2026 DII+DIII Nationals Recap

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Last weekend, the Division II and Division III National Championships took place, with 390 wrestlers participating in the events (180 in DII and 210 in DIII). New England was well represented, with two wrestlers competing in the DII championship and 17 competing in DIII.

Of those 19 wrestlers, eight were named All-Americans (one in DII, seven in DIII), and one was crowned a national champion.

Williams College in Williamstown, MA, finished in ninth place at the DIII championship, the highest finish in program history, and was led by three New England recruits who earned All-American honors.

Full results for every New England wrestler can be found below:

DII

157

No. 7 Brent Nicolosi (So.) – University of Mount Olive

Haverhill, MA – Haverhill

2-3, 8th Place – All-American

Nicolosi opened his tournament with a win over Michael Ortega of Indianapolis, advancing to the quarterfinals. There, he ran into No. 1 seed and eventual champion Gabe Johnson of Central Oklahoma.

That dropped Nicolosi into the blood round with All-American status on the line, and he delivered, winning a major decision powered by five takedowns over Nicolas Zamora of Maryville. Nicolosi then dropped his next two matches against opponents from West Liberty and Gannon, finishing in eighth place.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Brent Nicolosi (Mount Olive) won by decision over Michael Ortega (UIndy) (Dec 5-2)

Quarterfinal - Gabe Johnson (Central Okla.) won by fall over Brent Nicolosi (Mount Olive) (Fall 1:17)

Cons. Round 2 - Brent Nicolosi (Mount Olive) won by major decision over Nicolas Zamora (Maryville) (MD 19-11)

Cons. Round 3 - Nico Taddy (West Liberty) won by major decision over Brent Nicolosi (Mount Olive) (MD 14-0)

7th Place Match - Holden Huhn (Gannon) won by decision over Brent Nicolosi (Mount Olive) (Dec 8-2)

184

No. 18 Jack MacKiernan (Sr.) – University of Mount Olive

Derry, NH – Pinkerton Academy

0-2, DNP

MacKiernan dropped both of his matches at the NCAA tournament to opponents from Central Oklahoma and Kutztown.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Branson Britten (Central Okla.) won by major decision over Jack MacKiernan (Mount Olive) (MD 10-0)

Prelim Round 2 - Cole Casilio (Kutztown) won by decision over Jack MacKiernan (Mount Olive) (Dec 7-2)

DIII

133

No. 4 Jake Craig (Sr.) – University of Southern Maine

Norridgewock, ME – Skowhegan/Hill School

3-2, 4th Place – All-American

For the third time in his career, Jake Craig stood on the podium as a DIII All-American. This was historic for the Southern Maine Huskies, as Craig is now the program’s only three-time All-American and one of only three wrestlers to be multiple-time All-Americans.

Craig had a great Day 1 of the tournament, going 2-0 and making the semifinals. On Day 2, Craig suffered a setback in the semifinals, losing 12-1 to eventual runner-up James Day of Wabash. He rebounded by winning in sudden victory over Art Martinez of Case Western Reserve in the consolation semifinals before ultimately losing a close 5-2 decision to Jude Robinson of Roanoke.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Jake Craig (Southern ME) won by decision over Lucas Torre (New Jersey City) (Dec 4-2)

Quarterfinal - Jake Craig (Southern ME) won by major decision over Jacob Blair (Arcadia) (MD 12-1)

Semifinal - James Day (Wabash) won by major decision over Jake Craig (Southern ME) (MD 12-1)

Cons. Semi - Jake Craig (Southern ME) won in sudden victory over Art Martinez (CWRU) (SV-1 7-4)

3rd Place Match - Jude Robson (Roanoke) won by decision over Jake Craig (Southern ME) (Dec 5-2)

141

No. 6 Hayden Meyers (Jr.) – Wesleyan University

Coventry, RI – Coventry

4-2, 5th Place – All-American

Meyers capped off an excellent junior season with All-American honors, finishing in fifth place. Meyers won his first match before dropping his quarterfinal bout to eventual runner-up — and last year’s national champion — Mark Samuel of Roanoke.

