EWING, N.J. – Wrestling opened the 2026 NCAA Regional Championships on Friday afternoon competing on the campus of The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Three Lions qualified for the semifinals while Albright sets in sixth place after day one of competition.
REGIONAL HOMEPAGE
DAY ONE RESULTS
The 2026 NCAA Regional III Championships commenced on Friday afternoon. For every Albright Lion beside
Trent Mahoney, it marked their first time competing in an NCAA tournament. Albright is competing in Region III alongside 20 other institutions.
As a team the Lions racked up 60.5 points to sit in sixth place heading into tomorrow. The team score was better than Alvernia, Arcadia, York, Misericordia, Eastern, Delaware Valley and King's who all compete in the Middle Atlantic Conference.
TCNJ is in first followed by Messiah in second, Ursinus in third and NYU in fourth.
To qualify for the NCAA Championships in March, you need a top three finish in your respective weight class at Regionals.
Mahoney entered the competition as the top ranked wrestler in the region earning the one seed at 157 pounds. As he has done all season, Mahoney made quick work of his opponents earning back-to-back first period falls to advance to tomorrow's semifinals. Mahoney will face Noah Rice from Messiah in the semifinals.
Danny Metzler entered Regionals as the 15 seed at 141. Regardless of seed Metzler came to compete. The first year opened with a fall at 2:07 over the 18 seed. Then he proceeded to knock off the two seed earning a sudden victory winning 12-9. The last bout of the day went to Metzler advancing him to the semifinals with a 6-2 win over the 10 seed. Metzler will face six seed Ryan Mansueto from Eastern, in the semifinals.
Beknazar Baiyshbekov earned a first-round bye after being slotted as the 20 seed at 165. Baiyshbekov downed the four seed 11-3 and would advance in the championship bracket with a 5-4 decision over the 21 seed. Tomorrow, Baiyshbekov will face the one seed Keegan Demarest from Messiah in the semifinals.
Davis Keppley went 3-1 at 174 to secure a spot in day two. Keppley started the day with back-to-back falls before falling in the quarterfinals. The Lion responded with a 11-3 major decision to advance to day two. Keppley entered the field as the six seed defeating the 27, 11 and 15 seeds.
Seth Karpulk ended his tournament by going 2-2 on the day. Karpulk opened with an 8-3 loss. After earning a bye in the consolations, Karpulk won 20-5 then suffered a loss to the 149 five seed.
Joseph Gassert (HWT),
Maximus Conley and
Abdoul Akala each earned a victory for the Lions before bowing out of the tournament.
Hezekiah Molina-Hagdu and
Gideon Fasanya each made their NCAA Regional debut.
Up Next:
The Lions will return to the mats tomorrow (Feb. 28) looking to improve on their team standings as well as advancing individually. Regionals day two will begin at 10:00 a.m.
