Turner Kirby

Wrestling 3/12/2026 6:50:00 PM Turner Kirby - Director of Athletic Communications

No. 10 Wrestling Looks to Take Last Step at NCAA Championships

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Nine members of the No. 10 Lander Wrestling team will compete at the 2026 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14 inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

As a team, the Bearcats will be looking to bring home their first national title in program history and their fourth consecutive team trophy. Lander's nine qualifiers are tied for the most competitors on the sport's biggest stage with top-ranked Gannon.

Lander has finished each of the last three seasons in the top four of the team standings, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2024 and a fourth-place finish last season.
Entering this season, Lander had sent 32 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in the program's first six seasons, with 17 of those finishing in the top eight of their weight class to earn All-American honors — a conversion rate of 53 percent. The Bearcats sending nine qualifiers marks the third time the Blue and Gold have qualified a wrestler in all but one weight class (2023, 2024) and brings the program's total to 41 national qualifiers in its seventh season.

Five of Lander's nine qualifiers have previously earned All-American honors: James Joplin (133), Elijah Lusk (141), Isham Peace (149), David Hunsberger (165), and Marvelous Rutledge (197).

Joplin enters his third and final NCAA Championship as the No. 5 seed with a record of 16-3, with 10 of those wins coming via bonus points. The two-time All-American opens his tournament against Zachary Ourada of Nebraska-Kearney.

Lusk is one of two four-time NCAA qualifiers on the roster but will compete at a new weight class of 141 pounds for his first NCAA appearance at the weight. Also a two-time All-American, Lusk holds an 11-5 record and will face sixth-seeded James Wright of Central Missouri in his opening-round matchup.

Peace will also make his third trip to the final 18 of his weight class. The reigning All-American enters the tournament with a 15-11 record and opens his tournament in the preliminary "pigtail" round against Angel Flores of Adams State, meaning he will need three wins instead of the usual two to secure a spot on the podium.

Hunsberger is no stranger to the sport's biggest stage, making his fourth trip to the NCAA Championships and joining Lusk as the only four-time qualifiers in program history. The Palmetto State native has lost just twice in his previous appearances — both coming during his freshman season — and has since won back-to-back national titles. He enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed with a 24-1 record and will begin his quest to become the program's first four-time All-American against Bryce Daupin of Central Oklahoma.

Rutledge placed seventh at last year's championship and enters this season's tournament with an 18-9 record, including 10 bonus-point victories. He will face Ashland's Peyton Lemon, the No. 3 seed, in the opening round.

Isaac Sheeren makes his second trip to the NCAA Championships in as many seasons at Lander after finishing one round shy of the podium during his rookie campaign. The heavyweight leads the team with 27 wins this season, including 12 bonus-point victories. The Lone Star State native opens the weekend against sixth-seeded Isaiah Vance of Pitt-Johnstown.

At 174 pounds, Maxwell Kiel makes his fourth NCAA Championship appearance but his first in Lander colors after qualifying three times while wrestling at Belmont Abbey. Kiel is looking for his first career trip to the podium and enters the tournament with an 18-5 record, including a team-high seven major decisions. He will face fifth-seeded Dalton Gimber of Kutztown in the opening round.

Two first-time qualifiers round out the squad in Reid Noble (157) and Dylan Kohn (184).

Noble makes his first NCAA appearance in just his sophomore season a 13-8 record, with 11 of those victories coming via bonus points. He will face sixth-seeded Owen Cline of Colorado Mesa in the opening round.

Kohn enters the 184-pound bracket as the No. 8 seed and will await the winner of the preliminary-round matchup between Cole Casilio of Kutztown and Sullivan Ramos of Wisconsin-Parkside. The graduate transfer enters the tournament with a 15-2 record, including 12 bonus-point victories.

The tournament begins Friday with Session I, which consists of the preliminary and first rounds. Session II will narrow the field to eight wrestlers in each weight class, meaning those still standing after the session will earn All-American honors.

Saturday begins with Session III, featuring the championship semifinals and the remaining consolation rounds, including the third-, fifth-, and seventh-place matches. The tournament concludes Saturday night with Session IV and the NCAA Division II National Finals.

Fans can follow the action live on FloWrestling

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