CLEVELAND, Ohio (3/21/26) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team concluded its 2025-26 season on Saturday at the NCAA Championships inside Rocket Arena. And what an ending it was. The Cowboys placed 12th with 38 points and had three earn All-American status.

"It was a great weekend for the Cowboys," head coach Mark Branch said. "I couldn't be more proud of these guys for the way they fought through this incredibly difficult tournament. They handled themselves like champions. It was awesome to be around this, and it was awesome to celebrate this with them. Being an All-American is something they'll have the rest of their lives, and I know how important that is, how big it is and how hard it is at this level."

No. 5 Joey Novak (197) earned his second consecutive All-American honor with a fourth-place finish. No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach (184) claimed his first All-American recognition following a seventh-place finish, and No. 18 Christian Carroll also seized his first-career All-American award with an eighth-place finish.

Saturday encompassed the Medal Round. Novak defeated No. 11 Camden McDanel (Nebraska) via a decision, 7-3, in the consolation semifinals before dropping a 7-4 decision to No. 3 Stephen Little (Little Rock) in the third-place bout.

"He embodies the Cowboy tough mentality," Branch said. "He loves this program. It's what you need in this day in age. You need guys like Joey. The leadership that Joey has shown is what we've been trying to build."

Neitenbach won his only match on Saturday, and he didn't have to break a sweat to do so. He defeated No. 22 Zack Ryder (Okalhoma State) via medical forfeit in the seventh-place match.

"Eddie is awesome," Branch said. "He came in with the most favorable seeding, meaning I was surprised how high a seed he was. Don't let that fool you. He'd been hanging around 8/9/10 in all the polls. It wasn't a given he was going to come in and place. He definitely had to show up, and he put together a heck of a tournament."

Carroll lost his lone bout Saturday. No. 10 David Szuba (Arizona State) toppled Carroll by disqualification, 6-0, in the seventh-place match. Carroll was the highest-seeded heavyweight to All-American in 2026.

"Christian was gutsy, and he's learning a lot about himself," Branch said. "He certainly was feeling the weight of this tournament on him. After losing that first match, his confidence was shaken a little bit. But he picked it up and battled back and showed a lot of grit there. He showed what he's about and what he's capable of. He's been an awesome addition to our team."

Penn State comfortably captured the team title with 181.5 points. Oklahoma State was runner-up with 131 points, while Nebraska rounded out the top three at 100.5 points.

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 (4-2) – 7th
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
Seventh-Place Match: Neitenbach medical forfeit No. 22 Zack Ryder (Oklahoma State)

197: No. 5 Joey Novak (4-2) – 4th
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
Consolation Semifinals: Novak decision No. 11 Camden McDanel (Nebraska), 7-3
Fifth-Place Match: No. 3 Stephen Little (Little Rock) decision Novak, 7-4

HWT: No. 18 Christian Carroll (4-3) – 8th
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
Seventh-Place Match: No. 10 David Szuba (Arizona State) disqualified Carroll, 6-0