INDIANAPOLIS- Tiffin and Ashland bring back returning national qualifiers as conference programs prepare for the 2026-27 season.

Tiffin brings back four national qualifiers who topped the conference brackets during the 2025-26 season. Returning for the Dragons are 2026 national runner-up Anthony Aniciete, two-time All-American Nolan Gessler, and national qualifiers Emilio Arellano and David Davis. Aniciete earned Great Midwest Wrestler of the Year for his standout performance last season. The 125 lbs. starter claimed the conference and Super Region 3 title before making his way through the national bracket to fall short in the championship match. Gessler also had a dominant performance in the postseason, getting the G-MAC  and Super Region 3 titles before earning the #1 seed for the national tournament at 165 lbs. Gessler earned the No. 1 ranking after defeating 2x (would become 3x) national champion David Hunsberger at the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis in December.  He went on to place 6^th after an injury in the semifinal match and had to medically forfeit.  Arellano was named Great Midwest Wrestler of the Meet after defeating the No. 2-ranked Sevi Garza of Ashland in the title match. He went on to defeat the No. 1-ranked Josh Kenny of Grand Valley State in the Super Region 3 title bout, earning his first-ever national tournament appearance. Davis was the conference champion at 184 lbs. and went on to place 4^th at the regional tournament. The Dragons are led by coach Antonio Guerra, who enters his 5^th season at Tiffin. Guerra was named the Great Midwest and Super Region 3 Coach of the Year. The Dragons had a strong performance during last season, earning Great Midwest regular-season champions and recording a season-high #3 national team ranking. The Dragons will be looking to secure their first conference title since 2020.

Ashland is coming into the 2026-27 season under the new leadership of Marcus Gordon. Gordon returns to the Eagles after a prior stint with the team as assistant coach from 2008-13. After that, he went on to become the head coach at Bloomsburg, a Mid-American Conference Division I program, from 2016-24. Gordon will be looking to lead standout returning wrestlers Hayden Kuhn, Peyton Lemon, and Flether Rose to more success in his first season as head coach. Kuhn earned Great Midwest All-Conference First Team after claiming the title at 149 lbs. He became a national qualifier after placing 3^rd at the Super Region 3 tournament, and remained in the national rankings all season, topping out at No.3, and then earned the No. 7 seed in the national bracket. The Eagles’ 197 lbs. standout Peyton Lemon was the conference champion and Super Region 3 runner-up, earning his first national tournament appearance. Returning starter Fletcher Rose made a memorable impression during his freshman season. Rose earned Great Midwest Freshman of the Year after posting a 28-12 record and went on to place 2^nd at the Super Region 3 tournament to qualify for nationals. Ashland stayed in the team rankings, marking a season-high rank of No. 9. The Eagles will be looking for their 4^th straight conference title.

Findlay has three returning starters looking to make their mark in conference competition. Senior Nate Knowlton won the conference title at 133 lbs. and went on to place 6^th at the regional tournament. Knowlton recorded a team-high of 86 takedowns last season and went 25-11 on the year, while reaching as high as #15 in the national ranks. The Roughnecks’ 5^th-year standout, Billy Smith, will be looking to make noise during his last year of competition. Smith was the G-MAC runner-up at 125 lbs., reaching up to #9 in the national charts, and went on to place 4^th at the Super Region 3 tournament. Lastly, junior Micah Cottrell posted a 26-10 record last season, was the conference runner-up at 149 lbs., and finished 4^th at the regional tournament. Findlay is led by Shawn Nelson, who enters his 30^th season at the helm. The Roughnecks will be aiming to secure their first conference championship since 2023.

Lake Erie brings back two starters who made some waves last season. Redshirt senior Carsen Richards returns for his final year with the Storm. Richards placed 3^rd in the 141 lbs. weight class and went on to finish 3^rd at the Super Region 3 tournament, making his first national appearance. Josh Howey also enters his last season, starting for the Storm at 157 lbs. Howey finished as runner-up at the G-MAC tournament, posting a 16-5 record last season, and placed 4^th at the regional tournament.

Thomas More brings back three conference tournament placers: Cole Thomas, Trevor Wilcox, and Matt Ellis. Thomas, the Saints starter at 141 lbs., was the G-MAC runner-up and went on to earn 6^th at the Super Region 4 tournament. Wilcox is a 2x conference placer at 125 lbs. and placed 6^th at regionals. Ellis, the junior starter at 149 lbs., earned 5^th  at the conference tournament and 4^th at regionals. The Saints are led by Jason Russell, who enters his 10^th season as head coach.
Kentucky Wesleyan will also compete for some conference ground during the 2026-27 season. Jacob Lorentz will enter his second season as head coach for Kentucky Wesleyan and lead the Panthers through the season starting at the Drury Open on November 14^th in Springfield, MO.

The Davenport Panthers also look to make some headway during this season. Scott Lucas enters his 5^th season as head coach and will look to defeat conference rivals throughout the year.

The 2026-27 season will open the first weekend of November, with several teams competing at the Glenville State Pioneer Open, followed up by programs competing at the Adrian Invite on November 7^th.
 
The 2026-27 Championship will take place in Painesville, OH, at host institution Lake Erie College.