By National Wrestling Coaches Association

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - As the dust settled inside the UNI-Dome following 261 contested duals at the 2026 NWCA/USMC Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships, seven team champions were crowned, capping two intense days of competition. Title runs by North Central (NCAA Women) and Roanoke (NCAA Division III Men) highlighted the weekend with dramatic upsets, while championship performances across all divisions underscored the depth of collegiate wrestling.

SEE Pictures of Team Champions

The 2026 national champions included Grand View (NAIA Men), Life (NAIA Women), Northern Iowa (NCAA Division I Men), Central Oklahoma (NCAA Division II Men), Roanoke (NCAA Division III Men), North Central (NCAA Women), and Wartburg (NCAA Division III Women).

This annual celebration of collegiate wrestling is made possible through the support of A Better Way Athletics, Capitol Construction, and Defense Soap.

NAIA Men 

What is fast becoming a yearly tradition, No. 1 Grand View rolled into the finals against familiar foe, No. 3 Life.  Life secured a mini upset over No. 2 Indiana Tech in their semifinal matchup.

Semifinal Results

No. 1 Grand View def. No. 4 Southeastern, 42-4

No. 3 Life def. No. 2 Indiana Tech, 25-10

Championship Final Results

No. 1 Grand View came out hot with two falls and a tech while taking the first four matches of the finals.  No. 3 Life was able to secure victories at 157 and 184, but it was not enough to keep Grand View from starting a new streak with back-to-back Titles. It's first under new head coach Grant Henderson, with a wide 37-7 margin.

No. 1 Grand View def. Life, 37-7

125 - Elijah Cater (Grand View (Iowa)) over Mikey Doerr (Life University) Fall 3:28

133 - Gabe Gonzales (Grand View (Iowa)) over Isaiah Rubio (Life University) TF 17-2

141 - Marckis Branford (Grand View (Iowa)) over Mauro Michel (Life University) Fall 4:14

149 - Luke Fogleman (Grand View (Iowa)) over Gavin Balmeceda (Life University) Dec 4-2

157 - Douglas Terry (Life University) over Bryce Boumans (Grand View (Iowa)) Dec 5-2

165 - Cam Robinson (Grand View (Iowa)) over Rocky Raby (Life University) Dec 14-8

174 - Kristopher Ketchum (Grand View (Iowa)) over Reese Jones (Life University) Dec 4-2

184 - Tre Morrisette (Life University) over Lucas Hageman (Grand View (Iowa)) Maj 14-5

197 - Garavous Kouekabakilaho (Grand View (Iowa)) over Efren Arizmendez (Life University) TF 17-2

285 - Shane Cook (Grand View (Iowa)) over Unknown (Unattached) Forfeit

Team Results

1st Place - Grand View (Iowa)

2nd Place - Life University

3rd Place - Indiana Tech

4th Place – Southeastern

5th Place - Southern Oregon

6th Place - Providence (Mont.)

7th Place - Oklahoma City

8th Place - Cumberlands (Ky.)

NAIA Women 

The seeds held true as No. 1 defending champions Life and No. 2 Providence each worked their way into the finals with steady performances in the semis.

Semifinal Results

No. 1 Life def. No. 4 William Penn, 24-18

No. 2 Providence def. No. 3 Grand View, 27-16

Championship Final Results

The finals saw No. 2 Providence slide out to an early lead after consecutive technical superiority wins, but No. 1 Life rebounded with eight consecutive victories to seal a 32-11 win, securing back-to-back-to-back National Duals titles.

