(150-157 lbs.) G.O.A.T. MATNESS: NCAA Champs
Final results
…And the winner(s) of the inaugural G.O.A.T. MATNESS (150-157lbs.) is:
🥇 - JASON NOLF ‘19 (PSU)
🥈 - LINCOLN MCILRAVY ‘97 (IOWA)
🥉 - NATE CARR ‘83 (ISU)
Jason Nolf (66%) over Lincoln McIlravy
Thank you to everyone who participated!
Brought to you by: Wrestle MATNESS
Finals matchup and Semifinals results
#1 Lincoln McIlravy '97 (IOWA) 22-0 (3FALLS)[96-3] VS. #2 Jason Nolf '19 (PSU) 31-0 (15FALLS) [133-4]
Jason Nolf is rolling. En route to the finals, which features a heightened center mat and custom walk-out music, Nolf has scored bonus points in all four matchups including two technical falls. His toughest test was Kenny Monday back in round 2. Assuming this match takes place mostly in the neutral position, Nolf should have the advantage there. Lincoln McIlravy has already dispatched of a Nolf slayer in IMAR though. Can this saavy Hawkeye keep up with the pace and use his whole toolbox to score against the Wizard from State College? McIlravy would have been relieved to see Wade Schalles upset in the Quarterfinals. Based off of styles, that seemed like a bad matchup for Lincoln. Instead he was able to get past a legendary Nate Carr to punch his ticket to the finals. The Palace at Auburn Hills is loud, with both fanbases reaching a fever pitch, It’s IOWA vs PENN STATE, Lincoln McIlravy vs. Jason Nolf, and the whole wrestling community is one the edge of their seats ready to crown the next G.O.A.T. amongst all this MATNESS!
Lincoln McIlravy (61%) over Nate Carr Sr.
Jason Nolf (94%) over Mark Churella
Semifinals matchups and Quarterfinals results
#1 Lincoln McIlravy '97 (IOWA) 22-0 (3FALLS)[96-3] VS. #4 Nate Carr '83 (ISU) 33-1 [122-17-1]
#3 Mark Churella '78 (MICH) 23-2 [132-13] VS. #2 Jason Nolf '19 (PSU) 31-0 (15FALLS) [133-4]
Lincoln McIlravy (80%) over IMAR
Nate Carr (60%) over Wade Schalles
Mark Churella (71%) over Tim Krieger
Jason Nolf (98%) over Austin O’Connor
Quarterfinals matchups and 2nd round Results
#1 Lincoln McIlravy '97 (IOWA) 22-0 (3FALLS)[96-3] VS. #8 Isaiah Martinez '15 (ILL) 33-0 (6FALLS) [119-5]
#5 Wade Schalles '72 (CLAR) 39-1 (25FALLS) [153-5-1] VS. #4 Nate Carr '83 (ISU) 33-1 [122-17-1]
#3 Mark Churella '78 (MICH) 23-2 [132-13] VS. #6 Tim Krieger '89 (ISU) 30-0 [116-3-2]
#10 Austin O'Connor '23 (UNC) 23-0(4FALLS)[130-13] VS. #2 Jason Nolf '19 (PSU) 31-0 (15FALLS) [133-4]
Lincoln McIlravy (92%) over Terry Steiner
Isaiah Martinez (83%) over Casey Cunningham
Wade Schalles (93%) over Matt DeMaray
Nate Carr (97%) over Derek St. John
Mark Churella (90%) over Jim Heffernan
Tim Krieger (82%) over Ryan Bertin
Austin O’Connor (56%) over Chuck Yagla
Jason Nolf (81%) over Kenny Monday
2nd round matchups and 1st round results:
#1 Lincoln McIlravy '97 (IOWA) 22-0 (3FALLS)[96-3] VS. #16 Terry Steiner '93 (IOWA) 32-1(6FALLS)[125-22-2]
#24 Casey Cunningham '99 (CMU) 34-1 [134-19] VS. #8 Isaiah Martinez '15 (ILL) 33-0 (6FALLS) [119-5]
#5 Wade Schalles '72 (CLAR) 39-1 (25FALLS) [153-5-1] VS. #12 Matt DeMaray '91 (WISC) 42-0 [117-13]
#20 Derek St. John '13 (IOWA) 31-2 (4FALLS) [106-17] VS. #4 Nate Carr '83 (ISU) 33-1 [122-17-1]
#3 Mark Churella '78 (MICH) 23-2 [132-13] VS. #19 Jim Heffernan '86 (IOWA) 32-3-1 (7FALLS) [131-18-2]
#11 Ryan Bertin '05 (MICH) 31-1 (3FALLS) [117-19] VS. #6 Tim Krieger '89 (ISU) 30-0 [116-3-2]
#7 Chuck Yagla '76 (IOWA) 41-1(15FALLS)[115-13-3] VS. #10 Austin O'Connor '23 (UNC) 23-0(4FALLS)[130-13]
#18 Kenny Monday '84 (OKST) 33-1 (18FALLS) [122-12-2] VS. #2 Jason Nolf '19 (PSU) 31-0 (15FALLS) [133-4]
Lincoln McIlravy (95%) over J.P. O’Connor
Terry Steiner (90%) over Scott Turner
Casey Cunningham (50%) over Jarrett Hubbard (50%) -Referee’s Decision- Tiebreaker (2nd rd. votes)
Isaiah Martinez (91%) over Bubba Jenkins
Wade Schalles (94%) over Steve Marianetti
Matt DeMaray (61%) over Chris Bono
Derek St. John (65%) over Mike Grant
Nate Carr (95%) over Matt Gentry
Mark Churella (87%) over Eric Siebert
Jim Heffernan (51%) over Stan Dziedzic
Ryan Bertin (57%) over Andy Rein
Tim Krieger (77%) over Ryan Deakin
Chuck Yagla (85%) over Luke Becker
Austin O’ Connor (60%) over Levi Haines
Kenny Monday (94%) over Bruce Kinseth
Jason Nolf (100%) over Jordan Leen
Okay, here we go! We here at Wrestle MATNESS found ourselves twiddling our thumbs, bored stiff with inactivity this off-season, so we dreamed up a way to get the MATNESS firing again. We’ve created a new “fantasy” event format in which our users will determine the outcome through their popular votes. And for our first fantasy event…., G.O.A.T. MATNESS!
