UVA Wrestling’s Nick Hamilton is making a name for himself in the sport. His journey, marked by dedication and perseverance, has led him to achieve significant success in collegiate wrestling.
Early Life and High School Career
Born in Council Bluffs, IA, and raised in the Omaha, NE, area, Hamilton’s wrestling career took off quickly in high school, where he became a three-time state champion, with an astonishing 199-3 career record. As a freshman, Nick was state runner up for Underwood High School in Iowa finishing with a 50-3 record at 138 pounds. As a sophomore, he finished unblemished going 55-0 winning his first state title at 145 pounds. Hamilton transferred to Papillion LaVista before his Junior season. During his junior season, he went 43-0, winning all but one match by bonus points on his way to the Class A 152 pound title. Nick enters his senior season as the top ranked 160 pounder in Class A and comes in at #5 in the NEWrestle Super Sixty.
Hamilton also has an accomplished career in Freestyle and Greco wrestling for MWC Academy. In 2019, He finished fifth in Cadet Freestyle and fourth in Cadet Greco. This past summer, Nick won Junior Greco at 152 pounds at Fargo, taking home his first National Title.
As far as wrestling goes, Nick is one of the best hand fighters to come out of the state in a long time. He is aggressive and physical with his wrestling. He said there is a few things he would like to work on heading into college though, “I just need to slow down. I got to work on my small mistakes.
Nick is thankful to all of his coaches saying “Every coach along the way has been so helpful and supportive. I can’t thank Coach Curry, Zac, Dane, Reino, Ivanov and Massey and everyone involved with my wrestling enough.” He can fully lock in on his senior season with Papillion LaVista and MWC now that he has made his decision and cant wait to get back on the mat.
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Nick Hamilton Commits to Virginia for Wrestling
College Decision and Transition to UVA
Papillion LaVista senior, Nick Hamilton has made his college decision. Nick said his decision came down to Cornell and Virginia. In the end he chose Virginia because “They have really helped me and showed how much they cared by doing everything they could to get me into Virginia and I am super thankful to be heading there” he said.
When it came time to choose a college, Hamilton’s decision to attend UVA was heavily influenced by the wrestling program’s supportive coaching staff and the University’s academic reputation. “The coaches just started reaching out to me when recruiting opened, and Head Coach Steve Garland jumped through a lot of hoops to get me to UVA,” Hamilton says. The efforts of the coaching staff to bring him to Charlottesville were a clear sign that UVA was the right place for him to take his next steps.
Nick will be joining Bellevue East senior, Garrett Grice at Virginia. Nick talked about it saying “Garrett and I are super close. I have known him for a long time and we are like brothers. Hamilton had a difficult summer losing his father, he has been so thankful to the wrestling community rallying around him saying “I am so appreciative of everyone who has reached out and offered support. I try and show how thankful I am all the time. Its hard to express how thankful and appreciative I am.
Triumph and Team Support at UVA
Once at UVA, Hamilton found more than just a top-tier wrestling program; he found a close-knit team atmosphere. “It’s like a family on the team. Everybody’s super close,” he says. “The team atmosphere is amazing. We all support each other, whether we’re vying for the same spot or not. We’re always hanging out together. The bonds he’s formed with his teammates are a source of strength and motivation, particularly during the difficult times, such as last year when he found himself immobilized for weeks at a time by injuries and illness, which included a concussion, bruised elbows, thumbs, and even a bout with mononucleosis.
He says their support changed his usually stoic demeanor when he came out on top as ACC Champion. “I don’t really celebrate when I win,” he confesses, noting the difference between how he tends to conduct himself versus wrestlers who flex or showboat in offbeat ways. Normally reserved, Hamilton was buoyed by teammates to the point where he couldn’t contain himself. “When I won, I looked up in the stands and saw my team going nuts. I actually broke a smile and gave a fist bump.
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“This guy has been through so much; so much in his life and so much this year. Injuries, illness, concussion…you name it, and he faced it this year. And yet, he overcame it all," said UVA head coach Steve Garland of Nick Hamilton. "What an amazing day. I’m so grateful that I got to be a small part of it and I’m so happy for him.”
ACC Champion and Honors
As a 2023 ACC Champion at 165 pounds, he earned All-ACC honors and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the ACC Championship. Virginia sophomore Nick Hamilton brought home the ACC Championship at 165 pounds and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the ACC Wrestling Championships this weekend, becoming the first Cavalier to win that award since Brent Jones did so in 2009 and is just the 10th UVA wrestler to ever be named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the ACC Championships.
Balancing Academics and Athletics
Hamilton’s own path to McIntire was also shaped by his father’s influence. Edward, an accountant, instilled in his son a love for numbers and an interest in finance from a young age. “My dad was an accountant and worked in finance. That was the biggest reason why I wanted to go down that path, too,” Hamilton shares. Even before high school, his father had him taking accounting classes at a local community college, laying the foundation for the academic path he would later pursue at McIntire.
Studying at McIntire while competing at a high level in wrestling requires a level of discipline that few can maintain. Hamilton’s days are packed with morning lifts, followed by classes, which give way to afternoon practices. It all leaves little room for downtime. Despite the hectic schedule, Hamilton remains committed to excelling both academically and athletically. He is currently focusing on concentrations in Finance and IT, with a potential track in Quantitative Finance.
At UVA, he’s distinguished himself in the classroom as well as the mat. “It’s a tough program. There's always a lot to do, and balancing both athletics and the Comm School is always a challenge, but I've had a lot of fun with it and I've been learning a lot. He’s on track to graduate in the spring and will pursue a master’s in accounting from McIntire in 2026-27. Hamilton had an internship last summer with an accounting firm in Charlottesville, Hantzmon Wieble, and said it was a great experience.
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Such career opportunities are “why people come to UVA,” Garland said. “It’s not just a recruiting pitch. I try to tell parents this. This place opens up doors that other places can’t. He’s got these amazing opportunities with jobs. He’s got an amazing opportunity with a master’s program he’ll be going into next year. He’s got an amazing opportunity to finish up undergrad at one of the best schools in the nation.
Looking Ahead
As Hamilton looks to the future, his goals remain both ambitious and humble. He hopes to build on his successes from the previous season and continue to improve, particularly as the ACC becomes more competitive. “I feel like I’ve really gotten better over the summer. I just hope I can show it out there,” he says, focusing on giving his best effort, no matter the outcome. That philosophy and unshakeable commitment are what brought him to UVA in the first place.
At the end of the year, Hamilton hopes to be an All-American, too. “The NCAA tournament, it’s the best tournament I've ever wrestled at,” Hamilton said. “The atmosphere is just on another level, everything about that tournament. Everybody's wrestling at 110 percent, giving their all. It just comes down to who's wrestling better on that day, who's going to be able to tough out some gritty wins. Being so close, that definitely does make me really want to see how far I can take this.
Personal Life and Interests
While wrestling and academics dominate most of his time, Hamilton does his best to indulge in his other interests. Outside of training and studying, he enjoys reading and playing video games, having recently been engaged in fighting frustrations caused by action role-playing game “Elden Ring” and diving into the pages of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic Dune.