All Quarter Century ISU Wrestling Team

[MeadForMyHorses]

I've enjoyed Flo's series picking their all quarter century wrestlers at each weight. It's the dog days of summer and wrestling news is slow, so I thought we could do the same here.

Who is your top/favorite/best Cyclone at each weight from 2000 to today? No other criteria than that. There is a great ISU wrestling history book listing all Americans, etc at Cyclones.com if you need a reference book. I'll provide mine once I figure it out, but it won't be as easy as I first thought.

 

[theshadow]

I'll go 1998-99 to present, since that's when the weight classes changed.

125 - Andrew Long (only one to place higher than 8th)
133 - Zach Roberson (3x AA, 1x champ)
141 - Nate Gallick (3x AA, 1x champ, 3x Big 12)
149 - Jarrett Degen (1x AA + 1x covid AA)
157 - David Carr (2x AA, 1x champ at 157; 2x finalist, 1x champ at 165)
165 - Joe Heskett (4x AA, 3x finalist, 1x champ; 3x Big 12)
174 - Jon Reader (1x champ at 174; 2x AA at 165)
184 - Cael Sanderson (3x champ at 184, 1x champ at 197)
197 - Jake Varner (2x champ at 197, 2x runner-up at 184)
HWT - David Zabriskie (3x AA, 1x champ)

 

[buf87]

That is crazy that the best at 149 is Jarrett.

 

[buf87]

Andrew Long would have better stats if he stayed out of trouble & at Iowa State

 

[buf87]

That is crazy that the best at 149 is Jarrett.

Not that I don't like or appreciate what Jarrett did for Iowa State Wrestling. The guy had a gas tank.

 

[theshadow]

That is crazy that the best at 149 is Jarrett.

125, 149, and 174 have been by far ISU's worst weights based on NCAA outcome. At least Reader won and Long finished 2nd. Nobody has ever finished higher than 6th at 149.

Total AAs and champs, not counting Covid:
197 - 13 (4)
165 - 12 (2)
184 - 8 (3)
141 - 8 (2)
133 - 8 (1)
HWT - 8 (1)
157 - 7 (2)
149 - 3
174 - 2 (1)
125 - 2

 

[SouthJerseyCy]

I'll try to take it back further. Obviously weights don't align exactly.

25 - Mike Land
133 -Dan Gable
141 - Jim Gibbons
149 -Nate Carr
157 - David Carr (2x AA, 1x champ at 157; 2x finalist, 1x champ at 165)
165 - Joe Heskett (4x AA, 3x finalist, 1x champ; 3x Big 12)
174 - Jon Reader (1x champ at 174; 2x AA at 165)
184 - Cael Sanderson (3x champ at 184, 1x champ at 197)
197 - Jake Varner (2x champ at 197, 2x runner-up at 184)
HWT - Chris Taylor

 

[theshadow]

I'll try to take it back further.

If you're going back further, then there should be a 4-year era list and a 3-year era list. Otherwise, you'll cut out guys who had fewer accolades but also had fewer chances.

 

[SouthJerseyCy]

If you're going back further, then there should be a 4-year era list and a 3-year era list. Otherwise, you'll cut out guys who had fewer accolades but also had fewer chances.

Yeah, my list is just gut feel from how I remember them. I don't feel I skewed anything based on # of years. Land, Gibbons, Heskett, Reader were only 1x. Gable & Taylor were 2x, but could you really argue against them? Really hard to leave Tim Krieger off.

 

[CycloneVet]

I'll go 1998-99 to present, since that's when the weight classes changed.

125 - Andrew Long (only one to place higher than 8th)
133 - Zach Roberson (3x AA, 1x champ)
141 - Nate Gallick (3x AA, 1x champ, 3x Big 12)
149 - Jarrett Degen (1x AA + 1x covid AA)
157 - David Carr (2x AA, 1x champ at 157; 2x finalist, 1x champ at 165)
165 - Joe Heskett (4x AA, 3x finalist, 1x champ; 3x Big 12)
174 - Jon Reader (1x champ at 174; 2x AA at 165)
184 - Cael Sanderson (3x champ at 184, 1x champ at 197)
197 - Jake Varner (2x champ at 197, 2x runner-up at 184)
HWT - David Zabriskie (3x AA, 1x champ)

Jesus Cael recruited a ton of talent in a short time

 

[KennyPratt42]

I'll try to take it back further. Obviously weights don't align exactly.

