May 2026 U.S. Men's Freestyle Wrestling Rankings
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Due to it being a new domestic freestyle season in the U.S., those athletes who have not competed at RAF or the U.S. Open has been dropped from the rankings. If these athletes are qualified for the world team trials and they compete, then they may be added back to the rankings. Because of this, there will be a large influx of new athletes at each weight based on them competing in the U.S. Open.
Additionally, only weights that did not have a Senior World medalist in the 2025 season will have a World Team Trials. For these weights (57, 61, 70, 74, 125), the winner of the U.S. Open qualified for Final X and would then face the winner of the Senior World Team Trials held in May to decide the final world team spot. For those weights that did have a Senior World medalist in 2025 (65, 79, 86, 92, 97), the Final X matchups are already set between the incumbent world medalist and the U.S. Open champion.
57 KG
FINALS: #2 Luke Lilledahl over #1 Spencer Lee 5-4
BRONZE: Anthony Knox over #3 Liam Cronin 10-3
5th PLACE: Brody Teske over Austin Assad 8-5
7th PLACE: Ezekiel Witt over Eric Barnett by DQ
#2 Luke Lilledahl moves up one spot to #1 after beating top ranked Spencer Lee in the U.S. Open finals to qualify for Final X. Lilledahl avenged two past losses to Lee from their 2025 Final X series. Anthony Knox debuts in the rankings at #3 for beating #3 Liam Cronin, #5 Brody Teske, and #6 Austin Assad on his way to taking bronze. Brody Teske takes the #5 spot for taking fifth at the Open over #6 Austin Assad. Ezekiel Witt is at #7 for taking seventh at the U.S. Open over #8 Eric Barnett along with notching a win over 2024 U23 World Team member #9 Max Gallagher in repechage. #9 Max Gallagher and #10 Koda Holeman round out the rankings after falling in the blood round to #7 Ezekiel Witt and #6 Austin Assad respectively.
61 KG
FINALS: #5 (65) Marcus Blaze over #3 Ben Davino 4-1
BRONZE: #1 Jax Forrest over #5 Austin DeSanto 5-0
5th PLACE: #7 Michael McGee over #8 (65) Seth Gross by forfeit
7th PLACE: #9 Nathan Tomasello over Kyle Burwick 14-4
#5 (65) Marcus Blaze takes the #1 spot in the rankings for beating #3 Ben Davino in the finals after Davino had upset #1 Jax Forrest in a rematch of their 133LB NCAA Finals: of note, Blaze also has a win over #1 Forrest from the 57 KG bronze medal match of the 2024 Olympic Trials. #3 Ben Davino moves up one spot to #2 for his win over #3 Jax Forrest while Forrest falls two spots to #3.
#8 (65) Seth Gross is back in the rankings at #5 after making the semifinals after a quarterfinal win over #9 (now #7) Nathan Tomasello; Gross lost to #1 Marcus Blaze in a rematch from the 2025 U.S. Open won by Gross and defaulted out to 6th place. #7 Michael McGee moves up one spot to #6 after finishing fifth place at the U.S. Open where he beat #7 Nathan Tomasello in the consolation quarterfinals; McGee is behind Gross due to Gross having better wins and placement (Daton Fix, #1 Marcus Blaze, #4 (65) Jesse Mendez, 2022 61 KG Senior World rep).
Nathan Tomasello is in at #7 for taking seventh over #8 Kyle Burwick. Former RAF champion Nico Megaludis and U.S. Open blood round finisher Spencer Moore round out the rankings at #9 and #10 respectively.
65 KG
AUTHOR’S NOTE: #1 Jordan Oliver has been removed from the rankings due to solely competing in RAF and as of right now not competing fully on the U.S. Senior level circuit. If Oliver does go to a World Team Trials qualifying event and competes, then he is capable of re-entering the rankings.
This also holds true if he competes at World Team Trials. The choice to remove Oliver falls in line with my principle of not ranking wrestlers who solely compete in Professional Leagues, as there is precedent for this in the Iranian Pro League, where there have been multiple elite wrestlers (Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov, Javad Ebrahimi, Reza Atri, Mohammad Mohammadian), who temporarily come out of retirement to compete at the events with no intention of competing fully on the domestic or international circuit and if ranked would cause issue in the rankings due to their ensuing inactivity, even with their impressive prior resumes.
FINALS: #10 Bo Bassett over #3 Joey McKenna 10-0
BRONZE: Beau Bartlett over David Evans 12-3
5th PLACE: Pierson Manville over #7 Jesse Mendez by forfeit
7th PLACE: #4 Vito Arujau over #6 Brock Hardy by forfeit
#10 Bo Bassett takes the #2 spot in the rankings after beating #3 Joey McKenna, #6 Beau Bartlett, and #7 Aden Valencia on his path to gold. #7 Jesse Mendez avenged his past loss to #6 Brock Hardy in the quarterfinals to move up three spots to #4, while Hardy takes the #5 spot with the departure of #5 Marcus Blaze (who he lost to in the 2025 Final X true third match) to 61 KG. Both Mendez and Hardy defaulted out after placing in the repechage bracket.
Beau Bartlett takes the #6 spot for taking third with wins over #4 (now #9) Vito Arujau and #8 David Evans. David Evans enters the rankings at #8 for beating #9 Vito Arujau in the consolation quarterfinals. 149 LB NCAA Champion Aden Valencia is in the rankings at #7 after defaulting out after a quarterfinal loss to #2 Bo Bassett due to a win from the 2023 65 KG Senior Nationals over #5 (61) Seth Gross. Seventh place finisher Pierson Manville takes the #10 spot in the rankings for beating 2024 57 KG Bill Farrell Memorial Nathan Desmond and 2024 61 KG Pan-Am Champion Nick Suriano at the U.S. Open.
70 KG
FINALS: #6 Ridge Lovett over #5 Caleb Henson 14-12
BRONZE: Jordan Williams over Melvin Miller 10-9
5th PLACE: #9 Alec Pantaleo over #3 Tyler Kasak by forfeit
7th PLACE: #10 Ed Scott over Jaivon Jones 2-1
#6 Ridge Lovett won the U.S. Open over #5 Caleb Henson to move up three spots to #6 in the rankings and qualify for Final X. #5 Caleb Henson moves up one spot to #4 after beating #7 Jordan Williams, #8 Melvin Miller, and #3 (now #5) Tyler Kasak to make the U.S. Open finals.
Alec Pantaleo takes the #6 spot in the rankings after making the semifinals where he lost to #3 Ridge Lovett and defaulted out to fifth place. Jordan Williams takes the #7 spot for taking bronze over #8 Melvin Miller. Jaivon Jones enters the rankings at #9 for beating #4 (now #10) Ian Parker in the consolation blood round.
74 KG
FINALS: #7 James Green over Kannon Webster 5-3
BRONZE: Joseph Sealey over #1 David Carr 5-3
5th PLACE: Cameron Amine over #6 Quincy Monday by medical forfeit
7th PLACE: #8 Will Lewan over #4 Jarret Jacques 4-3
#7 James Green won the U.S. Open over Kannon Webster 5-3. The biggest story of the tournament was reigning world team member #1 David Carr’s upset losses to Cameron Amine in the quarterfinals and in the bronze medal loss to Joseph Sealey. #2 Mitch Mesenbrink moves up one spot in the rankings to #1 while Carr plummets down four spots to #5 for his losses to #3 Joseph Sealey and #4 Cameron Amine.
#7 James Green moves up five spots in the rankings to #2 for his wins over #3 Joseph Sealey and #7 Kannon Webster. Joseph Sealey takes the #3 spot in the rankings for beating #1 David Carr, #4 Cameron Amine, and #9 Jarret Jacques to take third. Cameron Amine takes the #4 spot for beating #5 David Carr in the quarterfinals; Amine injury defaulted out after his semifinal loss to #2 James Green. U.S. Open runner-up Kannon Webster takes the #7 spot in the rankings for wins over #4 (now #9) Jarret Jacques, #6 (now #10) Quincy Monday, and #9 (now unranked) Bryce Andonian to make the finals.
