High school Born in
Penns Grove, New Jersey, Martin went on to attend
McDonogh School in
Owings Mills, Maryland. During his time as a
high schooler, he became a three-time US Prep National champion, two-time
Beast of the East champion, two-time FloNationals finalist, one-time
Walsh Jesuit Ironman finalist and was also named the
Baltimore Sun All-Metro Wrestler of the Year as a
senior in 2015. Inside the state of Maryland, he was a three-time Maryland Independent Schools champion and finished his career with an 171–15 record, thirteen of those losses coming in his first two seasons. Before entering his senior year, Martin competed at Who's Number One on October 18, 2014, where he was defeated by eventual
two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia in over-time.
College On September 30, 2014, it was announced that a
junior Martin had committed to
wrestle at the
Ohio State University as the third-ranked recruit in the country.
2015-16 Martin had one of the best true
freshman seasons in the history of
the program. His redshirt was pulled to start the 2016 year and he made his dual debut on January 23, against Isaac Reinemann from
Illinois, whom he drove to a
technical fall after scoring 23 points to 7. He closed regular season with a 6–3 mark on dual meets and a 24–5 record overall. Entering the
Big Ten Conference Championships as the fourth-seed, Martin was able to place third, with a notable victory over Nate Jackson from
Indiana before being
pinned by the top-seed
Bo Nickal from
Penn State. At the
NCAA championships, Martin was the eleventh seed, however, he was able to create a massive upset and make it to the finals, where he won the NCAA title by defeating the phenom
Bo Nickal with a score of 11–9. This made Martin the fifteenth true freshman in history and the first Buckeye ever to become an NCAA champion and the first eleventh seed to do so since 1979.
2016-17 Martin then moved up a weight class, from 174 to 184 pounds. During his regular
sophomore season, he won a title from the Journeyman Collegiate Classic and placed third at the CKVL Invitational and eight at the Midland Championships. In duals, he went 11–3, adding bonus points in 9 of those wins. At the Big Ten Championships, he was able to reach the finals, where he lost to
Iowa's Sammy Brooks to place second and help the Buckeyes win the Team Title. At the
NCAA's, Martin, the sixth seed, was upset in the second round by the eleventh seed, after a major decision over Nick Wanzek. In the consolation brackets, he bounced back with four straight wins before his defeat to Sammy Brooks, being thrown to the fifth place match. Martin was able to claim the fifth place with a win over fourth-seed Nolan Boyd, becoming a two-time
All-American.
2017-18 Throughout his
junior season, Martin compiled 31 wins (25 of them involved bonus points) and 3 losses (all of them to his rival,
Bo Nickal), leading the Buckeyes in total wins,
technical falls (12),
majors (7) and dual point-difference (+60). He firstly rocked 22 consecutive victories before his first loss to Bo Nickal in a dual against
Penn State, and won the Cliff Keen and Princeton Open titles. At the
NCAA's, he comfortably compiled four victories to reach his second finale, where he was defeated for the sixth time by
Bo Nickal, now by
fall to end the heated rivalry 6–2 in favor of Nickal.
2018-19 As a
senior, he went undefeated during regular season, claiming the Cliff Keen Invitational title (named the
Outstanding Wrestler) and going 12–0 in dual meets. At the Big Ten Conference Championships, Martin was able to make his third straight final and claim his first title from the tournament. Going into his final
NCAA tournament, Martin, the top-seed, said; At the tournament, he made the semifinals with two major decisions and a pin. Going into his fourth match, Martin was a big favorite to win over Max Dean, as he had dominantly defeated him twice earlier in the season, but he suffered his only loss of the season when Dean was able to edge him by a point, creating a huge upset. Martin came back to take third-place in his final collegiate match. As a
collegiate wrestler, Martin became an
NCAA champion, a Big Ten Conference champion and a four-time
NCAA Division I All-American with a record of 121-19 for the
Ohio State Buckeyes. == Freestyle career ==