CLEVELAND, Ohio – VMI Wrestling 165-pounder Ryan Vigil closed out his collegiate campaign in the 2026 NCAA Championship Thursday night at Rocket Arena.
 
Vigil, who was VMI's first conference champion since 2020 and first automatic qualifier since 2024, went 0-2 in the national tournament against ranked foes.
 
 
In the 165 pigtail match, Vigil was paired against No. 32 Cody Walsh from Drexel. Vigil used an escape to cut the deficit to 3-2, but a strategic takedown and back points by Walsh lengthened the gap and forced Vigil down to the Wrestlebacks bracket with a 12-2 major decision.
 
Now in the consolation prelims, Vigil faced the SoCon's No. 1 and the NCAA No. 30 Thomas Snipes from The Citadel in a rematch from the conference tournament first round bout that Vigil came out victorious in a major upset.
 
The match started with an early takedown by Snipes, but a pair of stalling calls and an escape put Vigil within one after the first period. A quick escape and takedown extended Snipes' advantage, but Vigil would not go down easily, earning another escape to make it 7-3 and in the down position to start the third frame. Despite getting the escape within the first 15 seconds, it was Snipes who tallied another takedown and nearfall to advance to the next round with a 15-4 major decision.
 
Vigil finishes his senior season with 14 victories, a SoCon crown, the SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler, and was an NCAA Championship Automatic Qualifier.
 
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