Dropping into the blood round, Meyers gutted out a tight 7-6 decision over Skyler Hickman of Washington and Lee to secure All-American status. On Day 2, Meyers again went 2-1, securing a fifth-place finish with a tight 3-2 decision over Vincent Santaniello of TCNJ.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Hayden Myers (Wesleyan) won by decision over Dresden Grimm (Coe) (Dec 7-1)

Quarterfinal - Mark Samuel (Roanoke) won by tech fall over Hayden Myers (Wesleyan) (TF 20-3)

Cons. Round 2 - Hayden Myers (Wesleyan) won by decision over Skyler Hickman (Wash. & Lee) (Dec 7-6)

Cons. Round 3 - Hayden Myers (Wesleyan) won by fall over Isaias Torres (Ithaca) (Fall 1:28)

Cons. Semi - Nico Diaz (Stevens) won by decision over Hayden Myers (Wesleyan) (Dec 2-1)

5th Place Match - Hayden Myers (Wesleyan) won by decision over Vincent Santaniello (TCNJ) (Dec 3-2)

No. 14 Kaden Ware (Jr.) – Pennsylvania College of Technology

Brooklyn, CT – Killingly

1-2, DNP

Due to the nature of 21-man brackets, anyone seeded below 11 needed to wrestle in the preliminary rounds. Ware fell into that group but started his day with a major decision over Daniel Metzler of Albright. He then lost to eventual champion Kade Blume of Wartburg, falling into the consolation bracket, where he was eliminated by Ty Trickle of Trinity.

Full Results:

Prelim Round 1 - Kaden Ware (Penn Tech) won by major decision over Daniel Metzler (Albright) (MD 14-4)

Champ. Round 1 - Kade Blume (Wartburg) won by tech fall over Kaden Ware (Penn Tech) (TF 19-2)

Prelim Round 2 - Ty Trickle (Trinity) won by decision over Kaden Ware (Penn Tech) (Dec 7-2)

149

No. 20 Evan Lindner (Sr.) – Washington & Lee University

New Milford, CT – New Milford

1-2, DNP

Lindner started his day with a decision over Riese Thornberry of Wisconsin–Stevens Point but unfortunately dropped two straight matches to foes from SUNY Cortland and TCNJ, eliminating him from the tournament on Friday morning.

Full Results:

Prelim Round 1 - Evan Lindner (Wash. & Lee) won by decision over Riese Thornberry (Wis.-Stevens Point) (Dec 5-2)

Champ. Round 1 - Angelo Centrone (Cortland) won by major decision over Evan Lindner (Wash. & Lee) (MD 12-4)

Prelim Round 2 - Jason Giordano (TCNJ) won by decision over Evan Lindner (Wash. & Lee) (Dec 7-2)

No. 12 Caleb Seyfried (Sr.) – Williams College

Westport, CT – Green Farms Academy

2-3, 8th Place – All-American

Seyfried was one of three New England-based wrestlers who found the podium for Williams College, contributing to the program’s best finish at the NCAA tournament. Seyfried’s path to the podium started rough with a first-round loss to eventual champion — and former Iowa Hawkeye — Cade Siebrecht of Central.

With his back against the wall, Seyfried rattled off two clutch victories, including a sudden victory upset over No. 4 seed Cole Handlovic of Stevens in the blood round.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Cade Siebrecht (Central) won by decision over Caleb Seyfried (Williams) (Dec 6-4)

Cons. Round 1 - Caleb Seyfried (Williams) won by decision over Jason Giordano (TCNJ) (Dec 5-3)

Cons. Round 2 - Caleb Seyfried (Williams) won in sudden victory over Cole Handlovic (Stevens) (SV-1 7-4)

Cons. Round 3 - Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (UChicago) won by decision over Caleb Seyfried (Williams) (Dec 9-8)

7th Place Match - Angelo Centrone (Cortland) won by major decision over Caleb Seyfried (Williams) (MD 13-4)

No. 19 Ty Stewart (Sr.) – Springfield College

Dracut, MA – Tyngsborough/Dracut, Dracut

0-2, DNP

Competing in his first NCAA tournament, Stewart wrestled tough but unfortunately went 0-2 on the day. Both of his losses were close, including a sudden victory loss to Jovanni Greco of Ohio Northern.

Full Results:

Prelim Round 1 - Avery Leonard (SUNY Oneonta) won by decision over Ty Stewart (Springfield) (Dec 7-3)

Prelim Round 2 - Jovanni Greco (Ohio Northern) won in sudden victory over Ty Stewart (Springfield) (SV-1 8-5)

157

No. 1 Peter Kane (Sr.) – Williams College

Fairfield, CT – Green Farms Academy

4-0, 1st Place – National Champion

Peter Kane made history as Williams’ first-ever national champion and only the second wrestler in program history to become a four-time All-American. Kane wrestled well throughout the tournament, winning two matches by bonus and giving up only six points across four matches.

