Carter Starocci vs. Mekhi Lewis: 2022 NCAA wrestling championship final (174 lb.) 

Lewis, never hang your head over this Both of you were absolutely brilliant 👏🏻👏🏻

Glad they got D.C on commentary. Makes collegiate wrestling feel more modern

Match of the night, absolutely incredible.

One of the most exciting low scoring matches I've ever watched! Great wrestling!

Pulling for Lewis, but Carter had plenty of fuel in the tank. Penn State wrestlers train hard and in amazing shape. So glad Lewis continued to wrestle this year! Awesome match guys!

By all means best final of the night. Two National champions going at it. But I hate the new overtime rules. Don’t let the match be decided on riding time, let the boys wrestle and let them decide who’s the winner

One of the first people I ever practiced with when I started traveling for practice, Mekhi Lewis. Going a couple towns over I’d practice with him in Franklin, NJ. At the time I think I was actually in control. 10 years later, I am wrestling in my state regional semi-finals. Guess who? Mekhi Lewis. Though this time I was immediately put under pressure. I could not keep up with the movement, speed, power that was coming at me. I was almost completely helpless. I ended up cranking my ankle (as if it mattered anyway at that point) and pretty obviously lost. My career would come to an end after the next match, Mekhi would go on to win the state championship. I am so proud to know that someone I had wrestled with for years is now at the top of the game. Mekhi, you’ve worked for it and deserve it. If you happen to read this, let Mama Lewis know the Cooke family says hello and congrats being one of the best not only in the country but the world. You may not remember me, which is extremely understandable so maybe she can help you remember. Anyways, keep pushing and take it in the next big one. I anticipate more and more from you, so keep that head up and keep moving forward like you have been!

Carter musta been studying Mekhi tapes because he knew Mekhi likes to reattack. That's where he makes his money. And Carter was full throttle. An epic match.

Not 100% on the rules, but Lewis lost because starocci had 16 more seconds of riding time? Seems like a bad way to decide a winner, why not just keep adding periods until one can takedown the other or can’t escape?

Great match. The best of the finals. I wanted Lewis but felt privileged to watch two guys wrestle so hard and so well.

Carter Starocci is amazing

The possibilities of having a 2 parent home and a blessed upbringing in a safe neighborhood

One heck of a match. Can't get any closer than that. Both of those guys are tremendous athletes.

3:56 I have no idea what the ref was doing to miss that takedown. What a battle, best final of the evening.

this is one of those matches where you want both wrestlers to win

This may be the only time I've said Starocci looks like the smaller guy

Both Carter Starocci and Coach Tony Robie are from Erie PA

Kudos to Mekhi for digging deep to almost pull it off given that he was very obviously completely gassed going into OT. A lot of people break at that point but he powered through and almost came away with the W. Nothing to hang his head over with that effort.

Excellent match. Both wrestlers showed their worth.

So proud of Mekhi. He is a fine young man raised in a good family. The new rules suck. Mekhi will be back for sure and win another championship.

I love it struck it has that dog game and he always keeps coming and he just simply finds a way to win it’s beautiful

Hard-fought battle by both. WOW!

Having the champ champ dc calling these matches is brilliant. His enthusiasm for wrestling and mma is so infectious. And what a match! High iq wrestling

This was the match of the night. Absolutely epic. Can’t wait to see these two go at it one more time. Only thing I want to see different are the OT rules. Seems like a bad way to determine the outcome of a highly contested match

This, looking back now with NCAAs coming quick for 2023, I think we could certainly be seeing this rematch in a few weeks. And it could very well be Mekhi Lewis getting his get-back against Starocci. But it could very well be that Starocci is fully prepared for him.

This was a very very good match!

Match reminds me of the freestyle match with Tony Davis vs Jamill Kelly. Both great bouts!

this was crazy 🔥

Starocci might be the first 5x NCAA champion in history

Wrestling Aaron Brooks in practice every day certainly helped...

great match

Example of two super elite guys very close in skill but overtime was made to find a winner even in weird circumstances such as 15 seconds of riding time

Great guys

When they're this good and close in competition you sure hate to see either lose.

