by Taylor Cotie

History has been made by Greensboro College junior wrestler Josh Wilson. On Saturday, March 16, 2024, Wilson advanced to the NCAA 141-pound championship match and successfully defeated Ohio Northern University’s Jacob Reed, the number one seed in the nation, taking home the first national championship in GC men’s wrestling history. This is the perfect conclusion to Wilson’s already outstanding season as he finished with a season record of 30-3.

Wilson traveled across the country to La Crosse, Wisconsin to compete in a two-day match for the NCAA Division III National Championship. This was Wilson’s third straight appearance in the NCAA National Championship, where during last season’s matches, he finished eighth overall.

The first day of the competition saw Wilson advance to the semifinals after he won both of his quarterfinal matches on Friday, March 15, with the first match he won being against Ethan Pogorzelski of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the second match against Alex Samson of St. John Fisher.

During the semifinals which was on the second day of the competition, Wilson was able to defeat Mark Samuel of Roanoke College to face against top-seeded Jacob Reed of Ohio Northern University. For the GC wrestling program, Wilson becomes not only the first in the program’s history to win an NCAA National Championship, but also the first ever to even advance to the championship match.

Advancing to the National Championship match itself takes a lot of time and preparation, much less winning the whole competition. The Collegian had the chance to interview Wilson and ask him how he prepared himself in order to secure this achievement and he said, “My preparation for the NCAA tournament differed from last year’s. Last year, I had the skills to become a national champion, but not the mindset. I have been putting a significant emphasis on training my mental game this season. I used techniques like positive self-talk, breathing techniques, visualization and being conscious of the content I consume on social media, as well as growing stronger with my faith helped me in being calm in high-pressure situations.”

Wilson is no stranger to winning titles or setting records. This season, he was undefeated against all Division III programs, with his only losses coming against Division I schools NC State and Oregon State. During the 2023-2024 season, Wilson racked up tons of awards and records. Firstly, during the month of November, he took home the Ithaca Invitational championship and the Most Outstanding Wrestler award and also won the Division I Appalachian Mountaineer Open title. In December, he won his third tournament in a row at the Petrofes Invitational. In January, he took home the title for the Jim Crytzer Invitational. Then, in February, he won his second ODAC championship, took home his first NCAA Regional Title in the 141-pound weight class and another Most Outstanding Wrestler award. Also, for the second consecutive year, Wilson wins the NCAA Southeast Regional title alongside another Most Outstanding Wrestler award. To top this all off, he was also just recently named an All-American, making this his fourth time winning the award.

Last year, when The Collegian interviewed Wilson, he said his goal was to win an NCAA National Championship. When asking him if it has hit him yet that he has accomplished his main goal, he said, “Right now, it has not yet fully hit me that I am an NCAA champion. Last year, I was extremely sure that I could accomplish this goal, but I fell short. I am grateful that I made the best of the opportunity this year.”

 Wilson was a 2020 graduate of Southeast Guilford High School and was a member of the Southeast wrestling team. The Collegian asked him if, when looking back at wrestling at Southeast, he had ever imagined moving onto college and accomplishing all the things he has over the last three years, Wilson said, “We won state championships when I was wrestling at Southeast Guilford High School. However, I never thought that one day I could become an NCAA champion. The goal seemed out of this world for me, but I believe that the things I went through in high school, like suffering a loss in the state finals my senior year to a person I had already beaten before, played a big part in being hungrier to compete in college.”

For wrestlers, one of the most important things to do is adhering to a strict diet in order to stay in your specific weight class. When asking Wilson what his first meal consisted of after coming off that championship match in Wisconsin, he stated, “My first meal after the competition could have been better. Everything was closed, so I had to settle for a flatbread pizza that came out of the microwave, but I am not going to count that. I was able to get a burger and some ramen at the airport before leaving and heading back to Greensboro, so I enjoyed those meals. They were awesome.”

Wilson’s win was also a first under two-year GC wrestling head coach, Justin Harty. The Collegian spoke with Harty and asked how he helped Wilson prepare for this historic season, Harty responded, “The number one area that I think our coaching staff helped Wilson with was building a winning mindset and belief that he could win a national championship. Working on Goals related to winning a national championship was key and also, making in season technique and mental adjustments were also a key factor to his success on the mat. Another key was traveling to tough tournaments in New York and Pennsylvania, like the Ithica Invitational and Messiah Petrofes Invitational, and being able to see top nationally ranked wrestlers and competed against the best all year. When we went to the NCAA regionals and nationals, we had already seen the top competition and Wilson was ready. Our entire athletic administration staff, coaching and athletic training Team worked together to provide every angle of support needed for Wilson, which allowed him to be ready to go and compete. Special thanks to assistant coaches Jon Woodburn and Mitch Johnson and athletic training staff Shameka Sharpe who made the trip to the nationals, and also all the GC coaches that helped throughout the year. This was truly a team effort.”

When asking Harty what Wilson’s commitments has meant to the GC’s wrestling program, he answered, “Wilson winning an NCAA Division III National Championship validates Wilson as one of the best ever 141-pound wrestlers, but also propels and elevates the Greensboro College wrestling program forward. Everyone has the dream to win a national championship and now, we have proven that you can do that here at GC. Not only can you win on the mat and be a national champion and All-American here, but you can win in the classroom as well. Just last year, we had three NCAA Division III Academic Scholar All-Americans in Josh Wilson, Brandon Williams and Isabella Ruiz. Wilson owns a double: an NCAA National Championship and Academic Scholar All-American, and this is truly a special accomplishment. Greensboro College wrestling, both men’s and women’s programs are on the rise, and we are excited to see what the future brings!”

As Harty mentioned, Wilson is not just a wrestling athlete – he is a terrific student and is involved in many things on campus: “Wilson is not only a successful athlete but is also a leader on Greensboro College’s campus. He works as a Pride Leader, is a member of The Collegian and leads a podcast on campus – he is an excellent example of being a good human being and a student leader in the classroom. Wilson has one more year of eligibility and we are looking at repeating as national champion, so the work for next year has already started,” said Harty.

“On behalf of the Greensboro College men’s and women’s wrestling teams, we wanted to say a special thanks to President Czarda, Athletic Director Kim Strable, Assistant Athletic Director Karen Buxton, NCAA Compliance Jena Miller and the entire GC athletic staff for all of the support for our program. It is appreciated and welcomed. We look forward to continuing our growth and success in the classroom, on the mat and in the community. We are One Pride!” Harty added. Wilson’s national championship is only the third in Greensboro College school history, with the other two coming from the 2000 and the 2011 men’s golf team. This is truly an amazing feat, and we are grateful that GC has someone like Wilson to represent the Pride. Congratulations again to Josh Wilson for this achievement!