CLEVELAND, Ohio – James Conway began his 2026 NCAA Division I Tournament with a 4-1 win against Northern Iowa's Nick Fox, but a 4-1 decision went against him in the Round of 16 versus Oklahoma's Brian Soldano. With a 1-1 record on day two, Conway remains alive in the consolation bracket and will wrestle back for All-American honors on Friday.

The No. 4 seed at 184 lbs., Conway secured a third period takedown to advance to the Round of 16 in the championship bracket. Conway dictated the pace during the first period and was in on a single leg late before his opponent was able to escape the grip for a scoreless opening three minutes. Conway escaped in 28 seconds to start the second and was rewarded for his continued offensive efforts with a stall warning against his opponent before his own single leg defense got him into the third period with a 1-0 lead.

His opponent tied the score with an escape, but counter offense out of a front headlock allowed Conway to lock up a cradle. Although he wasn't able to convert it into back points, Conway got his opponent to a hip for the match-winning takedown with just over a minute remaining in regulation time. From there, a tough ride on top pushed his riding time to 48 seconds at the final buzzer.

During his Round of 16 match, Conway and Soldano traded escapes in the second and third periods to set up another tight finish. Strong defense from the Oklahoma wrestler kept Conway from scoring despite multiple attacks to the leg throughout the match. Conway's final attack to the leg during the third was stalemated to stop the action. Off the restart, Soldano got to a leg for the first time all match and converted the winning takedown at the buzzer. Despite a challenge from the Franklin & Marshall coaches, the call was upheld under review.

Dropping into the wrestlebacks, Conway will return to action during Session III on Friday which will begin at 12 p.m. on ESPNU. His first match in consolation will be against Edinboro's 19th-seeded Jared McGill.