LANCASTER, Pa. – Defending champion Ursinus was selected as the favorite to win back-to-back titles in the 2026-27 Centennial Conference Wrestling Preseason Poll. The Bears secured all five possible first-place votes and totaled 25 points to land atop the poll.
Gettysburg received the other first-place nod and was the projected runner-up in the poll with 20 points. Merchant Marine took third with 18 pointsm, followed by Muhlenberg (11), McDaniel (10) and Johns Hopkins (6) in fourth through sixth place, respectively.
The 2026-27 campaign opens up this Sunday for Johns Hopkins and Ursinus, with all six teams set to begin the year by next Saturday, Nov. 7.
Conference dual action is set to begin in late January, with the CC championship slated for Saturday, Feb. 13 at Muhlenberg.
2026-27 Centennial Conference Wrestling Preseason Poll
| Rank | Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Ursinus (5) |
25 |
| 2. Gettysburg (1) |
20 |
| 3. Merchant Marine |
18 |
| 4. Muhlenberg |
11 |
| 5. McDaniel |
10 |
| 6. Johns Hopkins |
6 |
2026-27 Schedule | 2026 Championship Results | 2026 All-Centennial Team | NWCA Rankings
Ursinus reclaimed its spot atop the Centennial Conference last winter with three gold medals and three silvers en route to its 14th CC title. The Bears totaled 93.5 points to hold off Gettysburg (87.5) for the crown. Ursinus' conference-leading 14 titles are nine more than the next-closest team, with Merchant Marine (5) and former associate member Stevens (5) tied for second-most followed by McDaniel (4), Washington and Lee (2), Johns Hopkins (1) and Muhlenberg (1).
A pair of All-Americans are back on the mat in the Centennial this season - Merchant Marine's Tyler Withers and Ursinus' Mohamed Abdelatty A senior 197-pounder, Withers is the lone three-time CC champion back in the conference this winter. Withers boasts a 70-19 career record, with 51 of those wins being pins. He already ranks seventh all-time in the CC record book for career pins, 13 behind McDaniel's Thomas Monn, who set the record (64) last year. He won the 184-pound CC titles in 2024 and 2025 before moving up to 197 pounds last year. Withers placed sixth at the 2025 NCAA Championship at 184 pounds. Abdelatty, a senior competing at heavyweight, finished eighth at the NCAA Championship last season. He finished second at regionals and won the CC title for the first time.
McDaniel's Monn is now gone after finishing his career as one of the most decorated wrestlers in CC history, culminating with a third-place finish at 149 pounds at last year's national meet. Monn was the first wrestler in McDaniel program history and fourth in the Centennial Conference to earn three All-America honors, He posted a career record of 146-12, which ranks second on the all-time CC career wins list, behind only 159 from Steven's Zach Wilhelm (2015-18).
Six NCAA qualifers return - Withers, Abdelatty, Gettysburg's Gavin Pascoe (157), Muhlenberg's Andrew Loniewski (141), and Ursinus' Braden Kmak (157) and Andrew Schaen (141).
A total of 14 wrestlers from four teams with All-Centennial accolades to their names are back in the CC this season, with Gettysburg leading the way with five.
In the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) rankings, Ursinus is ranked 22nd in the team tournament preseason poll. Individually, Abdelatty is the top-ranked wrestler in the conference at No. 5 in the 285-pound rankings. Schaen is next at No. 8 at 141 pounds. Also nationally-ranked entering the year are Kmak (9th at 157), Pascoe (10th at 157), Muhlenberg's CJ Horvath (13th at 125) and Gettysburg's Jake Mitchell (14th at 149).
Returning All-Americans (2)
Tyler Withers, Merchant Marine, Sr., 184 (2025 6th place)
Mohamed Abdelatty, Ursinus, Sr., 285 (2026 8th place)
Returning NCAA Qualifiers (6)
Gavin Pascoe, Gettysburg, Sr., 157 (2025 & 2026)
Tyler Withers, Merchant Marine, Sr., 184 (2025)
Andrew Loniewski, Muhlenberg, Sr., 141 (2025)
Braden Kmak, Ursinus, Sr., 157 (2026)
Mohamed Abdelatty, Ursinus, Sr., 285 (2026)
Andrew Schaen, Ursinus, Sr., 141 (2026)
Returning All-Centennial (14)
Gavin Pascoe, Gettysburg, Sr., 157 (2026 First Team, 2025 Second Team, 2024 Second Team)
Brendan Callahan, Gettysburg, Sr., 141 (2026 First Team)
Torey Falkinburg, Gettysburg, Sr., 133 (2026 Second Team)
Jake Mitchell, Gettysburg, So., 149 (2026 Second Team)
Ethan Composto, Gettysburg, Sr., 149 (2025 Second Team)
Tyler Withers, Merchant Marine, Sr., 197/184 (2026 First Team, 2025 First Team, 2024 First Team)
Viviano Gutierrez, Merchant Marine, So., 165 (2026 Rookie OTY, 2026 First Team)
Grant Mathias, Merchant Marine, Sr., 197 (2025 Second Team)
Andrew Loniewski, Muhlenberg, Sr., 141 (2025 First Team, 2024 Second Team)
CJ Horvath, Muhlenberg, Sr., 133 (2026 First Team, 2025 Second Team)
Nick Stump, Muhlenberg, Sr., 184 (2026 Second Team)
Andrew Schaen, Ursinus, Sr., 141 (2026 Second Team, 2025 Second Team)
Braden Kmak, Ursinus, Sr., 165 (2026 Second Team, 2025 Second Team)
Mohamed Abdelatty, Ursinus, Sr., 285 (2025 First Team)
