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Michigan

Shane Griffith personifies grit, toughness for Michigan to close out wrestling career

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko03/23/24nickkosko59
Screen Shot 2024-03-23 at 2.00.39 PM
Sam Janicki/WrestlersGrind on Twitter

Shane Griffith went out on his sword, and battered physique, with a 4-0 decision over Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis to finish in 3rd place in the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

The man who once saved Stanford’s wrestling program by winning a national title in 2021, with a simple black singlet no less, finished his career as a five-time All-American. In his grad year at Michigan, Griffith ultimately fell short of his goal of another national title, but fondly remembered his wrestling career.

Dinged up with a knee injury suffered in the Big Ten Championships and a bandaged head, Griffith

“I think I’ve had a unique experience,” Griffith said. “I’ve had 10 plus coaches in college career … so it’s been a rollercoaster up and down. I said before it’s about meeting great people and the connections you make.”

Griffith was named an All-American in 2020 by the NWCA due to the canceled tournament amid COVID. Then in 2021, he won a national title for Stanford and finished 2nd, 5th and 3rd, the last being with Michigan, to close out his career.

Facing a former national champion in Lewis, who won it all at 165 pounds in 2019, was a long time coming. The two New Jersey high school legends finally faced off in what very well could’ve been a bout in the national finals, had the seedings been different.

“It’s always great winning, great beating a prior national champ, I’m happy I did that,” Griffith said. “Obviously not the ideal scenario either of us wanted to be in. But it’s always good to get the job finished, get a win, finish my career on a win too. That’s pretty cool.

“It was funny I was talking to some people about that. Mekhi and I have been kinda dominating the scene since we’ve been young. It was awesome watching him come to the collegiate level and win that national championship. just knowing that i was capable of doing that, i think he pioneered the way for me personally … Nothing but respect for him. Jersey dog, Jersey brother.”

The amount of toughness Griffith had to show was admirable. He faced three-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci (Penn State) in the semifinals.

Starocci was seeded No. 9 due to medically defaulting out of the conference tournament. In what also could’ve been an NCAA final was a close loss in the semis for Griffith.

“This tournament is hell,” Griffith said with a laugh. “But you gotta expect that coming in. Our coaches emphasized that, big Lucas (Davison) was saying in his post (press) conference interview about grit and being tough. Our coaches emphasize that. No matter how bad you’re down mentally, physically, it’s about being gritty and tougher than the other guy.”

In the match against Lewis, it wasn’t going to get any easier. Even wrestling for third, you’re going to see the best guys in the country.

“People don’t fight,” Griffith said. “I was in on a couple of attacks, I was so pissed off he fought through and making me work my butt off, but I finally got one. We talk about just being tough. It’s war out there … People are going to fall and you see it happen and dreams were crushed. It sucks, it hurts to watch. Even my dreams fell through.

“You don’t like to see teammates go through that. Coming to NCAAs is like going to war. People are going to flourish and some people are going to go down. That’s the beauty in it and it sucks in the moment but I’ll be happy for all of the memories I made.”

As far as the future is concerned, the competitive days look to be over for Griffith. Maybe some handball, as he alluded to, is in his future as well.

“I don’t know,” Griffith said. “Kind of just living, wake up tomorrow, give my mom and dad a hug, sister a hug, life goes on.”