Michigan
NCAA Championships
Four Wolverines Advance to NCAA Quarterfinals
3/19/2026 11:35:00 PM | Wrestling
» Lachlan McNeil (149 pounds), Beau Mantanona (174), Brock Mantanona (184) and Taye Ghadiali (Hwt) all advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal round.
» With Cameron Catrabone (157) also alive in the wrestlebacks, U-M is tied for ninth place (14 points) after the first day of NCAA competition.
» Michigan earned four bonus wins on the day, including two technical falls from Ghadiali.
Site: Cleveland, Ohio (Rocket Arena)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 1 of 3)
U-M Standing: T-9th Place of 70 Teams (14 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Thursday, March 20 -- at NCAA Championships - Day Two (Cleveland, Ohio), Noon
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The University of Michigan wrestling team advanced four into the quarterfinal round at the 2026 NCAA Championships on Thursday (March 19) in front of 16,777 fans at Rocket Arena. With one more still alive in the wrestlebacks, Michigan is tied for ninth place (14 points) after the first day of competition.
Graduate student Lachlan McNeil, redshirt sophomore Beau Mantanona, redshirt freshman Brock Mantanona and graduate student Taye Ghadiali all registered perfect first-day records to advance to the quarterfinals, posting a combined 8-0 mark with four bonus wins.
McNeil, seeded 11th at 149 pounds, advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the fourth straight season. He knocked off SIU Edwardsville's sixth-seeded Caleb Tyus, 5-3, in the second round with a reversal and single-leg takedown in the third period. Tyus escaped quickly, but McNeil stayed offensive and ended the bout in deep on another single-leg shot.
McNeil earned bonus points in the morning session with a 13-3 major decision against Princeton's 22nd-seeded Eligh Rivera, scoring a single leg in the first period before tacking on big points late with a scramble takedown and four-point leg turk.
The Mantanonas were one of four brother sets to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals after winning their second-round bouts in quick succession at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively.
Beau, the ninth seed at 174, edged Oklahoma State's eighth-seeded Alex Facundo, 7-3, in the evening session. After a scoreless first period, Mantanona scored on a low single attack, and fought off a Facuno single shot over the final :20 of the second before adding a reattack single-leg takedown to ice it in the third. He also used two takedowns -- both in the first period -- to earn a 7-3 decision against Ohio's 24th-seeded Garrett Thompson in the morning session.
Brock, seeded fifth at 184, cruised past Ohio State's 12th-seeded Dylan Fishback, 13-5, in the second round -- after a close one-score win over the Buckeye in the dual meeting. Mantanona scored four takedowns, including two in the first period, and finished on a low double leg in the final :18 of the third to secure the bonus point. He also scored four takedowns to open the day with a 14-9 decision against Stanford's 28th-seeded Abraham Wojcikiewicz in his first NCAA bout.
Ghadiali, seeded third at heavyweight, earned a pair of technical falls to cruise through his day-one opposition, including a 15-0 win against Minnesota's 14th-seeded Koy Hopke in the evening session. Ghadiali scored two takedowns, including a feet-to-back double leg for seven points in the second, and ended it with a four-point tilt at the 5:33 mark.
Ghadiali opened the day with a 17-2 win against Utah Valley's 30th-seeded Jack Forbes, scoring three takedowns -- one per period -- and a pair of four-point tilts in 5:58. Ghadiali ranks among the national leaders with 10 tech falls on the season.
Redshirt freshman Cameron Catrabone, seeded 15th at 157 pounds, split his day-one matches to drop into tomorrow's consolation bracket. He used a late second-period single leg and 2:18 in riding-time advantage to beat George Mason's 18th-seeded DJ McGee, 5-0, in the first round.
Catrabone faced Nebraska's second-seeded Antrell Taylor, the defending NCAA 157-pound champion, for the third time this season in the evening session and, despite closing the gap for the second straight match, dropped a close 5-3 decision on a third-period takedown. Taylor rode most of the final frame; Catrabone earned a locked-hands point and late escape, but it left him little time to mount a comeback.
Graduate student Diego Sotelo was eliminated at 125 pounds after going 0-2 with close losses in both the first round and consolations. He led 6-3 with riding time entering the third period on his first-round bout against Iowa State's 13th-seeded Stevo Poulin after scoring four points on a second-period cradle, but Poulin responded in kind late, transitioning a single-leg takedown to a four-point leg turk to earn a 10-6 decision.
Michigan will resume competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday (March 20) at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The morning session will begin at noon, and will feature quarterfinal matches and continued wrestleback competition live on ESPNU.
Team Standings (Top 10)
1. Penn State                40.5 2. Nebraska                     27.0 3. Iowa                         25.5 4. Oklahoma State      25.0 5. Ohio State                   23.0 6. Iowa State                   21.5 7. Arizona State             17.0 8. Stanford                     15.0 9. Cornell                       14.0 MICHIGAN                   14.0 Virginia Tech               14.0
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seeds
125 Pounds -- #20 Diego Sotelo
First Round - dec. by #13 Stevo Poulin (Iowa State), 10-6
Consolations - dec. By #23 Tyler Chappell (Pittsburgh), 6-2
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
149 Pounds -- #11 Lachlan McNeil
First Round - major dec. #22 Eligh Rivera (Princeton), 13-3
Second Round - dec. #6 Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville), 5-3
Quarterfinals - vs. #3 Cross Wasilewski (Penn)
157 Pounds -- #15 Cameron Catrabone
First Round - dec. #18 DJ McGee (George Mason), 5-0
Second Round - dec. by #2 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), 5-3
Consolations - vs. #16 Cael Swensen (South Dakota State)
174 Pounds -- #9 Beau Mantanona
First Round - dec. #24 Garrett Thompson (Ohio), 7-2
Second Round - dec. #8 Alex Facundo (Oklahoma State), 7-3
Quarterfinals - vs. #1 Levi Haines (Penn State)
184 Pounds -- #5 Brock Mantanona
First Round - dec. #28 Abraham Wojcikiewicz (Stanford), 14-9
Second Round - major dec. #12 Dylan Fishback (Ohio State), 13-5
Quarterfinals - vs. #20 Brian Soldano (Oklahoma)
Heavyweight -- #3 Taye Ghadiali
First Round - tech. fall #30 Jack Forbes (Utah Valley), 17-2 (5:58)
Second Round - tech. fall #14 Koy Hopke (Minnesota), 15-0 (5:33)
Quarterfinals - vs. #27 Hunter Catka (Rutgers)
Players Mentioned
