Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = St Olaf

One would think that the goal of an athletic director would be to create as many opportunities for his student athletes as possible.  Ryan Bowles, who tried vigorously for years to get rid of the school's wrestling program would by truthful action if denied by dishonest word, disagree with that statement.  Due to his decision a 71 year old program came to an end after the 2019-2020 season.  

The Oles were never a standout successful team, but they also never had the backing or support of the athletic department that they should have.  Despite the many challenges that the school faced, they still produced quality talent at both the NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III levels.   

Winners of the 1951 MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) Title, I present to you the best in St. Olaf wrestling. 

Michael Quast
158 lbs 

A graduate of Apple Valley High school,  Quast took seventh place honors at the NCAA Division III tournament in 1981. 

Greg Roehrick
134 lbs 

A graduate of Faribault High School, Greg Roehrick won three MIAC titles for the Oles during his collegiate career.  He took sixth place All American honors at the NCAA Division III tournament in 1986 & fourth place honors in 1987. 

Rolf Carlson
HWT  

Carlson was a two time NCAA Division III All American.  He placed fifth in 1987 & fourth in 1988. 

Chris Nord
150 lbs 

Nord was a two time NCAA Division III All American for the Oles, placing fifth in 1997 & seventh in 1998.  He was also a three time Academic All American. 

Today Nord owns his own Veterinarian clinic. 

Alex Morf

A graduate of Mount Vernon High school in Iowa, Alex Morf wrestled for St Olaf before making his way to the Broadway stage of New York.  After appearing in Of Mice and Men he has ventured from the stage to the screen to appear in the Netflix series of Daredevil & Mindhunter. 

Dave Schmidt
177 lbs 

A two time conference during a time when St Olaf was a member of the Midwest Conference, Schmidt won an NCAA Division II title in 1964.  Later that summer as well as in the summer of 1968, he finished one match shy of making an Olympic team.  He later was the head coach at Pacific-Lutheran (another program we have lost.) 

Bill Neumeister
123 lbs 

Another NCAA Division II All American for the Oles was Bill Neumeister who placed sixth in 1968. 

Larry "Ryan" Timmerman 

Ryan Timmerman was a two time NCAA Division III All American for the Oles, placing third in 2011 & fourth in 2012.