2026 ACC Championship Preview

It all goes down on Sunday in Blacksburg. Team bragging rights and 39 automatic bids to Cleveland are on the line. Virginia Tech will look to defend its tournament title from last season, but there are six other teams ready to battle for that trophy. The 39 allocations tied a conference record for the most automatic qualifiers, but there were also several guys just below the cut line for allotments, so we will have some potential wild card spots to consider as well. We know that in a small bracket, the semifinals and finals are always top-tier matchups. Let’s look through the brackets and highlight some key early matches to keep your eye on Sunday. Brackets 125 Pounds (5 Allocations) 1. Eddie Ventresca VT 17-2 (5-0) 2. Nico Provo STAN 11-4 (4-1) 3. Vincent Robinson NCST 12-3 (2-3) 4. Kysen Terukina UNC 12-4 (1-3) 5. Tyler Chappell PITT 12-11 (2-5) 6. Keyveon Roller UVA 13-5 (1-2) 7. Spencer von Savoye DUKE 3-14 (0-1) 125 is a very top-heavy weight in the ACC, with three ranked in the top 10, including the returning NCAA Champion Vincent Robinson. He comes in at the 3 seed with losses to Eddie Ventresca and Nico Provo; Ventresca is the reigning ACC Champion and is undefeated in conference this year. With 5 AQs on the line, there will be some important backside matches at this weight. First round matches to watch: Keyveon Roller v Vincent Robinson: We all have seen what Vincent Robinson is capable of…but he will need to be in his best form to navigate this weight. Roller is dangerous, but was out most of the second semester (including the NCST dual) due to an injury at Southern Scuffle. This will be the first match of the day and could set the tone for a wild day if Roller can make some noise. Kysen Terukina v Tyler Chappell: Terukina had a solid year for the Tar Heels, finishing at 13-4 overall. Three of those losses were in conference to Ventresca, Provo and Robinson; his lone dual win in conference was over Chappell. Chappell had an up-and-down season, but the Panthers will need him if they want to make any sort of a team run. 133 Pounds (3 Allocations) 1. Aaron Seidel VT 15-1 (3-0) 2. Tyler Knox STAN 12-4 (5-1) 3. Zach Redding NCST 9-7 (3-2) 4. Evan Tallmadge PITT 11-10 (2-2) 5. Ethan Oakley UNC 14-7 (2-3) 6. Marion Yarbrough II UVA 3-5 (0-3) 7. Riley Rowan DUKE 3-19 (0-4) 133 will be a chaotic weight on Sunday. With only 3 AQs at a weight that has six guys who could legitimately qualify. True freshman Aaron Seidel got the 1-seed going undefeated in conference, including a win over returning All-American Tyler Knox, who is the 2-seed; these two have separated themselves from the next four seeds. Redding earned the 3-seed with a good run to end the year in conference duals, after a slow start. Tallmadge had a couple of good wins in conference in an otherwise up-and-down year. Oakley struggled in conference duals, but had an otherwise really strong season. Yarbrough had a very limited season after only being active in the second semester and still dealing with injuries and illnesses throughout conference duals. All that to say, the 3 through 6 seeds could all very well make a run to the medal matches. Another thing to consider here is that there is now an additional Wild Card thrown into the mix with Evan Frost withdrawing from the Big12 Championships. First round matches to watch: Evan Tallmadge v Ethan Oakley: Oakley had a great start to the season, but struggled in ACC duals, he will need to be in his best form to get through to the semifinals and be in a position to earn a bid. Tallmadge is scrappy and will be looking to knock off Oakley for the second time this season. Zach Redding v Marlon Yarbrough: Redding came in with high expectations as a transfer and had an up-and-down year. Yarbrough was an NCAA qualifier in 2024 and was out with an injury all year last year. He came into the season with high expectations and has struggled to have the year he hoped. Both of these guys will be looking to build momentum to get to the semifinals and have the hope of getting another upset to get through to NCAAs. 