A promising entry into the NCAA Championships quickly turned into an abrupt exit for the Wildcats.
Northwestern (3-9, 1-7 B1G) sent a blend of experience and emerging talent to Cleveland, Ohio, with a returning qualifier and a breakout first-year, both punching their tickets out of a loaded Big Ten field.
Red-shirt second-year Sean Spidle (133 lbs) earned his automatic bid after he battled through the Big Ten Tournament’s consolation bracket last weekend. He received the No. 21 seed in his weight class,
slightly higher than his No. 23 seed from his last tournament appearance with Central Michigan in 2025.
Posting the best Big Ten Tournament result from a true first-year since 2021, Billy Dekraker (141 lbs) received an at-large bid to compete in the championships as well. Dekraker, the No. 31 seed at 141 lbs, also became the first true first-year to represent the Wildcats since 2021.
One year after Trevor Chumbley’s cinderella run to semifinals as the No. 20 seed, both Wildcats failed to make it past the first day, Northwestern received a zero in its team score. At the end of the tournament, it was tied for last place (No. 66) with Bloomsburg, Davidson, Michigan State and VMI.
Round One — Mar. 19, 2026
Spidle geared up first, facing UPenn’s No. 12 seed Evan Mougalin on mat three. After a minute of hand-fighting, Mougalin made the first move, grabbing Spidle’s leg in search of a takedown. But Spidle held strong, avoiding danger for nearly 45 seconds before a whistled reset. It couldn’t last forever. With 20 seconds left, Mougalin struck and overpowered the Wildcat for a late takedown to take a 3-0 lead into the second.
Spidle controlled much of the second, racking up 1:21 of riding time. He nearly held on, too, but a quick reversal from Mougalian tacked on two more points, leaving Spidle one final shot to pull off the upset.
After more hand-fighting in the third, a stalling call on Mougalin gave Spidle his first point. With 35 seconds left in the match, the two became entangled as Spidle fought with everything he had. As the final seconds ticked down, Mougalin secured a near fall to put the bout out of reach.
Losing by decision, Spidle briefly shook hands with his opponent before walking off — the final score 8-1.
Shortly after, Dekraker took to mat five to face Oklahoma State’s No. 2 seed, true first-year Sergio Vega. The first period stayed scoreless, with only a few scattered attempts from either wrestler.
The second commenced with Dekraker on top, as Vega chose the bottom start to try and grab a quick escape. Dekraker, however, held on for nearly 30 seconds, fighting to get a takedown. But, Vega countered, and he grabbed hold of the No. 31 seed’s leg and dropped him to the mat for a two-point reversal. The rest of the period remained in Vega’s control, as he accrued 42 seconds of riding time.
With Dekraker trailing 2-0 heading into the last period, it remained anyone’s match. After more hand-fighting and some grappling produced no points, Vega broke through as he twisted Dekraker onto the mat and secured a takedown with 30 seconds remaining. With nothing left to do and his body pressed to the ground, Dekraker failed to break free. After the OSU first-year’s riding time accumulated for over a minute, he tacked on another point to secure the 6-0 victory by decision.
Consolation Round One— Mar. 19, 2026
With both Wildcats losing their first-round bouts, both dropped to the consolation bracket with their matches slated to begin just hours after the losses.
Spidle started on mat seven against Garrett Grice, the No. 28 seed from Iowa State. After plenty of rolling and grappling, neither found points in the first period.
Spidle struck first in the second with an escape, but after heavy hand-fighting, Grice grabbed his leg and eventually brought him down for a takedown. Through more tussling, Spidle added another escape before the period ended, cutting his deficit to 3–2.
With over a minute of riding time in the third, Spidle held just enough to tie if he could hold on the rest of the period. However, two escaped from Gruce were just enough to keep him ahead, making the Wildcats’ point irrelevant in a hard-fought 5–3 loss.
Dekraker faced Air Force’s No. 18 seed Carter Nogle; the match quick and scrappy from the start. Just 30 seconds in, a reset had occurred as Nogle forced Dekraker out of the canvas. Playing quickly and aggressively, the two flung each other around the mat. Constant jabs led to empty attempts as the first period dwindled.
It all changed in one minute.
After Dekraker grabbed one of his opponent’s legs, he became helpless to what came next. Nogle promptly picked the Wildcat up and flipped him over onto his back to attempt a pin. Just barely avoiding it, Dekraker wriggled around the NCAA logo to postpone what felt like an inevitable end.
After 40 seconds of fighting, it was too much. Dekraker’s shoulders hit the mat in a swift motion, securing Nogle’s victory by fall and ending the bout.
