Down Goes the #1! - Part 11

 Part 11 today will feature times when the #1 seed went down before the NCAA DI finals during the early 1990's, 90' through 92'. 

1990 118 - U.S. Gary McCall of Iowa State Upsets #1 Doug Wyland of North Carolina 5-4 in QF

A two time state champion for Cedar Rapids Washington, Gary McCall was originally slated to compete for the Tigers of Louisiana State, but shortly after committing, the program was discontinued. As a result he ended up at Iowa State instead. Surprisingly enough even though he had earned All American honors in his sophomore & junior seasons of 7th & 8th respectively, he still entered his final tournament in 1990 unseeded. Nevertheless he was more than happy to prove his naysayers wrong as he upended the #1 seed & returning NCAA Runner-up Doug Wyland of North Carolina 5-4 in the quarter finals. Proving that it was no fluke he again handed Wyland a 5-4 loss in the consolation final to finish 3rd. Wyland who ended his career with a record of 74-4, later became a Dr. 

1990 150 - #9 Gary Steffensmeier Northern Iowa Upsets #1 Townsend "Junior" Saunders 2-0 in QF

Northern Iowa sophomore Gary Steffensmeier pulled off a huge upset at the NCAA tournament when he upended #1 Townsend "Junior" Saunders of Arizona State 2-0 in the quarter-finals. Steffensmeier would go on to a runner-up finish as Saunders came back to finish 3rd.  Also an academic All American Steffensmeier would earn two more All American finishes with back to back 4th place medals in 1991 & 1992. We touched on Saunders illustrious international career in part 10. 

1991 167 - #4 Mark Reiland Iowa Upsets #1 Dan Russell Portland State 5-4 in Semi-Finals 

Dan Russell had about done it all during his storybook career at Portland State. A four time NCAA Division II champion he had been 4th at the NCAA DI tournament in 1990. Now all there was left to do was win a Division I title. All seemed promising until he ran into Iowa's Mark Reiland who upset him 5-4 in the semi-finals. Reiland would go on to win the national title as Russell finished 4th for the second time in his career. The historical significance of this moment should be noted as it marked the final time when a non-Division I wrestler participated in the NCAA Division I tournament.  Reiland who had placed 4th at the 1989 NCAA's as a true sophomore would finish one match shy of placing as a senior in 1992. He went on to a famed high school coaching career training various team as well as individual champions before his untimely death earlier this year. 

1991 190 - #8 Curt Strahm Oregon Upsets #1 Dominic Black West Virginia 14-5 in QF 

This match was quite shocking in about every way you look at it. First off it's no secret to anyone in the wrestling community that when it comes to naming off great wrestlers & where they're from that Kentucky doesn't get uttered much, if at all. Yet this was the case with #1 seed Dominic Black of West Virginia. The two time EWL champ was a state champion for Henry Clay while in high school. The other surprising thing about this match is that Curt Strahm of Oregon had never been an All American as he entered his final NCAA tournament. This made his 14-5 major decision over Black all the more eye opening.  If that weren't enough Strahm would defeat him again 5-3 for 3rd place later on in the tournament. Black ended his time as a Mountaineer 105-36 as he went on to an international career that produced PAN-AMERICAN gold in 1999 & PAN-AMERICAN silver in 2000. 

1992 167 - #5 Todd Chesbro Oklahoma State Upsets #1 Steve Hamilton Iowa State 4-2 in SF

Rivalries, one of the best things about sports. Back in the early 1990's there was a great rivalry between Oklahoma State's Todd Chesbro and Iowa State's Steve Hamilton. Both All Americans as freshmen in 1989, Chesbro was 5th as Hamilton was 7th.  In 1990 Chesbro would miss out on his second All American honor as Hamilton finished in 3rd place. It was in 1991 when the two began their back & forth battles. In the BIG 12 tournament in 1991 Chesbro would defeat Hamilton in the finals 4-3. Hamilton would extract revenge in the NCAA quarter-finals with an 8-3 victory. The momentum lead him to a runner-up finish as Chesbro finished in 8th. Now seniors, Hamilton edged Chesbro for the BIG 12 title. The NCAA semi-finals would mark the final battle between the two. This time it was Chesbro who came out on top with a 4-2 victory.  The win led him to an eventual 2nd place finish as Hamilton battled back for 3rd. 

