Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Ghadiali Advances to Big Ten Heavyweight Final, Wolverines Qualify Six for NCAAs
3/7/2026 10:49:00 PM | Wrestling
» Taye Ghadiali advanced to the Big Ten heavyweight final with a 5-2 decision against Penn State's Cole Mirasola in the semifinals.
» Michigan will place six at the NCAA Championships; Diego Sotelo (125 pounds), Lachlan McNeil (149), Cameron Catrabone (157), Beau Mantanona (174) and Brock Mantanona (184) are all in the consolation semifinals.
» Six Wolverines earned automatic qualifying bids for the NCAA Championships
Site: State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Standing: 7th Place of 14 Teams (68.5 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 8 -- at Big Ten Championships - Day Two (State College, Pa.), Noon
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Graduate student Taye Ghadiali advanced to the heavyweight championship bout to headline the University of Michigan wrestling team's day-one performance at the 2025 Big Ten Conference Championships on Saturday (March 7) at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. The Wolverines sit in seventh place in the team standings with 68.5 points -- just 1.5 points outside the top four.
Ghadaiali, ranked fourth in the latest InterMat poll, made a first-period takedown hold up in a 5-2 decision against Penn State's fifth-ranked Cole Mirasola in the semifinals -- his second win this season against the Nittany Lion. Ghadiali scored on a single leg out of a flurry midway through the first frame, rode for most of the third to accumulate 1:25 of advantage time, and scrambled out of a late Mirasola single-leg shot to hang on for the win.
Ghadiali scored his second pin of the season in his quarterfinal bout against Rutgers' 19th-ranked Hunter Catka in the morning session, building a big lead with three takedowns and a four-point tilt before locking up the cradle for the fall at 5:29.
He advanced to the finals in his first-ever Big Ten Championships appearance after previously capturing three SoCon heavyweight conference titles while at Campbell. Ghadiali improved to 22-2 on the season and owns 14 bonus wins.
Graduate student Lachlan McNeil, ranked 16th at 149 pounds, fell 11-10 to Penn State's top-ranked and undefeated Shayne Van Ness in the 149-pound semifinals. He scored the bout's first two takedowns, twice scrambling out of PSU single-leg attacks in the first period, but Van Ness scored late in the second and twice more in the third period to overcome the five-point deficit.
McNeil earned a pair of wins in the morning session, including a fall against Michigan State's Clayton Jones in the first round -- his second pin of the season. The Wolverine had scored a takedown in each period to build up a sizable lead and split the legs on his third-period single leg to secure the pin from a leg turk at 5:25.
Redshirt freshman Cameron Catrabone, ranked 13th at 157 pounds, dropped a 7-1 decision to Nebraska's third-ranked defending national champion Antrell Taylor in the 157-pound semifinals. Taylor took the lead with a late takedown in the first period, and while Catrabone pursued for most of the third, the Husker wrestler iced it with a takedown off a bodylock at the final buzzer.
Catrabone scored bonus points in both of his morning matches, using an arm and a half to pin Maryland's Mekhi Neal at the 4:28 mark -- his sixth fall this season -- and cruising to a 15-0 first-period technical fall against Michigan State's Darius Marines with a quick single-leg takedown and three four-point turns, ending it with a tilt at 2:26.
Redshirt freshman Brock Mantanona, ranked seventh, scored first and forced overtime against Penn State's top-ranked and undefeated Rocco Welsh but fell to the Nittany Lion, 8-5, in the semifinals. Mantanona finished on an ankle pick off the opening whistle and avoided giving up several single-leg attempts before Welsh scored off a Mantanona single leg in the second. Mantanona earned a quick escape before riding time to even the score, but Welsh ultimately finished on a single leg early in the overtime frame.
Mantanona rolled to a 20-3 technical fall against Michigan State's Ryan Boucher in the first round with five takedowns and four back points from a claw ride in just 3:58. He avenged a dual loss with a 4-1 decision against Illinois' 17th-ranked Chris More in the quarterfinals, drawing a late stall warning then breaking the tie with a single leg in the final five seconds.
Graduate student Diego Sotelo and redshirt sophomore Beau Mantanona also made their way back through the consolation semifinals after morning-session losses at 125 and 174 pounds, respectively.
Sotelo, ranked 30th at 125 pounds, bounced back from a first-round loss with back-to-back wrestleback wins over opponents who had previously beaten him during the dual season. He cruised past Wisconsin's 18th-ranked Nicolar Rivera, 11-1, in the bloodround, scoring a takedown in each period and riding for 1:59 of advantage time. He also beat Rutgers' 23rd-ranked Ayden Smith, 4-0, after icing it with a late takedown in the third, using a single-leg shot to initiate a scramble on the mat.