In the finals, Kane trailed 1-0 heading into the third period but quickly tied the score before securing a clutch takedown with 0:19 on the clock to seal the deal.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Peter Kane (Williams) won by fall over Jaryn Hartranft (Wilkes) (Fall 3:28)

Quarterfinal - Peter Kane (Williams) won by decision over Karsen Otis (Augsburg) (Dec 3-1)

Semifinal - Peter Kane (Williams) won by major decision over Liam Flanagan (Wash. & Lee) (MD 8-0)

1st Place Match - Peter Kane (Williams) won by decision over Rhenzo Augusto (Elmhurst) (Dec 4-1)

165

No. 7 Jack Richardson (Jr.) – Johnson & Wales University

Danielson, CT – Killingly

4-2, 5th Place – All-American

Richardson wrestled tough all tournament en route to his fifth-place finish. Two of his wins came in sudden victory, both of his losses came by one point, and he avenged his quarterfinal loss in the fifth-place match.

In the quarterfinals, Richardson lost a close 1-0 decision to No. 1 seed Clayton McDonough of Luther. The two met again in the fifth-place match, this time with much more scoring. Richardson used four takedowns to beat McDonough, 16-9, and claim fifth place.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Jack Richardson (JWU) won in sudden victory over Bo Koedam (Coe) (SV-1 4-1)

Quarterfinal - Clayton McDonough (Luther) won by decision over Jack Richardson (JWU) (Dec 1-0)

Cons. Round 2 - Jack Richardson (JWU) won by tech fall over Peyton Brooks (Albion) (TF 16-0)

Cons. Round 3 - Jack Richardson (JWU) won in sudden victory over Aiden Smith (Adrian) (SV-1 8-5)

Cons. Semi - Brayden Peet (Wis.-Whitewater) won by decision over Jack Richardson (JWU) (Dec 4-3)

5th Place Match - Jack Richardson (JWU) won by decision over Clayton McDonough (Luther) (Dec 16-9)

No. 20 Nicky Bell (Sr.) – New York University

Greenwich, CT – Brunswick School/Northfield Mount Hermon

0-2, DNP

Bell’s first national tournament came to a close on Friday morning after losing both of his matches. He lost his first bout to Peyton Brooks of Albion and then was beaten by Cade Parent of Roanoke.

Full Results:

Prelim Round 1 - Peyton Brooks (Albion) won by major decision over Nick Bell (NYU) (MD 17-6)

Prelim Round 2 - Cade Parent (Roanoke) won by fall over Nick Bell (NYU) (Fall 4:34)

174

No. 9 Konrad Parker (Sr.) – Ithaca College

Danville, NH – Timberlane

1-2, DNP

As the No. 9 seed, Parker’s opening bout came against No. 8 seed Gage Wiggins of Williams. The two were evenly matched, but Parker ended up taking the loss in the tiebreaker periods.

On the backside of the bracket, Parker pushed through to the blood round before dropping a 4-2 decision to Xavier Preston of Roanoke.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Gage Wiggins (Williams) won in tie breaker 2 over Konrad Parker (Ithaca) (TB-2 3-2)

Cons. Round 1 - Konrad Parker (Ithaca) won by decision over Jack Hoffman (Ohio Northern) (Dec 10-4)

Cons. Round 2 - Xavier Preston (Roanoke) won by decision over Konrad Parker (Ithaca) (Dec 4-2)

No. 12 Joseph Bolduc (So.) – New England College

Methuen, MA – Methuen

1-2, DNP

Bolduc’s first NCAA tournament was a learning experience. The sophomore lost his first bout against Jake Luce of North Central but rebounded with a win over Jaylen Young of Wabash to make the Friday evening session. In the second session, he lost another decision to Nolen Zeigler of Lycoming, effectively ending his season.

Full Results:

Prelim Round 1 - Jake Luce (North Central) won by decision over Joseph Bolduc (New England Col.) (Dec 8-1)

Prelim Round 2 - Joseph Bolduc (New England Col.) won by decision over Jaylen Young (Wabash) (Dec 8-3)

Cons. Round 1 - Nolen Zeigler (Lycoming) won by decision over Joseph Bolduc (New England Col.) (Dec 8-1)

No. 3 Ty Finn (Gr.) – New York University

Simsbury, CT – Simsbury

3-2, 5th Place – All-American

Finn’s tournament started hot with two wins on Friday, including a sudden victory win over returning All-American Jake Deguire of Springfield. Those wins clinched his status as an All-American and propelled him into the semifinals.

