The top athletes in New York head to @TheMVPArena this weekend for the #NYSPHSAA Boys Wrestling Championship.
— NYSPHSAA (@NYSPHSAA) February 25, 2026
The preview: https://t.co/D98GYcTsly pic.twitter.com/SETRDfeVnZ
The Championship Preview, Presented by Upstate New York Hotel Marketing Association
By: Matthew Salvi, Spring 2026 Intern
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Individual Wrestling State Championships return to the MVP Arena in Albany on February 26th -February 28th. This is the 61st Annual State Championship, one of the longest running NYSPHSAA State Championships. MVP Arena has hosted the boys tournament 18 times since 2005 and this year will also host the second ever girls wrestling state championships on February 26th (separate preview).
“Since NYSPHSAA wrestling went to two divisions, the individual state tournament has been held at the MVP Arena which has been a great venue for this event,” said Marty Sherman, NYSPHSAA Wrestling State Coordinator. “Their staff has been very easy to work with and the venue offers all the amenities we need. Albany is a great central location and has many hotels and restaurants within walking distance as well.”
This is the 21st year of the two-division tournament format. Previously, NYSPHSAA expanded the tournament to allow an additional 120 wrestlers to compete, calculated based on performance, bringing the total participation to over 500 athletes. The tournament will continue to recognize the 7th and 8th place wrestlers on the awards podium for each weight class. Qualifiers will represent NYSPHSAA’s 11 different sections, along with schools from the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) of New York City and the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA).
Numerous 2025 Champions have qualified the 2026tournament. Returning from Division 1 is Jon Tutku (110lbs, Massapequa- VIII), Will Soto (110lbs, Newburgh- IX), Dunia Sibomana (118lbs, Long Beach- VIII), Camryn Howard (157lbs, Bellport- XI), and Griffin Laplante (165lbs, St. Francis- CHSAA). Returning from Division 2 returns Declan McKee (110lbs, Tioga- IV, Chris Noto (132lbs, Honeoye Falls-Lima- V), Gavin Mangano (144lbs, Shoreham-Wading River- XI, and Maverick Beckwith (150lbs, Norwich- IV).
There are several 2025 Runners Up who have also qualified for this year’s event. The Division 1 returners are Tanner Catrabone (118lbs, St. Francis- CHSAA), Matthew McDermott (144lbs, Smithtown East- XI), Samson McKissick Staley (150lbs, Pittsford-V), Michael Mauro (285lbs, John Jay- I), and Chris Belmonte (285lbs, New Hartford- III). Division 2 will include Adrian Torres (110lbs, Southwestern- VI), Andrew Juliano (118lbs, Holland Patent- III), Brock Frederick (126lbs, South Jefferson-III), Justin Mullis (132lbs, Hudson Falls- 2), Ashten Haley (144lbs, Cobleskill-Richmondville- 2), Jacob McVige (157lbs, Honeoye Falls-Lima- V), Gabe English (175lbs, Berne-Knox-Westerlo- 2), Trent True (190lbs, Holland Patent-III), and Troy Beeman (285lbs, Waverly- IV).
“The competition should be exceptional and hopefully fans will enjoy every aspect of this event. A special thank you to the staff at the NYSPHSAA and the arena for their continued support of our wrestling committee and this outstanding event. We look forward to a great weekend of wrestling,” said Sherman.
From 10:00 am until 8:00 pm on Friday, preliminaries, quarterfinals and wrestlebacks will be conducted as one session. On Saturday, wrestling begins at 9:30 am with semifinals and wrestlebacks throughout the day concluding at 3:00 pm. Doors will open for the last session of the tournament at 5:15 pm for the finals with ceremonies and the finalists parade kicking off at 5:50 pm before the first finals match gets underway at 6:05 pm.
Tickets for each session start at $16 and can be purchased by visiting the arena box office in person or online at https://www.mvparena.com/events (additional fees apply for online purchases). Multiple sessions for the girls, boys or both tournaments are available for purchase on the MVP Arena website in addition to a package with premium seating.
All matches will be streamed by the NFHS Network, the official broadcast partner of the NYSPHSAA State Championships.