Indiana's Joe Dubuque ends his career as a two time champion as Oklahoma State's Jake Rosholt ends his as a three. Teammate Johny Hendricks also wins his second NCAA title.
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| 2006 champion 133 Matt Valenti of Pennsylvania |
A two time New Jersey state champion, Valenti came within one match shy of All American status as a true freshman in 2003. He'd finish 5th in the nation as a true sophomore in 2004, redshirting in 2005. He'd come back to win back to back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007, earning 137 victories during his Quaker career. He also won three EIWA conference titles during this time as well. Post college he coached at Columbia. Brother Derek was an All American for Virginia and wife Kim coached Women's Gymnastics at Ursinus.
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| 2006 champion 141 Nate Gallick of Iowa State |
Wrestling for Foothills high school as a freshman, Gallick wrestled his last three years of high school at Sunnyside earning Arizona state titles. When it came time to choose a college to compete at, Gallick chose Iowa State. He wanted to compete in an environment where when he won a huge match, it'd be in front of a huge, passionate crowd that would go wild. He had plenty of those moments at Hilton Coliseum during his time as a Cyclone. He finished 5th in the nation as a sophomore in 2004, earning NCAA runner-up honors in 2005, capping off his illustrious career as NCAA champion in 2006. He coached at Iowa State post his own collegiate career. Brother Nick was an All American at Iowa State as well.
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| 2006 Champion 149 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota |
"The Mongoose" as fans affectionately referred to him won four Ohio state titles while in high school, two for Graham and two for Perry. While competing for the Golden Gophers he seemed destined to perhaps be the best wrestler to ever grace the Maroon and Gold. He won the NCAA title as a freshman in 2006. Finishing 3rd in the nation as a sophomore in 2007, injuries slowed him down to a 7th place finish in 2008 as a junior. By the time he was a senior, injuries had become so bad that he had to default out of the NCAA tournament. Despite the unfortunate ending to his collegiate career, Schlatter graduated with 114 victories.
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| 2006 Champion 157 Ben Cherrington of Boise State |
Competing at 149 lbs for the Broncos, Cherrington lost two heart breaking matches in the Round of 12 in 2004 and 2005 to finish one match shy of All American status in his sophomore and junior seasons. Deciding to move up to 157 lbs for his senior season, not only did Cherrington finally reach his goal of All American status, he did so with the national championship and an undefeated season.
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| 2006 Champion 174 Ben Askren of Missouri |
Had it not been for a guy named Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State, Missouri's Ben Askren might have been a four time champion. Ryan Lang of Purdue might have had something to say about that, but if you look at Askren's overall win/loss record, with exception to one match, all of his losses were to Pendleton. The two time Wisconsin high school state champ for Arrowhead, was twice runner-up to Pendleton in 2004 and 2005. Once Pendleton graduated, Askren was a nuclear bomb and the rest of the field lay in absolute destruction. He won back to back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007. Post college he won Pan-American gold in 2005 and in grappling World Gold in 2009. Having a career in MMA, Askren can be heard on various podcasts talking wrestling, MMA, politics and a variety of other subjects. Brother Max was also an NCAA champion for the Tigers.
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| 2006 Champion 184 Shane Webster of Oregon |
A three time state champion for Crater High School, Webster placed 6th in the nation as a true sophomore in 2003. He redshirted in 2004. Securing a PAC-12 conference title as a redshirt junior in 2005, he entered the NCAA tournament with high hopes, but went a disappointing 0-2. He returned with a vengeance in 2006, claiming the NCAA title as a senior.
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| 2006 Champion HWT Cole Konrad of Minnesota |
With everyone throwing out names like Brock Lesnar and Stephen Neal, wondering if anyone could upend the seemingly unstoppable Gable Steveson, the name I throw out is Cole Konrad. Big, heavy, strong, quick, how many people can you name that bulldozed Steve Mocco to his back and stuck him? (Tolly Thompson is the only other that I know of). Konrad was a Wisconsin state champion for Freedom high school & he did take a while to adjust to DI college wrestling losing 10 matches his freshman season which saw him finish 4th at the NCAA's. He'd only lose thrice more after that, finishing as the NCAA runner-up in 2005 as a sophomore, winning back to back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007. Finishing his collegiate career with 155 victories, he won Pan-American Gold in 2005 before become "The Polar Bear" in UFC.
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Dubuque, Hendricks and Rosholt previously mentioned.
Valenti, Askren and Konrad all repeated in 2007
Schlatter did not repeat
Gallick, Cherrington and Webster were all seniors
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