The Evergreen State College sophomore wrestler Horacio Godinez clinched All-American honors with his efforts in the 141-pound weight class on the second day of the 2026 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Championships Friday in Wichita, Kansas.
Godinez won two consolation matches and took one loss in consolation action Friday. He will compete in the battle for seventh place Saturday. The top eight wrestlers in each weight class will earn All-American.
After going 2-1 on the first day of the tournament, Godinez began the second day with an impressive 16-1 victory with a technical fall in the third consolation round versus No. 6-seeded Jared Dinh from Cumberland University. Neither wrestler earned points in the first period, but Godinez recorded an escape early in the second period and tacked on an additional point before adding a takedown with 11 seconds on the clock. In the third, Godinez escaped for a second time and later added two more takedowns surrounding a four-point nearfall.
Godinez, the No. 15 seed, also won in the fourth round of the consolation bracket as he defeated No. 1 seed Adrian Ayala from Lindsey Wilson University. Godinez held a 6-2 lead after the first period on the strength of two takedowns, including one just 20 seconds into the match. In the second period, Ayala tacked on an escape, but Godinez earned another takedown to bring a 9-3 lead into the final period. Ayala chose to begin the third period on top, but Godinez prevented him from getting any nearfall points. A pair of stall warnings led to Ayala receiving one point. Ayala also received one point for riding time.
In the fifth consolation round, Godinez lost to No. 12-seeded Arojae Hart from Central Methodist University. It was a competitive match in which the points were limited. Hart registered a takedown late in the first period for a 3-0 lead. Hart scored the only point in the second with an escape. In the third, Godinez achieved an escape with 1:14 left but was unable to take or take the lead. Two stall warnings against Hart late in the period gave Godinez one point.
Godinez will take on No. 3 seed Sammy Shires from Cumberland in the seventh-place match on Saturday. Shires edged out Godinez 8-7 in the second round of the championship bracket on Thursday.
