SIUE Wrestling Picked No. 1 in the MAC

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE wrestling opens the 2026-27 season as the preseason favorite in the Mid-American Conference.

The Cougars are slated with 116 points based off the coaches' preseason predictions by weight class. Lock Haven is close behind with 115 followed by Edinboro (101), Kent State (74), Central Michigan (67), Ohio (59), Rider (54), George Mason (52), Bloomsburg (48), Buffalo (46) and Clarion (28).

No SIUE wrestlers are ranked at the top of their weight class, but the Cougars have seven who are ranked in the top three. They are 125-pounder Drew Davis (3rd), 133-pounder Marcel Lopez (2nd), 141-pounder Ben Lunn (2nd), 165-pounder Brock Woodcock (2nd), 174-pounder Dominic Lopez(2nd), 184-pounder Caleb Neal (3rd) and 285-pounder Bryson Buhk (2nd).

SIUE and Edinboro are the only schools with wrestlers ranked in all 10 weight classes.

The Cougars, led by first-year Head Coach Daryl Thomas, open the 2026-27 season Sunday with the Cowboy Invite in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Below are the 2026-27 MAC preseason rankings.

2026-27 Pre-Season MAC Conference Rankings

Team Scores

1. SIUE 116
2. Lock Haven 115
3. Edinboro 101
4. Kent State 74
5. Central Michigan 67
6. Ohio 59
7. Rider 54
8. George Mason 52
9. Bloomsburg 48 10.Buffalo 46
10. Clarion 28

125 Pounds

1. Chris Vargo, Edinboro
2. Archer Anderson, Central Michigan
3. Drew Davis, SIUE
4. Noah Michaels, Rider
5. Brayden Teunissen, Ohio
6. Malachi Stratton, George Mason
7. Justin Jones, Bloomsburg
8. Zac Belverio, Buffalo

133 Pounds

1. Andrew Austin, Central Michigan
2. Marcel Lopez, SIUE
3. Nick Molchak, Kent State 4.Patrick O'Keefe, Lock Haven
4. Austin Pollard, Bloomsburg
5. Ryan Meek, Ohio
6. Landon Bainey, Edinboro
7. Gianni Silvestri, Buffalo

141 Pounds

1. Jacob Brennaman, Edinboro
2. Ben Lunn, SIUE
3. Tate Hisey, George Mason
4. Hunter Gould, Lock Haven
5. Tyler Roark, Buffalo
6. Scott Johnson Bloomsburg
7. Keagan Oler Clarion
8. Tyler Adams, Kent State

149 Pounds

1. Lucas Kapusta, Lock Haven
2. Dylan Layton, Rider
3. Sam Ewing, Buffalo
4. Jimmy Nugent, Central Michigan
5. Anthony Ferraro, Edinboro
6. Nate Roth, Kent State
7. Hayden Whidden, SIUE
8. Oliver Fairchild Clarion

157 Pounds

1. Derek Raike, Ohio
2. DJ McGee, George Mason
3. Garrett McChesney, Edinboro
4. Nick Kunstek, Lock Haven
5. JT Chance, Kent State
6. Wesley Barnes, Clarion
7. Max Nevlin, Buffalo
8. PJ Murphy, SIUE

165 Pounds

1. Chris Earnest, Kent State
2. Brock Woodcock, SIUE
3. Nick Stampoulos, Lock Haven
4. Alejandro Herrera-Rondon Clarion
5. Leo Contino, Central Michigan
6. Max Kirby, Edinboro
7. Kendrick Hodge, Rider
8. Max Hermes, Ohio

174 Pounds

1. Evan Maag, George Mason
2. Dominic Lopez, SIUE
3. Tate Geiser, Edinboro
4. Ethan Barr, Kent State
5. Rafael Knapp, Buffalo
6. Connor Wetzel, Lock Haven
7. Wyatt Ferguson, Central Michigan
8. Gabe Lilly, Clarion

184 Pounds

1. Sammy Gautreau, Lock Haven
2. Jeremy Olszko, Ohio
3. Caleb Neal, SIUE
4. Braidon Woodward, Bloomsburg
5. Shay Addison, Rider
6. Joey Arnold, Edinboro
7. Adrian Gacek, Clarion
8. Holden Martin, Kent State

197 Pounds

1. Brock Zurawski, Rider
2. Tucker Hogan, Lock Haven
3. Luke Cochran Central Michigan
4. Nick Nosler, SIUE
5. Brody Evans, Edinboro
6. Evan Wingrove, Ohio
7. Trent Thomas, Kent State
8. Wyatt Bush, Bloomsburg

285 Pounds

1. Mason Rebuck, Bloomsburg
2. Bryson Buhk, SIUE
3. Kade Sottolano, Lock Haven
4. Brentan Simmerman, Kent State
5. Magnus Bibla, Buffalo
6. Aden Roe, Edinboro
7. Andrew Blackburn-Forst, Clarion
8. Wyatt Schmitt, Ohio