The 2026 Big Ten wrestling tournament is underway, and the action is intense! With the top seeds advancing to the semifinals, the competition is heating up. Here's a recap of the early rounds and a preview of the upcoming matches.
Early Round Recap
The opening rounds saw relatively few upsets, with all 10 No. 1 seeds advancing to the night semifinal session. The major shock of the first session was defending national champion Lucas Byrd's loss in the 133-pound quarterfinal to Blake Boarman by decision, 7-3. Penn State has an early lead in the team standings with nine of its 10 wrestlers progressing to the semifinals.
125 Pounds
No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) and No. 6 Jore Volk (Minnesota) advance to the finals after their respective wins over Jacob Moran and Nic Bouzakis. Lilledahl dominated with an 11-3 major over Moran, while Volk earned an 8-1 decision over Bouzakis.
133 Pounds
Lucas Byrd (Illinois) and Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) keep their hopes alive for third place with their wins over Braxton Brown and Blaine Frazier, respectively. Byrd and Van Dee will now compete against one another, while Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) will take on Sean Spidle (Northwestern).
141 Pounds
Penn State's Braeden Davis continues his quest for bronze, while Ohio State's Jesse Mendez and Nebraska's Brock Hardy advance to the semifinals. Davis defeated Danny Pucino by fall, while Mendez pinned Billy DeKraker in the first period.
149 Pounds
Michael Gioffre (Illinois) and Carter Young (Maryland) move on to the semifinals after their respective wins over Clayton Jones and Andrew Clark. Gioffre dominated with a 7-4 decision, while Young earned an 8-0 tech fall.
157 Pounds
Brandon Cannon (Ohio State) and Charlie Millard (Minnesota) advance to the semifinals after their wins over Stoney Buell and Tony White, respectively. Cannon won by default, while Millard earned a 4-2 decision.
165 Pounds
Joey Blaze (Purdue) and Braeden Scoles (Illinois) move on to the semifinals after their respective wins over Tyler Lillard and AJ Rodrigues. Blaze rebounded from an upset loss with a 4-1 win, while Scoles earned a 20-4 tech fall.
174 Pounds
Levi Haines (Penn State) and Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) advance to the semifinals after their respective wins over Colin Kelly and Lenny Pinto. Haines earned a 17-2 tech fall, while Kennedy secured a 9-1 decision.
184 Pounds
Rocco Welsh (Penn State) and Max McEnelly (Minnesota) advance to the semifinals after their respective wins over Angelo Ferrari and Shane Cartagena-Walsh. Welsh survived a tough test, while McEnelly cruised to an easy 21-6 tech fall win.
197 Pounds
Josh Barr (Penn State) and Camden McDanel (Nebraska) move on to the semifinals after their respective wins over Gabe Sollars and Kael Wisler. Barr dominated with a 21-6 tech fall, while McDanel earned an 18-2 tech fall win.
285 Pounds
AJ Ferrari (Nebraska) and Taye Ghadiali (Michigan) advance to the semifinals after their respective wins over Ben Kueter and Hunter Catka. Ferrari earned a 5-1 decision, while Ghadiali pinned Catka in the first period.
Next Steps
The semifinals will be broadcasted at BTN and BTN+ at 7pm, with the consolation semifinals and 7th-place matches on Sunday at noon. The championship finals and the third and fifth-place matches will air Sunday at 4:30pm on BTN and BTN+.
As the tournament progresses, the competition will only get tougher. Who will emerge as the champion? Stay tuned for more updates and analysis as the 2026 Big Ten wrestling tournament unfolds!