No. 1 Life def. No. 2 Providence, 32-11

103 - Erin Hikiji (University of Providence) over Alyssa Quezaire (Life University) TF 10-0

110 - Paige Morales (University of Providence) over Diana Gonzalez (Life University) TF 10-0

117 - Salyna Shotwell (Life University) over Joely Slyter (University of Providence) Fall 4:38

124 - Anna Krejsa (Life University) over Alyssa Randles (University of Providence) Fall 4:18

131 - Sarah Savidge (Life University) over Waipuilani Estrella-beauchamp (University of Providence) Dec 2-2

138 - Zaynah Mcbryde (Life University) over Esther Han (University of Providence) Dec 10-4

145 - Jamilah Mcbryde (Life University) over Elise Twait (University of Providence) Dec 11-5

160 - Latifah Mcbryde (Life University) over Hailey Sutton (University of Providence) TF 10-0

180 - Reka Busa (Life University) over Aspen Dodge (University of Providence) TF 11-0

207 - Madeline Welch (Life University) over Sydnee Nielson (University of Providence) Fall 1:31

Team Results

1st Place - Life University

2nd Place - University of Providence

3rd Place - Grand View

4th Place - William Penn

5th Place - Lindsey Wilson

6th Place - Southern Oregon University

7th Place - Texas Wesleyan

8th Place - Indiana Tech

NCAA Division I Men 

No. 1 South Dakota State and defending National Duals Champs No. 2 Northern Iowa, both advanced out of their pools with unblemished 4-0 records to force a rematch of last year's D1 Men's finals.

In the consolation finals, Drexel took home 3rd place after a 21-12 victory over Northern Illinois

Pool A

1st Place – No. 1 South Dakota State

2nd Place - Northern Illinois

3rd Place - Central Michigan

4th Place - Harvard

5th Place - Campbell

Pool B

1st Place - No. 2 Northern Iowa

2nd Place - Drexel

3rd Place - Ohio

4th Place - CSU Bakersfield

5th Place - Bloomsburg

Championship Final Results

Defending champions and host, #2 Northern Iowa, pulled out a tight 20-14 victory over #1 South Dakota State in front of their home crowd, winning six of ten matches. Bonus points at 141 from Max Brady helped the Panthers secure the victory.

#2 Northern Iowa def. #1 South Dakota State, 20-14

125 - Brady Roark (South Dakota State) over Bowen Downey (Northern Iowa) Dec 6-2

133 - Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) over Cale Seaton (South Dakota State) Dec 12-6

141 - Max Brady (Northern Iowa) over Julian Tagg (South Dakota State) Dec 12-10

149 - Ethan Basile (Northern Iowa) over Logan Swensen (South Dakota State) TF 15-0

157 - Cael Swensen (South Dakota St) over Cael Rahnavardi (Northern Iowa) TF 19-4

165 - Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) over Jacob Herm (South Dakota State) Dec 7-0

174 - Moses Espinoza-Owens (South Dakota State) over Izzy Moreno (Northern

Iowa) Dec 7-2

184 - Nick Fox (Northern Iowa) over Brock Fettig (South Dakota State) Dec 4-2

197 - Bennett Berge (South Dakota St) over John Gunderson (Northern Iowa) Dec 7-3

285 - Adam Ahrendsen (Northern Iowa) over Luke Rasmussen (South Dakota St) Dec 10-7

Team Results

1st Place - Northern Iowa

2nd Place - South Dakota State

3rd Place – Drexel

4th Place – Northern Illinois

5th Place – Central Michigan

6th Place – Ohio

7th Place – Harvard

8th Place – CSU Bakersfield

NCAA Division II Men 

The top seeds, No. 1 Central Oklahoma, a finalist from a year ago, and No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney advanced into the finals after nailing down convincing victories over No. 4 Lander and No. 3 UW-Parkside.

Semifinal Results

No. 1 Central Oklahoma def. No. 4 Lander, 30-6

No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney def No. 3 UW-Parkside, 28-6

Championship Final Results

No. 1 Central Oklahoma had the hot hand in the finals, taking seven of ten matches from No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney, improving on last year's runner-up finish.

