PREVIEW: Serrano, Rushton Ready for National Run in Cleveland

Thursday, March 19

TBD

University of Northern Colorado

NCAA

3/17/2026 10:06:00 AM | Wrestling

By: Elian Soto, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. – The road to a national title begins this week as the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships are set. Two Northern Colorado Bears have earned their place on the biggest stage and head to Cleveland, Ohio to compete inside Rocket Arena, March 19–21.

Dominick Serrano headlines the Bears qualifiers, earning the No. 9 seed at 133 pounds. He will open the tournament against Purdue's No. 24 Blake Boarman. Serrano enters nationals following a strong and consistent season and will look to carry that momentum into a deep run against the nation's top competition.

Mahonri Rushton also punched his ticket to Cleveland at 184 pounds, securing the No. 31 seed. Rushton is slated to face Missouri's No. 2 Aeden Sinclair in the opening round, setting up a tough early test on the national stage.

Both Bears qualified for the NCAA Championships after putting together impressive campaigns and delivering when it mattered most during the conference qualifying process. The NCAA Championships bring together the top wrestlers from across the country, all vying for national titles and All-American honors.

Fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+, with live scoring and real-time results available through TrackWrestling.com.

2026 NCAA DI men's wrestling championship schedule
THURSDAY, MARCH 19
Preliminaries| 12 p.m.ET // 10 a.m. MDT
Preliminaries and wrestle-backs | 7 p.m. ET // 5 p.m. MDT

FRIDAY, MARCH 20
Quarterfinals and wrestle-backs | 12 p.m.ET // 10 a.m. MDT
Semifinals and wrestle-backs | 8 p.m.ET // 6 p.m. MDT

SATURDAY, MARCH 21
Consolation finals | 11 a.m. ET // 9 a.m. MDT
Championship finals | 6:30 p.m. ET // 4:30 p.m. MDT

TAKEDOWN CLUB: The Takedown Club plays a vital role in the success of UNC Wrestling. Your support helps invest in the latest training and performance technology and provides championship-level travel opportunities. These investments directly support our student-athletes as they prepare to compete on the biggest stage at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Give to the Takedown Club today!

FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, visit the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the wrestling team on X (formerly Twitter) (@UNCBearsWrestle) and Instagram (@UNCBearsWrestle).