Wrestling competed at the NCAA National Championships, picking up three wins in the first round on Thursday, March 19, before being eliminated in the wrestle-backs.
Myles Takats ’27, the Bison’s highest seed in the tournament at tenth for the 174-pound weight class, earned a victory over the 23rd-ranked wrestler, a Pittsburgh Panther. Earlier in the season, Takats defeated the Panthers during the dual meet against Pittsburgh. With a 3-2 advantage going into the final period, it appeared that the two would get even, but a takedown with seconds left on the clock was enough to give Takats a 6-4 win and a second-round matchup with the 17th-ranked wrestler from Missouri.
Takats’ run ended after the Tiger’s takedown led to a pin just two minutes into the first period. In the consolation match against the 25th-ranked grappler from Virginia Tech, Takats found himself down one point in the third period, but was unable to turn the tide as he fell to the Hokie for the second time this season.
Dillon Bechtold ’28, the 17th seed for the 197-pound weight class, picked a win in the first round against the 16th ranked wrestler from Maryland. The Bison and Terrapin traded points back and forth, but Bechtold was able to find the go-ahead point with just 22 seconds left in overtime.
He faced a difficult second-round matchup against the top seed from Penn State, who defeated Bechtold 11-3 en route to a national title and a perfect season. In the consolation round, Bechtold’s season would end at the hands of the 18th-seeded wrestler from Brown. The Bear had defeated Bechtold earlier in the season, and he would pick up another victory against the Bison, 4-2.
Noah Mulvaney ’27, ranked 19th in the 165-pound weight class, picked up a first-round win, upsetting the 14-seed from Rutgers. The Bison lost to the Scarlet Knight earlier in the season, falling in the semi-finals of the Midlands Championship, 11-4.
This time around, however, Mulvaney scored an early lead, utilizing an escape and a take down to find revenge over the Scarlet Knight, 8-2. In his second-round matchup, Mulvaney took on the third ranked grappler from Iowa, the eventual runner-up. The Hawkeye made quick work of the Bison, finding four takedowns in the first period as he would eventually earn a technical fall victory with a score of 20-5. In his consolation match, Mulvaney would find a win over a Princeton Tiger, ranked 20th.
Despite being down 4-1 early in the second period, the Bison grappler would work his way back, evening the match at 4-4. With under a minute remaining in the match, Mulvaney found a takedown to break the tie before utilizing a two-point nearfall to claim a 9-4 victory. In the following match against a Northern Iowa Panther, Mulvaney was swiftly defeated, being taken down four times in the first period, eventually losing by technical fall, 18-2.
Dylan Chappell ’26 and Tyler Bienus ’28 also competed, but dropped their first-round matchups. Chappell, seeded 23rd in the 141-pound weight class, fell to a Stanford Cardinal, while 30th-ranked Bienus suffered defeat at the hands of a Golden Gopher.
Wrestling returns to action in 2026-27.