No. 1 Central Oklahoma def. No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney 22-12

125 - El Kirk (Central Oklahoma) over Caleb Coyle (Nebraska-Kearney) Dec 8-1

133 - Jason Henschel (Central Oklahoma) over Zachary Ourada (Nebraska-Kearney) Maj 8-0

141 - Joseph Airola (Nebraska-Kearney) over Josh Taylor (Central Oklahoma) SV-1 4-1

149 - Cole Mayfield (Central Oklahoma) over Brady Collins (Nebraska-Kearney) Dec 4-1

157 - Gabe Johnson (Central Oklahoma) over Cael Robb (Nebraska-Kearney) Dec 8-1

165 - Bryce Dauphin (Central Oklahoma) over Trenton Munoz (Nebraska-Kearney) Dec 8-7

174 - Hunter Jump (Central Oklahoma) over Otgonbayar Batsuuri (Nebraska-Kearney) Dec 1-0

184 - Kaden Hart (Nebraska-Kearney) over Branson Britten (Central Oklahoma) Maj 11-2

197 - Garrett Wells (Central Oklahoma) over Jackson Kinsella (Nebraska-Kearney) Dec 5-1

285 - Crew Howard (Nebraska-Kearney) over Ryan Nichols (Central Oklahoma) TF 18-3

Team Results

1st Place - Central Oklahoma2nd Place - Nebraska-Kearney

3rd Place - Wisconsin-Parkside

4th Place - Lander

6th Place – Umary

6th Place - St. Cloud State

7th Place - Augustana (SD)

8th Place – Tiffin

NCAA Division III Men 

No. 6 Roanoke continued their hot streak in the semis, upsetting No. 2 Augsburg, the defending champions from a year ago. Wartburg once again found its way into the finals, taking out No. 4 TCNJ.

Semifinal Results

No. 1 Wartburg def. No. 4 TCNJ, 24-15

No. 6 Roanoke def. No. 2 Augsburg, 23-11

Championship Final Results

No. 6 Roanoke proved to be one of the stories of the weekend as they rolled into the finals and shocked the crowd inside the UNI-Dome as they knocked off another national power in No. 1 Wartburg in a tight 19-16 contest. Roanoke joins UW-La Crosse as the only schools that have won the D3 Men's National Duals aside from Wartburg and Augsburg.  Of note, Roanoke beat both Augsburg (Semis) and Wartburg (Finals) in the same national duals.

No. 6 Roanoke College def. No. 1 Wartburg, 19-16

125 - Mac Cafurello (Roanoke College) over Brett Birchman (Wartburg) Dec 5-0

133 - Patrick Mullen (Wartburg) over Jude Robson (Roanoke College) Dec 9-4

141 - Mark Samuel (Roanoke College) over Kade Blume (Wartburg) SV-1 5-2

149 - Taylor Smith (Roanoke College) over Caleb Olson (Wartburg) Dec 11-8

157 - Charlie Dojan (Wartburg) over Bailey Wilman (Roanoke College) TF 17-1

165 - Cade Parent (Roanoke College) over Aiden Brosinski (Wartburg) Dec 7-5

174 - Xavier Preston (Roanoke College) over Mike Slade (Wartburg) Maj 18-7

184 - Kasey Ross (Wartburg) over Brock Sullivan (Roanoke College) Maj 11-1

197 - Hunter Moore (Roanoke College) over Cal Dorota (Wartburg) Dec 8-5

285 - Mitch Williamson (Wartburg) over Nicholas Cook (Roanoke College) Maj 11-1

Team Results

1st Place - Roanoke College

2nd Place – Wartburg

3rd Place – Augsburg

4th Place – TCNJ

5th Place – Loras

6th Place - Wisconsin-La Crosse

7th Place – Coe

8th Place - North Central

NCAA Women 

No. 4 North Central played the role of giant killer in the semifinals on Saturday morning, when they handed No. 1 Iowa their first dual loss in program history.  Entering the deciding 207 match, Iowa held a 21-18 advantage before North Central backup Dasia Yearby secured the walk-off fall (1:38) over #2 Jaycee Foeller, giving the Cardinal the 23-21 win, landing them in the finals against No. 2 McKendree.

