Senior Art Martinez of the Case Western Reserve University wrestling team placed sixth in the 133 pound-bracket at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling Championship on Saturday at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Martinez, who secured All-America honors for the first time in his career, is the highest placing Spartan wrestler at the national championship since Issac Dukes finished third at 149 pounds in 2011.
Martinez, seeded eighth in the draw, started the day in the consolation quarterfinal against unseeded Wyatt Unser of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The two wrestlers faced off earlier this season at the Pete Willson-Wheaton Invite, with Unser claiming a 5-4 decision on January 31. Martinez started the rematch strong, taking a 10-3 lead after one period with two takedowns and a four-point near-fall. He picked up an escape to start the second frame but allowed a takedown, making the score 11-6 with two minutes left. Unser cut the deficit to one, 11-10, with an escape and a takedown, but Martinez reversed to add two points. However, a penalty and an escape had the Spartan wrestler leading by just one, 13-12, with 52 seconds remaining. Martinez held on for the decision, keeping Unser in neutral position for the rest of the match to advance to the consolation semifinal.
In the next round, Martinez faced second-seeded Jake Craig from Southern Maine. Despite a late attack from Martinez, the first period was scoreless. Craig started the second frame on the bottom and quickly escaped for the first point. With under 20 seconds left in the frame, Martinez secured a takedown to take a 3-1 lead. He started the final stanza of regulation on the bottom and quickly escaped to gain a 4-1 edge. Craig took down Martinez late in the period to force overtime and won on a takedown by sudden victory, 7-4.
Martinez wrestled sixth-seeded Patrick Mullen of Wartburg in the fifth-place match for the final bout of his career. The wrestlers combined for 16 points in the first period with each securing two takedowns and two escapes. Mullen started the second period with an escape, took Martinez down, and finished the match with a pin at 4:32.
After a 3-3 record at the national championship, Martinez ended his career with an overall record of 140-39, the second-most wins in program history. In four seasons as a Spartan, he pinned 43 opponents and won by 34 technical falls. He placed all four seasons at the regional meet, finishing fifth and fourth at 141 pounds in 2023 and 2024, fourth at 133 pounds in 2025, and third this season. Martinez finished the 2025-26 season with a record of 36-7, including 11 pins and 10 technical falls.
CWRU placed 35th out of 71 teams in the overall standings with 11.0 points, its highest finish since tying for 34th in 2012. The Spartans qualified for the national championship for the first time in 14 years.
