ITHACA, N.Y. – Two RIT wrestlers placed in the top three to help the Tigers to a fourth-place finish at the 2026 NCAA Region 2 Championships, Friday and Saturday. Senior Josh Harkless (285 lb.) and sophomore Jack Lamson (174 lb.) each qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships.
 
Harkless, a two-time All-American, qualifies for the NCAA Championships for the fourth time, taking third place in 2025. Lamson will make his first NCAA Championship appearance.
 
Harkless, ranked third nationally and No. 1 in the region, pinned Trevor Gitski (Wilkes) 1:28 into his opening bout. He pinned Michael Sipps (Lycoming) in his next match before pinning No. 8 Noah Berlin-Langston (Stevens) at 1:52 in his quarterfinal match. Harkless pinned No. 5 Aaron Johnson (Alfred) 46 seconds into his semifinals match and pinned No. 2 Mike Welsh (Brockport) 46 seconds into the championship bout.
 
Lamson, the No. 3 seed, picked up a 17-2 technical fall win over Cache Littrell (Elmira) in his opening match. He beat No. 19 Souleymane Diarra (Wilkes) 10-0 in his next match before a 5-4 win over No. 6 Jeremy Devine (SJFC) in the quarterfinals. Lamson lost 5-4 to No. 2 Nolen Ziegler (Lycoming) in the semifinals. He came back to beat No. 12 Reece Smith (Cenenary) in the consolation round before a 5-3 win over No. 4 Ian Flanagan (Stevens) in the third-place match.
 
Sophomore Josh Warland finished fourth at 157 lb. After losing his first match, Warland ran off four straight wins including a 6-3 decision over Colton Havens (Cortland) in the consolation semifinal. Warland lost 5-1 to Jaryn Hartranft (Wilkes) 5-1 in the third-place match.
 
Junior Isaiah Shafer, the No. 3 seed, placed fifth at 141 lb. Sophomore Max Watson (149 lb.) and junior Nick Smith (184 lb.) each placed eighth.