Jesse Mendez and Ben Davino were one win short of being national champions.
Mendez lost to Oklahoma State’s No. 2-seeded Sergio Vega on Saturday. The 4-1 result in overtime was his first loss of the season. Had Mendez won, he would have joined Logan Stieber (four) and Kyle Snyder (three) as the only Buckeyes to win three individual NCAA championships. He also would have been the fifth Ohio State wrestler to go undefeated, along with Stieber (twice), Snyder (twice), Kollin Moore and Rex Holman.
"COWBOY UP, COWBOY UP"
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) March 21, 2026
: ESPN#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/7p0NakgmiA
Ben Davino also wrestled for a national title on Saturday. His breakout season fell short of NCAA glory as the 133-pound Big Ten champion lost to Oklahoma State’s No. 1-seeded Jax Forrest, 5-2. A redshirt freshman, Davino will return to Columbus next season with a bright career ahead.
Ohio State performed well at the 2026 NCAA Championships — though well is a relative term in a sport dominated by Cael Sanderson and Penn State. The Nittany Lions clinched their 13th national title in 15 years before the tournament reached its championship bouts. They dominated the field with six finalists and a record-setting team score.
Ohio State finished fifth in the team standings with 84.5 points behind Penn State (181.5), Oklahoma State (131), Nebraska (100.5) and Iowa (92.5).
Mendez and Davino led a group of five All-American Buckeyes in 2026, along with Brandon Cannon (157), Paddy Gallagher (165) and Carson Kharchla (174). Cannon and Kharchla lost their third-place matches to Penn State’s No. 1-seeded PJ Duke and Iowa’s No. 5-seeded Patrick Kennedy as both wrestlers finished fourth in their weight classes. Gallagher lost his seventh-place match to Missouri’s No. 7-seeded Cam Steed and finished eighth.
Ohio State at the 2026 NCAA Championships
- 125 - Nic Bouzakis (2-2)
- 133 - Ben Davino (4-1)
- 141 - Jesse Mendez (4-1)
- 149 - Ethan Stiles (1-2)
- 157 - Brandon Cannon (3-2)
- 165 - Paddy Gallagher (4-2)
- 174 - Carson Kharchla (3-2)
- 184 - Dylan Fishback (1-2)
- 197 - Luke Geog (3-2)
- 285 - Nick Feldman (2-2)
