FERRUM, Va. -- Ferrum College freshman Ezekiel Keel was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2026 NCWA Mid-Atlantic Conference Wrestling Championships Saturday, March 14, at Liberty University. 

Keel won the 125-pound weight class, posting a 3-0 mark en route to the title, including two pins and a major decision. He earned a bye in the opening round, then pinned Landon Starnes of host Liberty University in a time of 50 seconds in the quarterfinal round.

Keel then pinned Logan Smith of University of North Carolina at Charlotte in a time of 1:30 in the semifinals. 

In his title match, Keel posted an impressive major decision over Lucas VanNstrand of The Apprentice School, winning 15-5.

After the tournament, Keel was presented the Most Outstanding Wrestler award, one of two major awards for the Panthers. Ferrum Head Coach Blake Roulo was named Mid-Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year, an award voted upon by head coaches of teams competing at the Mid-Atlantic Championships.

Roulo's #5-ranked team will close out the season at the 2026 NCWA National Championships, to be held Thursday through Saturday, March 26-28, at Brookshire Grocery Arena in Shreveport, Louisiana.