Six Cowboy Wrestlers Headed to NCAA Tournament

LARAMIE -- The NCAA released the entire field for the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships on Tuesday.

A total of six Cowboys are headed to Cleveland, four automatic qualifiers and two at-large participants. It’s the largest number of NCAA qualifiers for Wyoming since 2021.

Get our free mobile app

Joey Novak (197), Eddie Neitenbach (184), Gabe Willochell (149), Riley Davis (174) all earned automatic bids by way of their finish at the Big 12 Championships. Christian Carroll (HWT) and Luke Willochell (133) needed at-large bids, and both were awarded one on Tuesday.

Novak dropped a 5-4 decision to No. 1 Rocky Elam of Iowa State in the conference finals. Neitenbach fell to No. 1 Aeoden Sinclair from the University of Missouri via decision, 8-1.

"Some good and some bad," Wyoming head coach Mark Branch said, following the Big 12 Tournament in Tulsa, Okla. "Some of the same things we have seen consistently through the year that hurt us: Like not being the aggressor, maybe giving up too much space instead of moving forward and putting pressure on opponents. In the finals matches, those guys wrestled really hard but we just exposed our legs. You got to have better head-and-hand defense and you can't let those guys touch your legs. You let the best guys get to your legs, they are going to find away to score. So those are adjustments we have to make.

"Like anything else, its a learning experience. It gives us a lot of information, and that’s the most important thing.”

The NCAA will now seed the field, which will build the bracket at all 10 weights. That’s set to be released on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The bracket reveal can be streamed on the NCAA’s website.

* A UW press release contributed to this report

From Bison to Triceratops - All of Wyoming's Official Things

Every state in our nation has chosen things that represent the state in one way or another to be official state things. Like a flower, or animal. Wyoming is no different.

The Equality State, or the Cowboy State, depending on which state slogan you want to go with, has a state flower. But did you know we also have a state tree and a state fish? Yes, we even have a state code.

To be an official thing, a member of the state legislature must write and submit a bill to the legislature declaring that a thing will be the official state thing. Then the legislature votes to pass the bill, or not, if it passes, the governor signs the bill into law and we have a new official state thing.

Here is what we have so far, all of Wyoming's official things. Now you can win big on Wyo Trivia Night if that's a thing that exists.

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns

- From Bison to Triceratops - All of Wyoming's Official Things

10 Reasons Why You're Lucky to Be Living in Wyoming

Here Are the Top 10 Reasons Why You're Lucky to Be Living in Wyoming

- 10 Reasons Why You're Lucky to Be Living in Wyoming,

30 Wyoming Attractions To Visit

- 30 Wyoming Attractions To Visit

15 Questions You Should Never Ask Someone From Wyoming

- 15 Questions You Should Never Ask Someone From Wyoming

12 Cringeworthy Things Guaranteed to Piss Off Wyomingites

There are just certain things Wyomingites don't want to see or hear. Check out these 12 things that are guaranteed to anger someone from Wyoming.

- 12 Cringeworthy Things Guaranteed to Piss Off Wyomingites

Source: Six Cowboy Wrestlers Headed to NCAA Tournament

Filed Under: Wyoming wrestling

Categories: Featured