CLEVELAND — Eight of the 28 Ohio natives who competed at the 2026 NCAA Division I men’s wrestling championships left Rocket Arena with a medal on March 21.
That’s 10% of the 80 wrestlers who achieved All-American status.
Two former St. Edward Catholic teammates clashed in a placement match. Brothers from Perrysburg both reached a podium.
Listed by ascending weight order, and accompanied by their high school alma mater, here’s how each of the Buckeye State’s 2026 NCAA medalists achieved All-American status.
Ohio’s eight NCAA All-American wrestlers
Marcus Blaze, Perrysburg: Finished fourth for Penn State in a 133-pound bracket lauded by many as the tournament’s deepest. Reached the semifinals before a loss to Ohio State’s Ben Davino. Big 10 runner-up two weeks prior.
Lucas Byrd, La Salle: Placed eighth for Illinois in the same 133-pound bracket as Blaze. The Cincinnati native was a 2025 national champion and finished his college career as a four-time NCAA All-American.
Joey Blaze, Perrysburg: Marcus Blaze’s older brother placed sixth at 165 pounds for Purdue. Reached the semifinals before back-to-back losses and a medical forfeit in his placement match. Ends his junior season as a two-time NCAA All-American.
Brice Hepner, St. Edward: Placed seventh at 165 pounds for North Carolina, earning his first NCAA All-American nod in his sixth collegiate season. Native of Avon.
Paddy Gallagher, St. Edward: Finished eighth at 165 pounds for Ohio State, including a placement bout against his former St. Edward High School and Ohio State teammate. Redshirt senior from Chesterland earned his first All-American nod after starting the tournament seeded 16th.
Carson Kharchla, Olentangy Liberty: Placed fourth at 174 pounds for Ohio State with a 5-2 tournament record. Senior was also an All-American for the Buckeyes in 2022.
Eddie Neitenbach, Buckeye: Finished seventh at 184 pounds for Wyoming, the sophomore’s first All-American nod. Valley City native reached the quarterfinals before his win in the blood round.
Camden McDanel, Teays Valley: Placed fifth for Nebraska at 197 pounds, his second All-American honor in as many tries. Responded to his quarterfinal loss with back-to-back consolation victories.
Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@gannett.com. Follow him on X @realjuveino.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Meet the eight NCAA Division I men’s wrestling medalists from Ohio
Reporting by Jeff Uveino, Erie Times-News / Zanesville Times Recorder
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