1992 177 - #5 Corey Olson Nebraska Upsets #1 Rich Powers Northern Iowa 18-8 in SF

A battle of two talented juniors took place at 177 lbs in the NCAA semi-finals in 1992. Nebraska's Corey Olson who had failed to place in 1991 as a sophomore after taking 3rd as a freshman in 1990 pulled off an impressive 18-8 major decision of #1 Rich Powers of Northern Iowa who had placed 5th in 1990. Olson would earn runner-up honors as Powers took another 5th. Both ending their collegiate careers in 1993, Olson again made the NCAA finals as Powers finished 4th.  Olson for the record was a three time BIG 12 Runner-up as Powers was a four time Western Regional champion.  Powers later coached at both Wyoming and Illinois State. 

1992 190- #4 Mark Kerr Syracuse Upsets #1 Rex Holman Ohio State 10-6 in Semi-Finals 

I don't know if I'm good at it or if it's just plain luck but again, I end on the best of stories. Although Syracuse's Mark Kerr was the #4 seed, I wouldn't exactly call him a likely candidate for the NCAA title. After all, a three time NCAA qualifier, he had never won a match at the NCAA tournament. His combined record freshman through junior year at the tournament was 0-4. He'd have to go undefeated just to have a winning record at the NCAA tournament. That's exactly what he did. Going 5-0 he won the NCAA title in his final appearance as an Orangeman. Along the way he upset #1 seed Rex Holman of Ohio State. Holman finished 3rd and then came back in 1993 to once again earn the #1, this time earning his own NCAA title.

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Part 12 featuring the mid 90's, 93', 94' & 95' coming soon! 

Four (Or More) Time State Champions in College = Iowa

Iowa's first state championship was held in 1921. The first four time state champion wasn't crowned until 1962. This had a lot to do with freshmen ineligibility. I'm not sure exactly how it worked but I know in the Hawkeye state there was a time when certain schools could wrestle freshmen, while others either couldn't or chose not to. I'm not sure exactly when they became eligible for the entire state. 

Bob Steenlage 

Britt's Bob Steenlage was the first four time state champion in Iowa (59'-62'). Collegiately he wrestled for The Army, where he was a three time NCAA participant. He earned All American honors his senior season of 1966 with a 3rd place finish. A EIWA champion in 1965, he was runner up in 1966. 

Jeff Kerber 

Jeff Kerber won his four Iowa high school state titles for Emmetsburg from 76'-79'.  He had an outstanding career at the University of Iowa where he earned All American status on three occasions. Placing 5th in 1983 as a junior, he was 6th in 1982 & 1984 his sophomore & senior seasons respectively. He was also a three time BIG 10 champion. 

Scott Morningstar 

Winning four Iowa State titles for Lisbon from 77'-80', Scott Morningstar wrestled collegiately for Northern Iowa. Even though his career was severely hampered by injuries he did qualify for the NCAA championships his senior season of 1985. 

Joe Gibbons 

Representing both Waterloo Columbus as well as Ames, Joe Gibbons won Iowa State titles from 78'-81'. Collegiately competing for Iowa State, he had a standout career.  A four time All American, Gibbons won the NCAA title in 1985 as a junior, he took back to back 4th place finishes in his freshman & sophomore seasons, finishing 3rd as a senior.  Gibbons was also a four time BIG 12 finalist, winning titles his freshman & junior seasons. He graduated with a varsity record of 124-20. 

