NCAA Releases Midseason Coaches’ Rankings, RPI for 2026 DI Wrestling Championships

The NCAA has released an updated coaches’ ranking for the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

The rankings are established by a vote of three coaches from each weight class. For ranking purposes, coaches may only evaluate wrestlers who have been selected as starters in their respective weight classes. Wrestlers must have competed in eight Division I matches in their weight class, with at least one occurring within the last 30 days.

The RPI is calculated using three factors: winning percentage, opponent winning percentage (strength of schedule), and opponent’s opponent winning percentage (opponent’s strength of schedule). Only matches against Division I opponents in the appropriate weight class count toward the RPI, and a wrestler must have wrestled 15 matches to be ranked.

Nine of the ten weight classes are led by Big Ten Conference wrestlers, with Penn State taking the lead in five. Former national champions hold the top rankings in four classes.

Lucas Byrd, a 2025 national champion who made Illinois history as the first wrestler to win a national championship in the 133-pound weight class, leads all 133-pound wrestlers. Jesse Mendez of Ohio State leads the 141-pound weight class, where he hopes to capture his third consecutive national championship. Levi Haines (2024) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (2025), Penn State national champions, are leading their respective weight divisions.

Nic Bouzakis at 125 pounds and Brandon Cannon at 157 pounds lead their weight divisions for Ohio State. Yonger Bastida of Iowa State leads the way among the heavyweights. The other three Penn State wrestlers who lead their weight class are Shayne Van Ness (149 pounds), Rocco Welsh (184 pounds), and Josh Barr (197 pounds).

The NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will consider several criteria during the at-large selection and seeding process, including coach ranking and RPI, as well as head-to-head competition, quality wins, conference tournament placement, results against common opponents, and win percentage.

A complete overview of the 2026 Division I Wrestling Championships selection procedure can be found at ncaa.org.

The 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, the city’s third time hosting.