Wrestling Competes in NCAA National Championships

Thursday, March 19

Cleveland, Ohio

Noon

Bucknell University

NCAA National Championships

Photo by: Lauren Medeiros

Wrestling Competes in NCAA National Championships

3/18/2026 2:16:00 PM | Wrestling

Bucknell at the NCAA National Championships
When: March 19-21
Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, Ohio
Watch: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN+
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_WRST
Championship Central: ncaa.com

Projected Bucknell Lineup

141 - #25 Dylan Chappell
165 - #18 Noah Mulvaney
174 - #12 Myles Takats
184 - Tyler Bienus
197 - #24 Dillon Bechtold

Bucknell - NCAA Seeding

141 - #23 Dylan Chappell
165 - #19 Noah Mulvaney
174 - #10 Myles Takats
184 - #30 Tyler Bienus
197 - #17 Dillon Bechtold

Bucknell at a Glance

• The Bison continue March Matness by sending five wrestlers in the NCAA National Championships for the third consecutive season. Bucknell seeks its first All-American in five years.
• Bucknell experienced forward progress in the latest Intermat's rankings. Myles Takats (174) moved up to #12 from #18. Noah Mulvaney (165) improved from #21 to #18. Dillon Bechtold (197) went from #25 to #24. Dylan Chappell (141) rose to #25 from #28. Tyler Bienus (184) fell out from the top 33.
• Dylan Chappell (141) entered 2025-26 with 88 career wins and the fifth-year senior has won 21 matches, unlocking five straight campaigns of 20+ win seasons. Chappell became the first Bison grappler to reach the 100-win milestone since Kurt Phipps (133) earned number 100 against No. 16 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) on Jan. 30, 2025. His most recent win tied him for sixth in program history with Paul Petrov (2012-16).
• Bucknell posted its third straight top 25 recruiting class, providing an even greater pool of talent for the program. The depth has been on display with the Bison taking nearly every ranked foe to the bitter end, routing Hofstra, LIU, and Morgan State, and performing well at the Navy Classic. At the Midlands Championships, the team finished third for its highest finish in program history at the competition.
• The Orange & Blue finished the season with an 8-12 overall record and a 5-3 mark in EIWA play. Bucknell outscored its opponents 425-329 in duals.
• Six of Bucknell's 12 losses came versus ranked opponents and four of those defeats came down to the final bout.
• Noah Mulvaney (165) is 25-7 in matches and a sparkling 17-3 in duals this season.
• Head coach Dan Wirnsberger is in his 21th year leading the program since its revival in 2005.

A Look Back at the EIWA Championships

• Bucknell enjoyed one of its finest EIWA performances in program history, tying its highest finish (third) and scoring a team record 126.5 points.
• Nine Bison ended up on the podium.
• Two Orange & Blue grapplers were crowned EIWA title winners for the first time in program history. Myles Takats (174) and Dillon Bechtold (197) won Bucknell's sixth and seventh individual EIWA titles and the first ones at their respective weight classes.
• Noah Mulvaney (165) repeated as EIWA runner-up and Riley Bower (149) also placed second.
• Dylan Chappell's (141) streak of runner-up placements ended but the fifth-year senior unlocked his fourth NCAA bid by finishing third.
• Cade Wirnsberger (157) outperformed his seeding with a fifth-place finish. Tyler Bienus (184) joined him in the grouping.
• Logan Shephard (285) filled in for an injured Lucas Lawler and the senior heavyweight delivered sixth place and might have finished higher, if not for an unfortunate injury.
• Kade Davidheiser (125) grabbed eighth place, the highest finish in some time for Bucknell at the 125-weight class.
• Bucknell has continuously improved by two spots at the EIWA Championships since finishing 11th in 2022.

NCAA Championships History

• Bucknell has finished 40th at the last two NCAA Championships.
• The Bison have had six All-Americans recipients in this history - Zach Hartman is the most recent - finishing sixth (165) in 2021.
• The top eight wrestlers in each weight class are christened All-American.
• Tom Marchetti earned Bucknell's highest finish at the NCAA Championships. He placed fourth in the defunct 167-weight class back in 1989.
• Takats' seeding is the highest for Bison wrestler since Zach Hartman ranked fifth in 2021.
• In the first round, Chappell faces No. 10 Jack Consiglio (Stanford), Mulvaney duels No. 14 Anthony Barbosa (Rutgers) in a rematch of their Midlands meeting, Takats reunites with No. 23 Luca Augustine (Pitt) - he defeated the Panther 5-3 during the teams' regular season dual, Bienus challenges No. 3 Max McNelly (Minnesota), and Bechtold meets No. 16 Branson John (Maryland).
• Overall coverage will be held on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU with specific mat coverage on ESPN+.

Schedule