Newsday's 2026 Marcus A. Henry Award winner: Long Beach's Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez

He was the honorary police chief for a day for the City of Long Beach as an eighth-grader.

He captured three state Division I wrestling championships for Long Beach High School.

In May, he became the first Congolese wrestler to win two gold medals at the African National Freestyle Championships in Egypt, taking both the under-20 crown and the senior title at 125.5 pounds.

But Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez is much more than an accomplished wrestler.

He was an excellent student at the top of his class, maintaining a straight-A average. In his free time, he volunteers at the Skudin Surf School in Long Beach and with the New York Gladiators Youth Wrestling Club for children between the ages of 4 and 12.

The next stop is representing the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Olympic trials for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

Before the curtain came down on his high school career, Sibomana-Rodriguez was honored by the Yankees during the 17th edition of the HOPE Week initiative (Helping Others Persevere & Excel) on June 16 at Yankee Stadium.

He was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch. That could be a daunting experience for anyone, but as Sibomana- Rodriguez has proved, nothing fazes him. Especially not after all the challenges he’s faced in his life.

“I got this,” he said with a confident smile. “I have a good arm.”

Of course, he fired a strike and took the final bow in an incredible high school journey, punctuating the moment with his signature cartwheel to a backflip on the infield grass to the delight of the crowd.

He exited the Stadium for a limousine ride to JFK Airport and a late-night flight to the University of North Carolina, where he will wrestle on full scholarship.

But not before he earned another honor.

For all of his accomplishments, Sibomana-Rodriguez was the perfect choice for Newsday’s 13th annual Marcus A. Henry Award, presented to a student-athlete who excels in the classroom and athletics and displays character and leadership in the community.

The honor is named in memory of Henry, a former Newsday sports reporter and dedicated community leader who died April 1, 2014, at the age of 41.

Sibomana-Rodriguez accepted the Marcus A. Henry Award at Yankee Stadium with his family in attendance.

“This is such an honor,” he said. “I share this award with everyone that’s helped shape me into the person I am. There were so many great people that cared about me. I’m very proud.”

‘He’s beautiful in every way’

In 2013, at the age of 6, Sibomana-Rodriguez was playing just outside his village of Rutshuru in the jungle of the Virunga National Park, a vast animal preserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa, when a troop of chimpanzees attacked him and two family members. His brother and cousin were killed in the attack.

Sibomana-Rodriguez survived but was left with horrific injuries to his lips, ears and face. His right ear and facial muscles were gone and the middle finger on his left hand was bitten off. The attack made it difficult for him to speak or swallow.

His adoptive mother, Marissa Rodriguez, said she knew the moment she met Dunia on a local beach in 2016 that he was special.

“He’s overcome an unimaginable tragic experience,” she said. “I fell in love with him the second we met. And when we officially adopted Dunia, we decided that education was a priority over sports. Education comes first, and if he wants to be a student-athlete, he needs to be a good student.

“He spoke Swahili, not English, when he arrived from Congo, so he struggled with reading and writing in the beginning. His grades needed to stay up to continue wrestling. That’s a challenging balance for any student-athlete.”

Sibomana-Rodriguez learned English and started to perform well in the elementary classroom. He started to understand the importance of time management to balance academics with his leisure activities of soccer, swimming and wrestling.

His adoptive father, Miguel Rodriguez, who also coaches Dunia on the Long Beach school team, said it’s a laser focus that allows his son to succeed in the classroom and in sports.

“Dunia embodies all of the traits of what this award represents,” Rodriguez said. “He’s beautiful in every way. We’re so proud of him. He leads by example and gives back to his community. And he’s so humble. The award is a byproduct of always doing the right thing.”

Long Beach wrestling coach Ray Adams said: “He’s a remarkable young man. He’s a champion on and off the mat. He’s a great student and a leader in our school — one that kids admired and followed.”

‘Inspiring story’

Sibomana-Rodriguez said that when he graduates from college, he wants to return to Congo and do anything he can to help his country.

But none of it would have been possible if not for his remarkable recovery.

