Minto wins opening match in NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships

Mar 19, 2026 1 min read

Cape Coral’s Christopher Minto, a sophomore at the University of Nebraska, dominated in his opening match Thursday afternoon at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, as the third seed in the 174-pound weight class.

Minto, a Mariner High School grad, defeated Wyoming’s Riley Davis, 20-4, via technical fall to open the tournament. Minto advances to Thursday night’s second round, which will be broadcast on ESPN, beginning at 7 p.m., where he will face Logan Messer, the 19th seed from George Mason University, who scored a 6-4 upset over 14th seeded Moses Espinoza-Owens from San Diego State.

Minto, Breeze Newspapers 2023 co-Athlete of the Year, is now 21-5 on the year and many consider him to be on a collision course with Penn State’s unbeaten Levi Haines for the title at 174. Minto has fallen to Haines twice this year, losing 8-6 in a January dual meet and by a narrow 2-1 margin two weeks ago in the title match at 174 in the Big Ten Conference championships.