Spratley Exorcises 2025 Finals Demon, Moves to Quarters, Five Advanced then Disaster

It was the 2025 NCAA Championship Finals, later that night in Philadelphia heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson would make wrestling history upsetting Gabe Steveson. In the 125 final, his teammate fifth-seed Troy Spratley had a chance to win a coveted NCAA title. North Carolina State’s Vincent Robinson ended his dream. Thursday night in the second session of the 2026 NCAA Championships Spratley ended Robinson’s championship run. It was on a night where all 10 Cowboys were looking to advance to the Friday quarterfinals. 

Spratley was down after giving up a first period takedown and then fell behind 4-0 in the second period after whittling Robinson’s riding time advantage to close to 30 seconds. Back on their feet the two wrestlers got into a scramble that looked like it was going to turn into a Robinson takedown into his. Then Spratley got Robinson tilted and his shoulders on the mat long enough for a four-point near fall. The 4-0 deficit became a 7-4 lead. 

Spratley started down in the third period and quickly escaped to go up 8-4. A late stall call made it 8-5. The No. 5 seed Spratley goes to 18-3 and advances to the quarterfinals Friday morning. He talked about the win afterwards.

More Jax Forrest as the top seed at 133-pounds took on T.K. Davis of Gardner Webb. Davis had an impressive 25-1 record. He had it because Forrest quickly got a takedown and then started adding near fall points, four, four more. Forrest reset and got two points with a tilt near the edge of the mat. He led 12-1 and then put Davis on his back again. All of this in the first period to add up to a 16-1 tech fall. 

Forrest is now 15-0 and the top seed advances to face No. 8 seed Marcel Baker of Northern Illinois who scored a doubloe leg takedown in sudden victory for an 8-5 decision to move on. Baker is 28-4 on the season. 

NCAA Wrestling Championships Team Scores

1. Penn State - 40.5  

2. Iowa - 24.0  

3. Nebraska - 23.0  

3. OK State - 23.0  

5. Ohio State - 22.5  

Sergio Vega is the No. 2 seed at 141-pounds and had Elijah Griffin of Rider in the second round and had a battle on his hands as the two were tied and scoreless after the first period. Vega started down in the second period and got his escape but not before Griffin had 1:06 in riding time. 

Vega came back with a single leg and a takedown to go up 4-0. Vega started the third period up and worked his way to a takedown, near fall points, and eventually at 6:12 the fall. Vega goes to a perfect 21-0 on the season. 

At 149 pounds Casey Swiderski is on fire and he started his second round match just like he did his opener with a takedown. Swiderski dominated David Evans, the No. 9 seed from Utah Valley and finished with a late takedown to get the bonus points and a major decision at 14-4. Swiderski in on to Friday quarters with a 16-5 record. 

At 157 pounds, No. 5 Landon Robideau found a tough opponent in No. 21 Charlie Millard of Minnesota, but Robideau was grinding and got a 7-3 decision to move on where he’ll face No. 4 Kaleb Larkin of Arizona State in the quarters. Larkin beat Robideau in the Big 12 finals.  

Then it was 165 pounds and No. 5 seed Dee Lockett of the Cowboys. Lockett has struggled some lately and did against Columbia’s No. 12 seed Cesar Alvan. The two traded escapes in regulation to finish the third period 1-1. It became obvious that Lockett was stressed and pushing to get a takedown in sudden victory. Midway through the two minute period, Lockett working a strong single leg overextended himself and Alvan took advantage, flipping on top of Lockett, got control, and pinned the Cowboy at :59 in sudden victory. Alvan advanced with the win to go to 30-8. Lockett drops into consolations with a 17-3 mark. 

Lockett was not taking the loss well.

Momentum cuts both ways and unfortunately it stuck on the Pokes as No. 8 seed Alex Facundo (17-7) lost his second round match in a 7-3 decision to Michigan’s No. 9 seed Beau Mantanona (23-7).

Then at 184 pounds the Cowboys gutsy Zack Ryder, wrestling with that left shoulder injury dropped a 7-2 decision to Wyoming’s No. 6 seed Eddie Neitenbach (22-6). Ryder, the No. 22 seed goes to the consolations with a 13-9 record.

Cody Merrill broke the skids at 197 pounds as the No. 7 seed took a 2-1 decision from No. 10 Mac Stout of Pittsburgh. The low scoring match ended in the third period with Stout getting an escape to make it a one point match but Merrill kept him at bay without drawing a stall over that final minute. Merrill is now 19-4 on the season moving to the quarterfinals.

Friday’s NCAA Wrestling Quarterfinals

125 lbs

#1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) vs. #8 Dean Peterson (Iowa)

#5 Troy Spratley (Okla. State) vs. #4 Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh)

#14 Jacob Moran (Indiana) vs. #6 Jore Volk (Minnesota)

#10 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) vs. #2 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech)

133 lbs

#1 Jax Forrest (Okla. State) vs. #8 Markel Baker (Northern Illinois)

#5 Kyler Larkin (Arizona State) vs. #4 Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech)

#3 Marcus Blaze (Penn State) vs. #6 Drake Ayala (Iowa)

#7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. #2 Ben Davino (Ohio State)

141 lbs

#1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. #8 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota)

#5 Luke Stanich (Lehigh) vs. #4 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State)

#3 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) vs. #6 Vince Cornella (Cornell)

#7 Nasir Bailey (Iowa) vs. #2 Sergio Vega (Okla. State)

149 lbs

#1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) vs. #8 Casey Swiderski (Okla. State)

#12 Carter Young (Maryland) vs. #20 Chance Lamer (Nebraska)

#3 Cross Wasilewski (Penn) vs. #11 Lachlan McNeil (Michigan)

(#10 Aden Valencia (Stanford) vs. #2 Jaxon Joy (Cornell)

157 lbs

#1 PJ Duke (Penn State) vs. #8 Brandon Cannon (Ohio State)

#5 Landon Robideau (Okla. State) vs. #4 Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State)

#3 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) vs. #11 Ty Watters (West Virginia)

#7 Kannon Webster (Illinois) vs. #2 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska)

165 lbs

#1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) vs. #9 Bryce Hepner (North Carolina)

#12 Cesar Alvan (Columbia) vs. #4 Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State)

#3 Mikey Caliendo (Iowa) vs. #27 EJ Parco (Stanford)

#10 Will Denny (NC State) vs. #2 Joey Blaze (Purdue)

174 lbs

#1 Levi Haines (Penn State) vs. #9 Beau Mantanona (Michigan)

#5 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) vs. #4 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State)

#3 Christopher Minto (Nebraska) vs. #11 MJ Gaitan (Iowa State)

#7 Cam Steed (Missouri) vs. #15 Danny Wask (Navy)

184 lbs

#1 Rocco Welsh (Penn State) vs. #8 Silas Allred (Nebraska)

#5 Brock Mantanona (Michigan) vs. #20 Brian Soldano (Oklahoma)

#3 Max McEnelly (Minnesota) vs. #6 Eddie Neitenbach (Wyoming)

#7 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa) vs. #2 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri)