UCA’s Alston signs with powerhouse NC State

ASHEBORO — When someone makes something look as easy as Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Lorenzo Alston makes wrestling look, there’s always so much going on that the average person doesn’t see.

Alston, one of the top wrestlers in the nation, has begun his pursuit of earning an achievement only 14 other high school wrestlers have ever accomplished in the state of North Carolina. He is shooting for his fourth-straight individual state championship.

Alston, who officially announced just a few weeks ago he would be heading to NC State in the fall to continue his wrestling and academic careers, has known for quite awhile he’d be heading to Raleigh to wrestle collegiately for the Wolfpack. 

“Going into the summer of my junior year, they asked me to practice at the facility and I realized how they were treating me and knew it was definitely a place I wanted to be at,” Alston said of the Wolfpack Regional Training Center in Raleigh. 

“Before I started going there, I thought I was doing everything correct. But there’s a bunch of little stuff in my techniques. I know it’s a great program. We had an NCAA champ. Everyone on the team was ranked. Not many teams can say that.”

Alston still makes trips to Raleigh for workouts, but his concentration is now on something most would find hard to believe. Alston is attempting to become just the 15th wrestler in NCHSAA history to capture four individual state championships, with Mallard Creek’s Cameron Stinson the last to accomplish that in 2024. 

But that is not what is on Alston’s mind.

“In my first two years, I would just focus on the state championship,” Alston said. “The last two years, it’s been more of a focus on getting better as a wrestler and as a person and the accolades and accomplishments will come along with that. 

“It’s my senior year and the main thing is to have fun. Just going out there and wrestling. Obviously, I have the goal of getting the fourth state championship, but as I said before, I just want to become better as a wrestler and a person.”

Alston prepped for his senior season by having another outstanding summer. He finished as a runner-up in the National High School Coaches Association’s national tournament held in Virginia Beach, Va. He had the highest finish of any North Carolina entrant in all of the boys’ high school divisions. He is a three-time NHSCA All-American.

“Getting second place, that close away from winning it all fueled me to train harder that summer,” Alston said. “Train harder and that will carry on into high school.”

As if fighting for his fourth-straight NCHSAA individual championship isn’t enough, he’s also attempting to become just the 24th wrestler in NCHSAA history to capture 200 victories. He entered the season 157-2 with those two losses coming his freshman season.

“I remind myself what my dad always tells me,” Alston said. “It’s a privilege to have pressure. Most people don’t get that opportunity. Pressure makes diamonds and I want to be a diamond. I just use pressure to wrestle my best.”

Alston has another challenge this high school season. He won the 157-pound weight category as a junior and he’s bumped up to 175 for his senior year.

“I’m really focusing on getting bigger, stronger,” Alston said. “I feel at 57 I’m as big as anyone, but at 75, it’s going to be a bunch of kids the same size or bigger than me.”

He’s handled kids of all sizes so far in his wrestling career and there’s no reason to believe that will be any different this season.