Nate Carter Chooses SMC for Wrestling

Nathaniel (Nate) Carter of Clarkston High School has signed his NJCAA Letter of Intent to wrestle for Head Coach Todd Hesson and the Roadrunners.

This season, Carter went an incredible 44-3, adding to his career record of 164-30. He is a four-time Michigan state placer and 2026 Division 1 State Champion. Carter was an All-County Champion four times and county finalist three times, in addition to being a three-time Central Regional Freestyle Champion and three-time Michigan National Team member.

He won 1st place in the Tournament of Champions and was named 1st Team All Michigan Dream Team in his 144-lb weight class.

Hesson said of Carter, "Nate has a great combination of tremendous skill and work ethic. He's a competitor who is fun to watch on the mat.  Nate himself said it best: 'all the hard work and early morning workouts have paid off!' Welcome to SMC Wrestling!"

Carter joins Preston Hammond of New Prairie, Indiana; Darius Ambs of Mason and Theodore (TJ) Mitchell of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, in the 2026 recruiting class.

In 2025-2026, the Roadrunners won the MCCAA Conference championship for the fourth straight season and qualified the maximum ten wrestlers for the national meet. SMC finished the season at #17 in the country and sophomores Santana Ramon and Kaden Lapaugh were named All-Americans.

Last month, SMC dedicated its new wrestling facility, which has quadrupled the space available the men's and women's teams from 2,688 square feet to an impressive 11,195 square feet, doubled the mat capacity, added a dedicated fitness and warm-up area, created offices for the wrestling coaches, added locker rooms for student-athletes and expanded the restroom facilities.