This was a very special tournament for me. For one, it was the first one I ever attended. I can remember that Saturday very well. My Dad and I were preparing to watch the finals on TV when we got a call from a member of our wrestling club. They had tickets to the finals. If we wanted to go, we had to meet them in Oskaloosa. When were arrived in Oskaloosa, we decided to car pool. My Dad wanted to ride with a buddy of his, but there was only enough room for him & not me. So Dad rode with him, while I rode up with future 3 time NCAA qualifier Dominick Moyer of Nebraska, who currently coaches at Northern Illinois. On the way up I can remember Dominick's mother Dorsha saying to me that she couldn't believe how well I raddled off stats and facts. She and Dominick's father, Dennis both suggested that I one day look into doing coverage for wrestling because I was so good at it. Funny how all these years later, here I am doing it.
Anyway, that little side story aside...
Cary Kolat of Lock Haven finished off his career as a two time champion
1993 & 1994 champion Lincoln McIlravy of Iowa returned to win his third title.
Joe Williams of Iowa won title #2 of 3.
Oklahoma State's Mark Branch, champion in 1994 finished off his career with his second NCAA title
Kerry McCoy of Penn State, champion in 1994, returned to finish off his career with his second NCAA title.
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| 1997 Champion 118 Jesse Whitmer of Iowa |
With so many great stories in the history of collegiate wrestling, it's hard to top the story of Jesse Whitmer. It's one that I can hear & 10 minutes later I don't mind hearing it again. If I had to pick my all time favorite moment in NCAA collegiate wrestling, it might be the moment when Whitmer won the NCAA title & turned pointing a thank you in the direction of his coach Dan Gable.
Whitmer, who won a state title as a sophomore for Eagle Grove, finishing 3rd in all of his other seasons, was not a likely candidate for the NCAA title. Matter of fact, in his first three seasons as a Hawkeye, he sat behind other wrestlers. Yet Gable never lost faith in him, repeatedly telling him that he knew he could win an NCAA title. Even when Whitmer finished a disappointing 4th at the BIG 10 tournament, Gable still believed in him. Entering as the #6 seed, Whitmer fought through the bracket, to win the NCAA title in his only season as the varsity starter for the Hawkeyes.
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| 1997 Champion 126 Eric Guerrero of Oklahoma State |
Guerrero came to Oklahoma State from Independence High School in California. Putting together a career record of 117-13, Guerrero placed 5th at the 1996 NCAA championships winning NCAA titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Post college he won Pan-American Silver and Bronze, along with World Cup Gold. An assistant coach at Oklahoma State, his wife is a former Miss Texas.
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| 1997 Champion 134 Mark Ironside of Iowa |
Competing for Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Ironside's last three years of high school he placed 3rd, before winning two state titles. Ironically enough, the last three years of his collegiate career would mirror his high school career. After placing 6th in the nation as a sophomore in 1995, Ironside was 3rd as a sophomore in 1996, winning back to back NCAA titles in 1997 and 1998. He went 127-10 overall for the Hawkeyes. Today Ironside runs his own apparel store with various clothing items and while I'd more so refer to it as "coaching from the booth" he calls Iowa wrestling on the radio.
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| 1997 Champion 177 Barry Weldon of Iowa State |
After placing 3rd in the state of Oklahoma for Madill High school, Weldon moved to Colorado where he won three state titles in a row for Cherry Crook High. Competing for the Cyclones, Weldon was 5th in the nation as a junior in 1996, winning the NCAA title in 1997 as a senior. He went 104-37 overall. He later coached at Oklahoma.
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| 1997 Champion 190 Lee Fullhart of Iowa |
A three time state champion for Decorah High, Fullhart was another standout on the Iowa Hawkeye team. Placing 4th as a freshman in 1996, Fullhart's NCAA title came in his sophomore season of 1997. He would finish 3rd in 1998 and as the NCAA runner-up in 1999. He went 107-18 during his career.
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Kolat, McIlravy, Williams, Branch and McCoy previously mentioned
Guerrero and Ironside both repeated
Fullhart did not
Whitmer and Weldon both seniors
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