ADA, Ohio — The Washington and Lee University wrestling team positioned itself for another strong postseason finish on Friday at the 2026 NCAA Division III Region IV Championships, advancing six wrestlers to the championship semifinals and placing eight overall into Saturday's competition at the ONU Sports Center Fieldhouse.
After one day of action, the Generals sit fourth in the team standings with 91.5 points, trailing Baldwin Wallace (120.5), Roanoke (119.5) and host Ohio Northern (113). Mount Union rounds out the top five with 72.5 points.
W&L posted an impressive opening day highlighted by bonus-point victories, clutch consolation wins and strong quarterfinal performances. Only one General — first-year Devin Sweeney (184 lbs.) — was eliminated on Friday's action after going 2-2 and earned a pair of wins by fall in his first championships appearance.
Washington and Lee will send six wrestlers into Saturday morning's championship semifinals:
Up Next: Action resumes Saturday at 10 a.m. with the championship semifinals, consolation semifinals and placement matches. The top three finishers in each weight class will earn automatic bids to the NCAA Division III National Championships in La Crosse, Wis. With six semifinalists and two more still alive in consolations, the Generals remain in strong contention for another top-four regional finish — and multiple NCAA qualifiers.
Ziccardi earned a major decision over Logan Connolly (St. Vincent) and followed with a 7–0 decision against Anakin Burks (Shenandoah) to advance to the semifinals. He will face second-seeded Chase Vanderhorst (Ohio Northern) on Saturday.
Hickman opened with a major decision over Leonidas Zoganas (Muskingum) before receiving a medical forfeit victory in the quarterfinals. He advances to meet Casper Caizzo (Ohio Northern) in the semifinals.
149 | Evan Lindner — Consilation 5th Round
After dropping a tight 4–1 decision to Anthony Orlandini (St. Vincent) in the championship bracket, Lindner rebounded with dominant bonus-point victories — including a 20–5 technical fall and a fall in 1:27 — to reach Consolation Round 5. He will face Mequan Maxwell (Thiel) on Saturday morning.
157 | Liam Flanagan — Championship Semis
The regional top seed at 157, Flanagan recorded back-to-back falls — pinning Caleb Hoffman (Baldwin Wallace) in 2:29 and Malaki Smith (Baldwin Wallace) in 2:25 — to power into the semifinals, where he will face Londen Murphy (Ohio Northern).
165 | Mark Troni — Consilation 5th Round
Troni responded to a narrow 5–3 loss to Ben Hegler (Ohio Northern) with a fall in 2:08 over Wyatt Kinne (Southern Virginia) and a 18–2 technical fall against King Wright (Hiram). He advances to Consolation Round 5 against Jacob Potts (Thiel).
174 | Jacob Wright — Championship Semis
Wright secured consecutive decisions, defeating Logan Cornell (Otterbein) 4–2 and Ethan Kring (Greensboro) 9–5 to move into the semifinals. He is set to wrestle top-seeded Xavier Preston (Roanoke) on Saturday.
First-year
Devin Sweeney battled through four matches, earning two falls on the day, before being eliminated in the consolation bracket.
Santowski posted three victories on Friday, including a fall in 1:48 over Trenton Mead (Thiel) and decisions against Jacob Jimenez (Averett) and Anthony Gencarelli (Muskingum). He advances to face Myles Johnson (Ohio Northern) in the semifinals.
285 | Carter Stack — Championship Semis
Stack delivered two dominant bonus-point wins, earning a technical fall (15–0) over Zach Kuneff (Baldwin Wallace) and a 12–0 major decision against Jonah McCoy (St. Vincent). He will meet Scotty Edwards (Muskingum) in the semifinal round.
Top-5 Team Scores
- Baldwin Wallace – 120.5
- Roanoke – 119.5
- Ohio Northern – 113
- Washington & Lee – 91.5
- Mount Union – 72.5
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
