Stephen Buchanan (wrestler)

Stephen Buchanan
Personal information
Born (2000-11-30) November 30, 2000
Owen, Wisconsin, U.S.
Home townLoyal, Wisconsin, U.S.
Weight97 kg (214 lb)
Sport
Country United States
SportWrestling
Events
Freestyle and Folkstyle
College teamIowa
Oklahoma
Wyoming
ClubHawkeye Wrestling Club
Coached byTom Brands
Terry Brands
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  United States
Pan American Championships
Silver medal – second place2026 Coralville97 kg
Grand Prix
Gold medal – first place2026 Nice97 kg
Gold medal – first place2026 Zagreb97 kg
Men's collegiate wrestling
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal – first place2025 Philadelphia197 lb
Bronze medal – third place2022 Detroit197 lb
Bronze medal – third place2024 Kansas City197 lb
Big Ten Championships
Silver medal – second place2025 Evanston197 lb
Big 12 Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 Tulsa197 lb
Silver medal – second place2021 Tulsa197 lb
Bronze medal – third place2024 Tulsa197 lb

Stephen Buchanan II (born November 30, 2000) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 97 kilograms. A five-time NCAA Division I qualifier, Buchanan was a four-time NCAA All-American and the 2025 NCAA national champion at 197 lb.[1]

Career

High school

Buchanan attended Loyal High School in Loyal, Wisconsin. Buchanan finished his high school career with a 184–16 record, winning two Wisconsin Division 2 state titles.[2] Buchanan committed to attend the University of Wyoming.[3]

Wyoming

2019–2020

Buchanan earned the starting 197 lb. role as a true freshman for Wyoming. Buchanan tallied a 26–13 record, taking seventh at the Big 12 tournament.[4] Buchanan received an at large bid, qualifying for the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Tournament, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Buchanan led Wyoming with 36 takedowns during dual action.[5]

2020–2021

Buchanan returned to the Wyoming lineup at 197 lb. as a sophomore. Buchanan finished second at the Big 12 Tournament, falling to Oklahoma State's AJ Ferrari 13–8 in the final. With a second-place finish, Buchanan punched his ticket to the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.[6] Buchanan finished the NCAA championships with a 3–3 record, finishing in eighth and receiving All-American honors. Buchanan became Wyoming's first All-American since 2018.[7]

2021–2022

In his third year as the Cowboys' starter at 197 lb., Buchanan captured his first Big 12 title, defeating South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan 3–2 in the final. Buchanan became Wyoming's fourth Big 12 champion in program history.[8] After notching three straight decision victories to open his 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships campaign, including a 4–0 win over conference rival Rocky Elam of Missouri, Buchanan fell in the semifinals to Iowa's Jacob Warner 6–4. Buchanan rebounded with wins over Iowa State's Yonger Bastida and Missouri's Rocky Elam to finish third.[9]

Oklahoma

2023–2024

After three years at Wyoming, Buchanan transferred to Oklahoma. Buchanan redshirted the 2022–2023 season before returning to the lineup as a redshirt junior.[10] Buchanan finished in third place at the 2023 Big 12 championships, falling to Missouri's Rocky Elam 5–4 in the opening round before rattling off three straight wins.[11] Buchanan received All-America honors for the third time with a third-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. After falling to reigning champion Aaron Brooks, Buchanan rattled off four consecutive wins, finishing with a 9–4 win over Cornell's Jacob Cardenas.[12]

Iowa

2024–2025

Buchanan committed to the University of Iowa to finish his college career.[13] Buchanan punched his ticket to the NCAA tournament with a runner-up finish at the 2025 Big 10 Championships at 197 lb. Buchanan reached the tournament finals, where he fell to Michigan's Jacob Cardenas.[14] He later became the first athlete to be an All-American at three different schools.[15] Buchanan entered the 2025 NCAA Tournament as the second seed. Buchanan reached the semi-finals with three bonus point wins, including a major decision over Michigan State's Remy Cotton and technical falls over Wyoming's Joey Novak and Ohio State's Seth Shumate. In the semifinals, Buchanan defeated former national champion AJ Ferrari of Cal State-Bakersfield 3–0. In the national final, Buchanan defeated Penn State's Josh Barr 5–2 to capture his first national championship. Buchanan finished the season with a 26–1 record.[16]

Freestyle

After graduating, Buchanan continued his wrestling career in Iowa, joining the Hawkeye Wrestling Club to launch his freestyle career.[17]

He signed with Real American Freestyle and made his debut at RAF 05 on January 10, 2026, defeating former mixed martial artist and freestyle Olympic medalist Yoel Romero via technical fall 10–0.[18] He then lost a criteria decision to Givi Matcharashvili at RAF 06 on February 28, 2026.[19] This fight earned him a Match of the Night award.[20]

Buchanan was named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week on January 21, 2026 after he made his international debut and won gold at the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane at 97 kg.[21] He then won gold at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open at 97 kg, defeating former Olympic champion and three-time world champion Hassan Yazdani in the finals by technical fall.[22]

He won the 2026 US Open at 97 kg, qualifying him for Final X in June.[23] He won silver at the 2026 Pan American Wrestling Championships at 97 kg, losing in the final to Cuban wrestler Arturo Silot.[24]

References

  1. ↑ "Iowa's Stephen Buchanan crowned national champion at 197 pounds". KCRG. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  2. ↑ Sherry, Mike. (February 23, 2019). WIAA state wrestling: Buchanan, Zschernitz finish off back-to-back championships. Wausau Daily Herald. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Cowboy Wrestling Welcomes Impressive Signing Class". Wyoming Athletics.
  4. ↑ "Andrews Crowned Big 12 Champion at Heavyweight". Wyoming Athletics.
  5. ↑ "Three Pokes Earn At-Large Bids to NCAA Wrestling Championships". Wyoming Athletics.
  6. ↑ "Cowboys Finish Fourth at Big 12 Championships". Wyoming Athletics.
  7. ↑ "Cowboy wrestler Buchanan earns All-American honors". Wyo4news.
  8. ↑ "Buchanan Captures Historic Big 12 Title". Wyoming Athletics.
  9. ↑ "Buchanan Finishes Third at NCAA Tournament". Wyoming Athletics.
  10. ↑ "Two-Time All-American Stephen Buchanan Transfers To Oklahoma". FloWrestling.
  11. ↑ "He's that guy': All mats are the same, but for OU wrestling, Stephen Buchanan has made the difference". OU Daily.
  12. ↑ "Buchanan Finishes Third at NCAA's". Oklahoma Wrestling.
  13. ↑ "Loyal grad, All-American wrestler transferring to Iowa". Central WI News.
  14. ↑ "Iowa wrestling finishes third at Big Ten Championships". Hawk Fanatic.
  15. ↑ Scovel, Shannon (July 9, 2025). "The success of transfer All-Americans in college wrestling | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  16. ↑ "STEPHEN BUCHANAN II WINS NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP". Iowa Athletics.
  17. ↑ "BUCHANAN & YBARRA JOIN HWC". Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
  18. ↑ "RAF 5 results: Stephen Buchanan shuts down Yoel Romero with 10-0 victory, calls out Jon Jones". SB Nation. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  19. ↑ Dawson, Alan (March 1, 2026). "RAF 6 results: Henry Cejudo blanks Urijah Faber; Arman Tsarukyan erupts with post-match punches". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  20. ↑ Real American Freestyle (March 2, 2026). "RAF 06 Recap: Cejudo Dominates, Upsets Shake the Card and New Contenders Rise". realamericanfreestyle.com. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  21. ↑ Gerhart, David (January 21, 2026). "Stephen Buchanan Named USA Wrestling Athlete Of The Week Presented By Air Force Special Warfare". www.themat.com. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  22. ↑ Immel, Richard (February 5, 2026). "Buchanan notches finals win over Olympic champion, U.S. adds six men's freestyle medals to Zagreb Open haul". www.themat.com. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  23. ↑ Ellis, R. R. (April 25, 2026). "US Open Wrestling Finals Results 2026. Here's Every Champion". FloWrestling. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  24. ↑ Siwach, Vinay (May 11, 2026). "United States won the Freestyle team title, after winning the Greco-Roman and Women's Wrestling titles, to close out the Pan-American Championships in Coralville, Iowa". uww.org. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
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