Johnny Thompson of Oklahoma State wins title #2.
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| 2003 Champion 125 Travis Lee of Cornell |
Arguably the best wrestler to ever come out of the state of Hawaii, Lee won three state titles for Saint Louis High School before coming to Cornell. As a member of the Big Red squad, Lee was 7th as a freshman in 2002. He then won his first national title as a sophomore in 2003, taking 5th place honors in 2004. He'd win title #2 in 2005 as a senior. Post college he coached at Cornell as well as the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club working as both a bioengineer and a automation engineer.
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| 2003 Champion 141 Teyon Ware of Oklahoma |
A four time state champion for Edmond North High school, Teyon Ware did something that few wrestlers at the Division I level have ever done. He never took a redshirt. Winning an NCAA title as a true freshman in 2003, an injured neck saw him finish in 6th place as a sophomore. He came back strong in 2005 to win his second NCAA title, finishing as the runner-up in 2006 as a true senior. Post college Ware won Pan-American Bronze in 2011.
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| 2003 Champion 149 Eric Larkin of Arizona State |
A graduate of Sunnyside High School, Larkin put together an exceptionally impressive resume at Arizona State, going 120-12 for the Sun Devils. A four time PAC-12 champion, Larkin was 4th as a freshman in 2000, 3rd as a sophomore in 2001 & the NCAA runner-up in 2002 before capping off his career as the NCAA champion in 2003.
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| 2003 Champion 157 Ryan Bertin of Michigan |
An Ohio state champion for St Edward high school, Bertin went 142-21 for the Wolverines. Placing 6th as a freshman in 2002, Bertin won his first NCAA title as a sophomore in 2003. He was then 3rd in 2004, winning title #2 in 2005. Despite winning two NCAA titles, it is of interest that Bertin never won a BIG 10 title. Bertin's father, Chris wrestled collegiately at Cincinnati and his wife April was a player on the Wolverine NCAA championships Field Hockey team. Post college Bertin coached at Northwestern.
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| 2003 Champion 165 Matt Lackey of Illinois |
A two time state champion for Moline high school, Lackey was third in the nation as a sophomore in 2001, earning runner-up honors in 2002, capping off his career as the NCAA champion in 2003.
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| 2003 Champion 174 Robbie Waller of Oklahoma |
A state champion for Mount Pleasant high school, Waller was 6th in the nation as a junior in 2002. Ending his career with a record of 103-30, Waller won the NCAA title as a senior in 2003.
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| 2003 Champion 184 Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State |
A three time Idaho state champion for Sandpoint High School, Rosholt was not a likely candidate for an NCAA title when he entered the NCAA championships in 2003 in as freshman. Weeks before in the BIG 12 finals, he was upended by Missouri's Scott Barker 9-1. Upsetting his way to the finals, he faced Barker again, this time returning the beating by a score of 13-5. As a sophomore in 2004, Rosholt placed 3rd. He came back strong in 2005 and 2006 winning back to back NCAA titles. Finishing his Cowboy career at 105-20, perhaps the most bizarre fact about Rosholt is that the only year he won the BIG 12 tournament is the only year he didn't win the NCAA's. Post college, Rosholt had success in the UFC.
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| 2003 Champion 197 Damion Hahn of Minnesota |
A three time New Jersey state champion for Lakewood High School, Hahn won three BIG 10 titles for the Golden Gophers. Going 118-21 he took back to back 5th place finishes at the NCAA championships in his freshman and sophomore seasons of 2001 and 2002. Winning his first NCAA title as a junior in 2003, he repeated again in 2004. Post college he coached at Cornell as well as South Dakota State.
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| 2003 Champion HWT Steve Mocco of Iowa (Later Oklahoma State) |
Said to have been the most touted HWT recruit of all time, Steve Mocco won four state titles for Blair Academy in New Jersey before coming to Iowa to wrestle his first two years of collegiate wrestling. As a freshman he finished as the NCAA runner-up in 2002. Here I have to interject a personal story. Shortly after Mocco's NCAA runner-up performance, I witnessed him at another wrestling event where a bunch of kids came up surrounding him asking shake his hand and get his autograph. He signed all of their programs and shirts, but I'll never forget what he said to them. "I'm sorry I lost in the finals guys." It just goes to show how dedicated and seriously he took the sport. Here he was, a guy many considered to be the greatest high school HWT ever, NCAA finalist as a freshman and he was apologizing to little kids who looked up to him and admired him because he didn't win the NCAA title. He would the next season as a sophomore in 2003.
Unhappy at Iowa, Mocco took a redshirt in 2004, coming back in 2005 this time competing for Oklahoma State. He won his second NCAA title that season as a junior. In 2006 as a senior he finished as the NCAA runner-up. Post his collegiate wrestling career, he had eligibility left to play one season of football for the Cowboys. He then won three Pan-American Gold medals before switching over to MMA where he fought and coached. He also coached wrestling at Lehigh.
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Thompson previously mentioned
Hahn repeated in 2004
Lee did not repeat in 2004, but did in 2005
Ware did not repeat in 2004, did repeat in 2005, and did not repeat in 2006
Bertin did not repeat in 2004, but did in 2005
Rosholt did not repeat in 2004, but did in 2005 and 2006
Mocco won another title in 2005 after a redshirt in 2004, but did not repeat in 2006
Larkin, Lackey and Waller were all seniors
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