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 was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
 
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.