Alvan Captures Third at NCAA Championships

Saturday, March 21

Cleveland, Ohio

All Day

Columbia

NCAA Championships

3/21/2026 3:26:00 PM | Wrestling

Senior ties program record for best finish at NCAA Championships

CLEVELAND – Senior All-American Cesar Alvan wrapped up his impressive career by capturing third place at 165 at the 2026 NCAA Championships. Alvan's 7-2 win over Arizona State's Nico Ruiz is tied for the best finish by a Lion at the NCAA Championships.

Alvan's third-place finish ties Steve Santos for the best finish at the NCAA Championships in program history. Santos took third at 174 in 2013. Yesterday, Alvan became just the seventh All-American in program history.

Alvan opened the day with a 5-2 win over thirteenth-seed Andrew Sparks of Minnesota in the consolation semifinal.

Alvan took control of the bout midway through the first with a 3-point takedown. After trading escapes, Alvan led 4-1 heading into the third period. Sparks cut the deficit to two with an escape, but Alvan denied Sparks any other opportunities and clinched the match 5-2 thanks to riding time.

In the third-place bout, Alvan once again squared off against Ruiz. Earlier this tournament, Alvan defeated Ruiz 4-2 in the quarterfinals yesterday. As he did before, Alvan took control early with a 3-point takedown in the first. After an escape by Ruiz to open the third, Alvan put the bout away with another takedown midway through the third period.

As a team, the Lions, who sent a program record seven athletes to the NCAAs, finished in 17th place with 25 points. Finishing ahead of fellow Ivy League schools Cornell (18th with 21.5 points), Penn (19th with 21 points), and Princeton (20th with 20 points)

Year two under Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Donny Pritzlaff was a sensational success. The Lions went 11-3 overall, the 11 dual wins are the most since 1996-97. Columbia went 5-0 in the Ivy League, capturing the program's fifth-ever Ivy League title. They finished the year ranked No. 23 in the FloWrestling poll, just the second time in program history the Lions have been ranked in the top-25. Alvan secured the program's seventh All-American, a program record; seven athletes represented Columbia at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

DAY 3 RESULTS
165: Cesar Alvan
Cons. Semifinal: #12 Cesar Alvan (COL) def. #13 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota), Dec. 5-2
Third Place Bout: #12 Cesar Alvan (COL) def. #4 Nico Ruiz (Arizona State), Dec. 7-1

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