Thursday, March 19, 2026 | Friday, March 20, 2026 | Saturday, March 21, 2026
Rider Broncs at NCAA Wrestling Championships
LOCATION - Cleveland, OH / Rocket Arena 
WATCH - ESPN/ ESPN2/ ESPNU/ ESPN+ (Mats 1-8)
Live Stats: FloArena
Live Updates: X @RiderWrestling

What You Need to Know
- Five Broncs head to Cleveland with podium aspirations at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships inside Rocket Arena.
- Tyler Klinsky (125), Will Betancourt (133), Elijah Griffin (141), Dylan Layton (149), and Brock Zurawski (197) will all compete for national titles and All-America honors.

NCAA Championships History
- Rider continues its pursuit of the program's first individual national champion.
- The Broncs have produced 10 All-Americans in the last 11 seasons.
- At last year's championships, Sammy Alvarez became Rider's 21st All-American, placing seventh at 149 lbs.
- Quinn Kinner (2024) and Ethan Laird (2023) added to the legacy with podium finishes, marking Rider's 20th and 19th All-Americans, respectively.
- In 2021, Jesse Dellavecchia made history as the program's first national finalist.

NCAA Championships Individual Previews
No. 11 Tyler Klinsky (125 lbs)
- Klinsky makes his second career trip to the NCAA Championships after previously qualifying in 2024. He enters as the No. 11 seed, the highest-seeded Bronc in the field.
- The graduate student has been dominant all season, posting a 26-3 overall record while riding a 19-match win streak dating back to Dec. 5. 
- He is coming off a standout performance at the MAC Championships, where he claimed his first conference title at 125 lbs and earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors.
- Klinsky is 6-2 against ranked opponents this season, highlighted by wins over No. 16 Spencer Moore (Illinois), No. 19 Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia), No. 23 Conrad Hedriksen (Oklahoma), No. 26 Ayden Smith (Rutgers), No. 29 Desmond Pleasant (Drexel), and No. 32 Jace Schafer (Bloomsburg).

No. 25 Will Betancourt (133 lbs)
- Betancourt makes his NCAA Championships debut, qualifying for the first time in his career. He enters the tournament as the No. 25 seed with a 23-8 overall record.
- The graduate student is coming off a runner-up finish at the MAC Championships, where he dropped a narrow 2-1 decision to his first-round NCAA opponent, Markel Baker (Northern Illinois).
- Betancourt has proven he can battle in tight matches, competing in 14 bouts decided by three points or fewer and going 8-6 in those contests, along with a 2-2 mark in sudden victory. 
- All eight of his losses this season have come against NCAA qualifiers, with six decided by three points or less against nationally ranked opponents.

No. 15 Elijah Griffin (141 lbs)
- Griffin makes his second career appearance at the NCAA Championships, entering as the No. 15 seed with a 26-7 overall record.
- He is coming off a runner-up finish at the MAC Championships, falling in sudden victory in the finals to Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven). 
- Earlier this season, Griffin made program history by becoming Rider's first-ever finalist at the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational, where he dropped a 6-2 decision to No. 3 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State).
- Griffin has gone 6-5 against ranked opponents this season, earning wins over No. 15 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven), No. 18 Tyler Wells (Oklahoma), No. 23 Pierson Manville (Arizona State), No. 26 Braden Basile (Army West Point), and No. 29 Nash Singleton (Oregon State).
- A high-scoring threat, Griffin has totaled 18 bonus-point victories this season, including six pins, four technical falls, and eight major decisions.

No. 30 Dylan Layton (149 lbs)
- Layton makes his first NCAA Championships appearance in his debut season with Rider after transferring from Cleveland State. 
- He enters the tournament with a 25-9 overall record and the No. 30 seed.
- Layton earned his spot at nationals with a third-place finish at the MAC Championships and has been a consistent offensive presence, recording 13 bonus-point wins this season.
- In the MAC semifinals, he battled No. 2-ranked Caleb Tyus (SIUE) in a tight 2-1 decision that was decided in rideouts (TB1). 
- Layton also owns wins over No. 26 Andrew Clark (Rutgers) and No. 30 Drew Roberts (Minnesota) this season.

No. 24 Brock Zurawski (197 lbs)
- Zurawski makes his second career appearance at the NCAA Championships, entering as the No. 24 seed with a 22-5 overall record.
- A year ago, he made headlines with a first-round upset of No. 7 Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa), proving he can shake up the bracket on the national stage.
- Zurawski secured his return to nationals with a third-place finish at the MAC Championships, earning an at-large bid. 
- His résumé includes notable wins over No. 32 Blake Schafer (Kent State) and No. 15 Remy Cotton (Rutgers).
- A consistent bonus-point scorer, Zurawski has totaled 16 bonus-point victories this season, including seven technical falls, three pins, and six major decisions.
- Similar to last year, he enters as a lower seed with upset potential, drawing No. 9 Angelo Posada (Stanford) in the opening round.

First Round Matchups
Session I - Thursday, March 19th at 12:00 PM
125: (11) Tyler Klinsky vs. (22) Davis Motuka (UPenn)
133: (25) Will Betancourt vs. (8) Markel Baker (Northern Illinois)
141: (15) Elijah Griffin vs. (18) Carter Nogle (Air Force)
149: (30) Dylan Layton vs. (3) Cross Wasilewski (UPenn)
197: (24) Brock Zurawski vs. (9) Angelo Posada (Stanford)