Hunter Mays Title Vacated After 174-Pound NCAA Violation

hunter mays' 174-pound NCAA Division III title was erased from the record books on Tuesday after TCNJ Athletics said the NCAA declared him ineligible for a violation of NCAA policy. The vacated championship leaves his 2026 run intact in the bracket but stripped from the official record.

Hunter Mays and Bryce McDonough

Mays had won the title by beating Luther's Bryce McDonough 8-6 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and he finished the season 28-0. He fell behind for the first time in the tournament when McDonough escaped in the second period, then held on to become TCNJ's first 174-pound national champion.

That same night also lifted TCNJ to dual national champions because Garrett Totten won at 133 pounds. The school later said the NCAA vacated Mays' individual championship rather than elevating the runner-up under its procedure, so McDonough stays second in the tournament bracket.

TCNJ Athletics on Tuesday

TCNJ said the nature of the violation was not disclosed, but the NCAA's action removed the title from the history books. The school also said additional sanctions may follow, adding a second layer to a result that had once looked settled at the end of the 174-pound final.

Behind Mays and McDonough, Dustin Bohren of Loras placed third and Jake Deguire of Springfield was fourth. Mays had joined TCNJ ahead of the 2024-25 season after transferring from Lehigh, and the title that followed him to Cedar Rapids is now the one the NCAA has taken away.