Contact: Sam Fretto, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu
KENOSHA, Wis. (Feb. 14, 2026)- For a fourth consecutive season, the North Central College men's wrestling team has won the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament Championship behind three weight class champions.
Chip Guzman (125),
Ethan Spacht (133) and
Casey Aikman (184) each won their weight class inside of Tarble Arena on Saturday afternoon. North Central's coaching staff, led by
Grant Zamin, was also named the CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year.
Guzman became a three-time CCIW Champion at 125 pounds, beginning the day with a first-round bye. In the quarterfinal match, Guzman pinned Millikin's Luke Kawa in 1:24 to send him to the semifinal. The top-ranked senior shut out Lane Andersen (MSOE) with a 16-0 technical fall and reclaimed the 125-pound championship with a 17-2 technical fall over Chris Kish (Carthage). Guzman was named the CCIW Most Outstanding Student-Athlete for his performance. Guzman now moves to 30-0 on the season.
For the first time in his career, Spacht is a CCIW Champion, as he won the 133-pound division. Top-ranked Spacht opened the tournament with a 15-0 technical fall over Anastacio Martinez (Concordia) to move onto the quarterfinals. There, Spacht prevailed in a 15-1 major decision, defeating Charlie Armstrong (Millikin). The junior returned to the first-place match with a 19-3 technical fall over Illinois Wesleyan's Tyson Zvonar. In a rematch from earlier this season, Spacht pinned Donovin Field (Elmhurst) to win the championship. Spacht now sits with a 32-1 record.
Winning his second career CCIW Championship, Aikman took home the 184-pound Championship, a year after winning the 197-pound Championship. Aikman moved onto the quarterfinals with a bye and defeated Kyle Sorenson (Concordia) by way of pinfall, pinning him in 1:09. Aikman scored his second pinfall of the tournament in the following match, pinning London Kiser (Carthage) in 2:41. Aikman put the finishing touches on in the 184-pound first-place match with a 17-2 technical fall over Aurora's Alton Mullinax. Aikman's record moves to 21-9 with the championship run.
Sixth-ranked Joshua Robison placed second in the 141-pound bracket at the CCIW Championship. Robison moved to the quarterfinal round with a bye and defeated Sabri Sino (Millikin) in a 13-3 major decision. Robison faced Jake Penzato (Aurora) in the semifinal match and moved on with his second major decision, scoring 17-4. Ultimately, Robison came up short in the championship match, falling in a 10-8 decision to Edgar Albino (Carthage). Robison moves to a 14-4 record this season.
Mekhi Cave placed second in the 165-pound weight class in his CCIW Championships debut. Cave advanced to the quarterfinal bout after a first-round bye and defeated Diego Snell-Martinez (MSOE) in a 10-2 major decision. Cave would face Nicholas Asslani in the semifinal and move on to the first-place match with a 7-4 decision victory. Joey Jens would get the better of Cave in their meeting in the championship match, as Cave fell in an 8-1 decision. Cave's record this season sits at 26-15.
Freshman Jake Luce took home a second-place finish in the 174-pound bracket, starting his run with a pin over William Hittinger (Augustana) in 57 seconds. Luce continued the momentum with a 14-4 major decision over Kody Marschner (Millikin) to advance to the championship. The 174-pound first-place match went to sudden victory as No. 14 Toren Vandenbush (MSOE) defeated Luce. Luce currently has a 24-8 record.
AJ Frescura placed second in the 197-pound division in his debut at the CCIW Championship. Frescura earned a 16-0 technical fall over Trey Dunning (Illinois Wesleyan) in the quarterfinal. In the closest match of the tournament for Frescura, he defeated Wheaton's Zeke Harris in a 4-2 decision to advance to the championship match. Mateo Casillas (Millikin) defeated Frescura in a 7-0 decision as Frescura claimed second place. His record currently sits at 26-9.
Tyler Starr placed third in the 149-pound weight class after starting the tournament 2-0. Starr defeated Kayden Serrano (Carthage) with a pinfall in 1:28 and beat Trevion Gillford (Augustana) in a 17-4 major decision. Starr fell in the semifinals to Alex Morales (MSOE) in an 8-7 decision but bounced back in the final two matches, defeating Benjamin Kaus (Concordia) by an 11-4 decision and Ashton Massaro (Aurora) by a 1-0 decision in the third-place match. Starr's record sits at 27-15.
Bouncing back after a quarterfinal loss to fourth-ranked Rhenzo Augusto (Elmhurst), Jared Gumila placed third at 157 pounds, winning the following three matches of the CCIW Championship. Gumila fell to Augusto by a 19-4 technical fall but bounced back with a pair of pinfalls, on Ben Messier (MSOE) and Michael Hutchison (Millikin). Gumila prevailed in the third-place match with an 11-4 decision over Wheaton's Caleb Cox. Gumila's record sits at 13-12 after the CCIW Championship.
Will Erbeck placed fifth at 285 pounds after a 2-2 showing. Erbeck defeated Alex Jackson (Illinois Wesleyan) in the quarterfinal match by an 8-1 decision before falling to Elijah Osit (Aurora) by a 3-2 decision in the semifinal. In the consolation semifinals, Erbeck faced Teke Nieto (Augustana) and dropped a 4-1 decision to Nieto, moving into the fifth-place match. There, Erbeck was able to stand tall, defeating Jake Schmitt (MSOE) in sudden victory to claim fifth place. Erbeck's record now sits at 19-10.
Gio Diaz was North Central's RESPECT Award winner. The RESPECT Award recognizes the intangible traits a student-athlete possesses that exemplify great character and encourages inclusiveness and a positive culture.
North Central won the tournament with 158 points, followed by Millikin with 119.5 and Aurora with 90.5 to round out the top three.
The Cardinals gear up for the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional Championship, hosted by John Carroll University. The regionals are slated for Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28.
