Kenosha, Wis. – The Thunder wrestling team participated in the 2026 CCIW Men's Wrestling Championships on Saturday. Wheaton placed ninth at the event.

North Central won its fourth-straight CCIW Championship with 158 points at the conference championship. Millikin scored 119.5 points in second place, Aurora finished third with 90.5 points, MSOE scored 81.5 points in fourth place and Elmhurst rounded out the top-five with 80 points. Host Carthage College scored 76.5 points in sixth place, Augustana finished seventh with 63.5 points, Illinois Wesleyan took eighth place with 43.5 points, Wheaton was ninth with 43 points and Concordia (Wis.) rounded out the field with 22 points in 10^th place.

Zeke Harris had the top effort for Wheaton on Saturday, finishing third at 197-points. Harris opened the tournament with a 3-0 decision over Carthage's Jared Warner. North Central's AJ Frescura defeated Harris in a 4-2 decision in the semifinals at 197-pounds. Harris won a 6-1 decision against MSOE's Gavin Graham in the consolation semifinal. Harris won a 4-2 decision against Augustana's Braiden Young in the third-place match.

Caleb Cox placed fourth at 157-pounds. Cox opened the day with a 6-1 decision over Illinois Wesleyan's Silas Oberholtzer. Cox then defeated Ben Messier of MSOE in an 8-0 decision. Top seed Rhenzo Augusto of Elmhurst defeated Cox in a 9-3 technical fall (6:18). Cox won a 9-2 decision against Augustana's Gianni Panozzo in the consolation semifinal. North Central's Jared Gumila defeated Cox in an 11-4 decision in the third-place match at 157-pounds.

Garrett Boyd finished fifth at 174-pounds. Elmhurst's Corey Bradley defeated Boyd in a 6-1 decision in the opening round. Boyd won by fall at 2:30 against Aurora's Clayton McKee in the consolation round. Millikin's Kody Marschner narrowly defeated Boyd in a 12-11 decision in the consolation semifinals. Boyd defeated Carthage's Maxwell Schmitt in an 11-10 decision in the fifth-place match.

Wheaton wrestling returns to action on February 27-28 at the NCAA Division III Central Regional, hosted by John Carroll University.