Greg Randall 

Greg Randall won four Iowa high school state titles for Mt. Vernon form 79'-82'. He wrestled for the Iowa Hawkeyes in college. 5th in the nation as a sophomore, he was runner-up in his freshman & junior seasons. A BIG 10 champion as a freshman, he was runner-up the next three seasons. 

Mark Schwab 

Mark Schwab won four Iowa High School state titles for Osage from 82'-85'.  Competing for Northern Iowa in college, he had quite a unique experience. Placing 5th in the nation as a true freshman in 1986, he then would get a severe staph infection that took him out for his sophomore & junior seasons. Making a miraculous comeback in 1990 as a redshirt senior, Schwab placed 6th in the nation. 

Dan Knight 

Dan Knight won Iowa high school state titles from 84'-87'. In college he wrestled for the Iowa State Cyclones. An All American his junior season of 1990 with a 4th place finish, he was also 3rd in the BIG 12 that season & a BIG 12 runner-up as a senior in 1991. 

Shane Light 

Representing Lisbon, Shane Light won Iowa high school state titles from 84'-87'. Collegiately he was an NJCAA qualifier for Ellsworth CC. 

Jeff McGinness 

Winning four Iowa High School state titles for Iowa City City High from 90'-93', Jeff McGinness had an outstanding career at Iowa. Placing 5th at the NCAA's as a true freshman, he won NCAA titles in his true sophomore & redshirt senior seasons. He was also a four time BIG 10 finalist, winning titles his sophomore & senior seasons. 

Jason Keenan 

Jason Keenan won his four Iowa High School State titles for Ogden from 92'-95'.  He decided not to wrestle in college to concentrate on his bull riding career instead. 

Eric Juergens 

Representing Maquoketa, Eric Juergens won four Iowa high school state titles from 93'-96'.  Competing collegiately for Iowa, his BIG 10 finishes mirrored his NCAA finishes. 3rd-3rd-1st-1st. 

Jesse Sundell 

Another four time state champion for Ogden (98'-01'), Jesse Sundell wrestled collegiately for Iowa State. There he was a two-time NCAA qualifier, placing 3rd at the BIG 12's as a junior in 2005. His senior season of 2006, he was also a Midlands runner-up. 

Mack Reiter 

Mack Reiter won four Iowa High school State titles for Don Bosco from 00'-03'.  Collegiately he competed for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Taking back to back 4th place finishes at the NCAA's as a freshman & sophomore, he was 5th as a senior.  He also won a BIG 10 title as a freshman, with a runner-up finish as a sophomore & a 3rd place finish as a junior. 

C.J. Ettelson 

C.J. Ettelson of Hudson won four Iowa High School State titles from 00'-03'.  He competed collegiately for Northern Iowa. Winning back to back Western Regional titles as a freshman & sophomore in 2005 & 2006, he was runner-up in 2007 as a junior & 3rd in 2008 as a senior. 

Dan LeClere 

Competing for North Linn, Dan LeClere won four Iowa High School state titles 02'-05'. Collegiately he wrestled at Iowa (after redshirting at Virginia Tech) where he qualified for the NCAA's as a sophomore in 2008. That season he also won a Midlands title. 

Jay Borschel 

Jay Borschel won four Iowa High School State titles from 02'-05' for Linn-Mar. In college after redshirting at Virginia Tech he wrestled for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Winning a national title as a senior in 2010, he was also 3rd in the nation as a sophomore in 2008. In the BIG 10 he won a title as a senior after back to back 3rd place finishes as a sophomore & junior. 

T.J. Sebolt 

T.J. Sebolt won four Iowa high school state titles for Centerville from 03'-06'. Originally slated to wrestle for Iowa State he decided not to wrestle in college. 

Bart Reiter 

Bart Reiter won four Iowa High School State titles for Don Bosco from 06'-09'.  Competing for both Minnesota & Northern Iowa while in college, Reiter's career was plagued by injuries. Nevertheless he did manage a 6th place finish at the MAC championships his junior season of 2013. 

