Iowa State's Jake Varner wins his second NCAA title to end his Cyclone career a two time champion. 2008 champion Brent Metcalf of Iowa won his second NCAA title.
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| 2010 Champion 125 Matt McDonough of Iowa |
A three time state champion from Linn-Mar high school, McDonough won the NCAA title as a freshman in 2010. Finishing as the NCAA runner-up as a sophomore in 2011, he'd once again win a national title as a junior in 2012. A testimony to how detrimental and unfair injuries can be, a back injury severly hampered him his senior season of 2013 as he finished one match shy of All American status. Despite this unfortunate end to his collegiate career, he is, as he should be, still considered one of the best Hawkeyes of all time. He coached at various levels post college and now runs the McDominate Wrestling Academy.
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| 2010 Champion 133 Jayson Ness of Minnesota |
Some blue chippers don't even know where they want to wrestle in May of their senior year of high school. Others have a clear idea by the time they're in high school. Jayson Ness knew all the way back when he was a little kid in elementary school that one day he was going to be a Golden Gopher. The original thought was that since his Dad was a hockey player, that Ness would gravitate towards the ice. Yet when winter rolled around, he found himself better suited for the mat, or at least after a while he did. In his first year of youth wrestling, he wrestled 16 matches. He lost 15 of them. Yet it wasn't too long after putting in the work, that Ness began to win matches. Earning two state titles for Bloomington-Kennedy high school, he had a standout career for Minnesota.
As a freshman in 2007, Ness placed 5th. He followed it up with NCAA runner-up honors in 2008 as a sophomore and a 3rd place finish as a junior in 2009. Making the NCAA finals again as a senior in 2010, down by 3 points it looked as if he'd once again after to settle for a runner-up performance. Yet the motto at Minnesota has always been, "If there is time on the clock, there is time to score" and Ness lived by that motto. With mere seconds left to go, Ness nailed a takedown and back points to win the NCAA title.
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| 2010 Champion 141 Kyle Dake of Cornell |
I've been following collegiate wrestling for 30 years. Albeit, as a little kid in 1991 I wasn't as passionate or fixated as I am now, but one thing is for certain. I can recall the 100+ years war between Pennsylvanians and Ohioans over who produces the best talent. Seems that with the daily battles their is always someone from New Jersey wanting to chime in their two cents. What doesn't make sense to me is why there aren't more New Yorkers making a case for who comes out of their state. If Jersey has a right to voice their opinion, I'd think producing talent like Jesse Jantzen and Troy Nickerson gives New York some credibility too. If anyone, Kyle Dake does.
A two time state champion for Lansing High School, Dake became the third four time NCAA Division I champion & the first to win all four titles at different weight classes. He won at 141 as a freshman in 2010, 149 as a sophomore in 2011, 157 as a junior in 2012 and at 165 as a senior in 2013. I'll emphasize my opinion on putting more emphasis on other tournaments during the season, by noting that Dake did not win four EIWA titles. He finished as the EIWA runner-up in 2011.
Post college Dake has had success on the international scene. Winning World Gold in 2018 and 2019, this year he won Olympic Bronze and Pan-American Gold.
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| 2010 Champion 157 J.P. O'Connor of Harvard |
A four time New York state champion for Oxford Academy, J.P. O'Connor's goal was to be the first four time All American in Crimson history. The goal looked more than attainable as he placed 5th at the NCAA championships as a freshman in 2007 and 6th as a sophomore in 2008. Yet in the round to place vs Cal Poly's Chase Pami, he lost out on his bid for his third All American honor, losing in a tiebreaker. O'Connor could no longer be Harvard's first four time All American. He needed to find a new goal. Harvard had produced two NCAA champions in the past, but neither one of them had gone undefeated during the season. Chip Harkness had lost matches during his 1938 championship season and 2004 Champion Jesse Jantzen suffered one loss that season going 38-1. O'Connor's goal was to go undefeated his senior season of 2010. Entering the NCAA finals with a record of 34-0, only one thing stood in his way. Chase Pami of Cal Poly, the exact same guy who kept O'Connor from his goal of being a four time All American. This time O'Connor would not be denied his goal as he upended Pami 6-4 to win the national title & end his season a perfect 35-0.
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| 2010 Champion 165 Andrew Howe of Wisconsin |
A three time Indiana high school state champion for Hanover-Central, Howe made the NCAA finals as a true freshman in 2009. As a true sophomore he won the NCAA title in 2010. As a true junior, he placed 3rd at the NCAA's in 2011. Taking an Olympic redshirt in 2012, he would take an official redshirt in 2013. Returning in 2014 for his final season, he transferred to Oklahoma, where he finished as the NCAA runner up.
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| 2010 Champion 174 Jay Borschel of Iowa |
Throughout the history of the NCAA championships, there have been a handful of times where high school teammates (other than brothers) have both won NCAA titles in the same season. Like McDonough, Borschel wrestled for Linn-Mar high school where he won four NCAA titles. Missing out on his freshman season due to transfer rules when he went from Virginia Tech to Iowa, Borschel had a strong season in 2008 placing 3rd at the NCAA's as a sophomore. In 2009, he'd suffer a hiccup finishing one match shy of All American status. He came back better than ever as a senior in 2010, finishing off his collegiate career as the NCAA champion. A record of 98-10, he would later coach at Northwestern.
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| 2010 Champion 184 Max Askren of Missouri |
The younger brother of four time finalist/two time champion Ben Askren, the hopes and hype for Max Askren were at an all time high when he entered the NCAA championships as a freshman in 2007. Minus a defensive fall he suffered, he had been dominant all season, with the expectation of winning the NCAA title. He found out in a hurry how cruel and unforgiving the NCAA tournament can be when he ended up going 0-2. Falling out of favor with the critics who had now given up hope on him, he recovered with a 7th place finish as a sophomore in 2008 and a 5th place finish as a junior in 2009. Even though his doubters voiced their opinions loud and clear, Askren paid no attention as he silenced them all in winning the NCAA title as a senior in 2010.
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| 2010 Champion 2010 David Zabriskie of Iowa State |
A New Jersey state champion for High Point Regional, Zabriskie was one match shy of All American status as a freshman in 2007. Placing 6th as a sophomore in 2008 & 5th as a junior in 2009, his NCAA title run came in his senior season of 2010. He ended his collegiate career with an overall record of 116-22. He later won Pan-American Bronze in 2013, as he coached at Colorado School of Mines. A reenactment specialist for the film Foxcatcher Zabriskie has helped coach MMA fighters and he had a tryout with the Cleveland Browns.
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Varner and Metcalf previously mentioned
McDonough did not repeat in 2011 or 2013, but did repeat in 2012
Dake repeated in 2011, 2012 and 2013
Howe did not repeat
Ness, O'Connor, Borschel, Askren and Zabriskie all seniors
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