McGowan Wins Second-Consecutive Ivy Championship as Tigers Compete at Ivy League Tournament

Sunday, March 8

New York, N.Y.

10:00 AM | Finals at 4:00 PM

Princeton University

Ivy League Tournament

Marc-Anthony McGowan 2026 Ivy Champion, 125

Photo by: Lisa Elfstrum

McGowan Wins Second-Consecutive Ivy Championship as Tigers Compete at Ivy League Tournament

March 08, 2026 | Wrestling

NEW YORK CITY – Marc-Anthony McGowan won his second-straight Ivy Championship at 125 as the Tigers competed at the Ivy League Tournament on Sunday in New York City.

Two more Tigers finished on the podium in Ty Whalen, who claimed silver at 165, and Holden Garcia, who earned a bronze finish at 174.

McGowan went 2-0 on the day after receiving a bye in the quarterfinals as the No. 2 seed. In the semis, he found himself knotted at 2-2 with no. 3-seeded Sulayman Bah of Columbia in the third period. Finding some late-match fireworks after a scramble, McGowan got a takedown and used the remaining seconds to pick up a near fall. The seven-point play ended with a 9-2 decision for McGowan, along with a spot in the finals and a ticket to NCAAs.

In the final, McGowan dominated, scoring early and making three takedowns throughout the match while proving himself to be solid defensively. With a final major decision of 10-2, McGowan claimed his second Ivy League Championship at 125.

After winning the title at last year's inaugural Ivy League Tournament, McGowan remains the only individual to be crowned Ivy League Champion at his weight.

Fellow no. 2 seed Ty Whalen also had a strong performance on the day. In the semifinal, Whalen scored two early takedowns to put himself ahead, but Cornell's Benny Rogers was able to tie it up going into the third. Continuing to be aggressive, Whalen took control of the match and rode out the 7-6 decision to send him through to the finals.

Making his first Ivy League Tournament finals appearance, Whalen took the mat opposite from no. 1-seeded Cesar Alvan of Columbia. Continuing to be precise and technical, both in taking shots and defending Alvan's, Whalen didn't concede, but he also couldn't find a takedown. The pair were knotted at one apiece as the clock expired, sending the match into sudden victory.

Whalen kept taking shots, and when a scramble appeared as though Whalen might get the three, Alvan circled and found his own takedown and a near fall to win it, 8-1.

Still, as Whalen looks ahead to his NCAA bid next week, his performance today will be one to build on.

Garcia claimed third after a solid day that saw the sophomore go 3-1 while wrestling with energy and aggressiveness in each match. At 174, Garcia opened the day with a 14-4 major decision over Drew Clearie as he dominated with takedown after takedown

In the semifinals, Garcia fell to no. 1-seeded Simon Ruiz in a close 5-1 bout. Getting right back to work in the consis, Garcia took down Harvard's Haden Bottiglieri, 9-4, again relentless as he looked for points.

Entering the third place match, Garcia again faced Clearie and once again comfortably put away the Brown Bear, this time with a final scoreline of 8-2.

Garcia's late season momentum was on full display as the Tiger moved through the bracket and found bronze in his Ivy League Tournament debut.

Eligh Rivera (149), Ethan Rivera (133) and Matthew Martino (141) all placed fourth in their respective weight classes, going 2-2 on the day with wins in the quarterfinals and the first round of consolation, but losses in the semifinals and third place bouts.

Martino's third-place match was close against Columbia's Lorenzo Frezza, who Martino had defeated in the first round after losing to him in the regular season. Martino controlled the match from the jump, setting the pace and taking shot after shot. As the clock expired, though, Frezza had managed to tie it up at five apiece.

Entering sudden victory, Martino again looked as he would be the one claiming the third NCAA allocation at 41 as he made a mat return and nearly gained control, but Frezza was able to flip it and get the takedown himself.

Ethan Rivera's wins on the day were solid as he opened the quarters with a 12-0 major decision over Coleman Nogle. After falling to no. 1 seed Evan Mougalian in the semifinals, Rivera followed up the result with a pin in just 2:05 over Brown's Douglas Shipers. However, Rivera's podium hopes ended with a razor-thin 2-0 loss to no. 3 seeded Evin Gursoy.

Eligh Rivera followed a similar pattern as he opened the day with a confident 10-4 victory over Brown's Austin McBurney. Falling to no. 2 seed Cross Wasilewski in the semis, Rivera next gutted out a 4-3 decision over Columbia's Richard Fedalen. However, facing McBurney again with a ticket-punch on the line, Rivera fell in the third-place bout with a final score of 8-2 as the Brown Bear was able to reverse the day's earlier result.

Xavier Giles, falling in the first round and the consolation semis, was able to end the day with a win and earn himself fifth place with a 10-8 result over Brown's Connor O'Donnell.

With the points tallied, Princeton finished fourth as a team with 85 points, behind Penn with 116.5 and ahead of Brown with 79.

McGowan and Whalen secured their bids to the NCAA Championships. For the other Tigers in the top-33, including the Rivera brothers, Martino and Garcia, they'll have to wait until the selection show on Wednesday to learn if they will receive an at-large bid to Cleveland.