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North Carolina's junior class produced a finalist and two returning All-Americans at the 2025 NHSCA Nationals. Lorenzo Alston's silver medal and Bentley Sly's bronze highlighted a group that proved capable of beating nationally ranked and highly seeded competition.
Two returning All-Americans climbed the podium
Lorenzo Alston
2nd145 lbs · Asheboro · K-Vegas · 7–1
The No. 2 seed pinned nationally ranked Jackson Butler in the quarterfinals and Gus Cardinal in the semifinals before a narrow 6–4 loss to Michael Turi in the championship match. Alston recorded three pins and two technical falls, improving from fourth in 2024 to second in 2025.
Bentley Sly
3rd138 lbs · Stuart Cramer · Darkhorse · 7–1
The No. 6 seed defeated top-seeded and nationally ranked Joseph Toscano, 8–2, in the consolation semifinals. Sly then pinned No. 10 Ames Michael Hoevker in 1:40 for bronze, improving on his sixth-place finish from 2024.
Gabe Rogers came within one match of the podium
Gabe Rogers, the No. 7 seed at 120 pounds, opened with four consecutive victories and reached the quarterfinals. He dropped a 2–0 decision to No. 6 Samuel Comes and then a 1–0 blood-round match to No. 10 Preston White, finishing 4–2 in a deep field.
National results built on prior success
Alston and Sly each defeated multiple seeded or nationally ranked opponents and improved upon their 2024 placements. Their performances reinforced North Carolina's growing ability to develop wrestlers who can make deep runs in elite national brackets.
Looking ahead
As the group moved toward its senior season, Alston's commitment to NC State provided another sign that North Carolina could retain elite talent within its college programs. With a national finalist, a third-place finisher and another wrestler one victory from the podium, the class entered 2025–26 with significant momentum.