On Friday morning, Virginia Tech wrestling announced that Mekhi Lewis will return to Blacksburg for the 2023-24 season.
https://twitter.com/HokiesWrestling/status/1654510024750690305?s=20
A former national champion and three time All-American, Lewis will have another chance to compete for his second national title. The 174-pounder from Somerset, N.J. finished the season with a 22-3 record and placed fourth at the NCAA tournament.
Lewis’ return gives Tech another year to figure out his eventual replacement at 174 pounds, leaving just one hole in the starting lineup to fill at 184 with the graduation of Hunter Bolen. Bolen ran out of eligibility after using his COVID year in 2023, which Lewis will utilize next year.
His announcement comes on the heels of a historic season for Virginia Tech, which boasted five All-Americans at the NCAA tournament — its most since 2017. VT also won a portion of the ACC regular season title after winning it outright in 2021.
One of the top pound-for-pound wrestlers in the country, Lewis will have the opportunity to further his unprecedented legacy at Virginia Tech in 2024. He’s currently tied for ninth in all-time wins in program history with 112 victories. Sean Gray, who wrestled from 1997-2002, is the school’s leader with 133.
There’s a larger goal that likely factored largely in Lewis’ decision to return, though — he’ll get one more crack at a second national title.
With Lewis’ decision, Tech is set to have nine of its 10 starters from 2023, when it finished ninth in Tulsa, back on the mat next season. And following the team’s second straight top-10 finish at the NCAA tournament, expectations will be high for the Hokies in 2024.