Big Ten Wrestling Championships 2026: Penn State Sends Eight to Finals Today at Bryce Jordan Center
The 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships are wrapping up today — Championship Sunday, March 8 — at Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State is the dominant story of the weekend, sending a remarkable eight wrestlers to the finals while chasing a fourth consecutive Big Ten Tournament team title.
Penn State Dominates Bracket — Eight Finals Appearances
Penn State wrestling closed out the regular season 15-0 overall and 8-0 in Big Ten play, entering as the 2026 Big Ten Regular Season Champions. The Nittany Lions put eight wrestlers in the championship finals today, headlining what could be a historic team performance.
Penn State entered the tournament with seven No. 1 seeds across the ten weight classes under legendary head coach Cael Sanderson, the most top seeds of any program in the bracket.
Host Penn State is seeking to win its fourth straight Big Ten Tournament title when the championship finals conclude Sunday afternoon.
Championship Finals Semifinal Results — Sunday Morning
No. 1 Levi Haines of Penn State defeated No. 5 Carson Kharchla of Ohio State 5-1 in the semifinals, riding Kharchla for the entire final two minutes of the match to advance to the championship round. No. 2 Chris Minto of Nebraska defeated No. 3 Patrick Kennedy of Iowa 5-1 as well, earning key riding time in the third period to book his spot in the finals.
No. 1 Antrell Taylor of Nebraska defeated No. 4 Cameron Catrabone of Michigan 7-1 to advance, while No. 1 Taye Ghadiali of Michigan pinned No. 8 Hunter Catka of Rutgers in dominating fashion, leading 11-1 heading into the finish. No. 3 Michael Caliendo of Iowa defeated No. 7 Andrew Barbosa of Rutgers 11-3 by major decision to reach the 165-pound final.
At 174 pounds, Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink improved to 21-0 on the season with a dominant tech fall over Minnesota's Andrew Sparks. Penn State's Rocco Welsh won a dramatic sudden victory thriller 8-5 over Brock Mantanona of Michigan, while Jacob Moran of Indiana posted a tech fall to advance at 125 pounds.
2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championship Finals Schedule — Sunday March 8
The championship finals session begins Sunday at noon ET, with consolation finals and 7th-place matches kicking off the session, followed by the championship finals and 3rd and 5th-place bouts. All finals action is live on BTN and streamable via the FOX Sports App and B1G+.
Key Bracket Results from Saturday — Day One
Ben Davino of Ohio State moved to 26-1 on the season with a dominant tech fall win in his semifinal matchup. Minnesota's Jore Volk won in sudden victory 4-1 over Spencer Moore of Illinois, while Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State advanced via tech fall.
Other notable quarterfinal results on Saturday included upsets throughout the middle weights, with No. 3 Kannon Webster of Illinois defeating No. 7 Brandon Cannon of Ohio State by major decision 20-7, and Drake Ayala of Iowa advancing at 133 pounds after a tech fall over his opponent.
Rutgers Earns Seven NCAA Bids — Multiple Programs Build Momentum
No. 11 Rutgers wrestling secured seven automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament after Day One of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, ensuring a strong Scarlet Knights contingent at the national meet regardless of Sunday's final results.
How to Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championships Finals Today
The 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships are broadcast on the Big Ten Network, with consolation matches and wrestleback bouts available on B1G+. Fans can stream BTN coverage live on the FOX Sports App. Real-time bracket updates and results are available on FloWrestling, which has merged with Trackwrestling for a unified tournament tracking experience.
