Wrestling Adds Nine Newcomers For 2026-27 Season

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Entering year four under head coach Rob Koll, the North Carolina wrestling program has welcomed nine newcomers to campus prior to the 2026-27 campaign.

The newest group of Tar Heels includes seven freshmen and two transfers. Read below for more information:

Cristian Alvarez
285 lbs.
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. | St. Joseph Regional
• Wrestled for four seasons under coach Tom Farinaro at St. Joseph Regional.
• Posted a 72-3 record in high school, winning an individual state championship as a senior and two team state titles.
• A three-sport athlete during prep career, also competed in football and track.
• Helped St. Joseph Regional win the 2025 New Jersey Non-Public A state championship last fall.
• Plans to also play football at Carolina on the Tar Heel offensive line.

Ronin Gault
174 lbs.
Orlando, Fla. | Lake Highland Prep
• Wrestled for four seasons under coach Mike Palazzo at Lake Highland Prep.
• Member of Lake Highland Prep's 2026 National Prep Championship team.
• Father, Kevin, was a member of Carolina's football and basketball programs.

Christian Hansen
184 lbs.
Huntington, N.Y. | Cold Spring Harbor | Cornell
• A transfer from Cornell, spending four seasons with the Big Red.
• During his time in Ithaca, posted 46 wins on the mat, representing Cornell at the 2023 EIWA Championship.
• Wrestled for coach Mike Ferrugiari at Cold Spring Harbor during prep career.
• Was the 2020 New York 152-pound state champion, becoming Cold Spring Harbor's first state champion in school history.
• Collected a school-record 172 wins during his high school career.

Lincoln Jipp
197 lbs.
Bettendorf, Iowa | Bettendorf
• Wrestled at Bettendorf under coach Dan Knight for four seasons.
• A four-time Iowa state placer, won the 215-pound state title as a senior in 2026 and was runner-up a year prior.
• During senior campaign, went a perfect 47-0 with 33 falls, 10 technical falls and three major decisions.
• Posted a runner-up finish at 92 KG during the 2026 US Open U20's in April.

Brody Kelly
184 lbs.
Itasca, Ill. | IC Catholic Prep
• Wrestled for four seasons at ICCP under coach Danny Alcocer.
• A two-time Illinois state champion, won the Class 2A 175-pound title as a junior and senior.
• Helped ICCP win back-to-back IHSA Class 2A team state championships in 2025 and 2026.
• Finished third place at Ironman last December at 175-pounds.

Lukas Littleton-Mascaro
125 lbs.
Malvern, Pa. | Malvern Prep
• Wrestled for coach Nathan Lautar at Malvern Prep for four seasons.
• A two-time National Prep champion, won the 126-pound title as a senior.
• During senior campaign, posted 41 victories with 30 bonus-point wins.
• Father, Frank, wrestled and played lacrosse at Franklin & Marshall.

Brendan McCrone
125 lbs.
Willoughby, Ohio | Lake Catholic | Ohio State
• A transfer from Ohio State, won 67 matches during his time in Columbus.
• During his time with the Buckeyes, was a two-time NCAA qualifier and represented Ohio State at the Big Ten Championships in 2024 and 2025.
• In the classroom, earned Academic All-Big Ten, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Ohio State Scholar-Athlete recognition in 2025.
• During prep career, was a four-time Ohio state qualifier.
• Won the 2022 OHSAA Division II 120-pound title by fall, finishing runner-up a year prior.

Nadav Nafshi
174 lbs.
Bryn Mawr, Pa. | Lake Highland Prep
• Wrestled at Lake Highland Prep under coach Mike Palazzo.
• Member of Lake Highland Prep's 2026 National Prep Championship team.
• As a senior, won the National Prep 175-pound championship.
• Prior to Lake Highland Prep, also attended Harriton High School (Pa.) and Germantown Academy (Pa.).
• While at Harriton, finished eighth at 152-pounds at the PIAA Championships in 2023.

Dunia Sibomana
125 lbs.
Long Beach, N.Y. | Long Beach
• Wrestled at Long Beach under head coach Raymond Adams.
• A three-time New York state champion, won the 102-pound title in eighth grade, 116-pound championship as a junior and the 118-pound title during senior campaign.
• Became Long Beach's second three-time state champion, joining former Tar Heel wrestler and two-time All-America Al Palacio.
• In May, won the won the 57 KG title representing his home county of the Democratic Republic of Congo at the African Championships.
• A multi-sport athlete during prep career, played soccer for coach Leo Palacio, former Tar Heel wrestler and men's soccer player.

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