You know what they say: legends never die, and in the world of NCAA wrestling, Nico Megaludis was truly that. The former Penn State champion had one of the most successful lightweight wrestling careers ever, scoring 3 All-American titles and reaching the NCAA finals twice, placing third once, and, of course, winning the NCAA title for the 125 lbs category, making him the only lightweight winner under coach Cael Sanderson!

Megaludis wasn’t an immediate champion like Starocci; he worked his way up. In fact, it took him five years, four NCAA Championship trips, and 23 national tournaments to make it, but make it he did, and what a thrill that was. It was a night in Madison Square Garden, and Megaludis, who was playing Iowa’s Thomas Gilman in the 125-pound category, scored a takedown in the first period.

He then ended up beating Gilman 6-3, and upon the announcement of his win, he immediately ran into the stands to hug coach Cael Sanderson. The following year, in 2017, Megaludis claimed gold in the Men’s Freestyle Wrestling category along with James Kennedy and Chase Pami.

Unfortunately, in the world of combat sports, there are always injuries, and Nico faced his in 2019, just as he was preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. A torn ACL forced him to pull out of the tournament, and though Nico Megaludis did try and make a comeback in 2023 at the 2023 Bill Farrell International and consequently started to prepare for the 2024 Olympics, which he appeared in, he ultimately didn’t make it far, conceding 8-0 to Spencer Lee at 57kg.

However, none of this takes away from his brilliant legacy, a journey of trial and passion and teamwork, something that has not gone unnoticed by his fans as he prepares to move into the next phase of his life: financial advising.

Fan reactions to Nico Megaludis’ retirement announcement

Fans came out in full support of Nico, responding to the retirement announcement that he posted on his page with love and respect. “Love ya Nico! Congratulations on a great career. Excited to have to back at FR continuing to build the tradition!” One fan wrote, commemorating all the victories of Nico’s expansive career and presumably referring to his career in financial advising (or relations), where he works alongside his father, Dan, in their family business, taking on his legacy.

Another fan wrote, “Best of luck to you Nico. I have loved watching you compete. Always a class act and tenuous competitor…well done sir….” It’s true, Megaludis was understated, grateful, and focused, a far cry from some of the Nittany Lions of today, ahem, ahem, but you know, he was just a lot more subtle about the wins and humble about the losses. Yet another fan brought up Nico’s family in their message, writing, “The best to you, Nico…. You represented yourself, your family and PSU well…..” Nico Megaludis is known to often post about his family on social media, celebrating graduations and birthdays and sharing his love and success with those he most values.

Nico’s shining personality really didn’t go unnoticed amongst the fans, who seem to value that almost as highly as his talent. “Congratulations and thank you for being an awesome wrestler and an even better person.” Another fan wrote, adding, “We will always cherish the memories you created for our household. May your next endeavor be just as great as your wrestling career. God Bless!” Megaludis’ successes and nail-biting wins had an entire community of Lion supporters rooting for him through the ups and downs, and especially when he made his comeback in 2023.

But finally, one fan summed it up best, succinctly and quite poetically, writing, “Awesome career. Loved watching your career over the years. Heart of a lion.” And Nico Megaludis truly did embody the heart of a lion, large and brave and determined, something he will definitely continue to embody in this new phase of his life!