CLEVELAND — Iowa’s three Division I wrestling programs produced a number of notable performances during the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships, highlighted by a national runner-up finish, multiple All-Americans and top-10 team placements for the Hawkeyes and Cyclones.

The three-day tournament at Rocket Arena concluded with Penn State capturing its fifth consecutive national championship with 181.5 points, while Oklahoma State (131) finished second and Nebraska (100.5) placed third.

Iowa finished fourth with 92.5 points, and Iowa State placed eighth with 52.0. Northern Iowa tied for 31st with 9.5 points.

7 All-Americans for Iowa

The University of Iowa again proved one of the nation’s top programs, finishing fourth in the team standings while producing seven All-Americans.

Senior Michael Caliendo delivered the Hawkeyes’ best finish of the tournament, advancing to the championship match at 165 pounds before falling to Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink by technical fall, 20-4. Caliendo finished as national runner-up to cap another All-America season.

Iowa placed several wrestlers on the podium during Saturday’s medal rounds. Drake Ayala finished fifth at 133 pounds, Ryder Block placed sixth at 149 pounds and Patrick Kennedy earned third place at 174 pounds. Kennedy secured his podium spot with a 9-6 decision over Ohio State’s Carson Kharchla in the third-place match.

Angelo Ferrari, competing at 184 pounds, finished sixth after medically forfeiting his medal-round matches. Gabe Arnold added a seventh-place finish at 197 pounds, while heavyweight Ben Kueter placed fifth.

The Hawkeyes’ seven All-Americans marked their highest total since the 2020-21 season and helped Iowa remain firmly among the nation’s elite programs.

ISU secures top-10 finish

Iowa State recorded another strong showing under head coach Kevin Dresser, finishing eighth in the team standings with 52.0 points.

The Cyclones’ top performance came from heavyweight Yonger Bastida, who entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and advanced to the national championship match. Bastida fell to North Carolina State’s Isaac Trumble 5-0 in the final, finishing his season with a 29-1 record and national runner-up honors.

At 141 pounds, Anthony Echemendia finished sixth after reaching the medal rounds, while MJ Gaitan earned an eighth-place finish at 174 pounds.

Iowa State’s lineup also featured multiple highly seeded wrestlers entering the tournament, including Bastida and Rocky Elam at 197 pounds, and the Cyclones advanced several competitors deep into the bracket across the three-day event.

The Cyclones’ top-10 finish represented a strong rebound after injury challenges during the previous season and reinforced their status among the nation’s top teams.

No podium for Panthers

Northern Iowa sent a competitive group to Cleveland and concluded the tournament tied for 31st place with 9.5 team points.

Veterans Julian Farber and Ryder Downey led the Panthers’ efforts, both advancing into the “blood round,” the final stage before All-America placement. However, each wrestler fell just short of the podium.

Downey, wrestling at 165 pounds, fought through the consolation bracket with two victories before dropping a narrow 1-0 decision to North Carolina’s Bryce Hepner. Downey closed his season with a 24-7 record.

Farber also reached the blood round at 133 pounds before suffering a defeat that ended his All-America hopes.

Elsewhere for the Panthers, Caleb Rathjen posted a 2-2 record at 149 pounds, while Jared Simma (174) and Nick Fox (184) each went 1-2 during the tournament. Northern Iowa totaled nine victories across the championships.