141 Pounds (5 Allocations) 1. Jack Consiglio STAN 12-5 (5-1) 2. Luke Simcox UNC 14-5 (3-1) 3. Ryan Jack NCST 12-6 (5-2) 4. Tom Crook VT 18-10 (2-4) 5. Briar Priest PITT 10-9 (2-2) 6. Gable Porter UVA 18-6 (2-4) 7. Raymond Adams 8-18 (0-5) 141 was an interesting weight in the ACC - and one that didn’t go at all the way it was projected to preseason. In the national rankings the top three are just outside the All-American rankings, but all three could make a run. Ryan Jack (10), Jack Consiglio (11) and Luke Simcox (12) have led the charge at this weight, but no one ran the table in conference duals. Consiglio got the 1-seed on the strength of a 5-1 record (loss to Jack) and was rewarded for his win over Simcox. Simcox had an abbreviated conference dual season, which had a win over Jack and a loss to Consiglio. The veteran, a previous ACC champ, and All-American Ryan Jack is the 3-seed; he has shown that he can win in March and will be looking to make a run. The Wolfpack will need him to score some big points for them to stay in the team title hunt. Don’t overlook the 4, 5, or 6 seed here either; Crook, Priest and Porter all have some big wins on the year and could make noise on Sunday. First Round matches to watch: Gable Porter v Ryan Jack: Porter beat Jack in the dual and will be looking to replicate that performance. Jack is a consistent force, but Porter can score in bunches. This could be a fun one. Briar Priest v Tom Crook: The Hokies need Tom Crook to be on his game on Sunday. Briar Priest has gained steam throughout the ACC dual season and will be looking to pull off the upset early to put himself in a better position to earn the allocation. 149 Pounds (4 Allocations) 1. Koy Buesgens NCST 19-2 (6-1) 2. Aden Valencia STAN 12-6 (4-2) 3. Collin Gaj VT 17-8 (3-3) 4. Kade Brown PITT 12-6 (2-3) 5. Wynton Denkins UVA 18-10 (4-4) 6. Dylan Ross DUKE 15-10 (2-3) 7. Nate Askew UNC 8-10 (1-4) 149 has some serious talent in the ACC with the top three seeds being ranked in the top 11 nationally; Gaj (7), Buesgens (8) and Valencia (11) are all serious All-American threats and have great out-of-conference wins. Buesgens earned the 1 seed, his only loss is to Gaj, who he split with on the year. Valencia gets the 2 seed, also splitting with Gaj on the year; Gaj is the 3 after losing to Denkins when he got injured in the UVA dual, limiting him the last few weeks of conference duals. Kade Brown and Wynton Denkins both had up and down years, but had some solid wins; Dylan Ross is starting to figure things out at the right time and picked up some steam in ACC duals. With 4 allocations here, there will be some important matches early on the backside of the bracket to get to the consolation finals. First round matches to watch: Dylan Ross v Collin Gaj: Gaj should be heavily favored in this match, but he hasn’t wrestled since injuring his ankle in the UVA dual. This match will give us a look to see how healthy he is and if he is back to full strength (and speed). Wynton Denkins v Kade Brown: This one went to tie breakers in the dual with Brown getting back points to put it away late. This match will be critical in determining allocations and potential positioning for a wild card. 157 Pounds (4 Allocations) 1. Daniel Cardenas STAN 15-3 (4-0) 2. Ethen Miller VT 14-4 (5-1) 3. Dylan Evans PITT 19-6 (4-2) 4. Laird Root UNC 13-9 (3-3) 5. Colton Washleski UVA 17-9 (1-4) 6. Luca Felix NCST 8-11 (1-5) 7. Mikey Boulanger DUKE 8-11 (0-5) This was a weight that got one more allocation than I expected - I thought Root and Washleski would both be on the bubble, Washleski just happened to get on the good side. Cardenas has been the clear favorite in the weight, going undefeated in conference duals (wins over Brogan Tucker-NCST and Logan Fite-Duke) and comes into the tournament ranked #10 in the country. Miller only wrestled in the second semester and his record also reflects two losses at 149, where he wrestled at Midlands. He has looked great since starting ACC duals with his only loss to Cardenas and a close non-conference loss to #5 Landon Robideau. I think Cardenas and Miller are heavy favorites to make the finals and there will be a battle between Evans, Root and Washleski to get the last two slots. Root and Washleski both have a brawler feel, while Evans presents a different style matchup, especially with his length. Felix was a late-season addition to the lineup after Jackson Arrington lost his season to injury and Boulanger struggled in ACC competition. First round match to watch: Laird Root v Colton Washleski: This match was a physical 15-14 win for Root in the dual and got a little chippy. This should be a great opening round matchup and could be