Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Mar. 12, 2026) - Alvernia University Men's Wrestling will have two wrestlers hit the mat for the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling Championship when it gets underway at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

Chance Babb and Owen Reber punched their tickets to this year's championship with respective second and third place finishes at 2026 Region III Championship at the end of February. Babb, a senior, will be making his third appearance at an NCAA Division III National Championship, while Reber, a sophomore, is making his first appearance. 

Inside the Bracket - 149 pounds
Babb enters his third NCAA National Championship with a 27-7 record on his senior season. He has five pins, seven technical falls, and five major decisions. Babb's first round opponent on Friday will be Caleb Olson from Wartburg. Olson is a first-year for Wartburg with a 19-8 record this year. He took third at his regional championship. 

The winner of Babb and Olson's first round bout will move on to face Dominik Mallinder of Wisconsin Whitewater. Mallinder is the fifth seed at 149 pounds with a 27-3 record this year. The loser of Babb and Olson's bout will face the loser of Nate Fitt and Chase Fiser in the first round of consolation bouts. Fitt is the seventh seed out of the Coast Guard Academy and is carrying a 27-1 record into the National Championship. Fiser is the tenth seed out of Loras who enters with a 22-6 record.

The top seed at 149 pounds is McDaniel's Thomas Monn. He is 40-0 on the year. The #2 seed is Augsburg's Matt Randolph with 25-2 record, and the #3 seed is Cortland's Angelo Centrone with a 17-1 record. 

Inside the Bracket - 285 pounds
Reber enters his first NCAA National Championship with a 35-10 record during his sophomore season. Reber has 14 pins on the year along with two technical falls and two major decisions. Reber's first round opponent will be Rory Nolan of Norwich. Nolan, also a sophomore, has a 31-5 record and secured his trip to Iowa with a third place finish at regionals.

The winner of Reber and Nolan's bout will move on to face Carl DiGiorgio of the Coast Guard Academy. DiGiorgio is the two seed with a 31-0 record. He is a three time All-American and was the 2025 National Runner-Up. The loser of Reber and Nolan's bout will face either Carter Stack, the 28-0 four seed out of Washington and Lee, the unseeded Markos Mihalopoulos of Wisconsin La Crosse, or the unseeded Nicholas Cook of Roanoke.

Wartburg's Mitch Williamson returns to defend his 2025 national title as the #1 seed. He is 22-0 this season and has just one loss since the 2023-24 season. Following DiGiorgio as the #2 seed is RIT's Josh Harkless as the #3 seed. Harkless is the total wins leader in the heavyweight bracket with a 42-3 record.

Schedule of Events (All Times are Listed as Eastern Time)
Friday, March 13th
11:00 AM: Session 1 - Preliminary Rounds One and Two, Consolation First Round
6:00 PM: Session 2 - Championship Quarterfinals, Consolation Second and Third Rounds

Saturday, March 14th
11:00 AM: Session Three - Championship Semifinals, Consolation Quarterfinals, Consolation Semifinals, Consolation 3rd/5th/7th Place Bouts
8:00 PM: Championship Bouts