15 seconds?! I am not feeling this new rule. I was very happy to see both make it to the finals. Starocci is awesome. So is Lewis. Being from NJ, I leaned heavy for Lewis. However, the edge goes to Starocci. The best workout wrestlers in the country are in the room with Starocci! Their match was the best of the night. Mr. Mekhi Lewis hold your head high. Congrats to Mr. Carter Starocci!

“Best match award, is the 174-pound match between Carter Starocci of Penn State and Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech”

Dc please do more amateur play by play

DC is the best man for the job!

Great match between two fine young men 🙏🏾💪🏾🙏🏾

WOW! Starocci and his brother looks just like their DAD!

Lewis will always have my respect

Thanks Carter. One of the best!

Good job, Mekhi! 👏

This was a fun one

WE ARE PENN STATE WRESTLING CHAMPIONS! 🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🏆🤼

Starocci scored on the escape first. That’s why he had choice.

Congrats to Starocci, but props to Lewis. Wrestling can be such a tough sport.

Carter will be a World Champion too. Seen him practice several times and he is outstanding and makes everyone else better too. Young man is unreal !!!!

Great match. Seems like a strange way to win/lose something so important.

Cael is terrifying. "I'm hunting again next year."

that kinda looked like locked hands at the end but what a battle

Carter was wrestling to win at the end of the match. Lewis was trying not to lose at the end..

The future of usa 79kgs right here. Guess they’d both have to go 86 in Olympic years.

These new ot rules are just as bad as the NFL's ot rules

Wow what a war.

Carter can be our first 5 timer.

Great match ! With better conditioning I believe Lewis would have won, was gassing toward end of third period, it is a long hard tournament, they both gave all they had.

16:18 DC caught slippin

I didnt understand what was wrong with the overtime before. The winner shouldnt be decided by 7 seconds of riding time like we saw so many times this tournament. Were there really that many complaints about overtime like it was too long or something?

Why don't you show college wrestling on tv u show everything but college wrestling open up one of those BTN channels for wrestling

When stamina becomes the deciding factor

They are gonna be in the finals for 2 years against each other

NASTY SNAP

Two tough hombres.

OT rideout rules need to change. No more BS riding time.

Why not an ultimate ride out?

Overtime rules needs to change/ or should be co/champs

It’s about who got more heart frfr

Bro was deff in bounds smh

I don’t understand why Lewis didn’t choose neutral and go for a takedown. He was going to have to anyways so he might as well have.

Riding time to decide an ncaa finals? Come on

Stalled at the end

Definitely a TD at 4:15

Funny I went to high school with starocci, a year or two under me.

“I know I’m a better wrestler” Class

not a fan of the riding time rule at the end.

Nick Lee is not from North Carolina

still 0 clue how starroci got to decide first position completely changes that match. Mekhi scored first... how does he not get to decide?

Is that DC

Clear takedown by Lewis.

Damn

RT rule is a dumb way to decide a final but Carter was the better wrestler anyway

That might be the worst call in the history of college wrestling.

Lewis won. Refs miss some calls

The better man and wrestler won, Starocci PSU

Kinda funny the flowrestling comments are all crying stalling from starocci abd its a stark difference in these comments guess everybody that follows flo are penn st haters

So i actually count four very big mistakes by the ref. ALL against Lewis. Lewis I thought no doubt was the better wrestler..two missed escapes. Missed locked hands. And a MAJOR mistake allowing carter the decision in OT.

17:50 doofus in the background

not a fan of this rule. 15 seconds of riding time shouldnt decide a match especially one like this

I hate this rule. Wish they'd just let them wrestle until someone gets a takedown or atleast not use riding time to determine a winner.

The commentary sounds salty.

Barn BURNER!!!!

Don’t think anybody at 174 is beating Starocci. The guy is a a STUD.

Such a dumb overtime win condition

Chain WRESTLING

If Lewis doesn’t gas out he wins 100%

15:00 locked hands

Am I the only one that thinks they should keep wrestling till someone is decided? Losing to 15 secs riding time is weak. Let the men wrestle till one physically can’t period

Nah that’s BS wtf VT should’ve had the OT choice to go in down position

eggging ref this is supposed to be the best refs in the world oh geee wow such an easy one