Huskers Second After Day One, Advance Seven to Quarterfinals

Cleveland, Ohio - The Nebraska wrestling team sits in second place with 27 points following the first day of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena. Seven Huskers advanced to the quarterfinals, with all 10 qualifiers still alive in tournament action. NU recorded nine bonus-point victories on the day, highlighted by five tech. falls and four major decisions.

No. 3 Brock Hardy (141), No. 20 Chance Lamer (149), No. 2 Antrell Taylor (157), No. 3 Christopher Minto (174), No. 8 Silas Allred (184), No. 11 Camden McDanel and No. 4 AJ Ferrari (HWT), are headed to the NCAA quarterfinals after going 2-0 on the day. 

In his NCAA tournament debut at 125, No. 25 Kael Lauridsen fell to No. 8 Dean Peterson (IOWA), 9-1. No. 13 Jacob Van Dee led early against No. 20 Julian Farber (UNI), but Farber rallied with two escapes and a late takedown to secure a 5-4 victory. No. 3 Brock Hardy posted an 18-1 tech. fall over No. 30 Dario Lemus (MD), scoring three takedowns, two four-point nearfalls and an escape for the 20th tech. fall of his career. 

At 149, No. 20 Chance Lamer started his tournament with a 4-1 decision over No. 13 Joseph Zargo (WIS), adding a last-second takedown to seal the win. No. 2 Antrell Taylor, the 2025 NCAA champion at 157, dominated No. 31 Garrett McChesney (EDIN) with three first-period takedowns for a 19-4 tech. fall, his seventh of the season. No. 6 LJ Araujo also made his NCAA debut but fell 8-7 to No. 27 EJ Parco (STAN).

No. 3 Christopher Minto (174) recorded a 20-4 tech. fall over No. 30 Riley Davis (WYO) with six takedowns, marking his 45th career win. At 184, No. 8 Silas Allred, a four-time NCAA qualifier, earned a 3-1 decision over No. 25 Malachi DuVall (GMU). No. 11 Camden McDanel posted a 7-2 decision over No. 22 Devin Wasley (NDSU), and No. 4 AJ Ferrari added a 17-2 tech. fall over No. 29 Luke Rasmussen (SDSU) to close out Session I. 

In Session II, NU did not drop a single match. No. 25 Lauridsen rebounded from his opening loss at 125 with a 5-1 decision over No. 24 Ayden Smith (RUT). At 141, No. 3 Hardy faced No. 14 Braeden Davis (PSU) in the round of 16. Hardy scored two takedowns and a reversal to pull away for a 9-4 decision, advancing to the quarterfinals. 

At 133, No. 13 Van Dee wrestled No. 29 Luke Willochell (WYO) in the consolation bracket. The pair were tied 7-7 at the end of regulation before Van Dee scored a takedown in SV to win 10-7. No. 20 Lamer (149) jumped to an early lead over the reigning ACC champion No. 4 Collin Gaj (VT) with a takedown in the first period and held on for a 3-1 decision.

At 157, No. 2 Taylor defeated No. 15 Cameron Catrabone 5-3 after scoring a takedown and riding time in the third period. No. 3 Minto followed with a dominant 11-2 major decision over No. 19 Logan Messer (GMU), tallying two takedowns and an escape in the first period to continue NU’s bonus-point pace. 

In the consolation rounds, No. 6 Araujo dominated No. 22 Matthew Olguin (ORST) for a 16-0 tech. fall, scoring a takedown and two nearfalls in the opening period. No. 8 Allred trailed early against No. 9 Chris Moore (ILL) but rallied with three takedowns and a three-point nearfall to earn a 15-5 major decision and advance to his fourth NCAA quarterfinal. 

No. 11 McDanel posted an upset over No. 6 Justin Rademacher (ORST) with three takedowns in the final period for a 13-5 major decision. No. 4 Ferrari closed out the session with a 12-0 shutout over No. 20 Dayton Pitzer (PITT), giving the Big Red five bonus-point wins for the session. 