Nick Moore 

Nick Moore won four Iowa High School State titles from 07'-10' for Iowa City West. Collegiately he wrestled the Iowa Hawkeyes becoming a three time NCAA qualifier. A BIG 10 runner-up as a junior in 2014, Moore was also a three time Midlands place-winner. 7th as a freshman in 2012, 2nd as a junior 2014 & 4th as a senior in 2015. 

John Meeks 

Representing Des Moines Roosevelt, John Meeks won four Iowa State titles from 09'-12'.  Competing for Iowa State in college, he took 6th place at the BIG 12 championships his senior season in 2017. 

Cory Clark 

Cory Clark was a four time Iowa High School State champion for Southeast Polk from 09'-12'. Collegiately he competed for Iowa. A national champion his senior season of 2017, he was twice the NCAA runner-up in 2015 & 2016, placing 5th in 2014. A BIG 10 champion in 2016, he was runner up in 17' & 3rd in 15'.  He was also a Midlands champion his sophomore season with 6th place finishes his freshman & junior years. 

Jake Marlin 

Jake Marlin won four Iowa High School State titles for Orient-Macksburg from 10'-13'. Collegiately he redshirted at Iowa & then transferred to NIACC (North Iowa Area Community College) where he was an NJCAA runner-up in 2015. 

Brandon Sorensen 

Brandon Sorensen won his four Iowa High School State titles for Denver-Tripoli from 10'-13'.  Collegiately he had an outstanding career for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Capturing NCAA All American status four times he was 4th-2nd-3rd-5th. A three time BIG 10 runner-up, he was also 3rd as a junior. To top that off three Midlands titles, along with two 3rd place finishes. All in all he was 127-17 in his varsity career. 

Carter Happel 

Competing for Lisbon, Carter Happel won his four Iowa High School State titles from 13'-16'.  Collegiately he competed for Iowa where he was 6th at the Midlands in 2017. 

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Of course Iowa still has four timers competing collegiately as it probably always will...

Brody Teske of Fort Dodge is at Northern Iowa, a BIG 12 champ two years ago was the BIG 12 runner-up this past season. 

Alex Thomsen of Underwood is at Nebraska 

Cael Happel of Lisbon is at Northern Iowa 

Matt Lewis of Centerville is at Indian Hills 

Four (Or More) Time State Champions In College = Indiana

 You know for being a "basketball state" Indiana sure does have a lot of neat & rather surprising wrestling history. Their state tournament dates back all the way to 1922 & the Hoosier state didn't take long to crown their first four time champion. 

Estell Ritter 

Indiana's first four time state champion did so all the way back in 1927. Estell Ritter stood upon the top of the award stand for times for Bloomington. I don't believe he competed in college. 

Willard Duffy 

Willard Duffy won his four Indiana High School State titles for Muncie Central from 30'-33'. He was a standout for the Indiana Hoosiers in college making the NCAA finals in 1935, 1936 & 1938. I'm not sure the reasoning but it looks like he didn't compete in 1937. Very odd considering the NCAA's were held at Indiana State that year. 

Howard Fisher 

A four time Indiana state champion for South Bend Central from 49'-52', I don't believe that Howard Fisher wrestled in college. 

Lance Ellis 

Lance Ellis won his four Indiana state titles for Indianapolis Cathedral from 86'-89'. He wrestled collegiately for Indiana. 

Blake Maurer 

Winning four Indiana State titles for Evansville Mater Dei from 01'-04', Blake Maurer wrestled collegiately for Ohio State. Unfortunately his career was cut short due to injury but he did qualify for the NCAA's as well as place at CKLV before this happened. 

Alex Tsirtsis 

Alex Tsirtsis won four Indiana State titles for Griffith from 01'-04'. Collegiately he wrestled for the Iowa Hawkeyes where he had a very respectable career. An All American in 2006 as a sophomore with a 7th place finish, he placed 5th-3rd-3rd-4th at the BIG 10 championships. Along with these accomplishments he was also a four time Midlands place-winner, placing 6th as a freshman, 3rd in his redshirt season & a runner up his sophomore & senior seasons. 

