Cedar Rapids, Iowa – All-American status was secured by Nico Diaz and Ryan Smith of the Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team on the opening day of competition at the 2026 Division III Championships Friday.

Diaz, the No. 2 seed at 141 pounds and Smith, the No. 7 seed at 157 pounds, each went 2-0, with Handlovic, the No. 5 seed at 149, went 1-1. Smith picked up his fourth career All-American honor and Diaz collected his first.

Smith recorded takedowns in all three periods in his first match of the day against the draw's No. 10 seed, then added three more takedowns across the first two periods in a 13-6 win over No. 2 Trent Mahoney of Albright, avenging a 1-0 loss from Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championships.

Diaz's day began with a 10-3 decision win in a match that featured two second period takedowns and ended with a 12-8 decision win (over the No. 7 seed in the draw), picking up three takedowns in a high-scoring third period.

Handlovic started his day with an 11-0 major decision win, picking up a takedown in all three periods before suffering a decision loss to the No. 5 seed in the bracket in the quarterfinals, then a loss in sudden victory in the consolation draw, knocking him out of the competition

The other Duck in the field, Tyler Roe suffered losses in his first two matches of the day at 165 pounds, eliminating him from the field.

Wartburg, Wisconsin-La Crosse, Augsburg, Roanoke, and NYU occupy the top five of the team standings, with Wartburg, Wisconsin-La Crosse, and Augsburg separated by less than five points. The Ducks currently sit in eighth with 22 points, in the midst of a pack of teams sitting seventh-through-11^th separated by just four points.

Up Next: Diaz and Smith will compete in the semifinals and Handlovic will compete in the consolation draw tomorrow, starting at 11 AM Eastern / 10 AM Central; Championship Finals would begin at 8 PM Eastern / 7 PM Central.

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