Photo – Sam Janicki
Who are the best bets to podium in Cleveland? We break down some individuals who have a shot to make a run at the 2026 NCAA Championships.
PJ Duke (Minisink Valley, Penn State)
No surprise here. PJ Duke has asserted himself as the top guy at 157lbs as a true freshman. In return he’s been awarded the #1 seed in Cleveland. He’s 19-1 on the year, with his only loss being to returning NCAA champion Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) during the regular season. Duke avenged that loss in dominating fashion in the Big 10 Finals. Aside from beating the returning NCAA champ, he’s also notched wins over Daniel Cardenas (returning All-American), Kannon Webster (returning Blood Rounder), and Brandon Cannon (returning Blood Rounder).
Meyer Shapiro (Cornell)
Shapiro is a 2x NCAA All-American and has never placed lower than 5th at the NCAA tournament. He has also never lost more than three times in a season. Last year he was hospitalized just a couple weeks before the Ivy League Tournament, and still made the NCAA semifinals. Shapiro has beaten Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State) and Kannon Webster (Illinois) already this year. He had a bit of a hiccup at this years Ivy League tournament where he lost to Jude Swisher in the finals. He’s 1-1 with him on the year, and will likely get a rubber match in the quarterfinals as Shapiro is the 3 seed and Swisher is the 6 seed.
Simon Ruiz (Cornell)
Ruiz placed 5th a year ago as a freshman at the NCAA tournament and is currently undefeated at 16-0 on the year. He’s beaten #6 seed Matty Singleton, #8 seed Alex Facundo, and #13 seed Carter Baer on the year already. His opening round match is against Cael Valencia, who Ruiz actually had a very tight match with earlier in the year. His Round of 16 match will likely be against returning All-American Danny Wask. His reward for beating Wask? Another All-American he gets to wrestle in the quarterfinals, Cam Steed. Tough path to the semifinals but can’t doubt the undefeated guy.
Jaxon Joy (Cornell)
The Cornell freshman has put together a record of 24-1 this year with his sole loss being to Koy Buesgens of NC State. Joy will enter the tournament as the #2 seed and has beaten former All-Americans in Ethan Stiles (Ohio State) and Casey Swiderski (Oklahoma State). He’s also had a ton of highly ranked wins over Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State), David Evans (Utah Valley), and Cross Wasilewski (Penn).
Ironically, Joy will likely have to wrestle Stiles again in the quarters as Stiles is the 7 seed, and could have a rematch with Wasilewski as he is the 3 seed.
Troy Spratley (Norwich, Oklahoma State)
The Norwich native is a returning NCAA finalist for the Cowboys and did so a year ago as the #7 seed. This year he will enter the NCAA Championships as the #5 seed, but his path is far from easy. He’s been dealt what many are calling “The Quarter Bracket of Death.” His Round of 16 match will likely be his NCAA finals match from a year ago against Vincent Robinson, who he is 0-3 against all-time. If he wins that, he will get either returning All-American Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) or Shenendehowa graduate Stevo Poulin, who is also a returning All-American. If Spratley does lose his Round of 16 bout, there will likely be a matchup of returning All-Americans in the Consolation Round of 16. The winner of that is gifted another tough match between either 2x All-American “Steady” Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) or 3x National Qualifier Nico Provo (Stanford), who just beat the returning NCAA champ at ACC’s.
Tyler Ferrara (Chenango Forks, Cornell)
Ferrara has been nothing short of remarkable this year in what is a stacked 133lbs weight. The two returning NCAA finalists are the #6 and #7 seeds, with the top 5 seeds all being freshman. Ferrara is dealt the #11 seed and will wrestle Eastport-South Manor graduate #22 Zach Redding (NC State) right off the bat. If he wins that match, he will get the returning NCAA finalist Drake Ayala (Iowa) in the Round of 16. Don’t count out Ferrara against Ayala – Ferrara has wrestled close matches with Ryan Crookham and is one of Ben Davino’s only non-bonus wins on the year. Ferrara is gritty and when wrestling a tournament grinds out wins. In the event he loses to Ayala, his path to All-American honors is very manageable. He likely gets Ethan Berginc (Army) in the Consolation Round of 16 who he’s already beaten this year. If he wins that, he gets either #8 Markel Baker or #9 Dominick Serrano, who he’s ranked ahead of by all ranking outlets.
