MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.— The Montreat College men's wrestling squad spent Friday and Saturday down in the Sunshine State for the 2026 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's Wrestling Championships at St. Thomas University. With 12 competitors spread out across nine weight classes, the Cavaliers accumulated 10 wins, three individual placements and an eighth-place team finish out of 10 scoring programs.
 
Life University claimed the league title with 202.0 points. The Cavs racked up 36.5 points with their performances, 19.5 points better than the University of Pikeville but 17.0 points back of St. Thomas.
 
Nationally-ranked Kane Bryson secured the Cavaliers' top individual placement of the weekend, scoring 13.5 points and finishing fourth in the 125-lb weight class bracket. The freshman began his journey with a forfeit victory in the quarterfinals before losing a narrow 7-5 decision in the semifinal round. Bryson rebounded well with a pin in just 2:08, advancing himself to the third-place bout. There, Bryson dropped another tight decision, this time by an 8-7 final, to conclude fourth. The 23^rd-rated wrestler at 125 ultimately went 2-2 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
 
Also competing at 125, Sam Gosnell ended fifth with a 3-2 record. The Rutherfordton, N.C. native scored 11.5 points for his team despite falling via pin during his opening bout. A forfeit triumph and a pin in 2:58 catapulted Gosnell into the late consolation rounds. While the freshman suffered a 5-3 decision defeat in the consolation semis, he bounced back with a 9-2 decision victory in the fifth-place matchup, avenging his initial tournament loss in the process.
 
No. 17 Boedi Kirkland achieved Montreat's third and final placement of the AAC Championships, doing so in the 149-lb weight class bracket. Officially, Kirkland scored six team points and tallied a 1-1 record. The freshman from Catawba, N.C. won his quarterfinal clash thanks to a 10-3 decision, but his tournament action essentially halted there. Kirkland lost via injury default merely nine seconds into his semifinal bout versus the NAIA's No. 8-ranked wrestler. A pair of medical withdrawals in the consolation semis and the fifth-place bout meant Kirkland wrapped up the tournament sixth overall.
 
Three other Cavs won at least one bout at the AAC Men's Wrestling Championships, adding to the squad's point total. Dylan Hogan contributed one point by going 2-2 at 174. Hogan lost to a pair of top-20 competitors but also snagged 5-4 and 7-4 decision wins in the consolation rounds.
 
Johnatan Argueta tacked on 2.5 points with a 1-2 record in the 285-lb weight class bracket. The Averett University transfer responded to being pinned by the No. 19-ranked wrestler with a pin of his own in 4:42. Argueta then lost a 14-12 decision to close out his tournament run.
 
Also suffering a pin to a highly-ranked foe, Louis Mehaffey delivered two team points behind a 19-3 tech fall triumph. Mehaffey's weekend concluded with an 11-3 major decision defeat.
 
For a look at results from the 2026 AAC Men's Wrestling Championships, click here.
 
Select qualifiers from the Montreat College men's wrestling team now shift their focus to the 69^th annual NAIA Men's Wrestling Championships, which are scheduled for March 5-7 at Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, Kan.