The NCAA has revealed the updated standings for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Wrestling Awards, which will be presented in March at the Division I, II, and III Wrestling Championships.
The inaugural NCAA Men’s Wrestling Awards were presented during the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, one for each level, recognize the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes with the most falls and technical falls during the regular and postseasons.
To be eligible for awards, falls and tech falls must be against opponents in the same division. Ties in the two categories are broken using the aggregate time.
This is the second week of standings for the Most Dominant Wrestler award, which requires a minimum of 16 matches to qualify.
The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are established by adding the total number of team points granted based on match results and dividing it by the total number of matches contested.
Points per match are awarded as follows:
- Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss)
- Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss)
- Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss)
- Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss)
Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State continues to dominate Division I with a 5.28 average, while Jesse Mendez of Ohio State is second with a 4.89 average.
Heavyweight Isaiah Vance continues to lead Division II with a 4.85 average. Tiffin’s 165-pounder Nolan Gessler finished second this week.
Division III’s top leaders remain the same. Trent Mahoney of Albright, who weighs 157 pounds, leads with an average of 5.72. Josh Harkless of RIT ranks second in the heavyweight division, with an average of 5.68.
Joe Curtis of Columbia has surpassed his colleague Vincent Mueller for first in Division I with 11 falls in 17:52 this season. Mueller comes in second with 11 in 20:32. Edinboro’s 149-pounder Dominic Ferraro is in the top three for the first time this season, with 10 falls in 27:27.
Wyatt Bailey of Ashland currently leads Division II with 16 falls. Ethan Mitchell falls to second with 15 in 43:30. Giulian Bodiu, Findlay’s heavyweight, is next with 14.
184-pounder Sean Malenfant of Alfred State remains Division III’s leader. He earned 34 falls in 77:01. Clayton McDonough of Luther remains second, clocking 30 in 76:26. Anthony Cerulli of Ursinus, who weighs 174 pounds, remains third at 24 in 35:29.
Heavyweight Yonger Bastida leads Division I tech falls this week. He leads Franklin and Marshall’s 184-pounder James Conaway. Both are at 12 technical falls. Bastida beats Conway in 52:40 and 69:26, respectively. Ohio State’s Ben Davino at 133 pounds remains in the top three, with 11 tech falls.
David Hunsberger continues to lead Division II with 12 technical falls on the season. Hayden Kuhn of Ashland, 149 pounds, moves up to second place this week with 10 in 54:36. Ethan Farnell now ranks third with nine.
Keegan Demarest, Messiah’s 165-pounder, still leads with 29 tech falls. Avery Leonard of Oneonta State is next in line at 19 in 62:39.
Falls leaders through 2/16/2026
| NAME | INSTITUTION | WEIGHT | # OF FALLS | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Curtis | Columbia | 184 | 11 | 17:52:00 |
| Vincent Mueller | Columbia | 285 | 11 | 20:32:00 |
| Dominic Ferraro | Edinboro | 149 | 10 | 27:27:00 |
| Malachi DuVall | George Mason | 184 | 9 | 18:09:00 |
| James Campbell | Michigan State | 285 | 9 | 24:52:00 |
| Alex Semenenko | Brown | 285 | 8 | 15:37:00 |
| PJ Duke | Penn State | 157 | 8 | 19:11:00 |
| Ethan Barr | Kent State | 174 | 8 | 19:26:00 |
| Angelo Posada | Stanford | 197 | 7 | 13:47:00 |
| Kelly Dunnigan | Penn | 149 | 7 | 14:30:00 |
| NAME | INSTITUTION | WEIGHT | # OF FALLS | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyatt Bailey | Ashland | 285 | 16 | 45:08:00 |
| Ethan Mitchell | Glenville State | 141 | 15 | 43:30:00 |
| Giulian Bodiu | Findlay | 285 | 14 | 25:20:00 |
| Isaiah Vance | Pitt-Johnstown | 285 | 13 | 19:46:00 |
| Casey Barnett | Tiffin | 157 | 12 | 30:23:00 |
| John Parker-Wilson | Newberry | 197 | 10 | 31:51:00 |
| Nolan Ambrose | Augustana | 149 | 10 | 39:29:00 |
| George Maholtz | Lander | 149 | 9 | 15:23:00 |
