What’s better than one returning NCAA champion? How about three?

That’s what wrestling fans get at 149 pounds, with Stanford’s Aden Valencia as the returning 2026 champion at 149, Oklahoma State’s Sergio Vega as the returning 2026 champion at 141, and Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson as the returning 2024 champion at 149. 

Valencia entered nationals as the 10-seed with seven losses, but had a magical run capped by an 8-5 sudden victory win over Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness. Most of Valencia’s losses were close, taking a couple of lopsided setbacks before finding his stride late. 

Regarding Van Ness, he may be the best current wrestler across all weights who has yet to win a title. He finished third in 2023 and 2025, before reaching the finals in 2026. He was seeded first and finished the season 26-1. 

Vega moves up from 141, where he won the NCAA Championships as a true freshman without surrendering a takedown. He had close wins during the season, but his stingy defense and his ever-evolving takedown game make him a title threat at a new weight. 

Henson missed last season with an injury, but he’s sure to add intrigue to this weight. He can win whatever type of match you want, from a 1-0 war of attrition (2024 NCAA semis against Ridge Lovett) to a 15-7 shootout (2024 NCAA finals against Austin Gomez). Tony Robie, his coach, calls him one of the most mentally tough wrestlers in the game, and he’ll need every bit of it against this field. 

It doesn’t stop there. 

Anthony Echemendia transferred from Iowa State to Nebraska, and he’s sure to threaten the field if he can stay healthy. The Cuban star is a two-time All-American at 141 who grew up competing in freestyle. He’s no stranger to folkstyle at this point, but the more top-bottom, the better.

Iowa’s Ryder Block, Penn’s Cross Wasilewski, and Iowa State’s Jacob Frost will have their say against this stacked field. Block finished sixth as the 15-seed, helping the Hawkeyes earn a trophy at the NCAA Championships. 

Look out for Arizona State’s Kyler Larkin and Cornell’s Jaxon Joy. Neither has reached the podium, but both are dangerous enough to make a run. Larkin is moving up two weights, but has loads of offense and can scramble out of compromising positions. 

Joy was seeded second but didn’t place, reaching the Round of 12, falling to Valencia (12-9) and Virginia Tech’s Colin Gaj (7-2), who is moving up to 157. The Big Red star was the talk of wrestling last season with his vicious cradle. He will surely make more noise in his second season. 

2026 NCAA Placewinners

1. Aden Valencia (Stanford)
2. Shayne Van Ness (Penn State)
3. Lachlan McNeil (Michigan)
4. Chance Lamer (Nebraska)
5. Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech)
6. Ryder Block (Iowa)
7. Cross Wasilewski (Penn)
8. Casey Swiderski (Oklahoma State)

Returning 2026 All-Americans

Aden Valencia (Stanford) — 1st
Sergio Vega (Oklahoma State) — 1st at 141
Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) — 2nd
Ryder Block (Iowa) — 6th
Cross Wasilewski (Penn) — 7th

Past All-Americans

Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) — 5th, 1st, 2nd
Anthony Echemendia (Nebraska) — 5th, 6th
Jacob Frost (Iowa State) — 7th

Key Departures

Chance Lamer (Nebraska) — graduation
Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina/Michigan) — graduation
Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech) — moving up to 157
Casey Swiderski (Oklahoma State) — moving up to 165

Entering From Injury/Transfer/New Weight

Sergio Vega (Oklahoma State) — moving up from 141
Anthony Echemendia (Nebraska) — from Iowa State and 141
Kyler Larkin (Arizona State) — moving up from 133

Watch highlights from Caleb Henson's 2024 NCAA finals match

The Favorite: Aden Valencia (Stanford)

There are probably four favorites, but if we can only pick one, it’s Valencia. He earned this preseason designation as the returning 149-pound NCAA champion. Of his five wins at nationals, three were upsets, meaning he’ll likely have his hands full to add a second title this season. 

Valencia was 1-2 against Gaj last season, and Caleb Henson, Gaj’s replacement, is hardly a pushover. He’ll likely have to get by Henson at the ACC tournament, along with NC State’s Koy Buesgens, who defeated Valencia 15-6 in the dual but didn’t place at the NCAA Championships. 

The road to the top is steep at this weight, but if Valencia likes a challenge, he’ll get to prove himself. 

