PARK CITY, Kan. — Southeastern placed five wrestlers into the championship quarterfinals and sits fourth in the team standings after the opening day of the 2026 NAIA Men's Wrestling National Championship at Heartland Credit Union Arena.
The Fire totaled 28.5 team points, trailing only Grand View (52), Life (46.5), and Oklahoma City (29) after the first two championship rounds and early consolation matches.
Leading the way for Southeastern was top-seed
Aaron Lucio (133), who advanced to the quarterfinals with a pair of victories. Lucio opened the tournament with a 14–4 major decision over Keiser's Josiah Fernandez before defeating Missouri Valley's Tuvshinjargal Zuunbayan 10–3 in the second round.
At 149 pounds, sixth-seed
Mario De La Torre dominated his opening matches, recording a 15–0 technical fall over Embry-Riddle's Christian Lopez before adding a 14–1 major decision against Arizona Christian's Rico Robles to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
Southeastern also advanced both wrestlers at 165 pounds into the quarterfinals. Sixth-seed
Anthony Federico opened with a 19–1 technical fall against Central Methodist's Eric Hodge and followed with an 11–5 decision over Montana State–Northern's Justin Windauer.
Eighth-seed
Jovon Mitchell earned a 7–6 decision over Providence's Blaze Sumiye in the first round and then posted a 14–3 major decision against Cumberlands' Malachia Harris to move on.
At 197 pounds, fifth-seed
Gentry Smith advanced with a pair of strong performances, defeating Lourdes' Ty Cobb 7–2 before earning an 11–1 major decision over Keiser's Jett McCauley.
Several Fire wrestlers remain alive in the consolation bracket.
Drew Jones (141) bounced back with a 10–2 major decision in his first consolation match after dropping his championship bout.
Kasten Grape (197) also stayed alive with a 19–1 technical fall over Avila's Rodney Trotter Jr.
Southeastern saw several wrestlers conclude their tournament runs during the consolation rounds.
Andrew Voiles (141),
Ty Rodriguez (174),
August Batson (184), and
Bryce Wheatley (285) were eliminated in Session II after dropping their second-round championship bouts and then falling in their first consolation matches.
Voiles opened the day with a 12–1 major decision over Indiana Tech's Conner Kimbrough before a 10–6 loss to Southern Oregon's Tyler Rhue in the championship bracket and a consolation defeat to Oklahoma City's Jace Province. Rodriguez began with a 17–7 major decision over Doane's Jake Prudek, but later fell 11–3 to Marian's Anthony Rinehart and 10–9 to Marian's Jelvan Ross on the backside.
Batson advanced with a 12–9 decision over Dickinson State's Jackson King, before losses to Georgetown's Navarro Nanpuya (11–1) and Montana State–Northern's Cade Gubler (SV) ended his tournament. Wheatley earned a 7–1 sudden victory over Eastern Oregon's Nico Rodriguez to start the day, but was later eliminated following defeats to Keiser's Jordan Simmons (7–4) and St. Thomas' Gage Cook (SV).
Husam Mustafa (174) was eliminated earlier in the day after dropping both his championship and consolation matches.
Day Two Matchups
Five Fire wrestlers will compete in the championship quarterfinals on Friday:
In the consolation bracket,
Drew Jones (141) will face Steven Barnes of Concordia (Neb.), while
Kasten Grape (197) meets Logan Davidson of Friends.
Day two of the National Championship begins Friday with Session III at noon (ET) featuring the championship quarterfinals and additional consolation rounds. Evening action resumes with Session IV at 7 p.m. (ET), including the championship semifinals and the start of the All-America rounds.