Mantanona, seeded fifth at 174 pounds, went 3-1 on the day with two bonus wins, including a 14-5 major decision against Wisconsin's Luke Condon in the opening round with four takedowns and 2:17 riding time. He narrowly fell in overtime to Ohio State's fifth-ranked Carson Kharchla, 4-1, in the semifinals but bounced back with a pair of wrestleback wins in the evening session -- a predetermined injury default in the bloodround then a 5-2 decision against Illinois' 24th-ranked Collin Kelly with an early takedown out of a first-period counter scramble and 1:36 in riding-time advantage.
Four Wolverines were eliminated during the first day of competition, but redshirt freshmen Justin Gates and Hayden Walters are still alive for NCAA automatic bids at 165 and 197 pounds, respectively.
Michigan will wrap up action at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (March 8) at the Bryce Jordan Center. The third session is slated for a noon start, while the finals are slated for at 4 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network.
Team Standings (After Day 1)
1. Penn State     146.5 2. Ohio State          115 3. Nebraska            112 4. Iowa                70 5. Illinois            69.5 5. Minnesota          69.5 7. Michigan           68.5 8. Rutgers            56.5 9. Wisconsin          43.5 10. Indiana            33 11. Maryland           31 12. Purdue             23 13. Northwestern       14.5 14. Michigan State     10.5
Michigan Results
Numbers listed are tournament seeds
125 Pounds -- #9 Diego Sotelo
First Round - dec. by #8 Dean Peterson (Iowa), 6-2
Consolations - major dec. #7 Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin), 11-1
Consolations - dec. #5 Ayden Smith (Rutgers), 4-0
Consolations - vs. #4 Jacob Moran (Indiana)
133 Pounds -- #13 Gauge Botero
First Round - dec. by #4 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin), 8-1
Consolations - dec. by #14 Blaine Frazier (Indiana), 10-4
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
Ninth Place Quarterfinals* -- dec. #14 Blaine Frazier (Indiana), 5-1
Ninth Place Semifinals* -- vs. #9 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers)
141 Pounds -- #5 Dylan Ragusin
First Round - dec. #12 Danny Pucino (Illinois), 7-5
Quarterfinals - major dec. by #4 Nasir Bailey (Iowa), 9-1
Consolations - pinned by #11 Dario Lemus (Maryland), 2:46
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
149 Pounds -- #4 Lachlan McNeil
First Round - pinned #13 Clayton Jones (Michigan State), 5:25
Quarterfinals - dec. #5 Carter Young (Maryland), 5-3
Semifinals - dec. by #1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State), 11-10
Consolations - vs. #9 Michael Gioffre (Illinois)
157 Pounds -- #4 Cameron Catrabone
First Round - pinned #13 Mekhi Neal (Maryland), 4:28
Quarterfinals - tech. fall #12 Darius Marines (Michigan State), 15-0 (2:26)
Semifinals - dec. by #1 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), 7-1
Consolations - vs. #7 Brandon Cannon (Ohio State)
165 Pounds -- #12 Justin Gates
First Round - major dec. by #5 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota), 16-3
Consolations -- pinned by #13 AJ Rodrigues (Maryland), 6:33
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
Ninth Place Quarterfinals* -- dec. #13 AJ Rodrigues (Maryland), 2-1
Ninth Place Semifinals* -- vs. #10 Cody Goebel (Wisconsin)
174 Pounds -- #5 Beau Mantanona
First Round - major dec. #12 Luke Condon (Wisconsin), 14-5
Quarterfinals - dec. by #4 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State), 4-1 SV
Consolations - injury def. #6 Derek Gilcher (Indiana), 0:01
Consolations - dec. #9 Collin Kelly (Illinois), 5-2
Consolations - vs. #3 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa)
184 Pounds -- #4 Brock Mantanona
First Round - tech. fall #13 Ryan Boucher (Michigan State), 20-3 (3:58)
Quarterfinals - dec. #5 Chris Moore (Illinois), 4-1
Semifinals - dec. by #1 Rocco Welsh (Penn State), 8-5 SV
Consolations - vs. #7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers)
197 Pounds -- #10 Hayden Walters
First Round - dec. by #7 Kael Wisler (Michigan State), 6-4
Consolations - dec. by #8 Gabe Sollars (Indiana), 6-1
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
Ninth Place Quarterfinals* -- Bye
Ninth Place Semifinals* -- vs. #13 Gabe Arnold (Iowa)
Heavyweight -- #1 Taye Ghadiali
First Round - Bye
Quarterfinals - pinned #8 Hunter Catka (Rutgers), 5:49
Semifinals - dec. #4 Cole Mirasola (Penn State), 5-2
Final -- vs. #2 A.J. Ferrari (Nebraska)
* extra matches for NCAA qualification, do not count toward team score
Players Mentioned
