CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Hayden Myers '26 of the Wesleyan wrestling team wrestled his way to a podium finish and All-American honors, placing fifth at 141 pounds in the 2026 NCAA Division III Championships. Myers becomes the 10^th Cardinal All-American in program history while Wesleyan has an All-American wrestler in consecutive seasons for the first time in team history.

• BRACKETS

Competing at Nationals for the second straight season, Myers got off to a great start in his opening round bout against Dresden Grimm of Coe, landing two takedowns in the first period before coasting to a 7-1 decision win. Coming back on Friday night to wrestle against Mark Samuel of Roanoke, Myers was tech falled in 6:06, sending the Cardinal senior to the back draw where he needed one win to secure an All-American honor.
 
In a bout against Skyler Hickman of Washington & Lee, Myers went ahead 3-1 in the first period and continued to hold a 3-2 lead entering the third period. Starting the third neutral, Hickman landed a go-ahead takedown, but Myers bounced right back with an escape followed by a takedown to retake the lead. Hickman escaped for one point but couldn't overcome the one-point deficit as Myers landed a thrilling 7-6 win.
 
Coming back on Saturday looking to cement his spot in the Wesleyan record books, Myers exacted some revenge in his opening bout, landing a pin on Isaias Torres of Ithaca in just 1:28. Torres was the only wrestler who Myers lost to this season coming into the NCAA Championships, a 4-1 overtime defeat back on February 7.
 
Myers then dropped a 2-1 decision to Nico Diaz of Stevens, sending Myers to the fifth-place bout, where he closed out his career with a 3-2 decision win over Vincent Santaniello of TCNJ.
 
Myers finishes his career with two appearances at the NCAA Championships while becoming the 10^th Cardinal in team history to earn All-American honors. In addition, Myers is just the third Cardinal in team history to finish in fifth place or better at the NCAA Championships.