Sioux Falls, S.D. – Adams State men's wrestling wrapped up the 2026 NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championships with four All-Americans earning podium finishes. Aaden Valdez led the way with a third-place finish at 157 pounds for the second consecutive year, while Isaiah Gamez placed fifth at 125 pounds. Angel Flores added a sixth-place finish at 149 pounds and Jakob Romero finished eighth at 133 pounds to round out the Grizzlies' national placers.
Valdez claimed third place for the second year in a row after opening day two with a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the semifinals. Despite scoring two escapes and benefiting from a stalling point against Joel Jesuroga, Valdez could not overcome a late takedown that proved to be the difference in the match.
Valdez responded on the consolation side of the bracket with a fall in 4:57 over Nico Taddy of West Liberty to advance to the third-place bout. In the consolation final, Valdez secured an 8-4 decision in a tightly contested match that broke open late.
After a scoreless first period, Valdez got on the board with a stalling point against Easton Worachek of Wisconsin-Parkside before adding a takedown. Worachek responded with an escape and takedown in the second period, but those would be his final points of the match. Valdez added an escape and another takedown in the third period to secure the victory.
Valdez concludes his Adams State career as a three-time All-American, leaving a lasting mark on the Grizzlies' program.
Gamez opened the second day in similar fashion, falling 7-0 in his first match to move into the consolation bracket. In his first consolation match, Gamez dropped a 10-2 major decision to Eli Kirk of Central Oklahoma, setting up a fifth-place bout.
In the fifth-place match, Gamez broke through in a slow start with an escape in the second period to score the opening point. After allowing a takedown to Jack Parker of Grand Valley State, Gamez responded with another escape and a takedown of his own later in the period to secure a 5-3 decision.
Gamez finishes his Adams State career as a two-time RMAC Wrestler of the Year and two-time All-American after placing fourth at the national championships in 2024.
Flores opened day two of the tournament with a win, defeating Rudy Lopez of Northern State in a 4-2 decision. Flores scored a takedown in the opening period and held the advantage the rest of the way. He dropped his next two matches, first falling by a 12-4 major decision to Jalen Spuhler of Wisconsin-Parkside before dropping the fifth-place match to Chris Donathan of Grand Valley State by a 15-1 major decision.
Flores concludes his career as a two-time All-American and three-time national qualifier for the Grizzlies.
Romero claimed eighth place after dropping two matches on day two of the championships. After opening with a 4-2 decision loss to Tanner Halling of Frostburg State, Romero was unable to bounce back in the seventh-place match, falling to Thaddeus Long by a 7-3 decision.
The Grizzlies capped off a memorable season with a strong showing at the national championships as six qualifiers combined for four All-American finishes, marking the program's most since 2008.
