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Our previews of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships move on to the 174 lb bracket, which yet again has a Penn State wrestler seeded No. 1. Levi Haines (Penn State) is the top wrestler in this weight class, and it's not clear who is particularly close to him. He has had very few scares this season. Could we see a surprise at these Championships? And who could it come from? Let's dive into the bracket.
Haines is the 2024 NCAA Champion. And, honestly, it's surprising that he's only won one. He lost an elite final in 2023 to Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), and last year he took third place after losing to Dean Hamiti in the semifinals. This year, though, Hamiti has graduated, and it's not so clear who in this bracket can challenge him.
It's likely not No. 2 seed Simon Ruiz (Cornell). Like Haines, Ruiz is undefeated on the season. Unlike Haines, though, he's done it against a relatively weaker caliber of wrestlers. Honestly, Ruiz is very overseeded at No. 2. He has beaten exactly two wrestlers seeded in the top ten of this bracket. It's a far cry from the list of wrestlers that, for example, No. 3 seed Christopher Minto (Minnesota) has faced. Minto has several losses, including two to Haines, but those were by far Haines' two toughest matches of the year. There are a lot of proven tough wrestlers in this weight class, but Ruiz isn't proven yet.
Kharchla (pronounced harch-la) is an elite wrestler who has struggled with injuries his entire career. Including medical redshirts, Kharchla is in his seventh season at Ohio State. Dealt an unfortunate draw and seemingly not at 100%, Kharchla shockingly crashed out of last year's NCAAs with an 0-2 record. He will certainly want to improve upon that in his final opportunity. (Actually, even though he took his 2020 redshirt before COVID, he might still have the fifth year of eligibility offered to all student-athletes who played through the COVID season.)
Seeded No. 4, he will face Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) in the first round. Kharchla should be a heavy favorite to reach the quarterfinals, where he'll likely face Patrick Kennedy (Iowa). Kennedy and Kharchla have already battled three times this year, with Kennedy winning the first two matches while Kharchla claimed victory in the third-place match at the Big Tens. All three matches were extremely close, and we would expect nothing different from a fourth meeting.
Haines almost certainly awaits in the semifinals. The pair met twice this year, with Haines winning both. Kharcha did successfully earn a takedown in his 6-4 loss in the dual meet with Penn State, so I wouldn't expect him to be blown off the mat. But I also wouldn't expect him to win. I would expect Kharchla to earn All-American honors, though. The Buckeye should be expecting a top eight finish at absolute worst.
In addition to Minto and Kennedy, both of whom can beat Haines (and anyone else in this bracket) on a perfect day, I have my eye on Cameron Steed. Steed is seeded No. 7, but a large part of that is due to his early-season struggles. He's been a different (and healthier) wrestler these last few months, and I think he can absolutely unseat Ruiz on the way to the semifinals, at least.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: NCAA Wrestling Championships Preview: 174 lbs
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Favorite: Levi Haines (Penn State)
Haines is the 2024 NCAA Champion. And, honestly, it's surprising that he's only won one. He lost an elite final in 2023 to Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), and last year he took third place after losing to Dean Hamiti in the semifinals. This year, though, Hamiti has graduated, and it's not so clear who in this bracket can challenge him.
It's likely not No. 2 seed Simon Ruiz (Cornell). Like Haines, Ruiz is undefeated on the season. Unlike Haines, though, he's done it against a relatively weaker caliber of wrestlers. Honestly, Ruiz is very overseeded at No. 2. He has beaten exactly two wrestlers seeded in the top ten of this bracket. It's a far cry from the list of wrestlers that, for example, No. 3 seed Christopher Minto (Minnesota) has faced. Minto has several losses, including two to Haines, but those were by far Haines' two toughest matches of the year. There are a lot of proven tough wrestlers in this weight class, but Ruiz isn't proven yet.
Ohio State's Wrestler: Carson Kharchla
Kharchla (pronounced harch-la) is an elite wrestler who has struggled with injuries his entire career. Including medical redshirts, Kharchla is in his seventh season at Ohio State. Dealt an unfortunate draw and seemingly not at 100%, Kharchla shockingly crashed out of last year's NCAAs with an 0-2 record. He will certainly want to improve upon that in his final opportunity. (Actually, even though he took his 2020 redshirt before COVID, he might still have the fifth year of eligibility offered to all student-athletes who played through the COVID season.)
Seeded No. 4, he will face Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) in the first round. Kharchla should be a heavy favorite to reach the quarterfinals, where he'll likely face Patrick Kennedy (Iowa). Kennedy and Kharchla have already battled three times this year, with Kennedy winning the first two matches while Kharchla claimed victory in the third-place match at the Big Tens. All three matches were extremely close, and we would expect nothing different from a fourth meeting.
Haines almost certainly awaits in the semifinals. The pair met twice this year, with Haines winning both. Kharcha did successfully earn a takedown in his 6-4 loss in the dual meet with Penn State, so I wouldn't expect him to be blown off the mat. But I also wouldn't expect him to win. I would expect Kharchla to earn All-American honors, though. The Buckeye should be expecting a top eight finish at absolute worst.
Sleepers: Cam Steed (Missouri)
In addition to Minto and Kennedy, both of whom can beat Haines (and anyone else in this bracket) on a perfect day, I have my eye on Cameron Steed. Steed is seeded No. 7, but a large part of that is due to his early-season struggles. He's been a different (and healthier) wrestler these last few months, and I think he can absolutely unseat Ruiz on the way to the semifinals, at least.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: NCAA Wrestling Championships Preview: 174 lbs
Continue reading...
