Lehman signs with Minnesota

When Tyler Lehman moved from West Fargo, North Dakota to Apple Valley, Minnesota after his eighth-grade year to wrestle for one of the nation's top wrestling programs, his goal was to become the best wrestler he could be and put himself in a position to wrestle at the Division I level.

Tyler Lehman (Photo/The Guillotine)

That difficult decision to leave his family and friends behind paid off on Friday when Lehman, who has since moved back to West Fargo for his senior year, signed a National Letter of Intent to wrestle for the University of Minnesota.

"I improved a lot at Apple Valley," said Lehman, who projects collegiately at 184 pounds. "It helped me get to where I am now."

While at Apple Valley, Lehman won back-to-back state titles at 171 pounds during his sophomore and junior campaigns. As a junior, Lehman went 49-0 and pinned his way through the state tournament, which included a first-period pin in the state finals. He won an NHSCA Sophomore Nationals title in 2008 and finished fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals in 2009. He has placed in the top four at Junior Nationals (freestyle and Greco-Roman) three times over the past two summers. He is ranked as the No. 62 recruit in the country by InterMat and eighth at 189 pounds.

Lehman chose Minnesota over Iowa and Missouri.

"I like the coaches at Minnesota, " said Lehman of his decision to wrestle for the Gophers. "The program is really coming up right now. They have a bunch of good recruits coming in. They're in the Big Ten. I feel like they're going to help me be the best I can possibly be."

Lehman joins Dylan Ness (Bloomington Kennedy, MN), Chris and Nick Dardanes (Oak Park River Forest), Joel Bauman (Kerkhoven-Murdock, MN), and Seth Lange (Sturgis, SD) as early signees in Minnesota's 2010 recruiting class.

"I know Dylan Ness real well," said Lehman. "He's a good friend of mine. I also know Joel Bauman. I haven't met the Dardanes' yet, but I look forward to meeting them."

Lehman's decision to move back to West Fargo for his senior year centered around his family.

"I decided to move back for one more year to be with my family," said Lehman, who was a part of the West Fargo football team that reached the state semifinals this fall. "My family means a lot to me. I didn't want my last year with my family to be as an eighth-grader. I wanted to spend some time with them one more year before I head off to college."

Tyler Lehman (Photo/The Guillotine)

Moving back West Fargo also allowed Lehman to reunite with Scott Schiller, a close friend and training partner who is also nationally ranked. Both were Junior Nationals double All-Americans at the same weight class (189) in Fargo this past summer. Lehman defeated Schiller 6-0, 2-2 in the freestyle competition.

"Scott and I are good friends," said Lehman. "We're pushing each other in the room and making each other better."

Lehman will wrestle at 189 pound for his senior season, while Schiller will compete at 215 pounds. Before Lehman heads off to college at the University of Minnesota, he wants to "improve every day, prepare for the next level, and win state."

As for college wrestling goals?

"I plan to be a four-time All-American and multiple-time NCAA champion," said Lehman.

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Lehman signs with Minnesota

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