The NCAA announced on March 11 the brackets for the upcoming 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships, with five wrestlers from Utah Valley University set to compete at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Four of the UVU qualifiers will face first-time opponents in their opening matches.
This development is significant as it highlights the achievements of UVU’s wrestling program and provides an opportunity for its athletes to compete on a national stage.
Senior Haiden Drury, competing at 141 pounds, is seeded No. 19 and will open against Penn State’s Braeden Davis, who holds the No. 14 seed. Drury has a season record of 21-9 and finished seventh at his conference championships. The winner of this match will advance to face either Brock Hardy from Nebraska or Dario Lemus from Maryland.
David Evans earned the highest seed among UVU wrestlers at No. 9 in the 149-pound category and will face Andrew Clark of Rutgers, who is seeded No. 24. Evans comes into the tournament with a record of 20-5 after placing third at last week’s Big 12 Championships. The victor will move on to meet either Casey Swiderski of Oklahoma State or Michael Gioffre from Illinois.
Caleb Uhlenhopp is seeded No. 33 at 184 pounds and will start with a pigtail match against Sam Goin of Indiana, who is seeded No. 32. The winner will then take on top-seeded Rocco Welsh from Penn State, who remains unbeaten this season.
At 197 pounds, Kael Bennie faces a challenging opener against Rocky Elam of Iowa State, the undefeated No. 2 seed and recent Big 12 champion. Jack Forbes rounds out UVU’s qualifiers and will compete against Taye Ghadiali from Michigan in the heavyweight division; both are entering with strong records this season.
Of Utah Valley’s five qualifiers, four are making their first appearance at Nationals while Drury returns for his second time after previously competing in 2022. Seniors Drury, Evans, and Forbes are concluding their collegiate wrestling careers with this championship event scheduled to begin Thursday, March 19.
