PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Roanoke College junior Mark Samuel won two matches Saturday at the 2025 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships to become the first National Champion in program history. The Maroons had five national qualifiers and placed 14th overall, with 75 teams represented.  

Samuel, also a 2024 All-American and a third-place finisher, won three matches Friday to advance to the semifinals Saturday morning. He defeated the defending national champion and the No. 1 seed in the bracket, Josh Wilson from Greensboro, 2-1 in a tiebreaker. Wilson had handed Samuel two of his four losses this season.

In the finals, the fifth-seeded Samuel matched up with Sean Conway from the University of Chicago. After a scoreless first period, Samuel started period two on the bottom and drew first blood with a two-point reversal. He added four points on a nearfall and sealed the championship with a takedown with 23 seconds left in the match to win 9-3.

"Winning the NCAA Championship is a dream come true for me," said Samuel. "It is something I have wanted for a very long time and accomplishing that goal feels amazing. I am proud to represent my school at the national level and take home gold!!"



Samuel, from Wilmington, N.C, finishes the season 33-4.   

The last Roanoke College National Champion in any sport was track & field standout Robin (Yerkes) St. Cyr, a 2022 RC Hall of Fame Inductee. She won the 400 meters at the 2010 Indoor NCAA Division III National Championship.

"So proud of Marky and his incredible tournament this weekend," said head coach Nate Yetzer. "He made a lot of adjustments after regionals and completely locked in. Marky has set a new standard in our program. You can win NCAA titles at Roanoke College. It can be done here. The future is bright. Congrats to Marky!"

The four-year-old Roanoke College wrestling program now has a national champion, four All-Americans and three Old Dominion Athletic Conference team titles in that span.