Wrestling | March 11

DeKALB, Ill.—Markel Baker (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) and Devon Dawson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Goddard) have received their seeds for the upcoming 2026 NCAA Championships, as announced by the NCAA this evening (March 11).
 
Baker will hold the No. 8 seed in the 133-pound bracket and is set to face Will Betancourt of Rider in the opening round. Their meeting will be a rematch of the MAC title bout, where Baker posted a 2-1 decision for the 2026 MAC Title. Baker's No. 8 seed is the highest since Izzak Olejnik was the No. 12 seed in the 2023 NCAA bracket.
 
With that win, Baker extended his win streak to 15 straight wins. Baker has been consistently ranked in the top-25 for the Huskies, with his highest ranking coming via WrestleStat at number 13. Baker defeated four ranked opponents this season as he lost only four matches all season.
 
Dawson was given the No.11 seed at the 285-pound bracket and will face Trevor Tinker of Cal Poly in his opening round. Dawson claimed the 2026 MAC title at 285 pounds with a 12-8 decision over Bryson Buhk of SIUE. With that win, Dawson became only the second heavyweight to win the title for the Huskies.
 
Dawson is the only Huskie ranked in four polls with his highest coming from Intermat at No. 19. Dawson put together a 31-5 season and has not dropped a bout since January 9 against Harvard. This season, Dawson claimed seven wins over ranked opponents.
 
With Baker and Dawson qualifying for the national tournament, NIU extends their streak of at least one NCAA qualifier to 55-straight years and the third straight year of two wrestlers qualifying. This dates to 1972 when Larry Johnson earned All-America honors by taking fifth.

NIU has two national champions in its history, with Roy Conrad winning the Division I title in 1960 at 177 and Neal McDonald earning the Division II championship in 1965.
 
Baker and Dawson are the 132nd and 13rd wrestlers to qualify for the national tournament in program history.

The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships will take place from March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
 
Single session tickets, venue information, game programs, and more will be available at NCAA.com.
 
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