It was like a dream, Vince Robinson told reporters after the match.
Robinson, a North Carolina State University redshirt freshman and 2023 Homewood-Flossmoor High School graduate, beat Oklahoma State’s Troy Spratley 2-1 in overtime to win the 125-pound NCAA national wrestling championship March 22 in Philadelphia.
Tied at 1-1 after sudden victory, they went to ride outs where Robinson earned an escape in just two seconds. It was the turning point in the match. Spratley then chose to go neutral and wasn’t able to get a takedown.
Robinson is the fourth national champion under NC State coach Pat Popolizio and eighth overall. The Wolpack finished eighth as a team with 46.5 points.
He was seeded No. 4 in the bracket.. He was near the top of the national rankings in his class all year, finishing 24-3.
Robinson beat Iowa’s Joey Cruz (12-1 major decision) in the opening round, then needed a last-second takedown to top Princeton’s Marc-Anthony McGowan (6-4) in the next. He went on to get close wins over Rutgers’ Dean Peterson (4-2) and Lehigh’s Sheldon Seymour (4-2) on his way to the final.
The season was filled with adversity. He wasn’t even in the starting lineup at first, losing a wrestle off to teammate Jakob Camacho. Once he earned his position back, he tore his right meniscus in December and needed surgery to recover. He came back and then sprained his LCL on Jan. 31.
He fought his way back and finished second at the ACC meet, losing 4-1 in sudden victory to Virginia Tech’s Eddie Ventresca in the final there.
Robinson never won a state title in high school. He took first in the prestigious Powerade and Walsh Ironman tournaments, but never stood on the top step of the podium in Champaign. He finished second twice.
With seconds remaining, Robinson’s family could be seen excitedly celebrating in the background of the ESPN broadcast. His father Vasil is an H-F wrestling assistant coach. His brother Jaydon, a 2024 Vikings graduate, is an NC State freshman.
After the final buzzer, Robinson did his signature backflip celebration that locals got to know when he was in high school.
Robinson did not respond to requests for comment for this story.