NC State wrestling kept six of its seven competitors in contention after the first day of the 2026 NCAA Championships, with freshman Will Denny and sixth-year Isaac Trumble advancing to the quarterfinals. The event is taking place at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
The progress of Denny and Trumble highlights a strong showing for NC State, which remains in 16th place as a team with 11.5 points. The Wolfpack currently holds the second-highest point total among teams fielding seven or fewer wrestlers.
Denny, making his national tournament debut, reached the quarterfinals in the 165-pound division by defeating No. 7 Max Brignola of Lehigh in sudden victory. He will face second-seeded Joey Blaze of Purdue in session three. Trumble maintained his undefeated season record at 18-0 by earning bonus point wins over Brenan Morgan of Virginia and Brady Colbert of Army; he is set to compete against seventh-seeded Konner Doucet from Oklahoma State next.
Vincent Robinson was moved into the consolation bracket after losing to last year’s national finalist Troy Spratley from Oklahoma State, despite previously holding a winning record against him. Robinson will now face Brady Roark of South Dakota State in his next match. Zach Redding was the only NC State wrestler eliminated on day one due to an injury sustained during his opening match.
The results from both sessions show competitive performances across weight classes for NC State, with several wrestlers still alive in their respective brackets as competition continues.