Valencia’s 2026 NCAA Tournament run
Round of 32: 18-6 over #26 Max Petersen (NDSU)
Round of 16: 7-5 over #7 Ethan Stiles (Ohio State)
Quarterfinals: 12-9 over #2 Jaxon Joy (Cornell)
Semifinals: 9-5 over #11 Lachlan McNeil (Michigan)
Finals: 8-5 SV over #1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State)

The Contenders

Sergio Vega (Oklahoma State)
Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)
Shayne Van Ness (Penn State)

Vega’s true freshman campaign was one for the record books. A 24-0 record means he passed every test he faced, including an impressive 4-1 sudden victory finals win over returning two-time NCAA champion Jesse Mendez. 

The Tucson, Arizona, native has an interesting stat line. He notched 11 bonus-point wins, but he was in several low-scoring bouts that seemingly could have gone the other way. Giving up zero takedowns in a season speaks for itself, but a couple of tight wins against Echemendia, including a 2-1 TB victory at the Big 12 Championships, mean that his hands will be full.

Van Ness hasn’t lost much in the past two seasons. He entered the 2026 NCAA Championships undefeated, losing to Valencia in the finals, and fell to eventual NCAA champion Ridge Lovett of Nebraska in the 2025 NCAA semis. 

The Somerville, New Jersey, native can occasionally give up early scores, but can storm back, like his 11-10 victory over McNeil in the Big Ten semis where he was down 6-1 after the first period, or when he was down 7-1 against Maryland’s Carter Young and secured a 31-15 tech. 

Henson hasn’t lost much during his first three seasons. He is 79-8 with finishes of fifth, first, and second at the NCAA Championships. His 1-0 loss to Lovett in the 2025 NCAA finals reversed the 1-0 win he achieved in the 2024 NCAA semifinals. However, with only three losses over two seasons, the native of Cartersville, Georgia, is considered among the nation’s elite.

Workout partners are plentiful for Henson, with the addition of Bo Bassett (141) and the return of Gaj (157) and Aaron Seidel (133).

Watch highlights from Sergio Vega's 2026 NCAA finals match

All-American Threats

Ryder Block (Iowa)
Cross Wasilewski (Penn)
Anthony Echemendia (Nebraska)
Jacob Frost (Iowa State)
Koy Buesgens (NC State)
Jaxon Joy (Cornell)

Joy and Buesgens aren’t All-Americans (yet), but don’t overlook either. Joy was seeded second at nationals, and Buesgens was fifth. It’s easy to get enamored with All-American honors, but these two are dangerous and are borderline title contenders. 

Of Buesgens five losses last season, three were to Gaj — and Gaj is gone. Joy reached the national quarterfinals, losing to Valencia and Gaj, who finished fifth. 

Echemendia, as mentioned above, has serious freestyle chops and is a key piece of a Cornhusker squad that is seeking a third consecutive trophy. Let’s hope we see him face Frost, a former teammate, a 141-pound All-American (7th) in 2025 and a Round of 12er at 149 last season. 

Wasilewski lost 2-0 to Joy at the Ivy League Championships but bounced back to secure a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships, highlighting the volatility of nationals and the significance of matchups. The Parsippany, New Jersey, native is a gritty wrestler who can reach the podium again. 

Block showed consistent improvement throughout the season, highlighted by an 8-5 win over Oklahoma State’s Casey Swiderski at nationals after a 5-3 setback at the National Duals. 

Sleepers & Dark Horses

Kyler Larkin (Arizona State)
Sergio Lemley (Michigan)
Seth Mendoza (Missouri)

Larkin is moving up two weights, so the jury is out about how he will adjust, but the talent and upside are there. Don’t be surprised if he moves up the rankings. Maybe Lemley’s 14-2 win over Iowa’s Real Woods in a dual is influencing his inclusion as a sleeper (despite losing to him 11-8 at Big Tens), but the upside is there, and he’s a landmine if you draw him early. Mendoza is a Who’s Number One alumnus who is bound to take flight. 

Brother vs Brother

Jack Gioffre (Oklahoma) and Michael Gioffre (Illinois) are at this weight. Will they meet at some point this season?

Pre-season 149-pound Predictions

1. Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)
2. Shayne Van Ness (Lehigh)
3. Sergio Vega (Oklahoma State)
4. Aden Valencia (Stanford)
5. Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State)
6. Jaxon Joy (Cornell)
7. Cross Wasilewski (Penn)
8. Jacob Frost (Iowa State)