. 3 ahead of this weekend's conference tournament. No. 4 seed Anthony White (157), No. 6 seed Ayden Smith (125), No. 7 seed Andrew Clark (149), No. 7 seed Andrew Barbosa (165), No. 7 seed Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) and No. 8 seed Hunter Catka (HWT) all earned top eight pre-seeds.
2026 Rutgers Big Ten Championships Pre-Seeds
125: No. 6 Ayden Smith
133: No. 9 Dylan Shawver
141: No. 10 Joseph Olivieri
149: No. 7 Andrew Clark
157: No. 4 Anthony White
165: No. 7 Andrew Barbosa
174: No. 10 Lenny Pinto
184: No. 7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh
197: No. 3 Remy Cotton
HWT: No. 8 Hunter Catka
To automatically qualify for the 2026 NCAA Championships, held from March 19-21 in Cleveland, each Scarlet Knight will have to finish within the threshold listed at his weight. The Big Ten leads the country with 87 of the total 288 automatic bids on the table, with a total conference breakdown below.
| Conference | 125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285 | Total |
| ACC | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 39 |
| Big 12 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 63 |
| Big Ten | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 87 |
| EIWA | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 26 |
| IVY | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 23 |
| MAC | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 27 |
| PAC-12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| SOCON | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Pre-Allocations | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 288 |
| At-Large | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 42 |
The complete list of Big Ten Championships pre-seeds can be found below:
125 lbs
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)
133 lbs
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)
141 lbs
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. JOSEPH OLIVIERI (RU)
11. Dario Lemus (MD)
12. Danny Pucino (ILL)
13. Carson Exferd (WIS)
14. Jaden Crumpler (MSU)
149 lbs
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)
157 lbs
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)
165 lbs
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)
174 lbs
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)
184 lbs
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)
197 lbs
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)
285 lbs
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)
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