Three members of the Case Western Reserve University wrestling team made history on the second day of the 2026 NCAA Division III Region V Tournament hosted by John Carroll University at the Athletics Wellness & Event Center in University Heights, Ohio, on Saturday.

Seniors Art Martinez and Thomas Wagner and junior Mathew Gummere all placed third in their weight classes to punch their tickets to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling Championships in March. The trio are the first Spartans to qualify for the national tournament since Isaac Dukes in 2012. It is the first time multiple CWRU wrestlers will compete in the national championships since 2009 (Dukes and Andrew Gardella) and the first time three Spartans are national qualifiers since 2003 (Zak Kallai, Aaron Yoches, and Josh Schmidt).

Additionally, CWRU tied for sixth in the team standings with 106.0 points, the most points and best team finish since the last major change to the regional format in 2013. Eight Spartan wrestlers placed in the top eight, including five in the top six.

National Qualifiers

Third seed Wagner, third, 157 lbs.

• Semifinal: lost by decision, 9-3, to second-seeded Luke Swan of Wisconsin-Whitewater
• Consolation semifinal: won by decision, 6-1, over fourth-seeded Andrew Ross of Wabash
• Third-place match: defeated Kayle Bearson of North Central by major decision, 14-5

Fourth seed Martinez, third, 133 lbs.

• Semifinal: lost by decision, 1-0, to top-seed Ethan Spacht of North Central
• Consolation semifinal: won by decision, 7-3, over third-seeded Jordan Rasof of Wisconsin-Whitewater
• Third-place match: defeated sixth-seeded Ty Daugherty of John Carroll, 4-1, in sudden victory

Gummere, third, 184 lbs.

• Consolation quarterfinal: won by decision, 8-7, over Ethan Risner of Manchester
• Consolation semifinal: won by tiebreaker-1, 2-1, over fourth-seeded RJ Samuels of Wisconsin-Whitewater
• Third-place match: defeated second-seeded Zachary Huckaby of Wabash by pin in sudden victory

Placing Wrestlers

Sophomore fifth seed Chase Crutchley, fourth, 174 lbs.

• Semifinal: lost by decision, 4-1, to top-seed Jermaine Butler of Wisconsin-Whitewater
• Consolation semifinal: won by decision, 10-4, over sixth-seeded Kody Marschner of Millikin
• Third-place match: lost by decision, 8-4, to Jacke Luce of North Central

Senior fifth seed Aidan Gassel, sixth, 197 lbs.

• Consolation quarterfinal: won by pin in 2:00 over eighth-seeded Gideon Loewen of Olivet
• Consolation semifinal: lost by sudden victory, 7-4, to seventh-seeded Tyler Haydon of Wisconsin-Whitewater
• Fifth-place match: lost by fall in 5:23 to fourth-seeded Cameron Crisp of Manchester

First-year Alexander Goldman, seventh, 285 lbs.

• Consolation quarterfinal: lost by sudden victory, 5-2, to fourth-seeded Thomas Lunt of John Carroll
• Seventh-place match: defeated seventh-seeded Will Erbeck of North Central by decision, 5-4

First-year fourth seed Hunter Keane, seventh, 141 lbs.

• Consolation quarterfinal: lost by major decision, 12-3, to eighth-seeded Sabri Sino of Millikin
• Seventh-place match: defeated seventh-seeded Michael Kallimani of Manchester by fall in 1:25

Senior Marty Landes, eighth, 165 lbs.

• Consolation quarterfinal: lost by pin in 6:55 to sixth-seeded Nick Chesler of Chicago
• Seventh-place match: lost by pin in 6:23 to eighth-seeded Cooper McCloy of Wabash

Spartan Notes

• It is the first career regional placement for Crutchley, Gassel, Goldman, Gummere, Keane, and Landes
• Martinez placed in the top five in the region for the fourth time in his career after finishing fourth in 2025 and 2024 and fifth in 2023 (141)
• Wagner earned his third career regional placement, finishing fourth last year and sixth in 2024
• The top-eight placements at 174, 184, and 285 pounds are the first for CWRU since the regional format chance in 2013
• The last Spartan to place at 197 pounds was Brian Kent, who finished fifth in 2020. Gavin Dersh-Fisher also placed sixth at the weight class in 2018 and seventh in 2019
• The previous CWRU wrestler to place at 165 pounds was Isaac Collier, who was sixth in 2019
• Gassel finished his career with a record of 59-33, and Landes concluded his time as a Spartan with a record of 76-62

Up Next

The 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling Championships will be held at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14. Action starts at 11 a.m. ET on both days. Unofficial draws will be released by the NCAA online on March 6 at 1 p.m. with the final brackets unveiled on March 10 at 1 p.m.