| Jordan Blanchard | Wisconsin-Parkside | 197 | 9 | 19:16:00 |
| Isaiah Gamez | Adams State | 125 | 9 | 19:45:00 |
| NAME | INSTITUTION | WEIGHT | # OF FALLS | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Malenfant | Alfred State | 184 | 34 | 77:01:00 |
| Clayton McDonough | Luther | 165 | 30 | 76:26:00 |
| Anthony Cerulli | Ursinus | 174 | 24 | 35:29:00 |
| Josh Harkless | RIT | 285 | 23 | 26:24:00 |
| Dalton Monger | Messiah | 149 | 23 | 32:55:00 |
| Ganon Smith | Elizabethtown | 184 | 23 | 55:08:00 |
| Lincoln Bibla | Coast Guard | 285 | 20 | 58:54:00 |
| Trent Mahoney | Albright | 157 | 20 | 67:05:00 |
| Culley Bellino | Cortland State | 141 | 19 | 23:23 |
| Luke Moore | Delaware Valley | 165 | 19 | 37:33:00 |
Tech falls leaders through 2/16/2026
| NAME | INSTITUTION | WEIGHT | # OF TF | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yonger Bastida | Iowa State | 285 | 12 | 52:40:00 |
| James Conway | Franklin & Marshall | 184 | 12 | 69:26:00 |
| Ben Davino | Ohio State | 133 | 11 | 53:06:00 |
| Aaron Seidel | Virginia Tech | 133 | 10 | 34:22:00 |
| Max McEnelly | Minnesota | 184 | 10 | 46:25:00 |
| Wyatt Henson | Lock Haven | 141 | 10 | 50:11:00 |
| T.K. Davis | Gardner-Webb | 133 | 9 | 39:29:00 |
| Ben Weader | Virginia Tech | 165 | 9 | 43:18:00 |
| Daniel Cardenas | Stanford | 157 | 9 | 43:18:00 |
| Jesse Mendez | Ohio State | 141 | 9 | 51:15:00 |
| NAME | INSTITUTION | WEIGHT | # OF TF | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Hunsberger | Lander | 165 | 12 | 48:33:00 |
| Hayden Kuhn | Ashland | 149 | 10 | 54:36:00 |
| Ethan Farnell | Indianapolis | 197 | 9 | 28:41:00 |
| Caleb Moore | Belmont Abbey | 197 | 8 | 32:26:00 |
| Brady Westall | Northern State | 184 | 8 | 34:30:00 |
| Preston LeFevre | Grand Valley State | 141 | 7 | 16:57:00 |
| Tanner Halling | Frostburg State | 133 | 7 | 26:16:00 |
| Emilio Arellano | Tiffin | 184 | 7 | 33:23:00 |
| James Wright | Central Missouri | 133 | 7 | 33:33:00 |
| Trevon Gray | Pitt-Johnstown | 125 | 7 | 34:00:00 |
| NAME | INSTITUTION | WEIGHT | # OF TF | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keegan Demarest | Messiah | 165 | 29 | 100:28:00 |
| Avery Leonard | Oneonta State | 141 | 19 | 62:39:00 |
| Christian Guzman | North Central | 125 | 19 | 79:09:00 |
| Tucker Seidel | Messiah | 197 | 17 | 45:10:00 |
| Josh Stahl | York (PA) | 197 | 17 | 51:24:00 |
| Justice Hockenberry-Folk | Elizabethtown | 165 | 16 | 59:31:00 |
| Carl DiGiorgio | Coast Guard | 285 | 16 | 74:34:00 |
| Tanner Gerber | UW-La Crosse | 165 | 15 | 56:31:00 |
| Andrew Marchese | Castleton | 125 | 14 | 57:24:00 |
| Will Davis | Elizabethtown | 197 | 14 | 59:22:00 |
Most dominant wrestler standings through 2/16/2026
| NAME | INSTITUTION | WEIGHT | AVG PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Mesenbrink | Penn State | 165 | 5.28 |
| Jesse Mendez | Ohio State | 141 | 4.89 |
| Levi Haines | Penn State | 174 | 4.88 |
| Shayne Van Ness | Penn State | 149 | 4.82 |
| PJ Duke | Penn State | 157 | 4.63 |
| Marcus Blaze | Penn State | 133 | 4.61 |
| Aeoden Sinclair | Missouri | 184 | 4.45 |
| Yonger Bastida | Iowa State | 285 | 4.4 |
| Jaxon Joy | Cornell | 149 | 4.33 |
| Luke Lilledahl | Penn State | 125 | 4.31 |
| NAME | INSTITUTION | WEIGHT | AVG PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Vance | Pitt-Johnstown | 285 | 4.85 |
| Nolan Gessler | Tiffin | 165 | 4.56 |
| Tanner Halling | Frostburg State | 133 | 4.5 |
| Casey Barnett | Tiffin | 157 | 4.47 |
| Damon Ashworth | Central Missouri | 184 | 4.47 |
| Matt Sarbo | Pitt-Johnstown | 149 | 4.42 |
| Isaiah Gamez | Adams State | 125 | 4.33 |
| Cole Hunt | Montevallo | 125 | 4.25 |
| Nick Johnson | Glenville State | 197 | 4.22 |
| David Hunsberger | Lander | 165 | 4.19 |
| NAME | INSTITUTION | WEIGHT | AVG PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Mahoney | Albright | 157 | 5.72 |
| Josh Harkless | RIT | 285 | 5.68 |
| Clayton McDonough | Luther | 165 | 5.62 |
| Ganon Smith | Elizabethtown | 184 | 5.52 |
| Sean Malenfant | Alfred State | 184 | 5.44 |
| Peter Kane | Williams | 157 | 5.32 |
| Thomas Monn | McDaniel | 149 | 5.29 |
| Mason Jones | Manchester | 125 | 5.25 |
| Christian Guzman | North Central | 125 | 5.15 |
| Josh Stahl | York | 197 | 5.13 |
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