#14 Wrestling Qualifies Five Wrestlers to 2026 National Championships

CHICAGO -- The 14th-ranked University of Chicago men's wrestling team will send a program-record five wrestlers to the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championships after recording four Regional Championships and one third-place finish.

Sean Conway won the first Regional title for the Maroons with a perfect 4-0 weekend in the 141-pound weight class. Conway was a perfect 2-0 on Friday with an 18-1 tech fall over Olivet and an 8-2 win by decision over Millikin. Then, on Saturday, the Maroons earned a 6-3 win by decision over Alma to reach in the Regional finals. In the finals, Conway earned a takedown with 24 seconds to go in the second period, and he rode the takedown to a 5-2 win over UW-Whitewater to win the Regional title.

Moments later,

Maksim Mukhamedaliyev gave the Maroons their second Regional title of the day. Mukhamedaliyev earned a 20-3 tech fall win over Olivet and added a 17-1 tech fall over Manchester to reach the semifinals on Friday. On Saturday, he picked up a 13-7 win over Millikin to reach the Championship match. In the fianls, the freshman took on the #1 ranked wrestler in the country and earned an 8-5 victory in overtime to seal the upset.

Matthew Barlay won both of his two matches at 125, en route to the semifinals. Barlay took down his opponent from Ohio Wesleyan by tech fall in the opening round, and he survived in a sudden-victory win over Wabash in the 4-5 match to reach the semifinals. After falling in the semifinals to the top-ranked wrestler in the country, Barlay bounced back with back-to-back wins to earn a third-place finish and a trip to the National Championships. He earned a narrow 5-3 win over UW-Whitewater, and he survived with a 7-6 win over Wabash to seal his spot in Cedar Rapids.

Jackson Davis also reached the semifinals with a perfect 2-0 opening day. Davis earned a 17-1 tech fall over Alma in the opening round and a pin in just 1:20 over Adrian in the second round. On Saturday, Davis continued his dominating stretch with two more first-period pins as he took down UW-Whitewater in the semifinals and North Central (IL) in the finals. Overall in the Regional, Davis finished a perfect 4-0, outscoring his opponents 26-1.

Gunnar Garriques rounded out the semifinalists from day one with a pair of dominating victories. Garriques earned a first-period pin in just 1:48 to take down Trine, and he took down Olivet with a 15-5 major decision win to reach the semis. On Saturday, the senior dominated once more with a second-period pin over Manchester and a technical fall victory over North Central (IL).

After winning his first match with a second-period pin over John Carroll,

Nicholas Cheshier was defeated in the quarterfinals, sending him to the consolation bracket. In the consolation round, He picked up a 14-7 win over Elmhurst to qualify for the second day of competition. Cheshier earned a third-period pin with just five seconds remaining to beat Case Western, but he came up short in an 8-1 loss to Millikin to end his Regional. Cheshier would bounce back with a first-period pin over Olivet to bring home a fifth-place finish.

The five UChicago wrestlers will travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, March 13, for the 2026 NCAA Division III Championships.

FINAL RESULTS:

125 -

Matthew Barlay - 4-1 (3rd Place)

133 -

Jackson Rustad - 0-1

141 -

Sean Conway - 4-0 (1st Place)

149 -

Maksim Mukhamedaliyev - 4-0 (1st Place)

157 -

** **Dan Gunlogson - 1-2

165 -

Nicholas Cheshier - 4-2 (5th Place)

174 -

Hutch Lynott - 1-2

184 -

Jackson Davis - 4-0 (1st Place)

197 -

Gunnar Garriques - 4-0 (1st Place)

285 -

** **Teddy Perry - 1-2