BLACKSBURG – Redshirt freshman Mekhi Lewis will begin competing early tomorrow morning at the Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia as he represents the United States at 74 kg on the Junior men's freestyle World Team.
Complete coverage of the event can be found on TrackWrestling.com. Fans can also follow @HokiesWrestling on Twitter for frequent updates.
Lewis drew Erik Reinbok of Estonia in the first round of the main bracket and will look to face the winner of South Africa vs. China. Qualification rounds begin tomorrow at 4:30 a.m. EST and the semifinals start at 11:15 a.m. EST. Repechage and the finals are scheduled for Sunday.
@M_lewiss22 draw for tomorrow! #almostgotime @southeastrtc @HokiesWrestling pic.twitter.com/MEKcSb7T6g
— Jared Frayer (@AirFrayer) September 21, 2018
The Junior World Championships will only be the third freestyle tournament that Lewis has competed in. Lewis defeated Oklahoma State's Travis Wittlake, Iowa All-American Alex Marinelli and another Hawkeye, Jeremiah Moody, in a best of three finals at the World Team Trials to clinch a spot on the squad. Sean Gray (1999), Joey Dance (2012) and Lewis are the only Hokies to have ever made Junior World Teams.
During his redshirt year, Lewis went 28-2 with 19 bonus point victories. His only two losses were to Lock Haven All-American Chance Marsteller. The Open Mat ranked Lewis second on their list of top redshirting freshmen in the nation last season and he went 6-2 against opponents that qualified for the 2018 NCAA Championships.
U.S. Junior World Team Roster
57 kg: Daton Fix, Oklahoma State (Sand Springs, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/Cowboy RTC)
61 kg: Joshua Saunders, Christian Brothers (St. Louis, Mo./Titan Mercury WC)
65 kg: Domonick Demas, Oklahoma (Dublin, Ohio/OKRTC)
70 kg: Brady Berge, Penn State (Mantorville, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)
74 kg: Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech (Somerset, N.J./Southeast RTC)
79 kg: Aaron Brooks, North Hagerstown HS (Hagerstown, Md./USOTC)
86 kg: Lou Deprez, Binghamton (Hilton, N.Y./Bearcat WC)
92 kg: Jacob Warner, Iowa (Washington, Ill./Hawkeye WC)
97 kg: Zach Elam, Missouri (Kansas City, Mo./Team Central WC)
125 kg: Gable Steveson, Minnesota (Apple Valley, Minn./Minnesota Storm)