Mekhi Kevin Lewis (born April 29, 1999) is an American

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

and folkstyle wrestler. In freestyle, he was the 2018 Junior World Champion and the US National runner-up in 2019. As a folkstyle wrestler, Lewis is an NCAA Division I champion and ACC champion out of Virginia Tech and three-time NJSIAA champion as a

high schooler A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Folkstyle

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

High school

He attended

Bound Brook High School Bound Brook High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Bound Brook, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Bound ...

in New Jersey and went on to win two

NJSIAA The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

titles during his

high school wrestling Scholastic wrestling, also known in the United States as folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practiced at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially collegiate wrestling wit ...

years. He was also on the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

varsity team In most English-speaking countries, varsity is an abbreviation of the word ''university''. In the United States and Canada, the term is mostly used in relation to sports teams. Varsity in the United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, varsity team ...

College

When he was a high school

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, Lewis committed to Virginia Tech.

2017-2018

Lewis chose to redshirt and 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

As a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

, Lewis posted a record of 21 wins and 2 losses (13-1 in duals), won the Hokie Open and placed second at the Cliff Keen Invitational during regular season. Post-regular season, he won an ACC title and entered the NCAA championships as the eighth-seeded wrestler at 165 pounds. He opened the tournament with a fall and decision before facing top-seeded Alex Marinelli, whom he also defeated by decision. He then defeated fourth-seeded Evan Wick, making it to the final against second-seeded Vincenzo Joseph. He beat Joseph to become the first Hokie ever to win an NCAA individual championship. After the tournament, he earned the Most Outstanding Wrestler award.

2020-2021

In 2019-2020 Lewis did not compete as an NCAA athlete. As a 2018 junior world champion and 2019 NCAA champion, he met two of the four criteria to be eligible for an Olympic redshirt, focusing on

and retaining his eligibility as a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

. In 2020-2021, Lewis compiled an 8–1 record during regular season, suffering his only loss via injury, which forced him to forfeit out of the

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

Championships.

Freestyle career

Junior level

Lewis never competed consistently in

, having attended just two tournaments (US Open and WTT) 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 (two by technical fall), claiming gold.

Senior level

2019

After taking an Olympic redshirt for 2019-2020, Lewis was nominated to compete at the Intercontinental Cup as his first senior freestyle competition. 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. He then competed at the 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 final. He lost on points and was thrown to the consolation brackets. He beat Logan Massa and Thomas Gantt to earn a shot at the bronze medal. In the third-place match, he was defeated by three-time NCAA Division III champion Nazar Kulchytskyy. 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 victory, and a decision. At the finals, he faced Bill Farrell Memorial opponent Logan Massa and was defeated on points, earning runner-up honors and a run at the Olympic Trials.

2020

Lewis was scheduled to compete at the 2020 US Olympic Team Trials on April 4 at State College, Pennsylvania. However, the event was postponed for 2021 along with the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving all the qualifiers unable to compete. After being unable to compete for almost one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewis represented the SERTC in the FloWrestling: RTC Cup at 74 kilograms during December 4–5. In the first round against the Ohio RTC, he lost 9-2 to Carson Kharchla, but went on to close the day with a technical fall over Jevon Balfour. In the second day, he was defeated by two-time NCAA Division I All-American Evan Wick, before picking up another technical fall over Balfour and helping the team to make the finals, where he lost to 2020 US national champion Logan Massa in a rematch.

Freestyle record

! colspan="7", Senior Freestyle Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 13-8 , align=left, Logan Massa , style="font-size:88%", 2-3 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, December 4–5, 2020 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, FloWrestling RTC Cup , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Austin, Texas , - , Win , 13-7 , align=left, Jevon Balfour , style="font-size:88%", TF 17-6 , - , Loss , 12-7 , align=left, Evan Wick , style="font-size:88%", 5-11 , - , Win , 12-6 , align=left, Jevon Balfour , style="font-size:88%", TF 12-2 , - , Loss , 11-6 , align=left, Carson Kharchla , style="font-size:88%", 2-9 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 11-5 , align=left, Logan Massa , style="font-size:88%", 4-6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, December 22, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2019 Senior Nationals - US Olympic Trials Qualifier , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Ford Worth, Texas , - , Win , 11-4 , align=left, Thomas Gantt , style="font-size:88%", 3-1 , - , Win , 10-4 , align=left, Chance Marsteller , style="font-size:88%", Injury (8-0) , - , Win , 9-4 , align=left, Elroy Perkin , style="font-size:88%", TF 10-0 , - , Win , 8-4 , align=left, Jaison White , style="font-size:88%", TF 10-0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 7-4 , align=left, Nazar Kulchytskyy , style="font-size:88%", 3-9 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, November 16, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, 2019 Bill Farrell Memorial International Open , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=6,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, New York , - , Win , 7-3 , align=left, Thomas Gantt , style="font-size:88%", 5-1 , - , Win , 6-3 , align=left, Logan Massa , style="font-size:88%", 7-1 , - , Loss , 5-3 , align=left, Vincenzo Joseph , style="font-size:88%", 1-4 , - , Win , 5-2 , align=left, Jakub Sykora , style="font-size:88%", TF 11-0 , - , Win , 4-2 , align=left, James Hunsberger , style="font-size:88%", TF 10-0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 3-2 , align=left, Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev , style="font-size:88%", 2-6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, October 14, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2019 Intercontinental Wrestling Cup , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Khasavyurt, Russia , - , Loss , 3-1 , align=left, Magoma Dibirgadzhiev , style="font-size:88%", 3-5 , - , Win , 3-0 , align=left, Alibek Akbaev , style="font-size:88%", 7-0 , - , Win , 2-0 , align=left, Dan Vallimont , style="font-size:88%", 4-1 , - , Win , 1-0 , align=left, Davit Gevorgyan , style="font-size:88%", 3-2