Sibomana-Rodriguez was brought to the United States in December 2015 by a New York-based, nonprofit surgical care program at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, where a team of surgeons began his care. Dr. Alexander Dagum, the executive chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Stony Brook Medicine, and Dr. Leon Klempner, an associate professor of dentistry at the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine and the founder of the nonprofit organization Smile Rescue Fund for Kids, teamed to care for Sibomana-Rodriguez.

“His is an inspiring story of courage and perseverance,” Adams said. “He’s loved by everyone. He wants to make an impact on this world and I believe he will.”

When Sibomana-Rodriguez was brought to the United States, he needed an interpreter at Stony Brook Hospital to communicate with nurses and doctors. They had a professor from the university who spoke the language to help him. Sibomana-Rodriguez has endured 21 facial surgeries to date.

Family life

With the help of three foster families, Sibomana-Rodriguez learned English and eventually was introduced to Miguel Rodriguez and his then-fiancee, Marissa Carruci. It was an encounter that would change their lives.

After living with loving foster families in Smithtown, Hauppauge and Brooklyn, Sibomana-Rodriguez found his forever home in Long Beach. He moved in with the Rodriguez family in 2017 and was officially adopted in 2018. He became a permanent U.S. resident in 2019.

“His journey from Day 1 is so incredible,” Marissa said. “It’s deep and heartwarming because so many people were a part of it.”

Miguel and Marissa were married in the summer of 2017 and became the fourth and final foster family to care for Dunia. It wouldn’t be long before he was introduced to another part of the Rodriguez family — wrestling. “Once he found wrestling,’’ Marissa said, “he found his confidence.”

The rise

Sibomana-Rodriguez burst onto the wrestling scene and won the Nassau 102-pound title as an eighth-grader. He shocked the state with a pin in 1:32 of top-seeded Ryan Ferrara of Chenango Forks in the state championship at MVP Arena in Albany on Feb. 26, 2022.

It was the beginning of something special, an unforgettable five-year run of greatness. He experienced the full gamut of disappointment to exhilaration, as he placed second and third and captured three state Division I championships.

“Life is a journey and will have ups and downs,” Miguel Rodriguez said. “Dunia knows all about life’s ups and downs. Losses are character-builders. He learned from every loss, using it as fuel to turn the experience into his motivation.”

After his state crown as an eighth-grader, Sibomana-Rodriguez finished third and second the next two years before regaining his spot atop the podium.

And 2025 would be his year of redemption.

The state championship that eluded him for two years arrived in fantastic fashion. In the state final, Sibomana-Rodriguez allowed an escape with one second left in regulation to force overtime with the score tied at 2. He pushed the action in overtime, catching two-time defending state champion Cooper Merli of Newburgh Free Academy with a whip 30 seconds into the period and pinning him in 6:44 to claim the state Division I title at 116 pounds.

“We told him no one knows your pain,” Long Beach assistant coach Leo Palacios said. “You’re built differently. No one can truly understand your pain. Their challenges are nothing like yours every time you step on the mat.”

Sibomana-Rodriguez rolled into his senior year hunting for a third state title. Along the way, he won his fifth consecutive Nassau title to join Long Beach’s Jacori Teemer and Syosset’s Vito Arujau as the only wrestlers in Nassau history to win five Division I crowns.

Sibomana-Rodriguez capped his spectacular career by winning a third state Division I title to become Long Beach’s second three-time state champ, joining Al Palacio (1980-82). He also earned his 200th career win during the state tournament and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler. He finished with a 208-17 career record.

“We were blessed to have Dunia in Long Beach,” Adams said. “He changed lives and people’s perspectives on life.”

Even one of the biggest sports stars in the world could see that.

“I singled this story out for HOPE Week. I really wanted to meet Dunia,” said Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ three-time American League MVP. “He brings a light, a joy. He showed up here with that big smile. He’s also a smart individual. What really impressed me was his plan for college and what’s next. He said he’d study business and go back to his country to help his people. That’s amazing. I’ll be rooting for him.”