Semifinal Results

No. 4 North Central def. No. 1 Iowa, 23-21

No. 2 McKendree def. No. 3 Grand Valley State, 25-13

Championship Final Results

No. 4 North Central's depth at 207 carried on from the semis into the finals, where Shenita Lawson's 2-2 victory on criteria secured yet another upset win for Coach Joe Norton's squad over No. 2 McKendree 21-18.  There was no letdown for the Cardinals after they shocked the world in the semis, taking out back-to-back national duals champion Iowa. 

No. 4 North Central def. No. 2 McKendree, 21-18

103 - Heather Crull (McKendree University) over Brianne Graves (North Central College) TF 15-4

110 - Kaelani Shufeldt (North Central College) over Gabriele Tedesco (McKendree University) Dec 3-2

117 - Yu Sakamoto (McKendree University) over Riley Rayome (North Central College) Dec 8-2

124 - Sara Sterner (North Central College) over Shelby Moore (McKendree University) Dec 5-3

131 - Cameron Guerin (McKendree University) over Grace Stem (North Central College) Dec 12-6

138 - Claire Dicugno (North Central College) over Haylie Jaffe (McKendree University) Dec 5-4

145 - Bella Mir (North Central College) over Alexis Gomez (McKendree University) Dec 9-0

160 - Taylor Graveman (North Central College) over Jasmine Robinson (McKendree

University) Dec 8-6

180 - Destiny Rodriguez (McKendree University) over Jael Miller (North Central College) Dec 6-0

207 - Shenita Lawson (North Central College) over Tristan Kelly (McKendree University) Dec 2-2

Team Results

1st Place - North Central College

2nd Place - McKendree University

3rd Place – Iowa

4th Place - Grand Valley State

5th Place – Presbyterian

6th Place - Lindenwood University

7th Place - Colorado Mesa University

8th Place - Sacred Heart

NCAA Division III Women 

There was high drama as No. 1 Wartburg, trailing 18-21 entering the final bout of the dual, leaned on #4 Rewa Chaba as she secured the fall (1:38) to propel her squad into the finals, where they will matchup with No. 2 Simpson, who took down No. 3 Western New England.

Semifinal Results

No. 1 Wartburg def. No. 5 Aurora, 23-21

No. 2 Simpson def. No. 3 Western New England, 28-17

Championship Final Results

In the finals, No. 1 Wartburg came out on fire, winning the first seven matches before ending the dual with an 8-2 record against No. 2 Simpson by a 31-13 score.

No. 1 Wartburg def. No. 2 Simpson, 31-13

103 - Chloe Sheffield (Wartburg) over Emaline Hicks (Simpson) Dec 5-0

110 - Afftynn Stusse (Wartburg) over Sarah Zimmerman (Simpson) Fall 3:48

117 - Gable Hemann (Wartburg) over Layla Phillips (Simpson) TF 10-0

124 - Sophie Bowers (Wartburg) over Ashley Cannon (Simpson) Dec 12-3

131 - Mackenzie Childers (Wartburg) over Vanessa Aguirre (Simpson) Fall 1:40

138 - Kylie Rule (Wartburg) over Paige Gershmel (Simpson) TF 16-5

145 - Aniyah Kelly (Wartburg) over Noa Arnold (Simpson) Dec 4-2

160 - Keeley Kehrli (Simpson) over May Prado (Wartburg) Fall 1:34

180 - Autumn Calvert (Simpson) over Erika Peterson (Wartburg) Fall 3:00

207 - Rewa Chababo (Wartburg) over Savannah Sistad (Simpson) TF 10-0

Team Results

1st Place – Wartburg

2nd Place – Simpson

3rd Place – Aurora

4th Place - Western New England

5th Place - Augustana (IL)

6th Place - Elmira College

7th Place - Pacific University

8th Place - Eastern