Saturday, March 21
Cleveland, Ohio
11 a.m./6:30 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
NCAA Championships
Watters Places Sixth at NCAA Wrestling Championships
March 21, 2026 09:26 PM | Wrestling
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Redshirt sophomore Ty Watters placed sixth at 157 pounds to lead the West Virginia University team at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
This marks the second career finish on the podium in as many trips for Watters. He placed fourth at 149 pounds in 2024.
Following a loss in the semifinals on Friday night, Watters needed two victories to earn bronze. He matched up with Ohio State's No 8 seed Bradon Cannon to battle it out for a spot in the bronze medal match.
Watters scored the first points of the bout with a takedown in the first period. Back-to-back escapes and a takedown in the early part of the second period gave Cannon the lead at 5-3.
Watters cut the deficit to one before tying it up at five with an escape in the first 30 seconds of the third period. Cannon scored the deciding takedown with 1:36 remaining in the bout to take the lead. He eventually won by decision, 9-6.
Watters medically forfeited his next match against No. 11 seed Kannon Webster to place sixth.
West Virginia finished tied for 23rd place with 17 points. Penn State won the national championship, and Oklahoma State finished second.
Consolation Semifinals Result
157: No. 8 Brandon Cannon (Ohio State) over No. 11 Ty Watters (Dec 9-6)
Fifth Place Match Result
157: No. 7 Kannon Webster (Illinois) over No. 11 Ty Watters (Medical Forfeit)
This marks the second career finish on the podium in as many trips for Watters. He placed fourth at 149 pounds in 2024.
Watters scored the first points of the bout with a takedown in the first period. Back-to-back escapes and a takedown in the early part of the second period gave Cannon the lead at 5-3.
Watters cut the deficit to one before tying it up at five with an escape in the first 30 seconds of the third period. Cannon scored the deciding takedown with 1:36 remaining in the bout to take the lead. He eventually won by decision, 9-6.
Watters medically forfeited his next match against No. 11 seed Kannon Webster to place sixth.
West Virginia finished tied for 23rd place with 17 points. Penn State won the national championship, and Oklahoma State finished second.
Consolation Semifinals Result
157: No. 8 Brandon Cannon (Ohio State) over No. 11 Ty Watters (Dec 9-6)
Fifth Place Match Result
157: No. 7 Kannon Webster (Illinois) over No. 11 Ty Watters (Medical Forfeit)
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
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