Junior freestyle record

! colspan="7", Junior freestyle results , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 11-2 , align=left, Abubakar Abakarov , style="font-size:88%", 5-1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, September 23, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2018 Junior World Wrestling Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Trnava, Slovakia , - , Win , 10-2 , align=left, Bat-Erdene Byambasuren , style="font-size:88%", TF 12-1 , - , Win , 9-2 , align=left, Matthew Bartlett , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 8-2 , align=left, Erik Reinbok , style="font-size:88%", TF 10-0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 7-2 , align=left, Alex Marinelli , style="font-size:88%", 6-5 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, May 19, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2018 US Junior World Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3, Rochester, Minnesota , - , Win , 6-2 , align=left, Travis Wittlake , style="font-size:88%", 6-1 , - , Win , 5-2 , align=left, Hayden Hastings , style="font-size:88%", 8-6 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 4-2 , align=left, Tyler Dow , style="font-size:88%", 15-8 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, April 27, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, 2018 US Open Junior Wrestling Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=6, Las Vegas, Nevada , - , Loss , 3-2 , align=left, Kaleb Romero , style="font-size:88%", 6-11 , - , Loss , 3-1 , align=left, Jeremiah Moody , style="font-size:88%", 7-9 , - , Win , 3-0 , align=left, Jarrett Jacques , style="font-size:88%", 8-4 , - , Win , 2-0 , align=left, Tanner Skidgel , style="font-size:88%", TF 10-0 , - , Win , 1-0 , align=left, Devin Bahr , style="font-size:88%", 5-0

NCAA record

! colspan="8", NCAA Championship Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2021 NCAA Championships DNP at 165 lbs , - , Loss , 7–1 , align=left, Zach Hartman , style="font-size:88%", MFOR , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, March 18–20, 2021 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 7–0 , align=left, Tanner Skidgel , style="font-size:88%", 3–2 , - , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Brian Meyer , style="font-size:88%", 8–3 , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2019 NCAA Championships at 165 lbs , - , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Vincenzo Joseph , style="font-size:88%", 7–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 23, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5,

2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships The 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships took place from March 21 to March 23 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena. The tournament was the 89th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, and featured seventy teams across that l ...

, - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Evan Wick , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Alex Marinelli , style="font-size:88%", 3–1 , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Cael McCormick , style="font-size:88%", 4–1 , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Cam Coy , style="font-size:88%", Fall , -

Stats

! Season ! Year ! School ! Rank ! Weigh Class ! Record ! Win ! Bonus , - , 2021 , Sophomore , rowspan=2, Virginia Tech , #2 , rowspan=2, 165 , 8–2 , 80.00% , 50.00% , - , 2019 , Freshman , #8 (1st) , 28–2 , 93.33% , 43.33% , - , colspan=5 bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", Career , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 35–2 , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 90.00% , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 42.50%

Collegiate awards and records

*;Freshman (18-19) ** NCAA Division I (165 lbs) ** ACC Conference (165 lbs) ** NCAA Outstanding Wrestler **ACC Wrestler of the Year (2019, 2022) **First

NCAA champion The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

of the Virginia Tech Hokies' team

Freestyle awards and honors

*;2019 ** US National Championship (74 kg) *;2018 ** Junior World Championship (74 kg) ** US Junior World Team Trials (74 kg)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Mekhi American male sport wrestlers 1999 births Living people Bound Brook High School alumni Virginia Tech Hokies wrestlers Sportspeople from New Brunswick, New Jersey Wrestlers from New Jersey 21st-century American sportsmen