Angel Escobedo 

I imagine if Angel Escobedo reads this article he'll probably resent the fact that I called Indiana a "basketball state" because he's done & he continues to do all that he can to make Indiana a wrestling state. Winning four state titles for Griffith from 02'-05', Escobedo had an outstanding collegiate career competing for the Hoosiers. A four time All American, he won a national title his sophomore season of 2008. He was 4th as a freshman, 5th as a junior & 3rd as a senior. He was also a three time BIG 10 champion, a two time Midlands champion and a CKLV champion. 

Jason Tsirtsis 

Jason Tsirtsis won four Indiana high school state titles for Crown Point from 09'-12'.  He had an outstanding collegiate career. Starting off at Northwestern, as a freshman in 2014 he won both a BIG 10 & a NCAA title. Winning second BIG 10 title in 2015 as a sophomore, he would finish 3rd at the NCAA's.  He placed 4th at the BIG 10's in 2016 as a junior, taking 2017 off to redshirt.  Coming back as a senior in 2018, now competing for Arizona State, Tsirtsis won a PAC-12 title & finished 7th at the NCAA championships. Among these credentials, Tsirtis was also a five time Midlands place winner.  Winning the title as a sophomore in 2015 & taking runner-up honors in 2016 as a junior, he was 5th in his freshman, redshirt & senior seasons. 106-22 varsity record. 

Chad Red Jr 

Chad Red Jr won four Indiana state titles for New Palestine from 13'-16'. He had a phenomenal collegiate career at the University of Nebraska. Among his many credentials he earned NCAA qualification five times. This included a 7th place finish as a freshman in 2018, an 8th place finish in 2019 as a sophomore & a 6th place finish as a senior in 2021. In the BIG 10 championships he was a four time place-winner, making the finals as a sophomore & taking 3rd place as a junior.  A 4th place finish at the Midlands in his redshirt season, he was also a three time place-winner at CKLV. 4th as a freshman, he was 5th as a junior & 3rd as a super-senior (the extra year due to COVID-19). 

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Jesse Mendez of Crown Point will be competing for Ohio State this upcoming season. 

Four (Or More) Time State Champions in College = Illinois

 When looking over the state of Illinois I was rather surprised that considering that the first state tournament was held in 1937 that the first four time champion wasn't crowned until 1981. I understand that a lot of states didn't allow freshmen to participate on the varsity & I'm sure that Illinois was one of those states. I don't know for sure but I would imagine this having something to do with why it took as long as what it did. 

Mark Ruettiger

The name Ruettiger probably looks familiar to you and for good reason. The 1993 classic Rudy starring Sean Astin as the underweight, under height underdog who defies all odds to play one down of one game for Notre Dame football is a favorite among sports fans. That character is the real life Daniel Ruettiger aka Rudy. Ruettiger's brother is Mark, the state of Illinois first four time champion in wrestling. Representing Providence Catholic, Ruettiger won his titles from 78'-81'. Collegiately he competed for Eastern Illinois placing 6th at the 1985 NCAA championships. 

Joey Gilbert 

Joey Gilbert won four Illinois State titles from 86'-89' for Andrew. Collegiately he started off competing for Michigan where in his sophomore & junior seasons he was twice runner-up at the BIG 10's, earning All American statuses of 3rd & 6th place respectively.  He also took 3rd twice at the Midlands during this time as well. His final season he competed for Boise State where he was one match shy of earning his third All American medal. 

Mike Mena 

Winning four Illinois State titles for Newman from 89'-92', Mike Mena had an outstanding career competing for Iowa while in college. A four time All American, he was 7th in 1994, 3rd in 1995, 5th in 1996 & the 1997 NCAA runner-up. His collegiate record stood at 118-24. 

