Matthew Lackman wins Alvernia’s first title with the support of brother, a fellow championship winner

Former collegiate foes on the mat, the brothers relish reuniting as teammates for a year

By Marisa Lombardo

The Parade of All-Americans, which opens the final session of the NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling National Championship, celebrates and recognizes the eight remaining wrestlers in each weight class. Matthew and Nathan Lackman participated in the parade a combined five times leading up to this year’s final session, but March 15 marked the first time they graced the stage as teammates. Later that night, Alvernia history was made.

Finding Alvernia

Alvernia was not the first collegiate stop for either of the brothers. Matthew was committed to a different university for wrestling, spending one semester there.

“Then COVID happened, and that place didn’t really feel like home anymore. Alvernia was close to where I lived, and it just felt like the right fit for me,” said Matthew, whose family resides in Lower Heidelberg Township.

Alvernia’s head wrestling coach, Kriss Bellanca, told him he would have a good experience here. And he did.

Nathan committed to Rhode Island College out of high school, knowing he wanted to move away from home and compete at the Division III level. Rhode Island was the perfect fit, allowing him to live near his sister, who resides near Providence. He became a two-time national champion: at 157 pounds in 2022 and at 165 pounds in 2023. When he finished his career at Rhode Island, he still had a remaining year of eligibility due to COVID.

“At first, I just wanted to be done with wrestling,” Nathan said. “But then life happens, and God had other plans. Coach Bellanca, Matthew and I had been talking if it was a possibility that I end up at Alvernia. Sure enough, the pieces just kind of fell together.”

An unforgettable title bout

The pieces started to come together for Matthew and Nathan to end up together at Alvernia at the 2023 National Championship. Matthew was the No. 2 seed at 165 pounds for Alvernia entering the championship; his brother was the No. 1 seed for Rhode Island. When the semifinal round concluded, the Lackman vs. Lackman final was set.

“When the semifinal ended, Nathan called me and was like, ’Are we doing this?’” Matthew said.

Nathan added: “We kind of tried to tune out the hype until it actually happened.”

Anyone watching the title bout realized these wrestlers couldn’t be more familiar with each other. The bout went to a sudden-victory overtime period. Matthew took a risk on a move, and it backfired. Nathan was able to grab the takedown over Matthew, earning the title. The reaction was subdued as the brothers embraced on the mat. Both coaching corners were relatively quiet, neither side knowing how to react.

“I remember walking off the mat, and it was bittersweet,” Matthew said. “I hugged my family and was happy for Nate. But then I walked to the backroom and was like, 'Why did I do that?’ It obviously was not the best time to try that move.”

The brothers rarely spoke of the match again. At the time, Nathan thought he had ended his collegiate career as a national champion. Matthew, meanwhile, got right back to training for his 2024 season.

“We didn’t talk about it much again; we kind of moved on,” said Nathan. “What happened, happened. What helped me was that Matthew had a few more years left and had more than enough talent to go run.”

Matthew found himself back in familiar territory at the National Championship. This time, Nathan watched with the rest of the Lackman family in the stands. But things didn’t go as planned. Matthew lost in the semifinal, ending his chance again of becoming a national champion. That moment changed everything for both brothers. Matthew coped with the loss by delving deeper into his faith.

“It was a heartbreak,” Matthew said. “But God is in the back of your head saying, 'Just stay the path and trust what I’m doing.’”

Watching Matthew lose in the semifinal was equally devastating — and consequential — for Nathan. It altered the trajectory of his path as a collegiate wrestler. The brothers met in the cooldown room after Matthew’s loss. While he didn’t discuss it with Matthew at the time, in that moment, Nathan decided to use his extra year to help his brother get the title in 2025.
 

“I thought maybe I could come back and help him out,” Nathan said. “At the end of the day, it is going to be him who earns it, and that is the reason he is a national champion. But any way I could help out, I would. I knew I had to come back."

Sharing the mat

When the 2024-25 season hit, the brothers shared the mat for the first time as teammates since high school. They made each other better, elevating the team in the process.

“When you get to coach one athlete like a Lackman, that’s incredible,” Bellanca said. “Having two of them in the same room was a blessing, without a doubt.”

The Lackman family relished watching the brothers join forces.

“Having them both together again was such a joy for me,” said their mother, Sue. “It was just like old times watching each match, one after the other, like they always did growing up.”

Nathan moved up a class to 174 pounds for the season, a year in which each brother quickly topped their respective weight-class rankings. Both qualified for the 2025 National Championship, heading to the finals for the last time in their storied careers. Matthew wrestled first. It was clear early on that the title would not evade him this time.

“I had a huge sigh of relief when he scored his first takedown,” Bellanca said. “In those last 30 seconds, I felt pretty good. To see it come to fruition was amazing.”

When the final buzzer sounded, a visible look of relief washed over Matthew as he lay on the mat, raising his hands. He had become Alvernia’s first national champion in any sport.

“It was finally real. It was finally true,” he said. “I stood up and saw all the people who had been with me the last five years. It was a great feeling.”

Most of Matthew’s family sat on the floor just beside the stage, but one more Lackman waited in the tunnel for his turn to compete.

“Watching Matthew’s match almost helped me relax and get in the zone a little bit more,” Nathan said. “I get more nervous watching him than I do competing myself. Once Matthew got the first takedown, I knew that was a good sign. It’s hard to score on him, so if he’s already winning, I’m putting my bet on him.”
 

The storybook ending wasn’t quite there for Nathan, who lost in his championship bout. But with two national titles under his belt, it was not as bittersweet.

“One of my bigger goals this year was to help Matthew get the national title,” Nathan said. “Even though he’s the one who did that, I like to think I helped at some point.”

If he could do it all over again, would he change his decision to return to the mat?

“No,” he said emphatically. “Wrestling season is brutal for anyone. ... But I would make the decision to come back a million times over. I don’t regret a single decision that I made.”

Both Lackmans will leave a legacy at Alvernia, helping to build the foundation of a relatively new program. But even though he leaves as a national champion, Matthew hopes to be remembered more for what he did off the mat.

“I hope my legacy is that I am a good person outside of wrestling,” he said. “Wrestling is something we do on the side. (I hope) the people I met can say that I brought them up more than I brought them down.”