MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Longtime Wesleyan wrestling head coach Drew Black is one of nine individuals set to be inducted into the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The induction dinner will take place on April 26 at the Mohegan Sun to honor the nine men for their contributions to the sport of wrestling.
 
Each inductee will be permanently recognized in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma with an embossed name plaque, and each receives a plaque and jacket to commemorate the special occasion. Black and the eight other inductees join 51 other inductees in the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
 
Black recently completed his 27^th season at Wesleyan and is the Cardinals' all-time winningest coach, recording 240 dual match wins during his time in Middletown. A two-time New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Coach of the Year, Black was previously inducted in the NEWA Wrestling Hall of Fame in January 2020. Under Coach Black, Wesleyan has qualified wrestlers for the NCAA Division III Championships in 14 of the last 18 seasons. The Cardinals have had five All-Americans in his tenure, including four since 2018 – Devon Carrillo, Isaiah Bellamy, Marco Gaita, and CJ Shea. The team has earned Scholar All-America status for 20 consecutive years while 35 wrestlers have received the prestigious Scholar All-American award a total of 57 times under Coach Black.
 
The most-recently 2023-24 campaign saw the Cardinals go 9-3 in the dual match season, earning a Top 25 national ranking. The team hosted the 2024 NCAA Regionals and took fifth place out of 18 teams with eight Cardinals earning All-Region honors and Shea crowed Most Outstanding Wrestler following his title-winning run at 165. Shea and Hayden Myers '27 both qualified for the NCAA Championships where Shea placed seventh, earning All-American honors for the first time in his career.