WICHITA, Kan. – The No. 25-ranked Lindsey Wilson men's wrestling team competed Thursday on day one of the 2026 NAIA National Championships at Heartland Credit Union Arena. 

The Blue Raiders tallied 12.5 points on day one to sit in 21st. Grand View (Iowa) sits atop the team standings with 52 points, while Life (Ga.) is second with 46.5 points.

Lindsey Wilson started the day with six wrestlers. Adrian Ayala (No. 1 seed at 141), Cory Cannan (No. 8 at 184), Ashton Habeil (No. 9 at 184), Alex Tabor (No. 13 at 133), Emmanuel Celestine (157), and Miguel Perez (285). 

Ayala went 2-0 on the day to advance to the quarterfinals. He defeated Willard Sprenger, from Bismarck State (N.D.), with a 15-0 tech fall. In Ayala's second match, he defeated the No. 16 seed Drew Jones from Southeastern (Fla.) in a 5-0 decision. #8 Logan Wagner of Marian (Ind) awaits Ayala in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Habeil won both of his matches in the 184-pound weight class to advance to the quarterfinals. In Habeil's first round, he defeated Dayne Stormer from Wayland Baptist (Tex.) by a 17-0 tech fall. Habeil's second-round opponent  wasCannan. Habeil earned a 4-1 decision to advance to the quarterfinals.. Habeil's quarterfinal opponent is the No. 1-seeded Tyson Beauperthuy from Doane (Neb.).  

Tabor finished 2-1 on Thursday. Tabor defeated his first-round opponent, Kipp Cordes from Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), by a 5-3 decision. The No. 4 seed Vincent Citrano, from Oklahoma City, defeated Tabor in the second round 18-4. Tabor defeated Leland Reeves, from Georgetown (Ky.), and earned an 8-5 decision to move to the third round of the consolation bracket. Tabor's third-round opponent is Aurelio Mendez from Cornerstone (Mich.), a match that is scheduled for Friday.

Cannan finished 2-1 on Thursday. Cannan defeated his first-round opponent, Cade Gubler from Montana State-Northern, by an 11-2 decision, before falling to Habeil in the second round. Cannan defeated Jackson King from Dickinson State (N.D.) by a 14-2 major decision. Cannan's third-round consolation opponent is Noah Poe-Hatten from Providence (Mont.).

Celestine finished 1-2, while Perez finished 0-2. 

Session three begins at 11:00 a.m. CT on Friday at at Heartland Credit Union Arena.