Contact: Sam Fretto, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu

MANHEIM, Pa. (Jan. 23, 2026)- In the first National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) of 2026, the North Central College men's wrestling team is ranked sixth in the tournament poll and eighth in the dual poll. The Cardinals have three wrestlers ranked, including Chip Guzman at 125 pounds and Ethan Spacht at 133 pounds, who both retain their top rankings. 

Wartburg College is the No. 1-ranked team in the poll, remaining in their spot, followed by Roanoke College, which jumped from No. 6 in the last poll to No. 2. Augsburg University slides from No. 2 to No. 3 in the poll while UW-La Crosse sits at No. 4 and The College of New Jersey rounds out the top five. 

Guzman, who has been the top-ranked 125-pound wrestler since the first poll of the season, is 26-0 this season, with 19 wins coming by technical fall. He has competed and won his weight class in the Pointer Open, Concordia Wisconsin Open, New Standard Corporation Invitational, and North Central College Invitational. Guzman has competed against five ranked wrestlers across the season and has won every match. 

Spacht stays atop the 133-pound rankings with a 27-1 record with 13 victories by pinfall. Spacht has competed and won in the Pointer Open, New Standard Corporation Invitational, and North Central College Invitational. Spacht's signature win of the season came in the New Standard Invite, where he knocked off third-ranked Garrett Totten in the championship match by a 4-3 decision to take first place. 

Joshua Robison is the sixth-ranked 141-pound wrestler, sporting an 11-3 record this season. He won the Concordia Wisconsin Open on Nov. 22, 2025, having to go through now eighth-ranked Sean Conway from U-Chicago. Trailing 5-4 with seconds remaining, Robison scored a takedown on Conway to win the match 7-5. 

The Cardinals will host 13th dual-ranked University of Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 24 inside of Gregory Arena with a 1 p.m. start time.