Sheldon Seymour’s six-year collegiate wrestling journey fuels season success

For most collegiate wrestlers, four years define a career. For sixth-year and graduate student Sheldon Seymour, the extra two seasons have meant growth, leadership and legacy.

Lehigh’s 125-lb standout finished the 2025-26 regular season with a 16-0 record. Most recently, he secured an 11-4 victory at Arizona State University on Feb. 21 against junior An’ee Vigil. 

The 2024-25 season marked Seymour’s breakout campaign, when he earned his first All-American honors. He finished sixth at the NCAA Championships after defeating No. 1-ranked Penn State’s Luke Lilledahl to reach the semifinals. He was also named an NWCA Scholar All-American and received the Coaches Award at the annual Lewis Dinner.

“Finally getting to be an All-American last year felt really good,” Seymour said. “It was nice to wrestle a full season and show what I’d been working on the last four years.”

However, Seymour’s wrestling career began long before Lehigh. He said he picked up wrestling in second grade and became serious about it in middle school. His main goal this year is to become a NCAA champion, something he said he’s been striving for over the past decade. 

“By seventh or eighth grade, I was watching the NCAA Championships on TV,” Seymour said. “I always wanted to be an NCAA champion.”

Coach Pat Santoro, now in his 18th season with the Mountain Hawks, said Seymour’s rise is a testament to persistence and mindset.

“(Seymour’s) been great and just been the ultimate team guy,” Santoro said. “He wasn’t the starter right away, but he just kept developing, and now he’s the No. 3 guy in the country and an All-American.”

Santoro said Seymour’s strong work ethic and focused mindset have helped him steadily improve. He also said  maintaining that approach over time leads to success. 

Seymour’s six-year career was made possible by the NCAA’s COVID eligibility relief and a redshirt season. 

He said the early pandemic years were a challenge. 

“Coming in during COVID was tough,” Seymour said. “We couldn’t practice as a full team. We were split into groups, quarantining every other week, and coaches were bringing equipment to our houses so we could still get workouts in.”

Despite the disruption, Seymour said the adversity strengthened the team. 

He said the team is much closer now compared to his first season, and they spend a lot of time together hanging out at each other’s houses. 

Graduate student Jack Wilt has trained alongside Seymour for five years and said he’s witnessed Seymour’s evolution firsthand.

“Sheldon has jumped huge levels over the last five years,” Wilt said. “It’s been really awesome to watch.” 

Wilt said Seymour wrestled in every match this season, which contributed to his undefeated record.

Seymour said his determination and steadily earned success have allowed him to recognize his own position as a leader on the team.

“I think everyone on our team is a leader in some way, but (after) being here six years, I definitely have experience I can pass down,” Seymour said.

Santoro said Seymour’s long-term experiences and consistency have made him one of the team’s most respected athletes. He said Seymour’s a quiet leader who leads by example.

Wilt said he sees that leadership in action daily. 

When Seymour asks teammates to workout with him, Wilt said it often motivates them to train even if they were considering taking the day off. He said Seymour’s work ethic pushes others to work harder. 

“He doesn’t cut any corners,” Wilt said. “He shows up every day and gets it done, and that transfers across the entire team.”

Wilt also said Seymour’s ability to lead in big moments has defined this season. During Lehigh’s dual meet against Cornell on Jan. 10, Seymour’s 8-2 win ultimately decided the team’s victory.

While his accolades highlight competitive success, Seymour said much of his development has come from mastering smaller details such as nutrition, weight management and mental preparation.

He said learning to manage those aspects has helped him improve. But for Seymour, growth at Lehigh has extended beyond wrestling. 

“On the mat, I want to be known as someone who wrestles as hard as he can and sets the tone (for success),” Seymour said. “Off the mat, I just want to be someone anyone can come to if they need something.”

Wilt said Seymour’s support extends into the classroom as well.  

Both wrestlers are enrolled in the same technical entrepreneurship master’s program, and Wilt said Seymour often helps him with coursework. He also said Seymour is strong with numbers and finance and helps him understand difficult concepts.

As an undersized recruit who was under the average weight of a college wrestler, Seymour said not everyone expected him to reach the level he has. But by believing in himself and relying on his relationships for support, he’s achieved success. 

“The coaches always believed in me,” Seymour said. “Loyalty is a big thing for me and I never thought about transferring, I just trusted that everything would work out.”

Seymour said he’s more confident than ever and still chasing the same goal he had as a young wrestler watching the NCAA finals on television.

At the EIWA Championships on March 7, Seymour won his second career title with a 17-6 decision over Navy’s Andrew Binni. 

The win qualified Seymour for the NCAA Championships, scheduled for March 19-21 at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.