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Our previews of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships move on to the 165 lb weight class. Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State is the heavy favorite.
Our previews of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships move on to the 165 lb weight class. This is probably Ohio State's weakest weight on paper, but matches aren't wrestled on paper. Let's dive into the bracket and figure out what we can expect to see from these middleweights starting Thursday.
Favorite: Mitchell Messnbrink (Penn State) This weight class has no equivocation and no second favorites. The title is Mesenbrink's to lose. Mesenbrink is 22-0 on the season, and every single victory has come with bonus points.
Four of those matches were against other top ten seeds in this bracket, and none of the matches were close. In fact, the last time Mesenbrink looked like he might lose a match was in the only loss of his career--in the 2024 NCAA final. He is the defending National Champion with a perfect season last year, and he looks well on his way to repeating that feat.
Ohio State's wrestler: Paddy Gallagher On paper, Gallagher is the weakest of Ohio State's ten wrestlers in the NCAAs. He is seeded No. 16 in this bracket, the lowest seed of any Buckeye.