The 2026 NCAA DI men’s wrestling championships took place two weeks ago in Cleveland and while there were some exciting matches and freshmen leaving their marks all over the mat, something very significant was missing that had long been present at the event.
Black champions.
Since launching First and Pen in 2021, I’ve been fortunate to learn about, write about and celebrate Black athlete success in collegiate wrestling, and over the site’s first five years, I’ve witnessed a special era for these special athletes.
2021
At the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, five Black champions- Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young (133 lbs.), Carter Starocci (174 lbs.) and Aaron Brooks (184 lbs.), Iowa State’s David Carr (157 lbs.), and Minnesota’s Gable Steveson (285 lbs.)- were crowned across ten weight divisions.
Salute. 🙌🏾 https://t.co/Z38uYw1S74
— Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) March 21, 2021
A few months later at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo that were delayed a year due to Covid, Steveson captured a gold medal in a thrilling match that he won with under a second remaining.
Over the next four years, these names would be championship mainstays, creating a very special era in a sport that continues to have a rich Black history.
2022
At the 2022 NCAA Championships in Detroit, the three Nittany Lions, Roman Bravo-Young (133 lbs), Carter Starocci (174 lbs) and Aaron Brooks (184 lbs) successfully defended their titles. They were joined by Steveson (285 lbs) who also defended his title while Carr took third at 157 lbs.
This year became one of the most historic years for Black wrestlers.
On top of the four back-to-back champions, the event featured 7 total Black finalists.
Kizhan Clarke of North Carolina finished second at 141 lbs., Princeton’s Quincy Monday, son of wrestling legend Kenny Monday, finished second at 157 lbs. and Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech finished second to Penn State’s Carter Starocci in the 174 lbs. division.
Lastly, and most impressively, 12 Black wrestlers were named All-Americans. The aforementioned Bravo-Young, Clarke, Starocci, Monday, Lewis, Brooks, Steveson and Carr were joined by Tariq Wilson (NC State), Jacori Teemer (Arizona St.), Jonathan Milner (Appalachian St.) and Devan Turner (Oregon St.).
2023
A year later, the Championships headed to Tulsa, and much of their success followed.
