By Brian Reinhardt
USA Wrestling

The turn to Fall signals the start of the NCAA wrestling season. While we still must wait a few more weeks for Division I men’s action to begin, this weekend in Las Vegas we will get a sneak preview of some of the top collegiate stars in international freestyle action.

The 2026 Galaxy U23 World Championships are currently underway in Las Vegas, and men’s freestyle action takes place October 16-18.

The U.S. squad is loaded as it looks to repeat as team champions, and college wrestling fans will recognize a lot of names, as these athletes are also expected to compete for NCAA titles at the 2027 NCAA Championships in St. Louis in March.

Here is a look at the collegiate status of the 2026 U23 U.S. men’s freestyle World Team.

57 kg – Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) 

The list of accolades is long for Luke Lilledahl. On the international level, he is the reigning U23 World champion and a three-time age-group World champion overall. In two seasons at Penn State, he has won an NCAA title (2026) and finished third (2025). He was the No. 1 seed in both of his NCAA runs and a two-time Big Ten champion. What will he do in season three? Even with five of the other seven All-Americans from 2026 returning this year, he is a heavy favorite to repeat as the NCAA champion at 125 pounds.

61 kg – Ben Davino (Ohio State) 

In his first year in the Ohio State lineup last year, Ben Davino was an NCAA finalist as the second seed, going 31-2 overall, and captured the Big Ten Championship. He enters his third year on campus ranked second, behind defending champion Jax Forrest of Oklahoma State. Like 125 pounds, six of the eight 2026 All-Americans return at 133 pounds, including the top four placers.

65 kg – Bo Bassett (Virginia Tech) 

One of the most decorated high school recruits of all time, Bo Bassett will look to make an impact at 141 pounds as a true freshman at Virginia Tech. After finishing his high school career with a perfect 170-0 record, he claimed gold at the 2026 U20 World Championships earlier this year, and the U23s will be his second age-group tournament this year. It will be a busy month for Bassett, as he will turn right around and be in action at the Senior World Championships in Kazakhstan. He will start his season ranked second nationally, only behind 2025 U20 World champion Luke Stanich of Lehigh.

70 kg – Jordan Williams (Iowa) 

Jordan Williams will be making his World Championships debut. His collegiate career has taken him to multiple programs. He spent his first two seasons at Oklahoma State and was the 2024 Big 12 runner-up and an NCAA qualifier. He then spent a year at Little Rock, winning the Pac-12 title. He enters his second season at Iowa, starting at No. 13 at 157 pounds after not making the Hawkeyes’ postseason squad last year.

74 kg – Jayden James (Penn State) 

Jayden James would have joined Bassett and Merrill as incoming freshmen on this squad, but he decided to grayshirt and defer his eligibility before enrolling at Penn State for the 2027-28 campaign. He was the No. 3 overall recruit in his class. Earlier this summer, he earned silver at the U20 World Championships, following up his gold medal at the 2025 U17 World Championships.

79 kg – Joseph Sealey (Penn State) 

The 2022 U17 World Champion, Joseph Sealey was named to the squad in September after NC State’s Matty Singleton withdrew due to injury. He has found great success on the international level but has not broken into the Penn State lineup heading into his third season in Happy Valley.

86 kg – Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) 

After going 8-4 as a true freshman, Aeoden Sinclair broke onto the collegiate scene in his first year in the Missouri lineup at 184 pounds last year. He earned All-American honors with a third-place showing, highlighted by a Big 12 title and a 36-2 overall record. He went on a 26-match winning streak during the campaign and is No. 4 to start the upcoming season. Like Bassett earlier this year, Sinclair also claimed a 2026 U20 World title.

92 kg – Seth Shumate (Ohio State) 

Shumate will also be making his World Championships debut. He will then enter his fifth and final season at Ohio State as the Buckeyes’ 197-pound starter. He was not in the postseason lineup last year but was a 2025 NCAA Qualifier.

97 kg – Justin Rademacher (Oregon State) 

Rademacher will be looking for a World title for the second straight year, as he was the 2025 U20 World champion. He led Oregon State with a 24-5 record last year at 197 pounds and went 8-1 in duals. He opens his fourth collegiate season ranked 11th.

125 kg – Coby Merrill (Iowa State) 

Merrill joins Bassett as one of two true freshmen on the U23 World team. From Ontario, Calif., he takes over at heavyweight for Iowa State, replacing 2026 NCAA finalist Yonger Bastida. A two-time state champion and four-time finalist, he was a top-20 recruit in his class. He is the highest-ranked freshman heavyweight to start the season. There are high expectations for Merrill, especially after he upset Mason Parris in the quarterfinals at the 2026 U.S. Open.