Hepner Advances To NCAA Wrestling Quarterfinals, Trio Alive In Consolation Bracket

Thursday, March 19

Cleveland, Ohio

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North Carolina

NCAA Championships

Photo by: Jenna Miller

Hepner Advances To NCAA Wrestling Quarterfinals, Trio Alive In Consolation Bracket

March 19, 2026 | Wrestling

CLEVELAND, Ohio – North Carolina 165-pounder Bryce Hepner advanced to the quarterfinals, on day one of the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

Hepner, a hometown product from nearby Avon, Ohio, posted an 11-4 decision over former high school teammate Sean Seefeldt of Penn in the opening round.

In the evening session, Hepner punched his ticket to Friday afternoon's quarterfinals courtesy of a 3-0 victory versus Little Rock's eighth-ranked Matty Bianchi. With the win, Hepner is the first Tar Heel 165-pounder since Ethan Ramos in 2015 to advance to Friday morning's quarterfinal round.

Friday in the quarterfinals, Hepner will face top-ranked Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State.

After dropping their respective opening bouts, the trio of Kysen Terukina (125), Luke Simcox (141) and Jake Dailey (184) collected decisions in their opening consolation match, advancing to day two.

At 157-pounds, Laird Root collected a consolation prelim decision, dropping the ensuing match to end his tournament with a 1-2 record. In his first career national tournament, 174-pounder Collin Carrigan fell in back-to-back matches, ending his tournament on day one.

Day two from Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland gets underway Friday afternoon at Noon.

2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
March 19, 2026 | Rocket Arena | Cleveland, Ohio

Session One (Afternoon)
Championship Round One
125: No. 14 Jacob Moran (Indiana) over No. 19 Kysen Terukina (UNC): 4-2 Dec
141: No. 21 Tyler Wells (Oklahoma) over No. 12 Luke Simcox (UNC): 3-2 Dec
157: No. 3 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) over No. 30 Laird Root (UNC): 14-0 MD
165: No. 9 Bryce Hepner (UNC) over No. 24 Sean Seefeldt (Penn): 11-4 Dec
174: No. 6 Matty Singleton (NC State) over No. 27 Collin Carrigan (UNC): 2-1 TB-1
184: No. 15 Sal Perrine (Ohio) over No. 18 Jake Dailey (UNC): 9-3 Dec

Session Two (Evening)
Championship Round Two
165: No. 9 Bryce Hepner (UNC) over No. 8 Matty Bianchi (Little Rock): 3-0 Dec

Consolation Prelims
157: No. 30 Laird Root (UNC) over No. 32 Jeb Prechtel (Bellarmine): 9-4 Dec

Consolation Round One
125: No. 19 Kysen Terukina (UNC) over No. 30 Sulayman Bah (Columbia): 7-2 Dec
141: No. 12 Luke Simcox (UNC) over No. 28 Pierson Manville (Arizona State): 5-4 Dec
157: No. 19 Kai Owen (Columbia) over No. 30 Laird Root (UNC): 7-4 Dec
174: No. 22 Brody Bauman (Purdue) over No. 27 Collin Carrigan (UNC): 15-8 Dec
184: No. 18 Jake Dailey (UNC) over No. 31 Mahonri Rushton (Northern Colorado): 4-1 Dec