JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At UW-La Crosse 2026-2027

 

Four 2nd's, four 3rd's, & two 4th's, ever since taking over the UW-La Crosse program, head Coach Dave Malecek has added a total of 10 NCAA Division III team trophies to the display case at Mitchell Hall.  As much as those silver & bronze trophies are cherished, I know he's longing for one in gold. Could that be achieved in 2026-2027? 

He does lose Noah Leisgang, a three-time NCAA D3 All-American.  3rd-2nd-6th at the national tournament, medical forfeits probably wasn't where he wanted to end his career, but what a career it was nonetheless.  

Also lose a good one in Joe Penchi.  3rd at Regional VII, he ended his career 7th in the D3 nation.  Also placed 8th at Pete Willson.

Now let's take a look at what the Eagles have coming back....

125
Quinton Wolbert

6th-1st-2nd at Regional VII, Quinton Wolbert heads into 2026-2027 a three-time Regional place-winner & a two-time NCAA D3 qualifier.  He was also 3rd at the Luther Open last year. 

133
Wyatt Magolski

An NCAA D3 qualifier in 2025, Wyatt Magolski came up one match short in 2026.  26 wins on the season, he won Under Armor, was 2nd at Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) & 3rd at the Cliff Keen Mike Duroe (CKMD).  He's also heading into '26-'27 a two-time Pete Willson placer with finishes of 3rd & 4th. 

141
Marcus McIntyre

28 wins on the season, Marcus McIntyre finished 2nd at Regional VII & one match shy of being an NCAA D3 All-American.  3rd at WIAC. 

141
Talan Schutte

Really, really want to see Talan Schutte in the lineup this year, but not 100% sure where he'd fit in at this point.  2nd at CKMD, he's a three-time Pete Willson place-winner, 4th-3rd-4th. 

149
Aidan Baum

25 wins on the season, Aidan Baum was 6th at Regional VII.  3rd at both the Auggie Invite & Under Armour, he was 6th at Pete Willson. 

165
Tanner Gerber

Silver at Regional VII, Tanner Gerber was gold everywhere else.  An NCAA D3 national champion, he also won WIAC & Pete Willson.  

174
Eddie Simes

An NCAA D3 qualifier in 2025, hands down Eddie Simes was the best backup in NCAA D3 wrestling during the 2025-2026 season.  Why do I say that?  Because he won CKMD, finishing 2nd at both WIAC & Pete Willson.  Wins over Bryce McDonough & Talen Vandenbush.  We're looking at a guy that was a reserve last year & could be a national champion this year. 

184
Tate Flege

28-4 on the year, Tate Flege was 3rd at Regional VII & 5th in the D3 nation.  A Luther Open champion & 2nd at WIAC. 

184
Sedeeq AlObaidi

Sometimes there just aren't enough weight classes, and this is one of those times.  20-3 on the season, Sedeeq AlObaidi won both Under Armour & Pete Willson. 3rd at CKMD. 

197
Tyler Dormanen

21-6 on the year, Tyler Dormanen made the Regional VII finals & won a WIAC title. 

HWT
Markos Mihalopoulos

3rd at Regional VII, Markos Mihalopoulos took 6th in the D3 nation.  25 wins on the season, he was also 3rd at Pete Willson. 

HWT
Henry Vander Heiden

17 wins on the season, Henry Vander Heiden was 3rd at WIAC. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At UW-Eau Claire 2026-2027

Looks to be another great season of Blugold wrestling as we head into 2026-2027.  We do lose three outstanding talents, but we bring back an entire team capable of many wins & many accomplishments. 

Izzy Balsiger is a walking advertisement for never giving up on yourself & making the most of second chances.  An All-American all the way back in 2013, he came back over a decade later, to qualify twice more, win a Regional VII title & earn another All-American finish. 

Jon Harvey finished off his career with a 6th place finish Regional VII & a 3rd place finish at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC)

Preston Carlisle, twice 5th at Regional VII, & a 5th place finish at Pete Willson.

125
Gavin Rockey

A tough freshman, that looks to fill the gap left by Izzy Balsiger. 

133
Wyatt Unser

Phenomenal rookie season for Wyatt Unser last year.  3rd at Regional VII & 7th at the D3 championships.  30 wins on the season, he won the WIAC & finished 3rd at Pete Willson. 

141
Ty Fink

20 wins on the season, Ty Fink had 7th place finishes at both Regional VII & Pete Willson.  Finished as the WIAC runner-up. 

141
Calvin Singewald

A testimony to the depth of the UW-Eau Claire squad, Calvin Singewald won Jim Crytzer & finished 3rd at WIAC. 

149
Landon Church

Landon Church heads into his final season of collegiate competition, one of the best yet to make the NCAA D3 championships.  He's been 4th at Regional VII in both 2025 & 2026.  5th & 4th place finishes at Pete Willson. 

149
Finn Bloomquist

Most testimony to the depth the Blugolds have each weight, Finn Bloomquist won 27 matches last year & finished 3rd at WIAC. 

157
Briar Ivy

Briar Ivy came up short of a top 8 showing at Regional VII last year, but did win 26 matches.  Finished 3rd at WIAC & one match shy of being a Pete Willson place-winner. 

184
Zak McPhee

20 wins on the season, Zak McPhee was 5th at Regional VII, a WIAC champion & 4th at Pete Willson. 

197
Ian Pepple

Ian Pepple heads into his senior season a two-time NCAA D3 qualifier with back-to-back 3rd place showings at Regional VII.  2nd at WIAC, he thus far has Pete Willson finishes of 5th & 3rd. 

