WRES | Harkless wins 285 lb. National Championship #RIT #RoarTechhttps://t.co/H4T6YQXzHH
— RIT Athletics (@RITathletics) March 15, 2026
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – RIT senior Josh Harkless won the 285-pound national championship at the 2026 NCAA Division III Championships. Harkless, the No. 3 seed, defeated top-seeded and defending national champion Mitch Williamson (Wartburg), 4-1, in Saturday's championship match for his first national championship.
After a scoreless first period, Harkless took a 1-0 lead with an escape early in the second period. Williamson escaped early in the third period to tie the score 1-1. Harkless took his shot late in the third period, taking down Williamson with two seconds remaining for the 4-1 win. Harkless advanced to the championship with a 6-1 win over No. 2 Carl DiGiorgio in the semifinals.
Harkless is RIT's first national champion since RIT Athletics Hall of Fame member Matt Hamill won in 1999. A three-time All-American, Harkless finishes his career third in program history with a 141-23 record.
Harkless won two matches on the first day of action on Friday to advance to Saturday's semifinals. He pinned Benjamin Katz (Springfield) 1:41 into his opening bout and went on to beat No. 11 Andrew Vanscoy (Baldwin Wallace), 11-2 in the quarterfinals.
In other action, Tiger sophomore Jack Lamson lost to No. 12 Zach Needles, 8-2 in his opening bout at 174 pounds. Lamson, who was competing in his first NCAA Championship, lost to No. 7 Thomas West (Baldwin Wallace) in his consolation match.