Wrestling 10/22/2026 11:05:00 AM Turner Kirby - Director of Athletic Communications

Wrestling Picked as Favorite for Sixth Straight Conference Title

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Lander wrestling team has been picked as the favorite to capture its sixth consecutive conference championship as Conference Carolinas released its 2026-27 wrestling preseason poll on Thursday morning.

This marks the fifth straight season the Bearcats have topped the conference's preseason poll, dating back to the 2022-23 season. Lander's championship streak began in 2022 when the Bearcats defeated Belmont Abbey 19-13 to claim their first conference title.

Lander won the final two South Atlantic Conference Carolinas championships before the league transitioned to the Conference Carolinas banner, under which the Bearcats have captured three consecutive titles.

The Bearcats received 10 first-place votes to lead the 15-team poll, while UNC Pembroke and Newberry tied for second. The Wolves earned four first-place votes, while the Braves collected the remaining first-place vote.

Lander will face both second-place teams during its conference schedule, beginning with a neutral-site matchup against UNC Pembroke on Nov. 18 at Allen University in Columbia, S.C. The contest will be a rematch of last season's Conference Carolinas championship, which saw the Bearcats defeat the Braves 39 to minus-2. Lander has won the last six meetings between the programs.

The Bearcats will travel to Newberry on Jan. 16, 2027, for a 7:30 p.m. showdown inside Eleazer Arena. Lander last visited Newberry in 2023 when the then-No. 2 Bearcats earned a dominant 31-6 victory over the Wolves.

Montevallo was picked fourth, followed by Belmont Abbey and King in fifth and sixth, respectively. The Falcons will visit Greenwood on Jan. 28, while Lander will face Belmont Abbey and King in a tri-match Jan. 13 in Belmont, N.C. Just 15 points separated the teams ranked second through sixth in the preseason poll.

Mount Olive, Emmanuel, Ferrum and Shorter rounded out the top 10, with Lander scheduled to face all four programs during the 2026-27 season. The Bearcats will meet Ferrum for the first time in program history Nov. 11 as part of a tri-match hosted by Mount Olive.

Lander will also face Emmanuel twice this season, first in a nonconference matchup at the Carolina Clash before traveling to Franklin Springs, Ga., for a conference dual Jan. 20.

Coker, Allen, Bluefield State, Emory & Henry and Lincoln Memorial rounded out the 15-team poll.

Three Lander wrestlers were selected as Conference Carolinas Wrestlers to Watch, highlighted by returning NCAA qualifiers Isaac Sheeren (197 pounds) and RJ Noble (157 pounds).

Sheeren returns to the lineup at 197 pounds after spending his first two collegiate seasons competing at heavyweight. The Texas native has qualified for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in each of his first two seasons and captured the Super Region II heavyweight championship last year.

Noble enters his final season looking to build on a successful 2025-26 campaign that saw him earn 16 victories, including 12 by bonus points. The Plant City, Fla., native recorded five major decisions and five technical falls before advancing to the Super Region II championship match to secure his first career NCAA championship berth.

Joining the two returning qualifiers is Gianni Maldonado, a transfer from Division I Rider University. Maldonado arrives in Greenwood after serving as a regular starter for the Broncs last season and is expected to compete at 165 pounds for the Blue and Gold.

Conference Carolinas has restructured its wrestling divisions for the 2026-27 season, moving from an East-West alignment to North and South divisions. Lander will compete in the South Division alongside Allen, Newberry, Montevallo, Shorter and Emmanuel.

The Bearcats enter the season having won 39 consecutive Conference Carolinas duals and remain the only program in the league to have claimed at least a share of a division championship in each of the previous three seasons under the divisional format.

Lander will open its season Nov. 7 on the deck of the USS Yorktown for the third consecutive year, facing West Liberty in a matchup between two programs that have regularly appeared in the NWCA Coaches Poll.

The meeting will be the first between the Bearcats and Hilltoppers since the 2022-23 season, when West Liberty claimed a pair of one-point victories. Lander will be seeking its first win in the all-time series.

A pair of Wednesday tri-matches will make up the opening portion of Lander's conference schedule. The Bearcats begin league competition Nov. 11 against Mount Olive and Ferrum in Mount Olive, N.C., before traveling to Columbia on Nov. 18 to face UNC Pembroke and Bluefield State.

Following an appearance at the Life Open, Lander will make its home debut Dec. 6 when it hosts the Carolina Clash inside Horne Arena. The Bearcats are scheduled to face Simon Fraser, Emmanuel and Northeastern State in the event.

Lander will then have two weeks to prepare for one of the premier regular-season events in Division II wrestling, the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis. The Bearcats will look to capture their second team championship at the prestigious tournament after producing three individual place-winners in the 2025 edition.

The Midwest Classic will close out the 2026 calendar year for Lander, which returns to action on New Year's Day with a home conference dual against Allen.

The Bearcats will then travel to West Virginia on Jan. 3 to face two more nationally prominent programs in Gannon and Glenville State.

A new event joins Lander's schedule this season as the Bearcats will compete in the Virginia Duals on Jan. 8-9 in Hampton, Va.

Conference matchups against Belmont Abbey and King on Jan. 13, Newberry on Jan. 16 and Emmanuel on Jan. 20 will highlight the middle of January before Lander returns home Jan. 22 to face NAIA powerhouse Life University inside Horne Arena.

The Bearcats will host the Conference Carolinas Developmental Championship on Jan. 25 before closing out their home schedule with conference duals against Montevallo on Jan. 28 and Coker on Feb. 3.

Lander will conclude the regular season Feb. 5 with a road matchup against Shorter.

The Conference Carolinas Championship is scheduled for Feb. 13 or 14 and will be hosted by the South Division champion, giving Lander an opportunity to host the conference tournament for the first time since 2025.

Montevallo will host the NCAA Super Region II Championship on Feb. 27, where wrestlers will compete for berths in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships.

The season will conclude March 12-13 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships.

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Players Mentioned

Isaac Sheeren: 285; Sophomore; 285

Gianni Maldonado: 165; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Isaac Sheeren
: Sophomore; 285
: 285

Gianni Maldonado
: Sophomore
: 165