In the semis, Finn had a rematch of his regional final but was once again bested by Hunter Mays of TCNJ, who went on to become the national champion. Falling into the consolation semis, Finn lost in sudden victory to Dustin Bohren of Loras. He then received a medical forfeit in the fifth-place match.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Ty Finn (NYU) won by major decision over Toren Vandenbush (MSOE) (MD 10-1)

Quarterfinal - Ty Finn (NYU) won in sudden victory over Jake Deguire (Springfield) (SV-1 4-1)

Semifinal - Hunter Mays (TCNJ) won by major decision over Ty Finn (NYU) (MD 13-4)

Cons. Semi - Dustin Bohren (Loras) won in sudden victory over Ty Finn (NYU) (SV-1 5-2)

5th Place Match - Ty Finn (NYU) won by medical forfeit over Noah Leisgang (Wis.-La Crosse) (MFFL)

184

No. 8 Jack Ryan (Sr.) – SUNY Oneonta

Trumbull, CT – Trumbull

1-2, DNP

Ryan’s NCAA tournament started well with a major decision victory over Landry Barker of Loras. In the quarterfinals, Ryan drew No. 1 seed Gannon Smith of Elizabethtown in their fourth meeting over the last two years. The match was close, tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, but Smith found his offense in sudden victory and won with a takedown.

Falling into the blood round against Easton Hull of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, Ryan again battled to a 1-1 score at the end of three periods. In sudden victory, Hull got in deep on a shot on the edge of the circle, leading Ryan to scramble and go out of bounds. While the action prevented Hull from getting the takedown, the referee hit Ryan with a stalling call — his second of the match — resulting in a point for Hull and a heartbreaking loss.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Jack Ryan (SUNY Oneonta) won by major decision over Landry Barker (Loras) (MD 11-0)

Quarterfinal - Ganon Smith (Elizabethtown) won in sudden victory over Jack Ryan (SUNY Oneonta) (SV-1 4-1)

Cons. Round 2 - Easton Hull (Wis.-Stevens Point) won in sudden victory over Jack Ryan (SUNY Oneonta) (SV-1 2-1)

No. 3 Jamie Evarts (So.) – Williams College

Brookline, MA – Brookline

6-1, 3rd Place – All-American

Evarts was the third Williams wrestler to earn All-American status, and he took the long road to get there. He entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed but suffered a shocking upset in sudden victory against Hunter Moore of Roanoke in his opening match.

From that point on, Evarts went on a tear, winning six straight matches to wrestle all the way back for third. In the consolation semifinals, he got his revenge on Moore, beating him by a decisive 8-4 decision in their second meeting. An impressive performance from the sophomore, who seems to improve every time he steps on the mat.

Full Results:

Champ. Round 1 - Hunter Moore (Roanoke) won in sudden victory over Jamie Evarts (Williams) (SV-1 5-2)

Prelim Round 2 - Jamie Evarts (Williams) won by tech fall over Zane Pannell (Dubuque) (TF 19-3)

Cons. Round 1 - Jamie Evarts (Williams) won by major decision over Jackson Davis (UChicago) (MD 13-3)

Cons. Round 2 - Jamie Evarts (Williams) won by decision over Sean Malenfant (Alfred St.) (Dec 8-4)

Cons. Round 3 - Jamie Evarts (Williams) won by major decision over Easton Hull (Wis.-Stevens Point) (MD 14-4)

Cons. Semi - Jamie Evarts (Williams) won by decision over Hunter Moore (Roanoke) (Dec 8-4)

3rd Place Match - Jamie Evarts (Williams) won in sudden victory over Brandt Bombard (Augsburg) (SV-1 8-5)

No. 19 Desmond McLaughlin (Sr.) – Vermont State University Castleton

Springfield, MA – Springfield Central

0-2, DNP

McLaughlin had to wrestle in the preliminary rounds and unfortunately dropped both of his matches by decision to opponents from Baldwin Wallace and Wisconsin–Stevens Point. Interestingly enough, the Wisconsin–Stevens Point wrestler, Easton Hull, faced all three New England natives in the bracket, knocking off both McLaughlin and Ryan before being stopped by Evarts.

Full Results:Prelim Round 1 - Remington Bauer (Baldwin Wallace) won by decision over Desmond McLaughlin (VTSU Castleton) (Dec 5-3)

Prelim Round 2 - Easton Hull (Wis.-Stevens Point) won by decision over Desmond McLaughlin (VTSU Castleton) (Dec 7-4)

197

No. 18 Carson LiCastri (Sr.) – SUNY Oneonta

Easton, CT – Joel Barlow

1-2, DNP

LiCastri started his tournament with a win over Zach Borzio of Williams. He then dropped back-to-back matches to opponents from Roanoke and Coast Guard.

Full Results:

Prelim Round 1 - Carson LiCastri (SUNY Oneonta) won by decision over Zach Borzio (Williams) (Dec 6-1)

Champ. Round 1 - Lorenzo Pellot-Vázquez (Roanoke) won by fall over Carson LiCastri (SUNY Oneonta) (Fall 3:50)

Prelim Round 2 - Gabe Monroe (Coast Guard) won by decision over Carson LiCastri (SUNY Oneonta) (Dec 11-9)