In a three-month span (late March to late June), the 22-year-old Gallick came up just short, placing second, in the three most prestigious wrestling events in the country -- NCAA Tournament, U.S. Nationals, and World Team Trials.
"It was real frustrating," said Gallick. "Three tournaments in a row I came up just short of accomplishing my goal. I wrestled the best I could. Maybe I could have wrestled a little smarter, but the bottom line is that I'm wrestling good competition. That's wrestling. You have to beat the good guys. And I didn't."
Thankfully for Gallick, his luck changed in August when he traveled to Izmir, Turkey to wrestle in the World University Games.
Nate Gallick (second from right) won the World University Games gold medal at 60 kg in Izmir, Turkey."He came back real strong after falling behind and just crushed his finals opponent," said Iowa State coach Bobby Douglas. "He did a superb job. It wasn't like he beat him up -- he just took him apart with very good technique."
Added Gallick, "I felt as good as I've ever felt wrestling. I just felt really confident, really comfortable. The competitors that I was wrestling really fit well with my style."
Now turn back the clock four years to 2001.
Gallick, a Tucson native, had just captured his second individual state title for Sunnyside High School, a wrestling powerhouse in Arizona (the Blue Devils won the team state title every year of Gallick's high school career). He had compiled a high school career record of 107-3. He was coveted by many of the nation's top collegiate wrestling programs, but he only really considered two schools -- Arizona State, which was less than a two-hour drive away, and Iowa State.
Douglas, a former coach at Arizona State (1974-1992) and someone who still has very close ties to the state of Arizona, had known Gallick since he was young. He had closely followed Gallick's development from the time he was a maturing middle school wrestler until he became one of the top high school wrestlers in the country. Sunnyside High has become a recruiting haven for Douglas, who had previously recruited three All-Americans, before Gallick, from the school. One of those wrestlers, Thom Ortiz, the current head coach at Arizona State, was an assistant at Iowa State when Gallick was recruited.
"I originally had my heart set on Arizona State, and then Iowa State recruited me, and I kind of changed my mind," said Gallick. "Thom Ortiz had a pretty big influence on my decision. But I took my visit, met Coach Douglas and the guys, and I knew that it was the right place. As far as workout partners and facilities, Iowa State was the perfect situation for me.
"Once Nate visited Iowa State, he was sold on coming," added Douglas. "There was no question in his mind that he wanted to come. And there was no question in our minds that we wanted him. What Nate was able to accomplish as a high school wrestler told us that he was the perfect fit for Iowa State, so we pursued him."
So there he was … a wide-eyed 18-year-old, 1700 miles from home, wrestling in one of the most storied wrestling programs in NCAA history. It was then, in the fall of 2001, that Gallick would devise his eight-year wrestling plan -- a plan that included such milestones as becoming an NCAA All-American, winning an NCAA title, winning a World title, and winning an Olympic gold medal.
Douglas, who has amassed more than 400 dual meet victories as a coach, almost always has his freshmen redshirt. He believes that redshirting his first-year wrestlers allows for them to adjust to the college environment and to mature as students. In 2001, the Cyclones brought in the top recruiting class in the country, bolstered by Gallick, Harry Lester (four-time Ohio state champion and current U.S. World Team member in Greco-Roman), and Ken Cook (California state champion).
In 2005, Nate Gallick finished runner-up at both the U.S. Nationals and World Team Trials. He lost to Michael Lightner in the finals of both events."It was actually nice not having as much pressure on me, because I wasn't competing in the lineup," said Gallick. "I got a chance to wrestle a lot of freestyle that year. We had some really good freshmen and we all hung out a lot. So it was great."
Ironically, that season, Gallick's teammate, Holker, wrestled against one of Gallick's childhood friends and a former Sunnyside wrestler, Eric Larkin, in the NCAA finals at 141 lbs.
"I was kind of caught between a rock and a hard place," said Gallick, recalling the match. "From a team standpoint, you want your teammate to win and help the team. And from a friend's standpoint, you want him to win and get his NCAA title that he deserves."
Holker won the match 10-5. But Larkin would go on to win the NCAA title the following year and cap off his senior season with a perfect 34-0 record. Larkin was also awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is presented by the International Wrestling Institute and W.I.N. Magazine, and given annually to the nation's most outstanding collegiate wrestler.
The next year would prove to be a trying time in Gallick's life. With Roberson and Holker both returning to the Cyclone lineup at 133 and 141 respectively, the only way he could be assured a spot in the lineup was by moving up and wrestling at 149. It might not have been what was best for him, but it was best for the team. And Gallick just wanted to help the Cyclones win. All season he weighed in at 141, even though he competed at 149. Holker, a senior captain, was cutting a lot of weight at the time, so the Iowa state coaches wanted to make sure that Gallick could stay certified at 141 just in case Holker decided to move up to 149.
