CLEVELAND, Ohio (3/20/26) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team had a memorable Friday at the NCAA Championships inside Rocket Arena. Three Cowboys – Joey Novak (197), Eddie Neitenbach (184) and Christian Carroll (HWT) – earned All-American honors, giving Wyoming the most it has had at a single NCAA Championships in 30 years.

"I'm damn proud of these guys," head coach Mark Branch said. "They showed a lot of grit. You've seen so many high seeds go down, and upsets, and these guys showed what they're about. I couldn't be more proud of them. We always want more. But this is something we've been talking about, telling these guys that this is possible. We can do things like this. It's nice to showcase the things we are building in Laramie.

"This is a product of our team culture."

That Wyoming team is currently 12th with 31.5 points. And much of that is due to the fact that three Cowboys recorded three bonus point wins Friday, the first of which gave the Pokes its first All-American.

No. 5 Novak defeated No. 29 Colton Hawks (Arizona State) via major decision, 17-5, which booked his ticket to the semifinals and his second consecutive All-American honor. Novak's championship bracket run would come to close against No. 1 Josh Barr (Penn State), falling by major decision, 14-3.

It wasn't a bonus point win, but No. 6 Neitenbach delivered the second All-American moment. He defeated No. 16 Rylan Rogers (Lehigh) via decision, 4-2, in the Blood Round to seize his first NCAA podium spot. Neitenbach's day began with an 8-6 loss to No. 3 Max McEnelly (Minnesota) in the quarterfinals and concluded with a 5-0 loss to No. 2 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) in the consolation quarterfinals.

Carroll was Wyoming's third All-American, which also matches the most it has ever had in at a single NCAAs. He defeated No. 27 Hunter Catka (Rutgers) in sudden victory, 8-5, during the Blood Round. Carroll ran the gauntlet, winning four straight, two of which occurred Friday afternoon. He beat No. 16 Jimmy Mullen via major decision, 17-6, and took down No. 9 Cole Mirasola (Penn State) via decision, 9-6. Carroll's day ended with a 1-0 loss to No. 7 Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) in the consolation quarterfinals.

No. 21 Gabe Willochell (149) came up one win shy of All-American designation. He defeated both No. 6 Caleb Tyus (SIU-Edwardsville) via decision, 8-3, and No. 14 Caleb Rathjen (Northern Iowa) via major decision, 11-1 on Friday afternoon. Willochell's Cinderella run ended with a 4-1 loss to No. 8 Casey Swiderski (Oklahoma State) in the Blood Round.

Penn State continues to run away in the team standings with 153 points. Oklahoma State moved into second with 111.5 points, and Nebraska rounds out the top three with 90.5 points.

Day 3 of the NCAA Championships gets underway at 9 a.m. (MST) with consolation semifinals and placing matches. All three Cowboys will go at that time. Novak can still finish as high as third, while Neitenbach and Carroll will both compete for seventh. The Championship Session commences at 4:30 p.m.

133: No. 29 Luke Willochell (0-2)
First Round: No. 4 Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech) technical fall Willochell, 17-2 (3:00)
Consolation Round 1: No. 13 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) sudden victory Willochell, 10-7

149: No. 21 Gabe Willochell (3-2)
First Round: No. 12 Carter Young (Maryland) decision Willochell, 16-12
Consolation Round 1: Willochell decision No. 28 Kade Brown (Pitt), 7-4
Consolation Round 2: Willochell decision No. 6 Caleb Tyus (SIU-Edwardsville), 8-3
Consolation Round 3: Willochell major decision No. 14 Caleb Rathjen (Northern Iowa), 11-1
Blood Round: No. 8 Casey Swiderski (Oklahoma State) decision Willochell, 4-1

174: No. 30 Riley Davis (1-2)
First Round: No. 3 Christopher Minto (Nebraska) technical fall Davis, 20-4 (6:05)
Consolation Prelim: Davis decision No. 32 Luke Condon (Wisconsin), 4-1
Consolation Round 1: No. 14 Moses Espinoza-Owens (South Dakota State) decision Davis, 7-3

184: No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach (3-2)
First Round: Neitenbach major decision No. 27 Aidan Brenot (North Dakota State), 14-1
Second Round: Neitenbach decision No. 22 Zack Ryder (Oklahoma State), 7-2
Quarterfinals: No. 3 Max McEnelly (Minnesota) decision Neitenbach, 8-6
Blood Round: Neitenbach decision No. 16 Rylan Rogers (Lehigh), 4-2
Consolation Quarterfinals: No. 2 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) decision Neitenbach, 5-0

197: No. 5 Joey Novak (3-1)
First Round: Novak fall No. 28 Kael Wisler (Michigan State), 4:43
Second Round: Novak fall No. 21 Rune Lawrence (West Virginia), 4:56
Quarterfinals: Novak major decision No. 29 Colton Hawks (Arizona State), 17-5
Semifinals: No. 1 Josh Barr (Penn State) major decision Novak, 14-3

HWT: No. 18 Christian Carroll (3-2)
First Round: No. 15 Brady Colbert (Army) decision Carroll, 5-1
Consolation Round 1: Carroll fall No. 31 Brenan Morgan (Virginia), 1:13
Consolation Round 2: Carroll major decision No. 16 Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech), 17-8
Consolation Round 3: Carroll decision No. 9 Cole Mirasola (Penn State), 9-6
Blood Round: Carroll sudden victory No. 27 Hunter Catka (Rutgers), 8-5
Consolation Quarterfinals: No. 7 Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) decision Carroll, 1-0