79 KG
FINALS: #4 (86) Chance Marsteller over #3 Evan Wick 7-3
BRONZE: Patrick Kennedy over #6 Muhamed McBryde by forfeit
5th PLACE: William Henckel over Bernie Truax 8-8
7th PLACE: Matthew Singleton over #2 Dean Hamiti Jr by forfeit
#4 (86) Chance Marsteller won the U.S. Open over #3 Evan Wick to secure his spot at Final X against #1 Levi Haines; Marsteller takes the #2 spot in the rankings after his U.S. Open title victory. #2 Dean Hamiti Jr. was upset in the quarterfinals by eventual fourth place finisher #6 Muhamed McBryde and falls three spots in the rankings to #5, while McBryde moves up two spots to #4 for his win over Hamiti Jr.
Patrick Kennedy takes the #6 spot for his wins over fifth place finisher #7 William Henckel and sixth place finisher #8 Bernie Truax. Matthew Singleton takes the #9 spot in the rankings after taking seventh. James Rowley takes the final spot in the rankings after losing to #9 Matthew Singleton in the blood round after Rowley had beaten former #10 Ethan Riddle in the championship round of sixteen.
86 KG
FINALS: #2 Kyle Dake over #3 Parker Keckeisen 8-2
BRONZE: #4 (92) Aeoden Sinclair over #7 Marcus Coleman 8-6
5th PLACE: Rylan Rogers over #8 Rocco Welsh by forfeit
7th PLACE: Cade DeVos over Mekhi Lewis 4-2
#2 Kyle Dake beat #3 Parker Keckeisen to qualify for Final X where he will face reigning Senior World champion #1 Zahid Valencia. #4 (92) Aeoden Sinclair took third at the U.S. Open with wins over #7 Marcus Coleman and #9 Rylan Rogers to take the #5 spot behind Max McEnelly, who beat Sinclair in the 86 KG Junior World Team Trials finals in 2025. Cade DeVos enters the rankings at #9 for beating #10 Rylan Rogers in the RD16. Rylan Rogers debuts at #10 for taking fifth after rebounding from a RD16 loss to #9 Cade DeVos to beat Colton Hawks and Mekhi Lewis to make the consolation semifinals where he lost to eventual bronze medalist #6 Aeoden Sinclair.
92 KG
FINALS: #6 Michael Macchiavello over #5 Dustin Plott 4-3
BRONZE: Seth Shumate over Patrick Brophy 12-1
5th PLACE: Dillon Bechtold over #3 Josh Barr by forfeit
7th PLACE: Cody Merrill over #2 Jacob Cardenas by forfeit
#6 Michael Macchiavello won the U.S. Open over #5 Dustin Plott to qualify for Final X against #1 Trent Hidlay. #6 Michael Macchiavello moves up four spots in the rankings to #2 for his wins over #3 Josh Barr, #5 Dustin Plott, and #8 Cody Merrill. Seth Shumate takes the #5 spot in the rankings for beating #6 Dillon Bechtold, #8 Cody Merrill, and #9 Patrick Brophy in the consolation bracket after a quarterfinal loss to #3 Josh Barr. #2 Jacob Cardenas drops five spots to #7 for his loss to #6 Dillon Bechtold in the quarterfinals; Cardenas injury defaulted out after his blood round win over #10 Evan Bockman. Patrick Brophy takes the #9 spot in the rankings after taking fourth (both his conso quarters and semis opponents injury defaulted) after beating Garavous Kouekabakilaho in the blood round.
97 KG
FINALS: #4 Stephen Buchanan over #2 Hayden Zillmer 5-3
BRONZE: #3 Jay Aiello over #8 Justin Rademacher 10-0
5th PLACE: Connor Mirasola over #9 Zane Lanham 12-1
7th PLACE: Layne Malczewski over Nick Stemmet by pin
#4 Stephen Buchanan beat #2 Hayden Zillmer to qualify for Final X against 2025 Senior World champion #1 Kyle Snyder. Buchanan moves up two spots to #2 for his wins over #2 Hayden Zillmer, #5 Justin Rademacher, and #10 Sonny Sasso. Connor Mirasola is in the rankings at #6 for taking fifth at the U.S. Open with wins over #7 Zane Lanham and #9 Nick Stemmet. Layne Malczewski takes the #8 spot in the rankings for taking seventh over #9 Nick Stemmet. Sonny Sasso takes the #10 spot for beating #10 Christian Knop in the round of 16 and losing in the blood round to #8 Layne Malczewski.
