Redshirt senior Nick Gwiazdowski won his first international title July 11 at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, Spain.

The two-time NCAA heavyweight champion took first place in the 125 kg freestyle division, defeating Deng Zhiwei of China in the championship bout despite being the lowest-seeded competitor in his division.

Gwiazdowski trailed 8-0 at one point in the match but managed to tie the bout at 8-8 before pinning Zhiwei with 38 seconds remaining.

Gwiazdowski had an excellent showing at the Grand Prix, winning his first two matches against Spain and Poland by technical fall, 10-0. In the semifinals, the Wolfpack heavyweight defeated Mehdi Gonbadani, 14-4.

The United States took the men’s freestyle team title with 75 points, 30 more than second-place Spain. The U.S. also claimed six of the eight individual men’s freestyle championships.

The victory in Spain comes less than a month after Gwiazdowski’s fourth-place result at the World Team Trials, which landed the State wrestler one spot away from a place on the U.S. squad.