Lander University

Wrestling 10/23/2025 2:03:00 PM Turner Kirby - Director of Athletic Communications

Wrestling Picked as Favorite to Win Fifth Straight Conference Title; Ranked No. 2 Nationally

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Lander wrestling team has once again been selected as the favorite to win the Conference Carolinas championship, as announced Thursday morning with the release of the league's preseason coaches poll. The Bearcats enter the 2025–26 campaign seeking their fifth consecutive conference title and fourth straight NCAA Super Region II crown.

In addition to the team selection, senior David Hunsberger and graduate students James Joplin and Elijah Lusk were named Conference Carolinas "Wrestlers to Watch" for the upcoming season.

Lander topped the 15-team poll with 195 points and 13 of the 15 available first-place votes. Mount Olive, UNC Pembroke, King, and Newberry rounded out the top five, with Mount Olive and Newberry each receiving one first-place vote. Lander has defeated both UNC Pembroke and King in the last two Conference Carolinas Championship matches.

Belmont Abbey was picked sixth, followed by Montevallo, Coker, Emmanuel, and Bluefield State to complete the top 10. Ferrum, Allen, Shorter, Lincoln Memorial, and Emory & Henry rounded out the poll.

Hunsberger, a two-time NCAA Champion at 165 lbs, returns after a dominant 2024–25 season that saw him go 30-2 while earning both the Conference Carolinas and Super Region II Wrestler of the Year honors. The Duncan, S.C., native will look to capture his third straight national title this spring.

Joplin and Lusk rejoin the lineup after redshirting last season, each moving to new weight classes. Joplin will compete at 133 lbs, while Lusk shifts to 141 lbs. Both are two-time All-Americans, earning national honors in 2022 and 2023.

Nationally, Lander begins the year ranked No. 2 in the NWCA Division II Preseason Poll. The Bearcats are the only program in the country with all 10 projected starters ranked in the top 15 of their respective weight classes.

Returning ranked wrestlers include Kaden Kuenzi (9th – 125), Isham Peace (5th – 149), Noah Roulo (12th – 157), Hunsberger (1st – 165), Marvelous Rutledge (5th – 197), and Issac Sheeren (7th – 285). Joplin (4th – 133) and Lusk (11th – 141) return to competition after redshirting, while newcomers Maxwell Kiel (15th – 174) and Dylan Kohn (15th – 184) round out Lander's nationally ranked lineup.

Lander opens the season on November 9 at the Georgia Open hosted by Emmanuel University before beginning conference action in a tri-match against Coker and UNC Pembroke in Hartsville, S.C. The Bearcats will also take on Division I Campbell on the deck of the USS Yorktown in Charleston, marking their second straight appearance in the Throwdown on the Yorktown after defeating Newberry 31-6 in last year's event.

The 2026 Conference Carolinas Wrestling Championship will be held on February 14 or 15 at the East Division champion site, opposite Lander's division.

Lander will host the 2026 NCAA Super Region II Championship on March 1 inside Finis Horne Arena. Additional details for that event will be announced closer to the competition.

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Players Mentioned

David Hunsberger: Junior; 157

James Joplin: Senior; 125

Kaden Kuenzi: Senior; 133

Elijah Lusk: Senior; 133

Isham Peace: Redshirt Junior; 141

Marvelous Rutledge: Junior; 197

Issac Sheeren: Freshman; 285

Players Mentioned

David Hunsberger
: Junior; 157

James Joplin
: Senior; 125

Kaden Kuenzi
: Senior; 133

Elijah Lusk
: Senior; 133

Isham Peace
: Redshirt Junior; 141

Marvelous Rutledge
: Junior; 197

Issac Sheeren
: Freshman; 285