critical in determining the last allocation spot. 165 Pounds (4 Allocations) 1. Will Denny NCST 15-2 (5-0) 2. EJ Parco STAN 9-6 (2-1) 3. Mac Church VT 22-8 (3-1) 4. Bryce Hepner UNC 12-4 (2-3) 5. Jared Keslar PITT 13-11 (3-3) 6. Michael Murphy UVA 9-11 (1-4) 7. Aurelius Dunbar DUKE 5-8 (0-4) We knew that this weight was going to be pretty wide open, but it shaped up in a very different way than most expected. Will Denny had an incredible true freshman season for the Wolfpack, undefeated in conference duals and his only two losses were both at the National Duals Invitational, meaning he has not lost since November. EJ Parco made a huge jump for the team, when All-American Hunter Garvin went down for the year. Parco told the coaches that he would make the move from 149 to 165. It was a rough adjustment to start, but he has grown into the weight and had a solid conference dual record and has put himself in a position to get to Cleveland. Mac Church quietly had a solid year, especially in the second semester, winning a couple of tight ACC matches, which helped his seed. Bryce Hepner started off his season strong, including winning the Soldier Salute, before having a tough run in the ACC, dropping three of his last four dual matches. Keslar had an up and down year, including a .500 record in conference duals, with all three wins in one takedown matches. First round match to watch: Jared Keslar v Bryce Hepner: With four allocations on the line, this first-round bout will put the winner in a much better position to punch their ticket to Cleveland. Hepner won their match in the dual 4-2 and I would expect this one to be close as well, as both of these guys tend to have low scoring matches. The winner of this bout will face Will Denny and will need some momentum from this match to put them in a good spot against the top seed. 174 Pounds (3 Allocations) 1. Luca Augustine PITT 11-4 (6-0) 2. Matty Singleton NCST 13-3 (5-1) 3. Aidan Wallace DUKE 25-4 (2-1) 4. Sergio Desiante VT 18-12 (2-4) 5. Nick Hamilton UVA 7-6 (2-3) 6. Collin Carrigan UNC 13-10 (2-4) 7. Collin Guffey STAN 6-16 (0-6) This was the most surprising weight for allocations in my mind. I knew that Desiante would be on the bubble, but I thought he would sneak in a 4th slot, but no luck. Now this weight that features two reigning ACC Champions (Singleton at 174 and Hamilton at 165) and two other NCAA qualifiers will have only 3 tickets to Cleveland. Luca Augustine earned the top seed going undefeated in conference, including a sudden-victory win over Singleton. The returning All-American will come in at the two seed, looking to repeat his performance from last year and end the night on top of the podium. Aiden Wallace put together a solid season for the Blue Devils, going 5-1 in ACC duals--though he did not face Singleton, Desiante or Hamilton. Desiante had a frustrating roller coaster of a season for the Hokies - he started the year 4-6 in November and had ups and downs throughout the year. He showed flashes of his potential but struggled to finish in big matches--the Hokies will need him to figure that out if they are hoping to win the conference and make a run for a trophy in Cleveland. The semifinals of this weight will be the critical round to watch and an upset anywhere could cause a lot of chaos. First round match to watch: Sergio Desiante v Nick Hamilton: The dual win for Desiante was probably his best in-conference performance this year. Hamilton has struggled to adjust from 165, where he was an ACC Champion and bloodround finisher last season. Hamilton has shown some growth throughout the year and seems to be in a good place coming into the tournament, so I’m hopeful that he is in his best form and able to make a run. Desiante has some decent wins, some really bad losses and some losses to good guys that probably should have been wins for him. The Hokies will need him to get over that hump and win some big matches if they want to make noise this March. 