Quarterfinal Matchups
141: No. 3 Brock Hardy vs. No. 6 Vince Cornella (COR)
149: No. 20 Chance Lamer vs. No. 12 Carter Young (MD)
157: No. 2 Antrell Taylor vs. No. 7 Kannon Webster (ILL)
174: No. 3 Christopher Minto vs. No. 11 MJ Gaitan (ISU)
184: No. 8 Silas Allred vs. No. 1 Rocco Welsh (PSU)
197: No. 11 Camden McDanel vs. No. 3 Stephen Little (UALR)
HWT: No. 4 AJ Ferrari vs. No. 21 Juan Mora (OKLA) 

Up Next
The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships continue Friday, March 20, with Sessions III and IV. Quarterfinals and consolation matches will be broadcast on ESPNU beginning at 11 a.m. (CT)., with semifinals and additional consolation bouts airing at 7 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2. 

Team Standings (Through Day One)

1. Penn State (40.5)
2. Nebraska (27)
3. Iowa (25.5)
4. Oklahoma State (25)
5. Ohio State (23)
6. Iowa State (21.5)
7. Arizona State (17)
8. Stanford (15)
9. Cornell (14)
10. Michigan (14)

125: No. 25 Kael Lauridsen (1-1)
First Round: No. 8 Dean Peterson (IOWA) major dec. No. 25 Kael Lauridsen (NEB) 9-1
Cons. First Round: No. 25 Kael Lauridsen (NEB) dec. No. 24 Ayden Smith (RUT) 5-1

133: No. 13 Jacob Van Dee (1-1)
First Round: No. 20 Julian Farber (UNI) dec. No. 13 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) 5-4
Cons. First Round: No. 13 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) dec. No. 29 Luke Willochell (WYO) SV-1 10-7

141: No. 3 Brock Hardy (2-0)
First Round: No. 3 Brock Hardy (NEB) tech. fall No. 30 Dario Lemus (MD) (5:47) 18-1
Second Round: No. 3 Brock Hardy (NEB) dec. No. 14 Braeden Davis (PSU) 9-4

149: No. 20 Chance Lamer (2-0)
First Round: No. 20 Chance Lamer (NEB) dec. No. 13 Joseph Zargo (WIS) 4-1
Second Round: No. 20 Chance Lamer (NEB) dec. No. 4 Collin Gaj (VT) 3-1

157: No. 2 Antrell Taylor (2-0)
First Round: No. 2 Antrell Taylor (NEB) tech fall. No. 31 Garrett McChesney (EDIN) (5:31) 19-4
Second Round: No. 2 Antrell Taylor (NEB) dec. No. 15 Cameron Catrabone (MICH) 5-3

165: No. 6 LJ Araujo (1-1)
First Round: No. 27 EJ Parco (STAN) dec. No. 6 LJ Araujo (NEB) 8-7
Cons. First Round: No. 6 LJ Araujo (NEB) tech. fall No. 22 Matthew Olguin (ORST) (5:51) 16-0

174: No. 3 Christopher Minto (2-0)
First Round: No. 3 Christopher Minto (NEB) tech. fall No. 30 Riley Davis (WYO) (6:05) 20-4
Second Round: No. 3 Christopher Minto (NEB) major dec. No. 19 Logan Messer (GMU) 11-2

184: No. 8 Silas Allred (2-0)
First Round: No. 8 Silas Allred (NEB) dec. No. 25 Malachi DuVall (GMU) 3-1
Second Round: No. 8 Silas Allred (NEB) major dec. No. 9 Chris Moore (ILL) 15-5

197: No. 11 Camden McDanel (2-0)
First Round: No. 11 Camden McDanel (NEB) dec. No. 22 Devin Wasley (NDSU) 7-2
Second Round: No. 11 Camden McDanel (NEB) major dec. No. 6 Justin Rademacher (ORST) 13-5

HWT: No. 4 AJ Ferrari (2-0)
First Round: No. 4 AJ Ferrari (NEB) tech. fall No. 29 Luke Rasmussen (SDSU) (6:01) 17-2
Second Round: No. 4 AJ Ferrari (NEB) major dec. No. 20 Dayton Pitzer (PITT) 12-0