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.
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.
Carter Starocci (174 lbs) and Aaron Brooks (184 lbs) became 3x NCAA champions while their teammate Roman Bravo-Young finished second at 133. David Carr moved up to 165 lbs and took second while Quincy Monday took third in the division. Monday, who hails from Tulsa, became Princeton wrestling’s first Black All-American and became one of only four Tigers with two top-three NCAA finishes.
In addition, Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis (174 lbs) took fourth and 3x All-American Michael McGee from Arizona St. took third at 133 lbs.
2024
2024 capped off a special time for these wrestlers and signaled the end was nearing for this special era.
Aaron Brooks won his fourth title, this time at 197 lbs (his first three were at 184 lbs), became a 5x All-American and the seventh wrestler to win four titles and the second from Penn State to do so. He also won the NCAA DI award for most dominant wrestler.
Fellow Nittany Lions star Carter Starocci defended his 174 lbs title and became a 4x All-American and the sixth wrestler in NCAA history, and first in Penn St. history, to win four titles.
The title defenses by Starocci and Brooks, according to USA Wrestling, marked the first time that two wrestlers won their fourth NCAA title at the same tournament.
Their teammate, Greg Kerkvliet (285 lbs) won his first NCAA title and became a 4x All-American.
Iowa State’s David Carr won his first 165 lbs title, making him a 2x NCAA Champion (157 lbs in 2021 and 165 lbs in 2024), a 4x Big 12 Champion and a 4x All-American.
To round it out, Arizona State’s Jacori Teemer placed second at 157 lbs.
2025
That leads us to the 2025 event in Philly, which marked the official end of this era of Black wrestling dominance; ironically, Tr**p attended this event, so it’s probably not a coincidence that 2025 saw the time of Black wrestling champions end.
In the City of Brotherly Love, four Black champions were crowned.
Starocci returned for his fifth title appearance and fourth title defense, this time at 184 lbs. Not only did he win, but the 5x All-American became the first wrestler in NCAA history to win five NCAA titles, finishing his collegiate career with a record of 107-4.
North Carolina State freshman Vincent Robinson captured the 125 lbs title and made history as the first NC State wrestler to win a title at 125 lbs.
Nebraska redshirt sophomore Antrell Taylor won the 157 lbs title and became a 2x All-American.
The last champion to be crowned was Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan II, who took the title at 197 lbs. The 3x All-American, who transferred to Iowa that season, became the first wrestler in school history to win a title at that weight.
Another surprise was the return of Gable Steveson, who ended up placing second in the 285 lbs final.
And that leads us up to the 2026 event in Cleveland.
2026
Unfortunately, not a single Black wrestler was crowned during Saturday night’s championship.
The closest were second place finishes by Princeton’s Marc-Anthony McGowan (125 lbs), Nebraska’s Antrell Taylor (157 lbs) and Nebraska’s Christopher Minto (174 lbs).
The good news that these second place finishers became All-Americans.
So while 2026 didn’t see a Black wrestler win an NCAA title, fans must appreciate what they witnessed in the five years prior- half a decade filled with titles, All-Americans and, most impressively, Black history in wrestling.
