Clarksville, Ark. - The University of the Ozarks men's wrestling team is set to compete in the 2026 NCAA Division III Region VI Championships February 27-28 in Dubuque, Iowa.
Wrestling begins at 10:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Five Flags Center. Loras College serves as the host and is one of seven hosts around the country who will each send 30 wrestlers to the NCAA Division III National Championship March 13-14 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There are no at-large national qualifiers. Fans can watch the live action here: LIVE VIDEO
The Eagles placed eighth last season, with Demetri Teddlie advancing to the NCAA III National Championships. Over the course of the 2025-2026 season, the Eagles have had as many as seven wrestlers regionally ranked. Ka'Ron Lewis is currently ranked nationally by The Open Mat at No. 16. The Eagles are fresh off a third consecutive conference title, which saw five wrestlers win individual titles.
"I think our guys are definitely peaking at the right time," said head coach Nathan Rankin. "The way we wrestled at the conference championships was proof of that. It was a reassurance for all the work that we've done up until that point and it showed me as a coach how much we can push the pace in practice and still compete at our highest level."
Competing at a high level is nothing new for the Eagles as the program has produced six national qualifiers in the past seven years.
"In wrestling, you have to perform on the day, you can't have a bad weekend and expect to make it out," said Rankin. "If we're able to go out there and treat it like another wrestling match and not put any pressure on ourselves and look to score points for seven minutes, we're going to get our hand raised. When you get to the postseason, it's about the guys who believe in themselves, believe in the work that they've done, and believe that they're capable of winning. Postseason is the most physical competition all year. For the first time there are stakes involved, it's win or go home."
Potential Lineup:
125-Shelton Chastain
133-Javin Douglas
141-Luke Adams
149-Ethan Norton
157-Hayden Rofkahr
165-Arnez Woods
174-Jemarion Moore Kingsberry
184-Nawab Singh
197-Jadaan Anderson
285-Ka'Ron Lewis
NWCA Regional Rankings
#6 125 Shelton Chastain
#7 133 Javin Douglas
#7 197 Jadaan Anderson
#5 285 Ka'Ron Lewis
Teams competing in the Regional include Blackburn College, Buena Vista, Central College, Coe College, Cornell College, University of Dubuque, Eureka College, Huntingdon College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Loras College, Luther College, Lyon College, McMurry University, Nebraska Wesleyan, Schreiner University, Simpson College, University of the Ozarks, Wartburg College and Westminster College.
Championship Web Site: HERE
