SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of Nebraska Kearney wrestling team was crowned the back-to-back NCAA Division II wrestling national champion while the MIAA combined for two individual national champions, four individual national runners-up and 12 All-America honors at the 2026 NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championship, hosted March 13-14 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
 
Twenty-three wrestling student-athletes from five different MIAA institutions qualified for the 2026 NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championship. Of the league’s 23 qualifiers, 12 were named 2026 All-Americans and two won individual national titles.
 
Nebraska Kearney won its second consecutive national championship and the program’s sixth overall with a team total of 83 points. The Lopers finished with a league-high six All-America honors, led by Kearney’s 2026 individual national champion Otgonbayar Batsuuri. Batsuuri upset Central Oklahoma’s top-seeded Hunter Jump 7-3 in the 174-pound final to become the MIAA’s first 174-pound national champion since UNK’s Austin Eldredge in 2023. The Lopers’ also had two national runners-up in Trenton Munoz at 165 pounds and Crew Howard at 285 pounds.
 
Crew Howard, a now three-time All-American, was also honored as the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete of the 2026 Division II Wrestling National Championship, and Lopers’ Head Coach Dalton Jensen, who was part of UNK’s 2012 and 2013 team titles, was named the 2026 National Championship Coach of the Year.
 
Central Oklahoma placed fourth at the national championship with 76 team points, highlighted by the Bronchos’ top-seeded 157-pounder Gabe Johnson, who claimed his third straight national title. Hunter Jump was the national runner-up at 174 pounds, Jason Henschel placed third at 133 pounds, and Eli Kirk finished fourth at 125 pounds for the Bronchos to total four, top-four All-America honors.
 
Central Missouri placed 17th overall with 26 team points. The Mules had two All-Americans, highlighted by Damon Ashworth’s national runner-up performance at 184 pounds.
 
The MIAA’s combined 12 All-America honors are listed below. To view the final results and All-America performances from the 2026 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, visit NCAA.com.
 
With Nebraska Kearney’s 2026 title, an MIAA member has now won the last five NCAA Division II wrestling national championships. The Association now has nine total Division II wrestling national team titles and 40 individual wrestling titles.
 

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