125 KG
FINALS: #2 Wyatt Hendrickson over #5 Demetrius Thomas by pin
BRONZE: Anthony Cassioppi over #4 Daniel Kerkvliet Jr. by forfeit
5th PLACE: Jimmy Mullen over #7 Coby Merrill by forfeit
7th PLACE: #6 Jordan Wood over Koy Hopke 4-1
#2 Wyatt Hendrickson won the U.S. Open by pin over #5 Demetrius Thomas. The main story of this weight was #7 Coby Merrill upsetting #1 Mason Parris in the quarterfinals. Merrill’s tremendous momentum would be short lived as he would fall in the semifinals 6-5 to #5 Demetrius Thomas. Both Parris and Merrill injury defaulted out after their respective losses.
Demetrius Thomas moves up two spots to #3 for beating #7 (now #4) Coby Merrill in the U.S. Open semifinals. I am not dropping Mason Parris from the #1 spot in the rankings as Parris has a lifetime record of 3-1 against #4 Coby Merrill (2025 Bill Farrell Memorial finals, two matches at the Henri Deglane Challenge this year) along with having a win in February from the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series Tournament over #2 Wyatt Hendrickson.
#3 Trent Hillger falls seven spots to #10 for a loss in the round of 16 to #9 Jaron Smith. Smith lost to #8 Koy Hopke in the blood round and failed to place. Jimmy Mullen takes the #7 spot in the rankings for beating #8 Koy Hopke in the consolation quarterfinals. #6 Jordan Wood is ahead of #7 Jimmy Mullen due to a win over Mullen in the RD16, Wood finished lower than Mullen due to a loss in the consolation quarterfinals to #6 Anthony Cassioppi.
Pound for Pound
2025 97 KG Senior World Champion #3 Kyle Snyder moves up two spots to #1 due to former #1 (now #2) Zahid Valencia’s losses at the Zagreb Open to #5 (86) Vladimir Gamkrelidze (GEO) and to #21 (P4P) Parker Keckeisen (USA). #19 Luke Lilledahl moves up fourteen spots to #5 for beating #4 (now #6) Spencer Lee in the 57 KG U.S. Open finals. #6 David Carr falls three spots to #9 for his losses to #25 (P4P) Joseph Sealey and #4 (74) Cameron Amine at the U.S. Open. Carr does not fall further due to his strong 2025 resume (Senior World 5th, beat #10 Mitch Mesenbrink at Final X, has wins over Senior World medalists Taimuraz Salkazanov and Yoshinosuke Aoyagi).
#12 Jordan Oliver was removed from the pound for pound rankings. Please see the author’s note at the top of the 65 KG ranking explaining the reasoning. Bo Bassett is in the rankings at #12 for beating #13 Joey McKenna in the 65 KG U.S. Open finals. #23 Marcus Blaze moves up nine spots to #14 for winning the 61 KG U.S. Open title over Ben Davino. Ben Davino takes the #15 spot in the rankings for beating 2025 61 KG World Team member #10 (now #16) Jax Forrest in the 61 KG U.S. Open semifinals.
Stephen Buchanan is in the rankings at #22 for winning the 97 KG U.S. Open over 2025 97 KG Final X runner-up #20 (P4P) Hayden Zillmer. James Green is in at #23 for winning the 74 KG U.S. Open. Joseph Sealey is in the pound for pound rankings at #24 after beating #9 David Carr for bronze at the 74 KG U.S. Open. Demetrius Thomas is in at #25 for finishing runner-up at the 125 KG U.S. Open, where he beat #4 (125) Coby Merrill in the semifinals after Merrill had beaten #7 Mason Parris in the quarterfinals.
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