ROSEMONT, lll. – The Big Ten Conference announced Friday preseason honors for 28 student-athletes who were included on the Big Ten Wrestlers to Watch list.
The Watch List is headlined by 14 student-athletes who earned All-America distinction last year and a pair of reigning NCAA Champions in Minnesota’s
Max McEnelly (184) and Penn State’s
Mitchell Mesenbrink (165). It also includes six wrestlers who captured All-Big Ten honors, including the 2026 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
Ben Davino of Ohio State.
This winter, the Big Ten Wrestling Championships (March 6-7) will unfold at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, while the 2027 NCAA Wrestling Championships (March 18-20) will be hosted at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
The full list of 2026-27 wrestling preseason honorees can be found below.
2026-27 Big Ten Wrestlers to Watch List
| Name |
School |
Yr. |
Weight Class |
| Colin Kelly |
Illinois |
Jr. |
174 |
| Kannon Webster |
Illinois |
Sr. |
157 |
| Kai Owen |
Indiana |
5th |
157 |
| Gabe Sollars |
Indiana |
5th |
197 |
| Angelo Ferrari |
Iowa |
Jr. |
184 |
| Ben Kueter |
Iowa |
Sr. |
285 |
| Branson John |
Maryland |
Jr. |
197 |
| Nicolar Rivera |
Maryland |
Sr. |
125 |
| Beau Mantanona |
Michigan |
Sr. |
174 |
| Brock Mantanona |
Michigan |
Jr. |
184 |
| Darius Marines |
Michigan State |
So. |
157 |
| Caleb Weiand |
Michigan State |
Jr. |
125 |
| Max McEnelly |
Minnesota |
Sr. |
184 |
| Vance VomBaur |
Minnesota |
6th |
141 |
| Christopher Minto |
Nebraska |
Jr. |
174 |
| Antrell Taylor |
Nebraska |
Sr. |
157 |
| Sam Cartella |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
149 |
| Eddie Enright |
Northwestern |
So. |
174 |
| Brandon Cannon |
Ohio State |
Sr. |
157 |
| Ben Davino |
Ohio State |
Jr. |
133 |
| Mitchell Mesenbrink |
Penn State |
Sr. |
165 |
| Shayne Van Ness |
Penn State |
Sr. |
149 |
| Brody Baumann |
Purdue |
5th |
174 |
| Joey Blaze |
Purdue |
Sr. |
165 |
| Andrew Barbosa |
Rutgers |
Jr. |
165 |
| Anthony Knox |
Rutgers |
Fr. |
125 |
| Wyatt Ingham |
Wisconsin |
So. |
197 |
| Alan Koehler |
Wisconsin |
Sr. |
125 |