25 - Mike Land
133 -Dan Gable
141 - Jim Gibbons
149 -Nate Carr
157 - David Carr (2x AA, 1x champ at 157; 2x finalist, 1x champ at 165)
165 - Joe Heskett (4x AA, 3x finalist, 1x champ; 3x Big 12)
174 - Jon Reader (1x champ at 174; 2x AA at 165)
184 - Cael Sanderson (3x champ at 184, 1x champ at 197)
197 - Jake Varner (2x champ at 197, 2x runner-up at 184)
HWT - Chris Taylor

I think I would put Larry Hayes at 141 (he wrestled at 137 and 147). I also would put Tom Peckham at 174 (he wrestled at 167 and 177). You mentioned Tim Krieger and I would probably put him at 157 then take your pick between David Carr and Joe Heskett at 165.

 

[KennyPratt42]

125 - Mike Land
133 - Dan Gable
141 - Larry Hayes
149 - Nate Carr
157 - Tim Krieger
165 - David Carr
174 - Tom Peckham
184 - Cael Sanderson
197 - Jake Varner
HWT - Chris Taylor

Having a multiple time NCAA champs at every weight and arguably the two best NCAA wrestlers in history makes me think this is one the best historic lineups a single university could put together. I'd be curious to see what a similar exercise would look like for Oklahoma St., Iowa, and Penn St.

 

[VeloClone]

I'll go 1998-99 to present, since that's when the weight classes changed.

125 - Andrew Long (only one to place higher than 8th)
133 - Zach Roberson (3x AA, 1x champ)
141 - Nate Gallick (3x AA, 1x champ, 3x Big 12)
149 - Jarrett Degen (1x AA + 1x covid AA)
157 - David Carr (2x AA, 1x champ at 157; 2x finalist, 1x champ at 165)
165 - Joe Heskett (4x AA, 3x finalist, 1x champ; 3x Big 12)
174 - Jon Reader (1x champ at 174; 2x AA at 165)
184 - Cael Sanderson (3x champ at 184, 1x champ at 197)
197 - Jake Varner (2x champ at 197, 2x runner-up at 184)
HWT - David Zabriskie (3x AA, 1x champ)

I can still see Cael destroying people with that deadly ankle pick like it was yesterday. It was so smooth and nonchalant. Everyone knew it was coming but they couldn't do anything about it.

 

[VeloClone]

125 - Mike Land
133 - Dan Gable
141 - Larry Hayes
149 - Nate Carr
157 - Tim Krieger
165 - David Carr
174 - Tom Peckham
184 - Cael Sanderson
197 - Jake Varner
HWT - Chris Taylor

Having a multiple time NCAA champs at every weight and arguably the two best NCAA wrestlers in history makes me think this is one the best historic lineups a single university could put together. I'd be curious to see what a similar exercise would look like for Oklahoma St., Iowa, and Penn St.

Long list of Olympians - including medalists - left off of that list. Impressive.

 

[OKClones]

Yeah, my list is just gut feel from how I remember them. I don't feel I skewed anything based on # of years. Land, Gibbons, Heskett, Reader were only 1x. Gable & Taylor were 2x, but could you really argue against them? Really hard to leave Tim Krieger off.

Agree on Krieger!

 

[KennyPratt42]

Long list of Olympians - including medalists - left off of that list. Impressive.

Yeah, I focused exclusively on NCAA career, if you stretched it out to include high school and Olympic & International it might change slightly.

 

[VeloClone]

Yeah, I focused exclusively on NCAA career, if you stretched it out to include high school and Olympic & International it might change slightly.

The point is there are so many successful Olympiians even you can't help but leave some of them off - even gold medalists.

 

[MeadForMyHorses]

Yeah, I focused exclusively on NCAA career, if you stretched it out to include high school and Olympic & International it might change slightly.

I'm barely old enough to remember Ben Peterson, but 4th, 1st & 1st in 3 years of eligibility at 190 plus a gold Olympic medal and a silver.

 

[SouthJerseyCy]

I'm barely old enough to remember Ben Peterson, but 4th, 1st & 1st in 3 years of eligibility at 190 plus a gold Olympic medal and a silver.

Good callout, but you can't put him over Cael (1,1,1,1) or Jake (2,2,1,1) both with Oly Golds also.

 

[MeadForMyHorses]

Good callout, but you can't put him over Cael (1,1,1,1) or Jake (2,2,1,1) both with Oly Golds also.

Not necessarily making that claim, but how many Clones have 2 Olympic medals? Not Gable, not Cael, not Jake....