Joe Williams 

Representing Mt Carmel, Joe Williams won his four Illinois State titles from 90'-93'.  Like Mena, he too had an outstanding career for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Capturing 7th place at the NCAA's as a true freshman in 1994, Williams would take a redshirt in 1995, winning NCAA titles in 96', 97' & 98'. 

T.J. Williams 

Like older brother Joe, T.J. Williams won four Illinois State titles for Mt Carmel (93'-96').  Starting his career off at Lassen, Williams was the NJCAA runner up his freshman year. He then attended Iowa where he won two NCAA titles his sophomore & senior seasons, taking 3rd as a junior.  His record stood at 98-1. 

David Douglas 

David Douglas won his four Illinois State titles for Luther South 94' & then for Thornridge from 95'-97'.  Collegiately he competed for Arizona State where he was a two time All American in his junior & senior seasons. 7th in 2001 & 5th in 2002. Along with these accomplishments he also won a PAC-12 title as a junior & he placed at CKLV as well as Reno on many occasions. 

Chase Beebe

Representing Montini, Chase Beebe won four Illinois State titles from 00'-03'.  Collegiately he wrestled for Purdue as a freshman, competing for Eastern Illinois as a sophomore. He decided to go the MMA route afterwards. 

Conor Beebe

As did brother Chase, Conor Beebe won four Illinois State titles for Montini (02'-05').  Collegiately he competed for Central Michigan where he was a four time NCAA qualifier. After placing 3rd at the MAC championships as a freshman & sophomore, he was then the runner-up his junior season of 2009, before capping off his career with an MAC title in 2010. 

Mike Benefiel 

Another four time Illinois State champion of Montini is Mike Benefiel who won his titles from 04'-07'.  Collegiately he started off at Northwestern. He then competed for Oklahoma State where he was a two time BIG 12 runner-up in 2010 & 2011. For his final season of eligibility he competed for Elmhurst where he won the 2013 NCAA Division III title. 

Albert White 

Albert White won four Illinois State titles from 04'-07' for St. Rita. Collegiately he started out at NIACC (North Iowa Area Community College) where he won the NJCAA title as a freshman in 2008. Transferring to Oklahoma State his sophomore & junior seasons were plagued by injuries. He did recover enough as a senior to qualify for the NCAA championships with a 3rd place finish at the BIG 12's. 

Seth Milks 

Winning four Illinois State titles from 06'-09', Seth Milks wrestled collegiately for Wisconsin-Platteville. 

Johnny Jimenez 

Johnny Jimenez won his four Illinois High School State titles for Marmion Academy from 11'-14'. Collegiately he competed for Wisconsin where he qualified for the NCAA championships his sophomore & junior seasons of 2016 & 2017. H was also 7th at the Midlands his junior year. 

Jared Cortez 

Jared Cortez was a four time Illinois State champion from 11'-14' for Glenbard North. Collegiately he wrestled for Penn State where despite never being the full time starter he put together a record of 29-3. Among his wins, two over All American Scott DelVecchio of Rutgers. 

Josh Alber

Josh Alber of Dakota who won four Illinois State titles between 11'-14' is another who I personally consider to be one of the best of his era to never be an All American during his collegiate career. Competing for the Northern Iowa Panthers, Alber put together a varsity record of 111-34, among many accomplishments. A four time NCAA qualifier, after a wild card entry as a freshman he finished 3rd at the MAC's as a sophomore. He then took back to back 3rd place finishes at the BIG 12's his junior & senior seasons. A three time CKLV place-winner, Alber was runner-up his junior season, taking 5th place finishes his freshman and senior seasons. 3rd place finishes at the Southern Scuffle in his sophomore & junior seasons, he was the Midlands runner-up as a freshman, winning a Midlands title as a senior. 

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As of right now we have Austin O'Connor who won his titles for St Rita at North Carolina where this upcoming season he will be going for his fourth All American medal & his second NCAA title.