Carter Schubert (Williamson-Marion-Sodus, Oklahoma)
Schubert has really broken onto the college wrestling scene this year, especially after winning the coveted Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational over winter break. Between his redshirt year and his freshman year at Oklahoma he had only wrestled 10 total matches over a 2 year span. He’s now put together an 18-6 record in his sophomore campaign for Oklahoma and comes in seeded 12th. Schubert has beaten two former All-Americans this year in Danny Wask (Navy) and Cam Steed (Mizzou).
Schubert will likely draw #5 seed Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), a returning All-American in the quarterfinals. Although the stat is not directly in front of me, over the course of the past few years there have been many 12 seeds over 5 seeds in the quarters (think the figure may be over 50% of 12 seeds winning). Don’t count out Schubert, the Section V alum is dangerous!
Carter Baer (Gouverneur, Binghamton)
The Section 10 standout has put together an 18-4 record this year after finishing as runner-up at EIWA’s. Baer got a solid bump in his seed after taking out returning All-American Danny Wask (Navy) at the EIWA tournament, and as such, will be the #13 seed.
Other great wins for the Binghamton Bearcat include Carter Schubert (who’s beaten Steed and Wask), Sergio Deseante (former National Qualifier, made the consolation round of 16), and Daschle Lamer (National Qualifier). Baer has also wrestled extremely close matches with #2 seed Simon Ruiz and #3 seed Christopher Minto.
Baer will need to take out #4 seed Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) on day one of the tournament. Kharchla has historically been ranked high and then had hiccups at the NCAA tournament in years past, and has yet to make the podium. Perhaps Baer is the next guy to take him out at the dance!
Should he beat Kharchla, he will get Schubert (who he’s already beaten) or returning All-American Patrick Kennedy (Iowa). If he drops a bout early in the tournament, he will likely have to get through Schubert and Steed to make the podium.
Cameron Catrabone (Williamsville North, Michigan)
In Catrabone’s freshman year for the maize and blue he’s put together a solid resume that starts with a 17-8 record while wrestling a brutal Big 10 schedule. He recently finished 5th at the Big 10 tournament which should be a solid indicator that he’s ready for a deep run in his first appearance at The Dance.
He will be the #15 seed this weekend and will draw a super tough DJ McGhee (Gardner Webb) off the bat. The Round of 16 will bring a familiar opponent in Antrell Taylor (Nebraska). Catrabone has continued to close the gap against the returning NCAA Champ, and everyone knows that anything can happen at the NCAA tournament. Should he win that, he’ll likely get another Big 10 foe in Kannon Webster (Illinois) who made the blood round a year ago, and the two have not wrestled this year.
Should Catrabone drop a match, his path on the backside is manageable to the blood round. As everyone needs to do at this tournament, he will need to pull out a big win in the “dog bone” formation on Friday evening to earn All-American honors.
Stevo Poulin (Shenendehowa, Iowa State)
After two blood round appearances in prior years, Poulin broke out in 2025 and landed on the podium while competing at 125lbs for Northern Colorado. Poulin hit the transfer portal this past summer after the departure of Troy Nickerson (A New York GOAT), and he landed at Iowa State.
Poulin is in the same quarter bracket as Troy Spratley, which has been called “The Quarter Bracket of Death.” He will draw the #20 seed Diego Sotelo (Michigan) right off the bat, and Sotelo made the Consolation Round of 16 a year ago. Should he win that, he will get a rematch with #4 seed Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh). Seymour beat Stevo earlier in the year 9-6. Should Stevo win that, he’ll get either returning National Champ Vincent Robinson or National Finalist Troy Spratley.
Should he drop a match in his quarter bracket, he will likely get Spratley or Robinson in the consolations. Tough road, but can’t doubt the former All-American, and he’s always taken the hard road at NCAA’s. In Stevo’s last ride, he’ll be having fun and grinding out wins!
