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

MANHEIM, Pa. (Feb. 20, 2026)- Ahead of the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional Championship, the North Central College men's wrestling team remains ranked sixth in the country according to the latest National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) poll released on Friday. The Cardinals will enter regionals with three wrestlers ranked in their respective weight classes, including Chip Guzman and Ethan Spacht, ranked top of their class. 

The top three spots remain unchanged as Wartburg College is ranked the top team in the country with 73 points. Roanoke College is ranked second with 57.5 points, followed by The College of New Jersey, ranked third with 52 points. The four and five spots flipped as the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse moved up to fourth with 47 points and Augsburg University slid to five with 38.5 points. 

Guzman stays atop the 125-pound rankings, as he has all season long, with a 30-0 record and coming off a third straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship. Of Guzman's 30 wins, 22 have come by technical fall. At the CCIW Championship, he went 3-0 with a pinfall and two technical falls, reclaiming the 125-pound championship. 

At 133 pounds, Spacht stays at No. 1 and has been since the third poll of the season, released on December 31, 2025. Spacht has a 32-1 record this season with 15 pins and 7 technical falls. Spacht won his first ever CCIW Championship at 133 pounds, going 4-0 in the tournament. On his way to the championship, Spacht won with a major decision, two technical falls and a pinfall. 

Joshua Robison is ranked ninth in the 141-pound weight class, coming off a second-place finish at the CCIW Championship. Robison enters regionals with a 14-4 record with one pinfall and three technical falls. At the CCIW Championship, Robison made it to the 141-pound first-place match with two wins by major decision. In the championship round, Robison came up just short, falling in a 10-8 decision. 

North Central gears up for the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional Championship, hosted by John Carroll University from Friday, Feb. 27, to Saturday, Feb. 28, in University Heights, Ohio.