Some of the best wrestling colleges in the nation are found in the Midwest and others are Ivy League schools.
Wrestling is a sport that pits two competitors against each other in the battle for superior position on a mat. Points are scored for taking down an opponent, escaping from his hold or reversing from being held to holding an opponent. The ultimate goal is to pin your opponent's shoulders on the mat to close out a match. Wrestling is offered as a scholarship sport at colleges all over the United States, with many of the most successful programs being located in the Midwest.
Oklahoma State
Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma State University was one of the top wrestling programs in the country once again in 2010. As of 2010, the Cowboys had won 34 team national championships in wrestling, a record for most titles by a school in a single sport. Oklahoma State's storied wrestling program has produced 133 individual national champions as of 2010, with Pat Smith as one of its most distinguished alumni due to his record four individual crowns. The Cowboys had a run from 2003 to 2006 of four consecutive team national championships in wrestling.
Oklahoma State University
107 Whitehurst
Stillwater, OK 74078
405-744-5000
www.okstate.com/sports/m-wrestl/okst-m-wrestl-body.html
Iowa
The wrestling program at the University of Iowa won three consecutive national titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010 to bring its total number of NCAA championships in the sport to 23. The Iowa City university ranks second with that number of titles, but all of its winning has come in the last 35 years. The school's wrestling program started in 1911 and won its first title in 1975 under the guidance of coach Gary Kurdelmeier. In 1976, assistant Dan Gable, the former Iowa State and Olympic star, took over the Hawkeye program, and vaulted the squad to a dominating position with 15 NCAA titles and 21 straight conference crowns. From 1978 to 1986, Iowa won nine national titles in a row. Gable retired in 1997 with a career record of 355-21-5. Former Iowa athlete Tom Brands is the current coach of the Hawkeyes, and the team has returned to championship form.
University of Iowa
Carver Hawkeye Arena
Iowa City, IA 52242
319-335-3500
www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-wrestl/iowa-m-wrestl-body-main.html
Iowa State
Iowa State University has eight NCAA wrestling titles on its resume, but none since 1987. That championship is a significant one because it broke the nine-year national title run of Iowa, the team that was coached by former Cyclone star Dan Gable. Gable is a key figure in the history of Iowa State wrestling, as he is well known for his successes on the mat there, where he lost just one match, his very last one, during his four-year run. Gable also was a 1972 OIympic gold medalist, a tournament in which he was not scored upon. Cael Sanderson is another prominent name in the school's history as a four-time national champion. The Cyclones brought in former Olympic coach Kevin Jackson in 2009 as they have been on top of the Big 12 Conference in recent years.
Iowa State University
1800 South Fourth Street
Ames, Iowa 50011-1140
515-294-5822
www.cyclones.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&SPID=4248&SPSID=46632
Harvard
Under head coach Jay Weiss, the Harvard University wrestling program became a force in NCAA wrestling during the 1990s and the 2000s. Weiss uses the combination of the academic atmosphere and the discipline of wrestling to build a competitive team. During Weiss' first 16 years as coach, up through 2010, the school produced 16 All-Americans and two national champions after seeing just seven athletes earn All-America honors during the program's first 80 seasons. Harvard has made it a habit to finish among the top 50 wrestling programs in NCAA Division I. The Ivy League, operating without athletic scholarships, has a number of strong wrestling programs and Harvard has put itself high on the list of its most successful programs.
Harvard University
Department of Athletics, Murr Center
65 North Harvard Street
Boston, Mass. 02163
617-495-3454
www.gocrimson.com/sports/wrest/index
Michigan
They have been competing in wrestling at the University of Michigan since 1921 and over the years, the university's wrestling team has won 730 dual meets while losing just 303. The Wolverines record in the Big Ten conference is even more impressive at 432-171-17. Michigan has had 20 wrestlers win individual national titles, 20 individual NCAA champions and coach Joe McFarland, who took over in 1999, has crafted a strong program that wins conference titles and competes well on the NCAA national stage. Between the years of 2001 and 2008, the Wolverines finished in the top 10 nationally every year.
University of Michigan
2350 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-763-4423
www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-wrestl/mich-m-wrestl-body.html
Tags: Iowa State, Oklahoma State, State University, wrestling program, national titles, sports m-wrestl