CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The Wartburg College men's wrestling team captured the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling National Championship, securing the program's 17th national title at the championship meet inside the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.

Freshman Kade Blume and senior Kasey Ross each claimed individual national championships to lead the Knights, while head coach Eric Keller was named NCAA Division III Tournament Coach of the Year. Wartburg's staff also earned Tournament Coaching Staff of the Tournament honors.

The Knights separated themselves from the field with 110.0 team points, finishing 42 points ahead of runner-up University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.
 
SESSION III
All three Wartburg finalists advanced to their respective national championship matches during Session III.

Blume delivered Wartburg's first finals appearance of the night at 141 pounds, edging No. 2 seed N. Diaz of Stevens Institute of Technology in a tightly contested semifinal. Blume recorded an escape in the second period and held the 1–0 advantage through the final seconds to secure his spot in the title match against defending national champion M. Samuel of Roanoke College.

Ross advanced to the 184-pound national championship bout for the first time in his Wartburg career with a dominant 9–0 major decision over No. 14 seed H. Moore in the semifinals. Ross opened with a near-fall in the second period and added an escape and takedown early in the third, along with riding time, to earn a place in the title match in a top-two matchup.

Senior heavyweight Mitchell Williamson battled unseeded M. Mihalopoulos of University of Wisconsin–La Crosse in the championship semifinals. The bout went to overtime tied at 1–1 before Williamson scored a takedown and near-fall to punch his ticket to the national championship match for the second consecutive year.
 
Junior Brett Birchman closed his season with a 20–8 overall record, placing seventh at 125 pounds following an 8–1 decision over No. 8 seed I. Balsiger of University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. The matchup mirrored the opening round of the tournament, where Birchman also earned a decision victory.

Freshman Patrick Mullen secured fifth place at 133 pounds, pinning his opponent at 4:32 in the fifth-place match. Mullen concluded his standout rookie campaign with a 28–7 record, going 4–2 at the national tournament.

Senior Charlie Dojan battled back through the consolation bracket to finish third nationally. After a quarterfinal setback, Dojan won four consecutive matches - including a technical fall and major decision—to reach the podium. He concluded his Wartburg career with a 66–10 overall record, including a 31–2 mark this season. Dojan led the Knights with 18 technical falls this year and finished with 32 career tech falls, ranking third in program history.

Sophomore Cal Dorota placed seventh at 197 pounds with a 13–6 decision over G. Monroe of the United States Coast Guard Academy. Dorota finished the season 28–6 with five falls and five technical falls, earning his first career All-America honor with a 4–2 record at nationals.
 
TEAM SCORES AFTER SESSION III – TOP 10

1. WARTBURG - 102 POINTS
2. Augsburg – 67.5 points
3. UW-La Crosse – 64 points
4. NYU – 61.5 points
5. Roanoke – 57 points
6. Baldwin Wallace – 55.5 points
7. Loras – 54.5 points
8. TCNJ – 50.5 points
9. Williams – 41.5 points
10. UChicago – 34.5 points

 
 
SESSION IV
Blume defeated reigning national champion and top-seeded M. Samuel of Roanoke College with a 4-3 decision at 141 pounds to secure the national title. Blume struck first with an escape in the second period to take a 1-0 lead. With 23 seconds remaining in the period, Blume recorded a takedown before Samuel responded with a reversal, leaving Blume with a two-point advantage entering the final period. Blume held off the defending champion the rest of the way to claim the 141-pound national championship.

Kade Blume concluded his freshman campaign with a 25-2 overall record, going a perfect 4-0 at the national championships while contributing 21.5 team points for the Knights.

At 184 pounds, Kasey Ross capped his senior season with a perfect 30-0 record. The Urbandale, Iowa, native won each of his matches at the national tournament with two bonus-point victories and two decisions. Ross secured the 184-pound national title with a 5-0 decision over top-seeded G. Smith of Elizabethtown College, handing Smith his lone loss of the season after entering the finals with a 38-1 record. Ross led Wartburg with a team-best 22.0 points, delivering the strongest national performance of his career.

Senior heavyweight Mitchell Williamson battled No. 3 seed J. Harkless of the Rochester Institute of Technology in the championship bout but fell by a 4-1 decision. Williamson concluded his senior season with a 25-1 record and finishes his career as a three-time All-American. He previously captured the 2025 national championship and placed runner-up in 2026.

As senior Kasey Ross said in his post-match interview with the legendary Jim Miller, "If you want to win national titles, you come to the 'Burg."
 
FINAL TEAM SCORES – TOP 10

1. WARTBURG - 110 POINTS
2. UW-La Crosse – 68 points
3. Augsburg – 67.5 points
4. NYU – 65.5 points
5. TCNJ – 58.5 points
6. Roanoke – 57 points
7. Baldwin Wallace – 55.5 points
8. Loras – 54.5 points
9. Williams – 45.5 points
10. Central – 37.5 points

 
2026 Wartburg National Placers
(141) Kade Blume – NCAA National Champion*
(184) Kasey Ross – NCAA National Champion*
(285) Mitchell Williamson – NCAA National Runner-up
(157) Charlie Dojan – 3rd
(197) Cal Dorota – 7th
(133) Patrick Mullen – 5th
(125) Brett Birchman – 7th
 
2026 Wartburg All-Americans
125: Brett Birchman (Jr., Fennimore, Wis.)
133: Patrick Mullen (Fr., Naperville, Ill.)
141: Kade Blume (Fr., Roland, Iowa)
157: Charlie Dojan (Mounds View, Minn.) – 2x All-American
184: Kasey Ross (Sr., Urbandale, Iowa) – 2x All-American
197: Cal Dorota (So., Highland, Wis.)
285: Mitchell Williamson (Sr., River Falls, Wis.) – 3x All-American
 
Take Note

• Wartburg's seven All-Americans are the most for the program at the national championships since 2022.
• Two Wartburg freshmen earned All-America recognition.
• Wartburg's all-time NCAA All-American total increased to 237.
• The Knights have produced five or more All-Americans at every NCAA Championship since 2019.
• Wartburg's 110 team point total is the highest output since the 2018 season (1st, 136.5)
• Wartburg continued the 30-year streak of winning the Division III Wrestling title – Wartburg/Augsburg has at least shared the title since 1995.
• Wartburg has won back-to-back national titles for the sixth time in program history –including a four-peat from 2011-14, and three-peat from 2016-2018.  
• Wartburg has claimed its 17th national title in the last 29 years, including five of the last nine.
• The NCAA DIII Men's Wrestling National Championships has been held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa seven times in history – Wartburg has claimed the title six of the seven times (Augsburg won in Cedar Rapids in 2010).
• The Wartburg College men's wrestling program continues to be the winningest team in Division III history with 17 national titles.
• Head coach Eric Keller collected his 10th overall national title with Wartburg – won three as co-head coach with the legendary Jim Miller. – with Keller winning his 10th title, he now ties Miller's national championship total.
• Blume's freshman title is only the second title by a first-year since Brock Rathbun won at 133-pounds in 2018. 

 
WARTBURG'S TEAM POINTS TOTAL SINCE 2018
2018 1st 136.5
2019 6th 52
2020* Canceled due to COVID -19 2021* Canceled due to COVID -19
2022 1st 79
2023 2nd 66.5
2024 2nd 87.5
2025 1st 83.5
2026 1st 110

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