"It was a nightmare for me," said Gallick of wrestling at 149. "I was undersized every match and got throttled quite a bit that year. I went through some real tough times. I think it really affected me. I got over it, but it was hard. Real hard. I was pretty unhappy that whole year."
Gallick finished that season with a 16-16 record. While his technique and athleticism allowed him stay competitive with many of the top 149-pounders in the country, his lack of size and strength prevented him from defeating those wrestlers. He placed fourth at the Big 12 Championships, which kept him out of the NCAA Tournament.
In 2003, Nate Gallick defeated Todd Meneely to win the FILA Junior National Championships.Gallick's sophomore year, with Holker graduated, he settled nicely into the 141-pound slot for the Cyclones. He posted a 26-6 record, won the Big 12 title in his home arena, Hilton Coliseum, and earned the second seed at the NCAA Tournament. But in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, Gallick lost a heartbreaking match in double overtime to Matt Murray of Nebraska, a wrestler he had beaten twice during the season. Gallick went on to place fifth, while his teammate and close friend, Roberson, won the NCAA title at 133 lbs.
Last year, as a junior, Gallick cruised through the regular season with an undefeated record. And then, in early March, he won his second straight Big 12 title by narrowly beating Teyon Ware of Oklahoma for the second time that season. It marked the fourth straight victory over Ware dating back to 2003. It had been a perfect season for Gallick. Now he just had one more thing to accomplish -- winning an NCAA title.
Two weeks later, as expected, Gallick received the No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament. After rolling through his first four matches, only giving up 10 points along the way, he met Ware in the NCAA finals. This time everything was on the line. Gallick's 30-0 season record no longer mattered. Gallick's 4-0 career record against Ware no longer mattered. Gallick's two Big 12 titles no longer mattered. The fact that Gallick was the number one seed, Ware the number two seed, no longer mattered. All that mattered was that he was wrestling for an NCAA title.
"I felt pretty confident going into the finals," said Gallick. "All of our matches were fairly close, though, so I knew anything could happen."
Teyon Ware of Oklahoma defeated Nate Gallick by a score of 3-2 to win the 2005 NCAA title at 141."I felt like I was so close to a goal that I wanted to achieve, a goal that I still want to achieve," said Gallick. "I think about that match a lot. It bothered me. It still does."
Douglas, who has produced six NCAA champions while at Iowa State, was a little more diplomatic in his assessment.
"I think every loss is a lesson," said Douglas. "That was a valuable lesson to Nate. He knows what he did wrong and he's making steps to prepare to correct that."
Gallick took a week off after the NCAA Tournament in March to clear his head and refocus, before beginning his freestyle training.
This past summer, Gallick spent most of his summer training in Ames with Roberson, as he prepared for the University World Games and the upcoming collegiate season. Gallick and Roberson have been close friends and training partners ever since Gallick arrived in Ames in the fall of 2001. While both compete in the same weight class (60 kg), and have the same dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, they insist that nothing will stand in the way of their friendship.
"It's not tough training and competing with a friend, because of the relationship we have," said Roberson, who finished fourth at the World Team Trials and second in the inaugural season of Real Pro Wrestling. "We keep it kind of lighthearted. We both know that we want to win, and we're going to do everything we can to beat the other one, but we joke around about it a lot. I would rather lose to him than anyone in our weight class. And I'm sure it's the same for him, too."
Zach Roberson (left) and Nate Gallick have been friends and training partners since 2001.As Gallick begins his senior season, he has a new roommate -- his younger brother, Nick, a freshman wrestler at Iowa State. Nick won four state titles for Sunnyside and was one of the most sought after recruits in the country. He will follow protocol and redshirt this season for the Cyclones. Gallick is excited to have his younger brother by his side for his final season.
"It's pretty awesome," said Gallick. "We're spending a lot of time together. I haven't seen him for years, at least not for more than a week at a time. We're regular lifting partners. It's just overall great having him here."
Gallick's wrestling goals are simply stated. He wants an NCAA title this season. He wants a World title. And then he wants an Olympic title. He believes that he's in the perfect environment to accomplish those goals. He is with his brother. He has great training partners and facilities. And he has a great coach in Douglas.
Bobby Douglas is beginning his 14th year as head coach at Iowa State.Douglas, who has twice served as head coach for the U.S. Olympic Team, sees an extremely bright future for Gallick.
"He has a competitive heart, a passion for wrestling, and he's a good athlete," said Douglas. I'm not one to make predictions, but I will say that Nate has a lot of growth left in him. Technically, he can get 25-30 percent better. Physically, he can get 10-15 percent stronger. If he improves his conditioning and learns to move his hands properly, I think he definitely has a chance to be the man."
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