Fairview grad Blair wins NCWA National Title in Puerto Rico

"Going into the tournament, my thought process was 'I am not here on vacation, I'm here to win,'" Blair said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I knew that if I stayed focused and left it all out there, everything would work out."

Blair entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed at 133 and earned a first-round bye. He defeated Ana G. Méndez University's No. 31 Angel Alcantara by a technical fall (20-5) in 4:31. In the round of 16, Blair pinned Big Bend Community College's No. 15 Elijah Acevedo in 6:17.

The final three matches of Blair's title run were decisions decided by a combined five points and highlighted the difference between college and high school wrestling in his opinion.

"My first year in college was an eye-opening experience," Blair said. "Everybody is good and nobody stops wrestling. Nobody gives up an easy takedown or an easy escape. Everyone is fighting for every point and the level of speed and strength increases."

Blair defeated James Madison's Kyle Hansberger, the No. 10 seed, 3-1 in the quarterfinals and Grand Valley State University's No. 6 Gabriel Martinez 2-1 in the semifinals, setting up a championship match against top-seeded Dillon Messick out of The Apprentice School.

The final match between Blair and Messick was tied at 1-all at the end of regulation. Blair then completed a takedown and earned a 3-1 sudden victory to capture the title.

"Usually I don't react a whole lot of after a win, but when I knew I had scored that last takedown I just felt like all the work I had done throughout the year and everything I had done to prepare had all paid off," Blair said. "That kinda just overtook me with a bunch of excitement and I was jumping around and feeling good."

With his championship, Blair placed his name in the Toledo record books by becoming the third wrestler in program history to win a NCWA National Championship. He joined three-time winner at 197 Adam Murray (2006, 2007, 2008) and Zach Blevins in 2018 (149).

Blair also earned NCWA All-American honors at 133 pounds. The top eight placers in each weight class make up the All-American team.

"It is really cool. It paints the picture that I can set any goal and as long as I am working towards it, I can complete it," Blair said. "You just have to have a little trust and belief in yourself that you can go out there and perform."

Blair's track record is proof that his work ethic is legit and has improved drastically in his two years at Toledo. 

Blair boasted a 125-40 career record at Fairview and capped that off with an eighth-place finish at the 2021 OHSAA Division III state tournament at 138 pounds to become the first state placer for the Apaches since 2001.

In his freshman season at Toledo, Blair went 11-8 overall and finished 2-2 at the 2022 NCWA National Championships. This season, however, Blair went on a tear and compiled a 27-1 record at 133 pounds. On top of the national championship, Blair took first at the Hawks Invite, Jayhawk Open, Ohio Intercollegiate Tournament and the Great Lakes Conference Tournament. 

"I think I have improved 50 times since my senior year of high school," Blair said. "Being able to consistently wrestle college guys and getting all these tournaments in have helped."

Blair is still eying more success and has already been practicing less than a week after the championships.

"I am not taking any time off. I still have some goals," Blair said. "I want to repeat next year at 133 or 141. We will see how big I get this offseason."

Blair's also spreading his expertise. He's been an assistant coach for Fairview's wrestling program the last two seasons.

"Coaching has been a lot of fun," Blair said. "I am the youngest coach there, obviously, so I am able to wrestle around with the guys. Just seeing them improve and being able to wrestle them and feel how much better they've gotten is something that has been really cool.

"I do want to continue coaching, but I may have to take a couple years off so I can grind out school and finish up all of that stuff."