Six Things You Need to Know About 2026-27 Wrestling @RITathletics https://t.co/dZtgcIdRz0
— armdrag.com (@wnywrestling) November 6, 2026
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The RIT wrestling team begins the 2026-27 season at Wilkes on Friday (Nov. 6). Here are six things you need to know about the Tigers.
A Look Back at 2025-26
RIT was 8-5 in dual meets. The Tigers placed fifth at the SUNYAC Championships and second at the RIT Invitational and Ned McGinley Invitational. RIT finished fourth at the NCAA Region 2 Championships and 21st at the NCAA Championships.
Josh Harkless won the 285 lb. national championship. He is the third Tiger to win a national title and the first since 1999. He was the Division III Most Dominant Wrestler and RIT's Senior Athlete of the Year. Harkless was the SUNYAC Wrestler of the Year and a College Sports Communicators First Team At-Large Academic All-American.
The Captains
Fifth years Elon Martin and Nick Smith, seniors Tyler Balent, Mason Grodzki and Isaiah Shafer and junior Jacob Deysher were named co-captains for the 2026-27 season. Smith had a 13-10 record last season while Grodzki recorded a 23-11 mark. Shafer went 18-9 winning the 141 lb. title at the SUNYAC Championships. Martin had six wins and Balent returns after an injury while Deysher missed last season on co-op.
More Top Returners
Junior Jack Lamson competed at the NCAA Championships for the first time in 2026. He qualified for the NCAA Championships with a third-place finish at the NCAA Region 2 Championships. Lamson was a NWCA Scholar All-American and finished with a 22-8 record. Sophomore Jackson Rush went 23-8 last season. He was a two-time SUNYAC Rookie of the Week and won the 133 lb. division at the RIT Invitational. Sophomore Marco Rivera posted a 32-15 record last season and was a two-time SUNYAC Rookie of the Week. He won the 149 lb. division at the Pelicano Invitational and fifth at the SUNYAC Championships.
The Newcomers
RIT welcomes 15 newcomers to the 2026-27 roster. First years Jim Biccum, Ben Burrows, Trevor Dellapenta, Vito Farano, Dylan Fitzgerald, David Jewell, Marquavious Lane, Joey Losee, Vincent Mastrianni, Paul Owen Raleigh, Pratham Sharma and Logan Willis and transfers Mason DePew, Brock Kitchen and Cael Raines will add depth to the Tigers line-up.
2026-27 Schedule
RIT began the season with the traditional Black and Orange Duals on October 17 as part of Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend. The Tigers begin the regular season on November 6 for a dual match against Wilkes. The following day the Tigers will compete at the Ned McGinley Invitational hosted by King's College.
RIT will compete at The College of New Jersey duals (Nov. 14) where the Tigers will compete against York, Penn College and TCNJ. The following weekend RIT will compete at the Penn State Behrend Duals against Wittenberg, Penn State Behrend, Washington & Jefferson and Lycoming. The Tigers finish the first semester by hosting the 60th RIT Invitational on December 5.
The Tigers ring in 2027 at the NWCA National Duals (Jan. 8-9) in Cedar Falls, Iowa. RIT hosts Oswego (Jan. 16) and Brockport (Jan. 16) in dual matches. RIT travels to Ithaca for the SUNYAC Championships (Jan. 23) and will host St. John Fisher (Jan. 29). RIT will compete at the John Carroll Duals (Feb. 12) and the John Carroll Open the following day. The Tigers close out the regular season at St. John Fisher's Pellicano Invitational (Feb. 20).
NCAA Mideast Regional Championships will take place Feb. 27-28 at Lycoming College followed by the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in La Crosse, WI beginning March 12.