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

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Mar. 14, 2026)- After earning All-American honors on day one of the NCAA Division III National Championships, Chip Guzman captured his first career 125-pound National Championship at Alliant Energy Powerhouse on Saturday night. Guzman became the fourth Cardinal in program history to win an individual national title.

Guzman picked up where he left off on day two, picking up a 17-1 technical fall over No. 4 seed Malik Asfour in four minutes and 29 seconds. Guzman dominated the first period of the bout, taking a 10-1 lead behind two takedowns and a four-point nearfall. He secured the victory in period two with a takedown and a four-point near fall with 0:31 left in the period. The win set up a championship match with No. 11 seed Brayden Park of Coe College. 

This marks the second time these two have matched up this season, with the first being at the NWCA National Duals on Jan. 9, where Guzman came away with an 18-7 major decision. This time around, Guzman defeated Park with a 19-3 technical fall in five minutes and 18 seconds. Guzman scored three takedowns and released Park each time, taking a 9-2 lead early in the fight. In period two, he escaped for one point and then took Park down two more times before concluding the period. Guzman officially became a national champion when he scored one final takedown just 17 seconds into the final period. 

"When I got my hand raised, it was relieving," said Guzman. "I've been on the big stage before and that was my third time there, so finally getting it done means a lot." 

Guzman thanks his supporters for getting him to this moment, but none other than one individual, "My sophomore year, I had a close cousin pass away and that is why I wear a sticker on my headgear." Guzman's headgear contains a sticker that says, "AC3," an ode to his cousin, Alex Carreras, whose football number was 3. "No matter what adversity I've gone through, nothing was as hard as what he went through, and I carry that with me every single day of my life," said Guzman. 

"It's hard to put into words how proud I am of Guzman," says head coach Grant Zamin, who has been a part of the coaching staff since his freshman season. "After Guzman won the title, I just locked eyes with him and said, 'You earned it.'" 

Zamin gives credit to Guzman's hard work and dedication to wrestling: "Him coming in for extra workouts and staying after practice when other people aren't there is why he's a national champion." Zamin continues, "He is obsessed with wrestling, and he has earned every bit of glory that he has gotten this evening."

Guzman finishes the 2025-26 season with an undefeated 37-0 record with 26 wins coming by way of technical fall. On his way to the national title, Guzman scored 24 points, which makes him the highest scoring North Central wrestler at nationals in program history with 77.5 points. At the conclusion of his illustrious North Central career, Guzman finishes with the fifth most wins in program history with 140. His career record of 140-9 gives him the second-best win percentage in program history at 94%. Guzman's accolades include being a four-time All-American, a two-time national runner-up and a one-time NCAA Division III 125-pound national champion.

Wartburg claimed their second consecutive national championship with 110 points. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse joins the podium in second place with 68 team points, while Augsburg University rounds out the top three with 67.5 points. North Central placed tied for 13th place with 33 team points.