Arkansas Wrestle (All images via lrtrojans.com)
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA. – The stage is set for the 2026 Pac-12 Wrestling Championships, and Little Rock will head to San Luis Obispo with one of the strongest lineups in the conference. The championship takes place Friday, March 6 at the Mott Athletics Center on the campus of Cal Poly, featuring wrestlers from Little Rock, Oregon State, Cal Poly and Cal State Bakersfield competing across all 10 weight classes.
Each bracket features four wrestlers, one from each program, creating a highly competitive format where every match carries major implications for both individual titles and the team race.
Little Rock enters the championships with multiple nationally ranked wrestlers and several legitimate title contenders. Leading the Trojans is Matty Bianchi, the No. 5 ranked wrestler nationally at 165 pounds and the top seed in his weight class. Bianchi enters the tournament looking to add another Pac-12 title after winning the 157-pound championship in 2025. This season he moves up to 165, a weight class previously dominated by his brother Joseph Bianchi, who won the conference title the last two seasons.
Another major contender for Little Rock is Stephen Little, ranked No. 4 nationally at 197 pounds. Little is seeking his second Pac-12 title after winning the championship in 2024. He enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed behind Oregon State’s Justin Rademacher, setting up what could be one of the most anticipated matches of the night if both advance to the finals.
Little Rock also brings a deep roster across the remaining weight classes. Tyson Roach will represent the Trojans at 125 pounds, while Dillon Cooper competes at 133. Brennan Van Hoecke enters the bracket at 141 pounds, followed by Brock Herman at 149 pounds, who comes in ranked No. 18 nationally. Jaivon Jones will compete at 157 pounds and holds a national ranking of No. 30.
At 174 pounds, Gunner Holland will take the mat for Little Rock, while Kodiak Cannedy represents the Trojans at 184 pounds. Rounding out the lineup is heavyweight Michael Gasper, who is ranked No. 30 nationally at 285 pounds.
In total, nine of the ten weight classes feature at least one nationally ranked wrestler, highlighting the level of competition expected throughout the championship. Four wrestlers in the tournament are ranked inside the top ten nationally, including Little Rock’s Bianchi and Little.
Five returning Pac-12 champions will also compete for titles this year. Bianchi, Oregon State’s Maximo Renteria at 125, Nash Singleton at 141, TJ McDonnell at 184 and Cal Poly heavyweight Trevor Tinker all return after winning titles in 2025. Additionally, Oregon State’s Matthew Olguin and Little will attempt to reclaim championships they won previously.
The complete bracket is available here.
The championships begin Friday afternoon with preliminary matches starting at 12:30 p.m. PT, running through all ten weight classes. Finals are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. PT, where individual champions will be crowned and the Wrestler of the Meet award will be announced following the final match. The team trophy presentation will take place later in the evening.
Fans can follow the 2026 Pac-12 Wrestling Championships live on FloWrestling. Live results for the competition can be found here.
