This weekend, Case Western Reserve University will be represented by four student-athletes at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling Championships and 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14.
Seniors Art Martinez and Thomas Wagner and junior Mathew Gummere will compete at the wrestling national championship, and first-year sprinter Gianna Phipps will compete at the track and field national championship.
The 2026 Division III Men's Wrestling Championships will be held at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships will take place in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Birmingham Crossplex.
All three wrestlers punched their tickets to the championship with third place finishes in their weight classes at the 2026 NCAA Division III Region V Tournament on Saturday, February 28. They are all making their debuts at the national championship. Wrestling action is slated to begin at 11 a.m. ET on both days.
Martinez, who qualified at 133 pounds, is 33-4 (.892) this season with 10 pins and 10 technical falls. Across four seasons, he has a record of 137-36 (.792) in two weight classes, the second-most wins in program history, and has 42 pins and 34 technical falls. Martinez is seeded eighth in the 21-person bracket and will face ninth-seeded Chance Suddeth from Augsburg in the second round.
Wagner, who qualified at 157 pounds, is 38-8 (.826) this season with 13 pins and seven technical falls. He has a career record of 96-50 (.657) across four seasons with 34 pins and 19 technical falls. Wagner is unseeded and will face Braden Kmak of Ursinus in the first round.
Gummere, who qualified at 184 pounds, is 29-17 (.630) this season with eight pins and two technical falls. In three years at CWRU, he has compiled a 75-55 (.577) record across three weight classes with 22 pins and seven technical falls. Gummere is unseeded and will face Averett's Khalil Mitchell in the first round.
It is the first time since 2012 that the university will send participants to the national championship in wrestling and the first time since 2003 that CWRU will be represented by three student-athletes. Former Spartan Isaac Dukes was the program's last All-American, given to wrestlers placing in the top eight of their weight class, when he finished seventh at 157 pounds in 2012.
Phipps secured her place at the national championship by running a school record time of 56.40 seconds in the 400-meter dash at the 2026 University Athletic Association Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Phipps was named the UAA Rookie of the Year for Women's Indoor Track and Field following the conference championship after she won the 400-meter dash, placed third in the 200-meter dash, and finished third in the 4x400-meter relay. This season, after converting for track size, she has the ninth-fastest time in Division III in the 400-meter dash. The preliminary heats of the 400-meter dash are scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on Friday. Runners with the eight fastest times will qualify for the final of the race, which is scheduled for 5:25 p.m. ET on Saturday.
The previous indoor All-American for the Spartan women's track and field team was Cassandra Laios, who placed fourth in the weight throw in 2019. All-America First Team honors are given to the top eight finishers in an event with Second Team All-America honors, first introduced in 2024, earned by student-athletes who place between ninth and 16th.
Fans can watch all the action at https://www.ncaa.com/champs-pass. Wrestling live results can be found here and tickets can be purchased here. Track and field live results can be found here and tickets can be purchased here.
