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    T.R. Foley •

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    Foley: Top ten true freshmen over past ten years

    Top-ranked Michigan heavyweight Adam Coon and Penn State 141-pounder Zain Retherford are both undefeated heading into their final two months of their true freshman seasons. Though neither is likely to retain their perfect season, it got us thinking about which wrestlers of the past ten years had the most impressive campaigns as true freshmen.

    Here's our list of top ten freshmen of the past ten years.

    Honorable Mention:

    Hunter Stieber (Ohio State)
  • NCAA sixth-place finisher in 2012

    Logan Storley (Minnesota)
  • NCAA sixth-place finisher in 2012

    James Green (Nebraska)
  • NCAA seventh-place finisher in 2012

    Devin Carter (Virginia Tech)
  • NCAA round of 12 in 2011

    Alan Waters (Missouri)
  • 39-7 in 2010-2011

    Quentin Wright (Penn State)
  • NCAA sixth-place finisher in 2009

    Kellen Russell (Michigan)
  • Big Ten champ, 2-2 at NCAAs in 2008

    Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State)
  • NCAA eighth-place finisher in 2005

    Cashe Quiroga (Purdue)
  • NCAA sixth-place finisher in 2010

    10. Nick Gwiazdowski (Binghamton/North Carolina State)
  • NCAA eight-place finisher in 2012

    Summary: Winning as a freshman is always difficult, but special consideration has to be paid to any wrestler who can come out of high school at 18 and mix it up with 285-pound goliaths for five months. Nick Gwiazdowski was as unlikely an All-American as there ever was when he took home a plaque in 2012, and his performance against bigger and stronger men proved that true freshman success could stretch to heavyweights.

    9. Cam Tessari (Ohio State/Hofstra)
  • NCAA fourth-place finisher in 2012

    Cam Tessari finished fourth at the 2012 NCAAs after losing in the opening round (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    Summary: One of the biggest recruits for Ohio State head wrestling coach Tom Ryan in 2011, Cam Tessari was one of the Monroeville High School wrestlers many fans thought would lead the program for the next five seasons. Tessari fulfilled his promise in 2012 by earning a 10th seed at the NCAA tournament and then outperforming that seed to finish fourth at 149 pounds. The Ohio native, who has battled inconsistency over his first two seasons, has since transferred to Hofstra where Rob Anspach is hoping Tessari can recreate his freshman magic.

    8. Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma/Oklahoma State)
  • NCAA fifth-place finisher in 2010

    Tyler Caldwell reached the NCAA semifinals in 2010 by defeating Chris Brown of Old Dominion in the quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Summary: Unseeded heading into the 2010 NCAA tournament, Tyler Caldwell used a close 3-2 tiebreaker win over fifth-seeded Colt Sponseller (Ohio State ) to propel him into the quarterfinals against Old Dominion's Chris Brown. After a 2-1 decision over Brown, Caldwell battled to a 4-1 decision loss to Andrew Howe in the semifinals. Not much had been expected of Caldwell heading into the NCAA tournament, but that run on the front side of the bracket, plus a win over ninth-seeded Andy Rendos of Bucknell, made Caldwell one of the best true freshman wrestlers of this decade.

    7. Lance Palmer (Ohio State)
  • NCAA fourth-place finisher in 2007

    Summary: Lance Palmer, a four-time Ohio state champion, was a top ten wrestler all season, and at NCAAs found himself facing Matt Coughlin (Indiana) in the quarterfinals. He won 2-1, and thought he'd drop his semifinal match to Josh Churella (Michigan), 5-2. Palmer would go on to earn a respectable fourth-place finish. Palmer was tremendous on the mat, which allowed him to make a smooth transition to Division I college wrestling.

    6. J.P. O'Connor (Harvard)
  • NCAA fifth-place finisher in 2007

    Summary: Wrestling in the shadow of Harvard NCAA champion Jesse Jantzen could have been crippling for four-time New York state champion J.P. O'Connor. But by the end of the 2007 season it was obvious that O'Connor had learned that you could win an NCAA title by being better on the mat. With arguably the best ride in the history of NCAA wrestling, O'Connor managed his way into sixth place in a loaded 149-pound weight class in 2007.

    5. Nico Megaludis (Penn State)
  • NCAA runner-up in 2012

    Summary: A surprise NCAA finalist two seasons ago, Nico Megaludis has since become the type of top-tier wrestler every program wants. He's fun to watch, aggressive on his feet, and puts on stunning displays of flexibility and creativity in shot defense. Whether he's hitting the splits, or working counter-offense, Megaludis was, and still is, a top contender.

    4. Troy Nickerson (Cornell)
  • NCAA runner-up in 2006

    Summary: The first five-time state champion from New York State, there was plenty of hype following Troy Nickerson to Ithaca in 2005-06. For the most part, Nickerson delivered on that hype. Under the guidance of Cornell head coach Rob Koll and then-assistant Steve Garland, Nickerson utilized a brutal top game and aggressive counter offense to make a run to the NCAA finals.

    3. Andrew Howe (Wisconsin/Oklahoma)
  • NCAA runner-up in 2009

    Summary: Though he's now in his sixth season and growing roots at the NCAA tournament, there was a time (last decade) when Andrew Howe was fresh on the scene. A Donny Pritzlaff duplicate, Howe excelled at Wisconsin in his true freshman season by doing what Donny had done years earlier -- working the head, keeping position, and giving up stunningly few points. He's the favorite to win in 2014, and with two championships and four top-three NCAA finishes, Howe will go down as one of the best of all time.

    2. Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota)
  • NCAA champion in 2006

    Dustin Schlatter cruised to an NCAA title as a true freshman (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)
    Summary: Mat-stomping intimidation and a grueling pace made Schlatter feared as a true freshman. Along with Troy Nickerson, Schlatter was among the first wave of true freshmen wrestlers in the NCAA who showed that the young could more often than not compete with upperclassmen in their first season. Before 2006 the majority of young wrestlers needed a year or two to develop on the mat and in shot defense. Not Schlatter. He was strong, tough-minded, strong defensively and offensive. That season he defeated NCAA champion Zack Esposito of Oklahoma State twice, including once by major decision.

    1. Kyle Dake (Cornell)
  • NCAA champion in 2010

    Kyle Dake won his first NCAA championship at 141 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Summary: What happened after Kyle Dake's freshman season is really what pushed him past Dustin Schlatter and into the top spot of true freshman. What many had hoped Schlatter would become, Dake became, and it all started in his true freshman season. A four-time NCAA champion at four weights in four straight years, Dake has an argument for overall greatest of all time. Advocates for the Cornell legend would have tough time outstripping Cael Sanderson's undefeated career, but when it comes to topping a list of diaper dandies, nobody was better than Dake.
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