Men's Wrestling Competes in Day One of National Championship

Park City, Kan., (March 5, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College men's wrestling team opened competition at the 2026 NAIA Men's Wrestling National Championship in Park City, Kan., Thursday.  Missouri Valley has five of its wrestlers set to compete on day two, led by No. 4 Junior Haden Hernandez (Huntington Beach, Calif.) who advanced to the championship quarterfinals at 125 pounds.  Four other Vikings are in the consolation brackets.

Results:

No. 14 Junior Robert Albert (Cape Coral, Fla.)-125 pounds:

First Round: Lost to No. 15 Jordan Rodriguez of Cleary (Mich.) in a first period (2:01) pin.

Consolation First Round: Lost to No. 25 Christopher Calderon of Westcliff in a first period (1:30) pin.

No. 4 Junior Haden Hernandez (Huntington Beach, Calif.)-125 pounds:

First Round: Defeated No. 25 Christopher Calderon of Westcliff (Calif.) in a 13-11 decision.

Second Round: Defeated No. 15 Jordan Rodriguez of Cleary (Mich.) in an 8-3 decision.

No. 9 Freshman Tuvshinjargal Zuunbayan (Arlington Heights, Ill.)-133 pounds:

First Round: Defeated Blake Woolsey of Providence (Mont.) in an 11-3 major decision.

Second Round: Lost to No. 1 Aaron Lucio of Southeastern (Fla.) in a 10-3 decision. 

Consolation Second Round: Defeated Lane Scorpil of William Penn (Iowa) in a 20-7 major decision.

No. 20 Junior Kristofer Arrey (Riverside, Calif.)-149 pounds:

First Round: Defeated No. 14 Cade White of Providence (Mont.) in a 2-1 decision.

Second Round: Lost to No. 4 Nik Yancey of Campbellsville (Ky.) in an 8-2 decision.

Consolation Second Round: Defeated No. 24 Marlone Kirksy of Indiana Tech in a 10-2 major decision.

No. 14 Senior Francis Morrissey (Warner Robins, Ga.)-157 pounds:

First Round: Lost to No. 18 Christian Arberry of Marian (Ind.) in a 15-3 major decision.

Consolation First Round: Defeated Joabe Araujo of Reinhardt (Ga.) in a first period (0:48) pin.

Consolation Second Round: Lost to No. 15 Vinnie Abbey of Indiana Tech in a third period (6:20) pin.

Sophomore Brayden Shelton (Centralia, Mo.)-165 pounds:

First Round: Defeated Ethan Gomez of Cumberland (Tenn.) in a 12-2 major decision.

Second Round: Lost to No. 2 Jonathan Kervin of Indiana Tech in a 9-6 decision.

Consolation Second Round: Lost to teammate No. 15 Dayton Hill in a 5-3 decision.

No. 15 Senior Dayton Hill (Broken Arrow, Okla.)-165 pounds:

First Round: Lost No. 1 Cam Robinson of Grand View (Iowa) in a first period (0:41) pin.

Consolation First Round: Defeated No. 13 Kevin Olavarria of Central Methodist (Mo.) in a 9-3 decision.

Consolation Second Round: Defeated teammate Brayden Shelton in a 5-3 decision.

No. 3 Senior Elijah Hynes (Broken Arrow, Okla.)-197 pounds:

First Round: Defeated No. 19 Donivan Giangregorio of Dickinson State (N.D.) in an 8-7 decision.

Second Round: Lost to No. 16 Omari Smith of Oklahoma City in a 4-1 sudden-victory.

Consolation Second Round: Defeated No. 17 KJ Fry of Graceland (Iowa) in a 13-5 major decision.

No. 8 Senior Randy Gonzalez (Lakewood, Calif.)-285 pounds:

First Round: Defeated Treyshawn White of Cumberlands (Ky.) in a 1-0 decision.

Second Round: Lost to No. 3 Zeph Sivels of Midland (Neb.) in a 7-3 decision.

Consolation Second Round: Lost to No. 14 Emmett  Bivens of Wayland Baptist (Texas) in an 8-0 major decision.

Missouri Valley is No. 15 in the team standings after the first day of competition, with 17.0 points.

The 2026 NAIA Men's Wrestling National Championship competition will continue through the day tomorrow, Friday, and conclude Saturday, inside the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan.

Friday:

Session III at 11 a.m.: Championship quarterfinal and Consolation third round.

Session IV at 6 p.m.: Championship semifinal, consolation fourth round and consolation fifth round.  All Americans will be determined during Session IV.

Saturday:

Session IV at 11 a.m.: Consolation final and placing matches for third, fifth and seventh.

Session VI at 7 p.m.: National Championship matches for all ten weight classes.

Results-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.