By David Lentz
NCAA

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has announced the first coaches’ ranking for the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

The coaches’ rankings are determined by a vote of three coaches in each weight class. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days.

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Of the 10 weight classes, nine are led by members of the Big Ten Conference with wrestlers from Penn State leading the way in five classes. The top spots in four classes are comprised of former national champions.

Lucas Byrd a national champion in 2025 who etched his name in Illinois history, being the first wrestler to become a national champion in the 133-pound weight class, is leading all 133-pounders. Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez leads the 141-pound weight class, looking to win his third consecutive national championship at that weight. Penn State national champions Levi Haines (2024) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (2025) lead their respective weight classes.

The other three Penn State wrestlers that lead their weight class include, Shayne Van Ness at 149 pounds, Rocco Welsh at 184 pounds and Josh Barr at 197 pounds. Nic Bouzakis at 125 pounds and Brandon Cannon at 157 pounds hold the top spot in their weight classes for Ohio State. Out front for the heavyweights is Iowa State’s Yonger Bastida.

The coaches’ ranking is one of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process along with head-to-head competition, quality wins, Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.

A full description of the entire selection process for the 2026 Division I Wrestling Championships is available at ncaa.org.

The 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships takes place March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, marking the third time the city will host.