Grand View University in Des Moines (NAIA) and Wartburg College in Waverly (NCAA Division III) won team championships 59 and 60 this season. Nick Mitchell coaches the Vikings and Eric Keller coaches the Knights.
Grand View won its fifth consecutive NAIA championship this season, all under Mitchell. Mitchell has the second longest championship winning streak within the state behind former Iowa head wrestling coach Dan Gable, who won nine consecutive Division I NCAA championships in a row from 1978-86.
Wartburg won its 12th overall NCAA championship, which is tied for first place among all Division III programs.
Iowa is the only state to have eight different colleges win at least one national team wrestling championship. Iowa has 60 national team wrestling championships (NJCAA, NAIA, NCAA Division III, Division II, and Division I) and 30 wrestlers with ties to the state who have won a medal at the World Championships or Olympic Games.
The first Iowa team to win a national championship was Cornell College in 1947. On two occasions (2008 and 2009), three Iowa schools have won national championships in the same year.
Iowa's first Olympic champion was Marshalltown native Allie Morrison in 1928. Its most recent Olympic champion was Iowa State's Jake Varner in 2012.
National team champions from Iowa schools (8 teams):
1. Iowa -- 23
2. Wartburg -- 12
3. Iowa State -- 8
4. Iowa Central -- 7
5. Grand View -- 5
6. Northern Iowa -- 3
7. Cornell College -- 1
8. NIACC -- 1
Total: 60
NCAA Division I titles: 33 (Iowa, Iowa State, UNI, Cornell)
NCAA Division II titles: 2 (UNI)
NCAA Division III titles: 12 (Wartburg)
NAIA titles: 5 (Grand View)
NJCAA titles: 8 (Iowa Central, NIACC)
Total: 60
Coaches with national team championships (17 coaches):
1. Dan Gable (Iowa) -- 15
2. Jim Miller (Wartburg) -- 10
3. Harold Nichols (Iowa State) -- 6
4. Luke Moffitt (Iowa Central) -- 5
5. Nick Mitchell (Grand View) -- 5
6. Tom Brands (Iowa) -- 3
7. Jim Zalesky (Iowa) -- 3
8. Gary Kurdelmeier (Iowa) -- 2
9. Chuck Patten (Northern Iowa) -- 2
10. Eric Keller (Wartburg) -- 2
11. Denny Friederichs (Iowa Central) -- 1
12. Jim Gibbons (Iowa State) -- 1
13. Dave McCuskey (Northern Iowa) -- 1
14. Mark Ostrander (Iowa Central) -- 1
15. Hugo Otopalik (Iowa State) -- 1
16. Paul Scott (Cornell) -- 1
17. Kaye Young (NIACC) -- 1
Total: 60
Years with multiple team championships from Iowa:
(3) 2008 -- Iowa (DI), Wartburg (DIII), and Iowa Central (NJCAA)
(3) 2009 -- Iowa (DI), Wartburg (DIII), and Iowa Central (NJCAA)
(2) 1973 -- Iowa state (DI) and NIACC (NJCAA)
(2) 1975 -- Iowa (DI) and Northern Iowa (DII)
(2) 1978 -- Iowa (DI) and Northern Iowa (DII)
(2) 1981 -- Iowa (DI) and Iowa Central (NJCAA)
(2) 1996 -- Iowa (DI) and Wartburg (DIII)
(2) 1999 -- Iowa (DI) and Wartburg (DIII)
(2) 2006 -- Wartburg (DIII) and Iowa Central (NJCAA)
(2) 2012 -- Wartburg (DIII) and Grand View (NAIA)
(2) 2013 -- Wartburg (DIII) and Grand View (NAIA)
(2) 2014 -- Wartburg (DIII) and Grand View (NAIA)
(2) 2015 -- Iowa Central (NJCAA) and Grand View (NAIA)
(2) 2016 -- Wartburg (DIII) and Grand View (NAIA)
Iowa -- 23 titles (Division I):
1. 1975 (Gary Kurdelmeier)
2. 1976 (Gary Kurdelmeier)
3. 1978 (Dan Gable)
4. 1979 (Dan Gable)
5. 1980 (Dan Gable)
6. 1981 (Dan Gable)
7. 1982 (Dan Gable)
8. 1983 (Dan Gable)
9. 1984 (Dan Gable)
10. 1985 (Dan Gable)
11. 1986 (Dan Gable)
12. 1991 (Dan Gable)
13. 1992 (Dan Gable)
14. 1993 (Dan Gable)
15. 1995 (Dan Gable)
16. 1996 (Dan Gable)
17. 1997 (Dan Gable)
18. 1998 (Jim Zalesky)
