Trading the Mat for the Microphone

Long before becoming a four-year starter for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock wrestling team, a PAC-12 champion, or an NCAA All-American, Matthew Bianchi was a high school wrestler standing in front of a microphone after a match. That brief interview stayed with him.

“I felt like the coolest kid,” Bianchi recalled.

That experience shaped what he wanted next: to be the one asking questions, telling athletes’ stories, and helping others feel recognized. Years later, as a mass communication major preparing to graduate, Bianchi said that passion still guides the future he envisions beyond the mat.

Wrestling was already part of his life growing up, with a family of four older brothers who all competed — it was their way of life. One brother, Paul, especially influenced his path and first introduced him to the possibility of college wrestling.

“My four older brothers wrestled, and I wanted to do whatever they were doing,” Bianchi said. “Then my brother, Paul, began competing at a high level, and I wanted to follow the same path he was on.”

Watching his brother navigate the recruiting process opened his eyes to the possibility of competing at the collegiate level himself. But when he arrived at UA Little Rock, the transition to Division I wrestling proved far more difficult than he expected.

“I was very naive,” Bianchi said. “I thought that because I had success in high school, it would instantly translate to college. But that was not the case for me.”

Adjusting to college life while competing tested both his confidence and resilience. After going 1-3 in a competition his freshman season, Bianchi began questioning whether he belonged.

“At one point my freshman year, I almost quit, thinking, ‘Maybe this isn’t for me anymore,’” he said.

During that difficult transition, his coaches became important mentors. He also credits the support of his family and teammates for helping him persevere through the demands of college athletics. Their support helped him work through the challenges of adjusting to college athletics and life away from home.

“If you are only wrestling for yourself, it can become lonely and meaningless,” Bianchi said. “When you are wrestling for others who have supported you through ups and downs, you fight a lot harder.”

Over time, Bianchi learned how to balance the demands of being both an athlete and a student. His schedule often stretched from early morning lifts, to classes during the day, and extra workouts in the wrestling room late into the evening — but balancing both roles became a source of pride.

“When one area of your life is focused, it can make the others fall in line,” he said. “Wrestling was a huge focus. But I can’t wrestle with bad grades. So I worked to improve physically, mentally, and spiritually daily.”

Bianchi’s interest in storytelling continued to grow through his coursework, especially during a live audio course where he learned how to edit and produce audio content. The class introduced him to podcasting, inspiring his senior capstone project, Mindset With Matty — an eight-episode podcast focused on wrestling and the mindset athletes carry during and after a competition. Through the project, Bianchi interviewed wrestlers, coaches, and close friends, exploring how lessons learned on the mat continue shaping their lives long after the match has ended. The conversations not only strengthened his storytelling skills, but also deepened many of his personal relationships.

The guidance Bianchi received from his instructors and coaches shaped the kind of teammate, mentor, and person he wanted to become. As his confidence grew and his success followed, he focused on helping younger wrestlers navigate the same struggles he had faced.

“I have tried to be an open-door person,” Bianchi said. “If a teammate is struggling, I will hear what they have to say without making them feel bad, because whatever they might be going through, I have as well.”

That growth transformed the uncertainty of Bianchi’s freshman season into some of the biggest accomplishments of his career. During the 2025 season, he captured a PAC-12 championship and earned NCAA All-American honors after enduring the demanding three-day NCAA Championships tournament. For Bianchi, though, the season’s most meaningful moments had less to do with medals and more to do with the people beside him.

“That year was very special to me,” Bianchi said. “Everything I did was with guys on the team who I have been around forever and my brother, Joey.”

Joey became Bianchi’s primary training partner throughout the season, pushing him through practices, workouts, and the physical toll of competition. Together, the brothers won back-to-back PAC-12 titles and qualified for the NCAA Championship, sharing hotel rooms, training sessions, and the highs and lows that come with competing on college wrestling’s biggest stage.

“The best moments were not the matches,” he said. “It was the workouts in the middle of the night and us guys trying to laugh, make jokes, and somehow make something that is so intense, fun.”

While wrestling shaped much of his college experience, Bianchi said the future he envisions still traces back to that brief interview after a high school wrestling match years ago. His work in mass communication allowed him to explore storytelling, broadcasting, editing, and media production, giving him a different way to engage with the sport he has always been part of. Now preparing to graduate, Bianchi said the moments he values most are not tied to championships or grades, but to the people and experiences that came with them — teammates pushing through late-night workouts, coaches who challenged him, and the relationships built throughout his four years on and off the mat.