Mekhi Lewis


Mekhi Kevin Lewis is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. In freestyle, he is a junior World Champion representing the United States. As a folkstyle wrestler, Lewis is an NCAA Division I champion and ACC champion out of Virginia Tech and three-time NYSPHSAA champion as a high schooler. As of May 16, 2020, he is ranked #3 in the pound-for-pound rankings and is the top-ranked 165 pound NCAA wrestler in the country.

Folkstyle

Lewis began wrestling when he was five or six years old.

High School

He attended Bound Brook High School in New Jersey and went on to win two NJSIAA titles during his high school wrestling years. He was also in the football varsity team.

College

When he was a high school senior, Lewis committed to Virginia Tech.

2017-2018

Competed unattached and compiled a record of 28 wins and 2 losses, winning multiple open tournaments such as the Hokie, Wolfpack, Storm, Appalachian and Edinboro Opens. He also placed fourth at the Southern Scuffle.

2018-2019

Freshman: Posted a record of 21 wins and 2 losses, won the Hokie Open and placed second at the Cliff Keen Invitational during regular season. Post-regular season, he won an ACC Conference title and entered the NCAA championships as the eight-seeded wrestler at 165 pounds. He opened up the tournament with a fall and a decision and went on to face top-ranked Alex Marinelli, whom he also defeated by decision. After that big win, he defeated fourth-ranked Evan Wick, making it to the finale in where he faced second-ranked Vincenzo Joseph. He beat Joseph by points crowning himself as the first Hokie to win an NCAA individual championship in the history of the wrestling program. After the tournament, he earned the Most Outstanding Wrestler award.

2019-2020

Olympic Redshirt: Lewis did not compete as an NCAA athlete. As a 2018 Junior World Champion and 2019 NCAA champion, he met not one but two of the four criteria to be eligible for an Olympic Redshirt, focusing on freestyle and retaining his eligibility as a sophomore.

2020-2021

Freestyle career

Junior

Lewis never competed consistently in freestyle, having attended just two tournaments before his appearance at the 2018 World Championships, being this tournament his first international competition ever. He went on to defeat all of his four opponents, claiming gold.

Senior

2019

After taking an Olympic Redshirt for 19'-20', Lewis was nominated to compete at the Intercontinental Cup as his first senior freestyle competition ever. He defeated three opponents on his way to the semifinals, where he was downed on points and thrown to the third-place match. He also lost the bronze-medal match, placing fifth at the International level tournament.
He then competed at he Bill Farrell Memorial in an attempt to earn a qualification ticket for the Olympic Trials. He defeated two opponents by technical fall and was subsequently matched with Vincenzo Joseph, whom he had defeated earlier that year at the NCAA championship finale. He lost the match on points and was thrown to the consolation brackets. He proceeded to beat Logan Massa and Thomas Gantt to earn a shot at the bronze medal. At the third-place match, he faced three-time NCAA Division III Champion Nazar Kulchytskyy, whom he was eliminated by to place fourth.
In his next attempt to qualify for the Olympic Trials, he competed at the US Nationals. He dominated on his way to the finals with two technical fall victories, an 8-0 injury and a decision. At the finals, he faced Bill Farrell Memorial opponent Logan Massa and was defeated by him on points, earning runner-up honors and a run at the Olympic Trials.

2020

Lewis was scheduled to compete at the 20' US Olympic Team Trials on April 4 at State College, Pennsylvania. However, the event was postponed for 2021 along with the Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving all the qualifiers unable to compete.

Freestyle record

! colspan="7"| Senior Freestyle Matches
! Res.
! Record
! Opponent
! Score
! Date
! Event
! Location
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Ford Worth, Texas
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
New York, New York
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Khasavyurt, Russia

Junior freestyle record

! colspan="7"| Junior freestyle results
! Res.
! Record
! Opponent
! Score
! Date
! Event
! Location
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Trnava, Slovakia
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Rochester, Minnesota
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Las Vegas, Nevada

NCAA record

! colspan="8"| NCAA Championships Matches
! Res.
! Record
! Opponent
! Score
! Date
! Event
! style=background:white colspan=6 |2019 NCAA Championships at 165 lbs

Stats

! Season
! Year
! School
! Rank
! Weigh Class
! Record
! Win
! Bonus

Collegiate awards & records