184 Pounds (4 Allocations) 1. Chase Kranitz PITT 14-7 (6-1) 2. Abraham Wojcikiewicz STAN 14-10 (4-2) 3. Jaden Bullock VT 17-10 (6-2) 4. Jake Dailey UNC 17-3 (3-2) 5. Don Cates NCST 6-10 (2-5) 6. Griffin Gammell UVA 11-11 (0-4) 7. David Hussey 3-16 (0-5) 184 is arguably the most wide open weight in the conference. Chase Kranitz had an incredible run in conference duals to earn the top seed; Wojcikiewicz has two losses in the ACC but both are to Kranitz. Bullock had a very slow start to the season - he was 4-6 in November, but seemed to figure some things out in the second semester; he is on an eight-match winning streak going into the ACC tournament. Jake Dailey had an incredible redshirt freshman season, putting together 17-3 record and coming into the tournament ranked #15. Dailey has 3 losses on the year, one to #3 Aeoden Sinclair and two to Jaden Bullock. The four allocations seem pretty cut and dried at this weight, barring an incredible run from Cates, Gammell or Hussey. First round match to watch: Jake Dailey v Donald Cates: I don’t expect an upset here, Dailey won in the dual 15-5. I’m watching to see what form Dailey is in to start the day. He did not wrestle in the Tar Heels final dual against Stanford, so he should be rested and ready to go. 197 Pounds (3 Allocations) 1. Angelo Posada STAN 15-4 (6-0) 2. Mac Stout PITT 16-3 (5-1) 3. Sonny Sasso VT 22-5 (4-2) 4. Patrick Brophy NCST 10-5 (2-4) 5. Robert Platt UNC 13-10 (2-4) 6. Steven Burrell Jr. UVA 9-10 (2-4) 7. Owen McGrory DUKE 5-18 (0-6) 197 only got 3 allocations. There is a clear separation between the top three seeds on the bottom four, but the top 3 seeds are all separated by razor-thin margins and this bracket should shake out in many ways. All-American and returning ACC Champion Mac Stout was a heavy favorite coming into this season, but true freshman Angelo Posada put together an incredible season, including a win over Stout, to take the top seed. Posada is 15-4 on the year and comes in ranked #8 in the country; his losses on the year are to #1 Josh Barr, #5 Justin Rademacher, #6 Bennett Berge and #7 Cody Merrill. Stout had another impressive year but has one loss that stands out - a sudden victory loss to Dillon Bechtold. Sasso shook off a slow start to put together an impressive season, including wins over #3 Joey Novak and #7 Cody Merrill. Brophy has looked better at the end of the year and has the ability to cause some havoc in this bracket. First round matches to watch: Patrick Brophy v Robert Platt: Brophy was an NCAA qualifier for The Citadel last year and will have to pull off at least one upset to make that happen again. He will have to be in top form and it will start in the opening round against Platt. Sonny Sasso v Stephen Burrell: Sasso is the heavy favorite here and the Hokies will be looking for bonus points at every opportunity. Burrell is dangerous, though. He is explosive and can catch anyone at the right opportunity. 285 Pounds (4 Allocations) 1. Isaac Trumble NCST 13-0 (5-0) 2. Dayton Pitzer PITT 14-5 (5-1) 3. Jimmy Mullen VT 19-6 (3-2) 4. Connor Barket DUKE 19-5 (3-3) 5. Brenan Morgan UVA 11-8 (1-4) 6. Jacob Levy UNC 17-6 (0-3) 7. Luke Duthie STAN 9-12 (0-4) The four allocations at 285 seem cut and dry for the top four seeds, but Brennan Morgan and Jacob Levy are both dangerous and could cause some problems. Returning All-American Isaac Trumble earned the top seed, going undefeated on the year and in conference and will be looking to take out reigning ACC Champion Dayton Pitzer to take the title. Pitzer was a bloodround finisher last year, he has had a solid season, but doesn’t have any marquee wins; his losses aren’t bad, his worst being to #16 Spencer Lanosga. Jimmy Mullen had a good year for the Hokies and seems to be coming into his own this season. He had a couple questionable losses to start the year but has gotten better and more consistent as the season went on. Connor Barket has been one of the highlights for Duke this year, coming in at the fourth seed, he will need to show that consistency he has this year to make it through to Cleveland. Jacob Levy was a late-season addition when Nolan Neves went down for the Tar Heels and Brennan Morgan has been on the edge of breaking through this year--both have a shot to make a name this weekend. First round matches to watch: Connor Barket v Brennan Morgan: Barket is the clear favorite here, but Morgan is scrappy and can create flurries that end up in a pin for him. Barket will have to be ready to go from the first whistle. Jimmy Mullen v Jacob Levy: Similar to the other match - Mullen is a heavy favorite, but he will need to be ready to go to avoid a potential upset bid from Levy.

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2026 ACC Championship Preview

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