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Three Returning NCAA Champions Highlight 149 Pounds

Who will emerge from the stacked 149-pound field, featuring three NCAA champions and a returning national finalist?
What’s better than one returning NCAA champion? How about three?
That’s what wrestling fans get at 149 pounds, with Stanford’s Aden Valencia as the returning 2026 champion at 149, Oklahoma State’s Sergio Vega as the returning 2026 champion at 141, and Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson as the returning 2024 champion at 149. 
Valencia entered nationals as the 10-seed with seven losses, but had a magical run capped by an 8-5 sudden victory win over Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness. Most of Valencia’s losses were close, taking a couple of lopsided setbacks before finding his stride late.  Regarding Van Ness, he may be the best current wrestler across all weights who has yet to win a title. He finished third in 2023 and 2025, before reaching the finals in 2026. He was seeded first and finished the season 26-1. 
Vega moves up from 141, where he won the NCAA Championships as a true freshman without surrendering a takedown. He had close wins during the season, but his stingy defense and his ever-evolving takedown game make him a title threat at a new weight. 
Henson missed last season due to redshirt, but he’s sure to add intrigue to this weight. He can win whatever type of match you want, from a 1-0 war of attrition (2024 NCAA semis against Ridge Lovett) to a 15-7 shootout (2024 NCAA finals against Austin Gomez). Tony Robie, his coach, calls him one of the most mentally tough wrestlers in the game, and he’ll need every bit of it against this field. 
It doesn’t stop there. 
Anthony Echemendia transferred from Iowa State to Nebraska,  … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/16184090-three-returning-ncaa-champions-highlight-149-pounds?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

October 2, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment