The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) announced its 2026-27 Men's Wrestling Preseason Coaches' Poll on Friday, with Keiser University selected to finish third in the conference heading into the new season.

The poll, voted on by the league's seven head coaches, places the Seahawks behind Life University and Southeastern University. Life earned all seven first-place votes.

A New Conference Home

This season marks the first for wrestling in the SSAC, an established conference that is adding the sport. Keiser, Life, Southeastern, St. Thomas, and Brewton-Parker all left the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) to join the SSAC, along with Andrew College and New College of Florida.

A Look Back at a Historic Season

The 2025-26 season was the most successful in program history. The Seahawks finished 8-3 overall and 4-1 in conference duals, placed 3rd at the conference tournament (the highest finish in program history), and took 19th at the NAIA National Tournament. Jordan Sommer finished 6th to become the third All-American in program history, and Keiser sent a program-high eight national qualifiers to Wichita.

Returning Core

Keiser returns a strong group of experienced wrestlers led by Sam Libby, Patrick Jones, Daguy Massillon, Anthony Santos, and Jett McCauley.

Libby, an All-Conference selection, went 23-4 overall and 5-0 in conference duals with 14 pins and three technical falls. He won the Pepsi Patriot Open at 184 lbs., was named AAC Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 9, and took 3rd at 184 lbs. at the conference tournament. At the national tournament, he earned the Manuel Gorriaran Award, presented to the wrestler who records the most pins in the least amount of combined time, after securing three falls in 6:49. Libby was also an NWCA Scholar All-American, AAC Academic All-Conference selection, and CSC All-District honoree.

Jones, the reigning AAC champion at 125 lbs. and a first-team All-Conference selection, finished 19-10 and went 3-0 in conference duals. He recorded eight pins, five technical falls, and three major decisions, earning 16 bonus-point victories on the season, and qualified for nationals.

Massillon (14-14, 1-2 in conference) and Santos (18-13, 4-1 in conference) also qualified for the NAIA National Tournament.

McCauley, who in 2024-25 became the first Seahawk to win an Open at the Pepsi Patriot, went 16-17 overall and 1-1 in conference duals last season. He recorded six pins, five technical falls, and one major decision, totaling 12 bonus-point victories, and also qualified for nationals.

Entering his third season at the helm, Head Coach Cole Manion shared his excitement for the year ahead:

I'm really excited about the tougher schedule we have this year. We're always seeking out the best competition in the country, and this schedule is going to get us battle tested for the postseason.

2026-27 SSAC Men's Wrestling Preseason Coaches' Poll
 

Rank	School	Points
1	Life University	49 (7)
2	Southeastern	42
3	Keiser University	30
4	Brewton-Parker (GA)	21
5	Andrew College	19
6	New College of Fla.	18
7	St. Thomas University	17

Up Next
The Seahawks open their season tonight with the annual Blue vs. White Intrasquad at 7:00 p.m. in the Student Life Center. Keiser then hosts its first official home dual on October 23rd at 7:00 p.m. against the University of Central Florida, before traveling to Wichita, Kan., for the Friends Open on October 31st. Conference competition culminates with the SSAC Tournament on February 20th in Montgomery, Ala., as Keiser looks to build on last season's historic success.