19. 1999 (Jim Zalesky)
20. 2000 (Jim Zalesky)
21. 2008 (Tom Brands)
22. 2009 (Tom Brands)
23. 2010 (Tom Brands)
Wartburg -- 12 titles (Division III):
1. 1996 (Jim Miller)
2. 1999 (Jim Miller)
3. 2003 (Jim Miller)
4. 2004 (Jim Miller)
5. 2006 (Jim Miller)
6. 2008 (Jim Miller)
7. 2009 (Jim Miller)
8. 2011 (Jim Miller)
9. 2012 (Jim Miller)
10. 2013 (Jim Miller)
11. 2014 (Eric Keller)
12. 2016 (Eric Keller)
Iowa State -- 8 titles (Division I):
1. 1933 (Hugo Otopalik)
2. 1965 (Harold Nichols)
3. 1969 (Harold Nichols)
4. 1970 (Harold Nichols)
5. 1972 (Harold Nichols)
6. 1973 (Harold Nichols)
7. 1977 (Harold Nichols)
8. 1987 (Jim Gibbons)
Iowa Central -- 7 titles (NJCAA):
1. 1981 (Denny Friederichs)
2. 2002 (Mark Ostrander)
3. 2006 (Luke Moffitt)
4. 2007 (Luke Moffitt)
5. 2008 (Luke Moffitt)
6. 2009 (Luke Moffitt)
7. 2015 (Luke Moffitt)
NOTE: In 2010, Iowa Central placed first in the Division I (scholarship) standings at the NJCAA national championships but placed second in the overall standings to Harper (non-scholarship). The National Junior College Athletic Association Harper as team champion; therefore, Iowa Central is not being recognized as a team champion in 2010 in this listing.
Grand View -- five titles (NAIA):
1. 2012 (Nick Mitchell)
2. 2013 (Nick Mitchell)
3. 2014 (Nick Mitchell)
4. 2015 (Nick Mitchell)
5. 2016 (Nick Mitchell)
Northern Iowa -- three titles (one Division I, two Division II):
1. 1950 (Division I) (Dave McCuskey)
2. 1975 (Division II) (Chuck Patten)
3. 1978 (Division II) (Chuck Patten)
Cornell -- one title (Division I):
1. 1947 (Paul Scott)
North Iowa Area Community College (NJCAA):
1. 1973 (Kaye Young)
World and Olympic wrestling medalists with ties to Iowa:
1. Royce Alger (Lisbon and Iowa), 2nd in 1990
2. Ed Banach (Iowa), 1st in 1984
3. Lou Banach (Iowa), 1st in 1984
4. Glen Brand (Clarion and Iowa State), 1st 1948
5. Terry Brands (Sheldon and Iowa), 1st in 1993, 1st in 1995, 3rd in 2000
6. Tom Brands (Sheldon and Iowa), 1st in 1993, 1st in 1996
7. Chris Campbell (Iowa), 1st in 1981, 2nd in 1990, 3rd in 1992
8. Nate Carr (Iowa State), 3rd in 1988
9. Joe Corso (West Des Moines), 3rd in 1979
10. Kevin Darkus (Iowa State), 2nd in 1985
11. Barry Davis (Cedar Rapids and Iowa), 2nd in 1984, 3rd in 1986, 2nd in 1987
12. Bobby Douglas (former ISU coach), 2nd in 1966
13. Dan Gable (Waterloo and Iowa State), 1st in 1971, 1st in 1972
14. Kevin Jackson (Iowa State), 1st in 1991, 1st in 1992, 1st in 1995
15. Gerry Leeman (Osage and UNI), 2nd in 1948
16. Randy Lewis (Iowa), 1st in 1984
17. Terry McCann (Iowa), 1st in 1960
18. Lincoln McIlravy (Iowa), 3rd in 1998, 2nd in 1999, 3rd in 2000
19. Allie Morrison (Marshalltown), 1st in 1928
20. Nat Pendleton (Davenport), 2nd in 1920
21. Brad Penrith (Iowa), 2nd in 1991
22. Ben Peterson (Iowa State), 1st in 1972, 3rd in 1973, 2nd in 1976
23. Cael Sanderson (Iowa State), 2nd in 2003, 1st in 2004
24. Bill Smith (Council Bluffs and UNI), 1st in 1952
25. Chris Taylor (Iowa State), 3rd in 1972
26. Tolly Thompson (Janesville), 3rd in 2005
27. Jake Varner (Iowa State), 3rd in 2011, 1st in 2012
28. Joe Williams (Iowa), 3rd in 2001, 3rd in 2005
29. Bill Zadick (Iowa), 1st in 2006
30. Mike Zadick (Iowa), 2nd in 2006
International wrestling statistics:
1. 13 wrestlers with ties to Iowa have won an Olympic gold medal.
2. 16 wrestlers with ties to Iowa have won 21 World/Olympic titles.
3. 30 wrestlers with ties to Iowa have won 47 World/Olympic medals.
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