Men’s College Notebook: 15 undefeated wrestlers eye perfect seasons entering NCAA Championships

The 2026 postseason started with 22 undefeated wrestlers going into their conference tournaments. Only 15 survived this past weekend without taking a loss and will now go into the NCAA Championships with the chance to have a perfect season.

Every weight class but one has at least one undefeated wrestler entering the NCAA Championships next weekend in Cleveland, Ohio. Last year, only three wrestlers concluded the college season with an undefeated mark, and just four in 2024. Dating back to 2000, the most undefeated wrestlers after all hands were raised were eight back in 2022.

Here is a look at all the undefeated wrestlers heading into this year’s culminating championship event.

No. 1 seed Luke Lilledahl, Penn State, 20-0

No. 4 seed Sheldon Seymour, Lehigh, 19-0

The first of five weight classes with multiple undefeated wrestlers. Both Lilledahl and Seymour were 2025 All-Americans. They met in the quarterfinals last year, with Seymour getting the win. If they both win their first three matches, they will meet in the semifinals. Lilledahl is the No. 1 seed at 125 pounds for the second straight year, winning the Big Ten Championship for a second year in a row as well. Seymour also repeated as his conference champion this year, taking home top honors at the EIWA Championship.

No. 1 seed Jax Forrest, Oklahoma State, 13-0

By now, every wrestling fan knows the story of Forrest. He was wrestling high school matches in December, then decided to enroll a semester early at Oklahoma State. After some debate if he would redshirt or not, Forrest exceeded his five-date limit and nabbed the top seed after a Big 12 championship. Interestingly, the top five seeds at this weight are all freshmen.

No. 1 seed Jesse Mendez, Ohio State, 22-0

No. 2 seed Sergio Vega, Oklahoma State, 19-0

No. 5 seed Luke Stanich, Lehigh, 13-0

The weight with the most undefeated wrestlers. Mendez is the two-time defending national champion at this weight, but this is the first time he has come into the NCAA tournament undefeated. Vega is a true freshman and has not suffered a loss in his collegiate career yet. Stanich won a U20 World gold medal this past summer but picked up an injury and was held out of collegiate action until the second semester. He only has 13 matches this year, perhaps why his seed is fifth. He and Mendez could meet in the semifinals.

No. 1 seed Shayne Van Ness, Penn State, 21-0

Van Ness successfully returned from injury last season and placed third for the second time at the NCAA tournament. This year, he won his first career Big Ten title and is undefeated entering the NCAAs.

The lone weight with no undefeated wrestlers. Both No. 1 seed PJ Duke of Penn State and No. 3 seed Meyer Shapiro of Cornell come in with a single loss on the season.

No. 1 seed Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State, 22-0

Mesenbrink comes into the NCAA Championships undefeated for the third straight year. He is the returning national champion, and his only collegiate loss came in the 2024 NCAA finals. He has won 49 straight matches.

No. 1 seed Levi Haines, Penn State, 21-0

No. 2 seed Simon Ruiz, Cornell, 16-0                                                                                   

Haines won a national championship at 157 pounds in 2024 and was a finalist in 2023. In his final season, Haines brings in a perfect record to the NCAAs after becoming the third wrestler all-time to win four Big Ten championships. Ruiz was impressive last year, placing fifth as a freshman. He has been even better this year, winning a second straight Ivy League title and entering NCAAs with a perfect record.

No. 1 seed Rocco Welsh, Penn State, 20-0

Last time we saw Welsh compete at the NCAA Championships, he was a freshman in an Ohio State singlet that reached the final at 174 pounds in 2024. After a redshirt year, he transferred to Penn State this offseason and has yet to lose a match as a Nittany Lion.

No. 1 seed Josh Barr, Penn State, 19-0

No. 4 seed Rocky Elam, Iowa State, 18-0

Barr is a returning national finalist, but this year comes in undefeated and has spent the entire season ranked No. 1. He missed time earlier in the year recovering from an injury. Elam was a four-time All-American at Missouri before transferring to Iowa State for his final campaign. He did not compete last year, but has placed sixth, third, fourth and fifth in his previous NCAA trips.

No. 1 seed Yonger Bastida, Iowa State, 25-0

No. 2 seed Isaac Trumble, NC State, 15-0

The second Cyclone upper weight entering undefeated, Bastida leads the NCAA in technical falls this season and is coming off a Big 12 title. He is looking for his first All-American honors since 2022, when he was at 197 pounds. Trumble won an ACC championship for the first time and is healthy this year at NCAAs after tearing an ACL last year, but still placed fourth.