HWT
Sloan Welch

20 wins on the year, Sloan Welch made the finals of both Regional VII & Pete Willson.  A WIAC champion, 3rd at the Luther Open & 2nd at Jim Crytzer. 

HWT
Cole Matulenko

To challenge Welch for the starting spot will be Cole Matulenko, who was 27-3 on the year himself with many accomplishments. Two wins over Markos Mihalopolous. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Utica 2026-2027

 

No Regional place-winners for the Pioneers last year, but Utica has two on their team that are very capable of cracking into the top 8 this season. 

174
Seth Richardson

16 wins on the season, Seth Richardson was 5th at Will Abele. 

184
Nuallen King

14 wins in 2025-2026, Nuallen King was 5th at Will Abele. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Trinity 2026-2027

 

The Bantams put four on the award stand at Regional I last season & return three for action in 2026-2027. 


74 career wins, Matt Carroza finished one match shy of NCAA D3 qualification. 

125
Alex Schaeublin

Alex Schaeublin heads into 2026-2027 with back-to-back 7th place finishes at Regional I.  23 wins on the season, he was 2nd at the R.I.T. Invitational. 

141
Ty Trickle

22 wins on the season, Ty Trickle earned NCAA D3 qualification with a 3rd place finish at Regional I. 

HWT
Emre Sensoy

A member of the Football team, a future UFC superstar & an owner of a parrot.  Emre Sensoy is quite the guy.  6th & 5th thus far at Regional I.  

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Ursinus 2026-2027

 

The Bears put 6 on the award stand last year at Regional III, returning half as we head into 2026-2027.

90 career wins, I'd place Tony Cerulli on the last of best to not make the NCAA D3 championships on his career within recent times.  That dreaded 4th place finish at Regional III in both 2025 & 2026. 

Mike Adams finished his career off with a 5th place showing at Regional III, as Derek Giordano was 8th. 

141
Drew Schaen

An NCAA D3 Qualifier for the Bears last season, the Delaware native was 3rd at Regional III.  36 wins on the season he won Will Abele & took 2nd at the Centennial Collegiate Conference (CCC). 

157
Brandon Kmak

Another NCAA D3 qualifier for the Bears, Brandon Kmak won 39 matches last season in route to a 2nd place finish at Regional III.  A Will Abele champion, he was the New Standard runner-up. 

197
Sean Cowan

Sean Cowan came up a bit short of a Regional top 8 showing last year, but nonetheless won 27 matches, the Will Abele & took 2nd at New Standard. 

HWT
Mo Abdelatty

An NCAA D3 All-American for the black, red & gold, Mo Abdelatty took 8th place honors at the national tournament.  A runner-up at Regional III, he won both Will Abele & the CCC.  Took 2nd at new Standard. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Trine 2026-2027

 

125
Kaden Golder

The Florida native won 29 matches last season in route to an 8th place finish at Regional V & a 3rd place finish at Adrian. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Thiel 2026-2027

 

The Tomcats put three on the award stand at Regional IV last season & all three return for action in 2026-2027. 

149
Mequan Maxwell

A 7th place showing at Regional IV, Mequan Maxwell made the finals of the Presidents Athletic Conference (PAC). 

165
Jake Potts

An NWCA Scholar All-American, Jake Potts was 8th at Regional IV & 3rd at PAC. 

HWT
Joey King

Two-time PAC champion, Joey King enters his senior season of competition with 7th & 6th place Regional IV finishes thus far. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At The College of New Jersey 2026-2027

 

Ever since taking over for the legendary Dave Icenhower back in 2011-2012, Joe Galante has crowned NCAA D3 All-Americans year in & year out for the past 13/14 seasons.  2026-2027 will be no different. 

9 Regional III place-winners, 6 NCAA D3 qualifiers, 3 All-Americans, and only one of them is out of eligibility. 

Hunter Mays is a walking advertisement against the "DI or Bust" mentality.  Years at both Rider & Lehigh, he had two outstanding years at TCNJ.  A two-time Regional III champion, he was 5th in the D3 nation in 2025, going 27-0 this season, winning a national title. 

125
Matt Griffin

A three-time NCAA D3 qualifier, Matt Griffin heads into 2026-2027 with Regional III finishes of 3rd-2nd-3rd.  One match shy of a top 8 finish in the D3 nation a year ago, he looks to end his career as both a Regional champ & as an All-American. 

125
Joey DeAngelo

With as loaded as TCNJ is up and down their lineup, I don't think there's room this year for Joey DeAngelo & really that's a shame.  17-3 on the year, had wins over Malik Asfour & Tomah Gummow.  2nd at New Standard. 

133
Garrett Totten

The 2026 NCAA D3 champion posted a 32-4 record last season.  5th in the D3 nation in 2025, he is a two-time Regional III champion. A Concordia-Wisconsin champ, he finished 2nd at New Standard. 

141
Vinnie Santaniello

23-4 on the year, the former Pittsburgh Panther won a Regional III title, taking 6th in the D3 nation.  Earned runner-up honors at Concordia-Wisconsin. 

149
J.J. Giordano

25 wins on the year, J.J. Giordano was 3rd at both Regional III & Concordia-Wisconsin. 

157
Colin Meiner

Another 23 match winner for the Lions, Colin Meiner was 5th at Regional III & 4th at Concordia-Wisconsin. 

Jordan Ayyash
165

5th at Regional III, Jordan Ayyash won 16 matches last season. 

184
Luke Theis

Luke Theis was 6th at Regional III last year. 

197
D.J. Henry

26-5 on the year, D.J. Henry won a Regional III title & finished one match shy of being an NCAA D3 All-American.  A Concordia-Wisconsin champion.