PITTSBURGH (theACC.com) – Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis’ remarkable run through the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships gauntlet culminated with a national title Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena.
The eighth-seeded redshirt freshman from Bound Brook, New Jersey, defeated No. 2 seed and two-time NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State by a 7-1 margin in the 165-pound final to claim Virginia Tech’s first-ever NCAA wrestling title and the 19th by an Atlantic Coast Conference wrestler.
Lewis, who also took out top-seeded Alex Marinelli of Iowa and No. 4 seed Evan Wick of Wisconsin en route to the championship, became the fourth ACC wrestler to claim the NCAA Final’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award, joining NC State’s Scott Turner (1988), North Carolina’s T.J. Jaworsky (1995) and NC State’s Darrion Caldwell (2009). Lewis is the first ACC freshman to claim the honor.
“Everybody – other than my teammates, family and coaches and fans – thought I was the underdog,” Lewis said. “I didn't think I was the underdog. I just thought people didn't get the chance to see me wrestle at a big stage, like, folkstyle, because they only saw freestyle. And I just felt like I was like I was prepared and ready to win a national title. So I felt equal to everybody I wrestled.”
Lewis was Virginia Tech's third-ever NCAA finalist, joining Devin Carter (2014) and Jared Haught (2018). This marked the first time the Hokies had finalists in back-to-back seasons. Lewis' win over Marinelli on Friday was Virginia Tech's first win over a number one seed at the NCAA Championships, but Lewis added an even more impressive note to the record book on Saturday evening.
“It means a lot, because Virginia Tech wrestling has been really good,” Lewis said. “It's just that we never really had good finals … good end results. So to be the first (NCAA champion) is really special. It means a lot to me. Just so happy that I'm a part of the program.”
Virginia junior Jack Mueller, seeded fifth in the 125-pound weight class, finished with the silver medal after coming out on the short end of a 5-0 decision to third-seeded Spencer Lee of Iowa in the finals. Lee was the defending NCAA Champion at 125 pounds and has now won back-to-back NCAA Championships for the Hawkeyes.
Mueller’s finish matches the runner-up finishes for Virginia by heavyweight Henry Jordan (1957), 125-pounder and current Virginia head coach Steve Garland (2000) and 141-pounder George DiCamillo (2017).
In addition to Mueller and Lewis, the following ACC wrestlers earned All-America honors (top eight in their respective weight classes):
149 – 3. Austin O’Connor, North Carolina; 4. Mitch Finesilver, Duke
157 – 4. Hayden Hidlay, NC State
174 – 5. David McFadden, Virginia Tech
184 – 6. Chip Ness, North Carolina; 8. Zack Zavatsky, Virginia Tech
Please see below for complete NCAA Division I weight class brackets
https://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/images/2019/03/22/2019_ncaa_d1_session4_brackets.pdf
Penn State led the overall team scoring 137.5 points, 31 ahead of the nearest opposition, to claim the team championship for the eighth time in nine years. The ACC placed five teams among the top 25, with scoring as follows:
11. Virginia Tech 50
17. NC State 31.5
19. North Carolina 28.5
23. Virginia 20.5
24. Duke 19
t-34. Pitt 9.5
Pitt served as the host school for the NCAA Wrestling Championships for the first time since 1957. It was the sixth time an ACC member school hosted the event and the first time since North Carolina hosted in 1994.