Contact: Sam Fretto, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Mar. 13, 2026)- At the conclusion of day one, the North Central College men's wrestling team has clinched one All-American, as No. 1 seed
Chip Guzman advanced to day two of the NCAA Division III National Championships at Alliant Energy Powerhouse on Friday.
Bringing five wrestlers to nationals, three had to wrestle in preliminary matches to enter the championship bracket.
No. 16 seed 174-pound Jake Luce kicked the day off for North Central with an 8-1 decision over Joseph Bolduc to enter the championship round. There he faced undefeated No. 1 seed Hunter Mays, where he fell in a 17-4 major decision. In the consolation preliminary match, Luce fell to Jack Hoffman in a 2-1 decision that was decided by riding time. Luce finishes the 2025-26 season with a 29-11 record.
Entering the tournament as a 13th-seeded 184-pound wrestler, Casey Aikman forced a 17-2 technical fall in his preliminary match to enter the championship bracket over James Lledo. Aikman's first championship match came against fourth seed Robert Flege, as Aikman suffered a pinfall loss. Aikman bounced back in the consolation rounds with a 22-4 technical fall over 15th seed Matthew Gummere and a 16-6 major decision over No. 12 seed Remington Bauer. Ultimately Aikman's run came to an end against No. 6 seed Brandt Bombard as Aikman fell via pinfall. Aikman's senior season concluded he finished with a record of 27-12 while winning the 184-pound CCIW Championship.
AJ Frescura was unseeded in the 197-pound bracket as he suffered two early losses, ending his national tournament run. Frescura fell in his first match in a 7-4 decision and in his consolation match in a 7-3 decision. He finishes his freshman campaign with a 29-12 record.
Joshua Robison, wrestling as the 11th seed at 141 pounds, suffered an early loss in round one to Pierre Baldwin, scoring a 9-1 decision. In the consolation bracket, Robison stayed alive, picking up an 8-6 decision over Ty Trickle. Robison fell in the blood match in a 12-7 decision against Isaias Torres, despite a late comeback effort. Robison concludes his senior season with a 19-7 record.
No. 1 seed 125-pound Guzman cruised to the semifinal match and earned All-American honors for a fourth time in his career. Guzman blanked Andrew Marchese in the first round with a 9-0 major decision before taking out Brett Birchman in a 17-3 major decision to conclude day one of action.
After day one, Wartburg leads the pack with 61.5 points, while Augsburg is tied for second with UW-La Crosse with 54 points to round out the top three. North Central sits in 15th place with 19 points.
Guzman has now been named an All-American in every season of his collegiate career as he gets set to face off against the No. 4 seed, Malik Asfour. Action inside the Alliant Energy Powerhouse continues tomorrow on Saturday, Mar. 14, with a 10 a.m. start.
