By Jimmy Robertson
BLACKSBURG – Everyone dreads Mondays, but Mekhi Lewis especially has no time for idle chit-chat this week given his pending workload.
His to-do list for the coming six days includes attending classes and getting ahead on some of his assignments, participating in a few last-minute workouts, making sure his passport is tucked away in a safe place, and packing his luggage for a weeklong visit to Slovakia.
Oh, and on the advice of Tech wrestling assistant coach Jared Frayer, he needs to make sure to include some ramen noodles in his luggage as a precaution for potential food issues.
"I'll try anything – as long as it's nothing crazy or out of the ordinary," Lewis laughed. "I'll try it."
Lewis, a redshirt freshman on Tech's wrestling squad, isn't exactly a household name among Hokie Nation – yet. But he figures to become well known starting a week from today when he boards a plane to Chicago, meets with the members of the U.S. junior world team and then hops on a flight for a nine-hour trip to Trnava, Slovakia, the site of the 2018 Junior World Championships held Sept. 21-24.
The Bound Brook, New Jersey native punched his ticket to the world event by winning four matches in the 74-kilogram weight class at the 2018 Junior World Team Trials held in Rochester, Minnesota back in May. He held on to beat Wyoming's Hayden Hastings 8-6 in the first round and then knocked off Oklahoma State signee Travis Wittlake and Iowa All-American Alex Marinelli over the next two rounds to clinch a spot in the final.
The final was a best two-out-of-three format, and Lewis then beat another Iowa wrestler – Jeremiah Moody – twice. By technical fall, too.
"I wasn't really surprised," Lewis said. "I know I can wrestle the best kids in the country in my age group. Just being able to show people, I was happy about doing that – and showing that there is more to come."
But in a fashion typical of wrestlers, he wasn't completely satisfied with his performance.
"Yes, and no," Lewis said. "I've still got a lot to work on, especially in freestyle, but mainly just wrestling hard … I feel like I did a good job of just going out there and trying to give it my all and have fun. There are a couple of things, technique-wise, that I can work on, but for the most part, I was happy with the way I wrestled."
The win over Moody clinched Lewis' spot on the junior national team. It also led to a very busy summer for the 19-year-old.
He spent two separate weeks in Colorado Springs at the U.S. Olympic Training Center – one in July and one in early August. He spent time training with his teammates, but perhaps more importantly, he spent a lot of time in one-on-one sessions with Tech assistant Frank Molinaro, who went with Lewis to Colorado Springs.
Lewis dominated at the high school level in wrestling-crazed New Jersey primarily because of his athleticism. That works at the collegiate, and especially world, levels only to a certain extent. The greatest wrestlers compete with outstanding technique, and Molinaro, a 2012 national champion and a 2016 Olympian, knows all about that.
"Frank was helping me a lot when he was out there, especially with my technique," Lewis said. "Coming into college, I didn't have a lot of good technique. Just being around the coaches, they helped me out a lot, just with the transition from high school to college – that whole process of me being the best and not having to focus on technique to now everybody is now just as good as me. I have to be crisper in a lot of areas, so that I can be in a good position to be the best."
Lewis said he hasn't spent a lot of time thinking about the World Championships. He keeps his focus more on the day-to-day tasks that crop up on Blacksburg – mainly classes and practices. He has been meeting with Tim Moore, who works in the Student-Athlete Academic Support Services office and handles scheduling and tutoring for the wrestling team. The two of them want to make sure Lewis keeps up with his studies while away.
He also doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about the event because he doesn't want to get nervous. He wants to enjoy the experience, which will mark his first of traveling to a different country.
"I'm just trying to have fun," he said. "I'm not even worried about it. I'm just enjoying that I'm going to be a part of it. Whatever happens, happens. I'm going to be happy no matter what. I do want to win, though, but I know this is a great opportunity for me to experience."
Lewis expects to be more nervous in early November when he takes to the mat for the first time in a Hokie singlet. He wrestled in open tournaments this past season and went an impressive 28-2, but he's ready to experience the real thing this year.
"I feel like I'll be more nervous for my first match at Cassell than I am for my first match at worlds," Lewis said. "With worlds, I'm just having fun with it. I wasn't expecting to be in the position I am. I knew I could be, but the way it happened, I'm just grateful for having the opportunity.
"But for Cassell, I know I'm going to have to perform well, and I want to perform well. Being in front of the fans for the first time is going to have me nervous, but excited at the same time."
Lewis appreciates all the support he has received thus far – from emails to texts to comments on social media.
But fans may want to steer clear of the young man this week. There is a lot on the line coming up – and a lot of work to get done beforehand.