The Big Ten Conference revealed the pre-seeds for the 2026 Wrestling Championships on Monday, setting the stage for a competitive weekend at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa.
Senior Jesse Mendez is the lone Ohio State wrestler to earn the top seed in his weight class, claiming the Big Ten’s No. 1 seed at 141 pounds. A two-time NCAA champion, Mendez captured national titles in each of the last two seasons, in addition to winning the 2024 Big Ten Championship.
Along with Mendez, the Buckeyes boast seven wrestlers seeded in the top 5 in their respective weight classes. Redshirt sophomore Ethan Stiles, a former Oklahoma State transfer, is the No. 2 seed at 149 pounds, despite ranking as the No. 6 overall wrestler and third-ranked Big Ten wreslter in the weight class, according to InterMat’s most recent rankings.
Redshirt junior Nic Bouzakis (125 pounds), redshirt freshman Ben Davino (133) and redshirt junior Nick Feldman (heavyweight) were all seeded third at their weight classes.
Graduate Carson Kharchla and redshirt sophomore Luke Geog each earned No. 5 seeds at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively.
Redshirt sophomore Brandon Cannon earned the No. 7 seed at 157 pounds, despite finishing the year as the top-ranked wrestler in the class according to InterMat. Cannon, who finished the regular season 14-1, suffered a knee injury in late January and has not wrestled since Ohio State’s 29-9 dual victory over Minnesota on Jan. 23.
Rounding out the Buckeyes’ 10-man group competing in the Big Ten Championships are eighth-seeded redshirt senior Paddy Gallagher at 165 pounds and sixth-seeded redshirt junior Dylan Fishback in the 184-pound weight class.
The tournament begins on Saturday at 10 a.m., with semifinals set for 7 p.m. that evening. The championship finals are slated for 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. All bouts will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and B1G+.
Image courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