Don’t we all love to debate who’s the best ever? For GOAT MATNESS, we’ve gone and seeded the top NCAA champions from 1970 to the present day, based on what we consider to be their prime year and weight of competition. The criteria used to determine seeding was, in this order of importance:
# of NCAA titles
# of outstanding wrestler and/or Hodge trophies
Additional finals appearances
Additional AA’s placed (highest to lowest)
Prime season record
Prime season number of FALLS
Career Record
It’s been absolutely exhilarating taking the deep-dive into the stats of the NCAA’s all-time greats, getting a 10,000ft view of the historical landscape of the sport we love. The first criteria is the years of eligibility. We settled on 1970-present, the post-Gable era, for a couple of reasons. This timespan allots for enough eligible champions to fill a 32 man bracket. Also, 1970 is the year the NCAA went to 10 weight classes that directly correlate with the present day weight classes that came to be in 1999. It’s a bit of a challenge finding accurate stats for some of the wrestlers from the 70’s, although the NCAA HoF website has been a godsend. Some schools keep better records than others and their sites help to fill in holes, but we quickly learned that some stats, like falls, were not officially kept by the NCAA in the 70’s, so accuracy is not guaranteed. In fact, through our research, we learned Gene Mills’s fall record is self-proclaimed and Wade Schalles is still the certified record holder at 106 career falls.
We noticed some other interesting trends through our research as well. Pins seemed to “fall” out of favor (get it?) in the late 80’s, through the 90’s and into the early 2000’s, however, during this same time period, we see an uptick in overall bout totals in their career records.
Start thinking of your picks and be sure you Join the MATNESS to receive an email when G.O.A.T MATNESS is ready to go!
Here is the list of competitors and 1st round matchups:
—Seed/Wrestler’s Name/‘Year (College) Season Record (#FALLS)[Career Record]—
#1 Lincoln McIlravy '97 (IOWA) 22-0 (3FALLS) [96-3] VS. #32 J.P.O'Connor '10 (HARV) 35-0 [132-16]
Lincoln McIlravy is the complete package. This fast shootin, bootscootin’ Hawkeye boasts an impressive arsenal of weapons: speed, power, offensive and defensive creativity, pace, aggressiveness and sheer toughness. McIlravy's accomplished career includes three NCAA titles and he’s a 4x finalist, with victories over Bono and Marianetti (🐐‘s) in the finals. Will J.P. O’Connor be up to the challenge of handling McIlravy’s relentless pressure and nasty handfight? In 2010, the Harvard grad looked unbeatable as he became the first wrestler to post an undefeated season for the Crimson. Considered the school’s greatest wrestler, O’Connor wants to keep this one close until the waning moments of the 3rd period. Then, who knows?
#17 Scott Turner '88 (NCST) 30-3-1 [89-19-4] VS. #16 Terry Steiner '93 (IOWA) 32-1 (6FALLS) [125-22-2]
Despite having 3 blemishes during his senior season in 1988, Scott Turner (NCST) is capable of putting a magical run together to win the NCAA crown. Turner, a 2x ACC Champion and 2x All-American allowed just one point at the NCAA’s, won the title and is the first NC State grappler to capture Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at the “Big Dance”. With wolfish tenacity and sound techniques, the son of a coacTurner slayed 2x Champ Tim Krieger 🐐 in the finals. Standing across the mat is Terry Steiner, class of 1993 from the University of Iowa. In the Hawkeye singlet, Steiner was nothing short of phenomenal. With a near-perfect season record of 32-1, including 6 falls, and a career record of 125-22-2, Steiner was a force to be reckoned with. Terry, a name synonymous with IOWA wrestling was a coach on the mat. His technique was flawless, and his defense impenetrable most of the time. Don’t expect many fireworks in this one, points will be at a premium, but defense wins championships, right?
#9 Jarrett Hubbard '74 (MICH) 23-0 (8FALLS) [79-9-1] VS. #24 Casey Cunningham '99 (CMU) 34-1 [134-19]
Jarrett Hubbard is a Michigan Wolverine wrestling legend. He is accredited for putting the Maize and Blue “on the map” of the NCAA wrestling landscape. Hubbard is a 2x National Champ (‘73,’74) but it’s the latter campaign that we’re highlighting. This man is a scoring machine. In the NCAA's, Hubbard pinned his way through the 1st and 2nd rounds and did he rest on his laurels? NO! He then put up 13 pts. in the quarters, followed by a 9-1 major decision over Chuck Yagla (🐐) in the semi’s, and then piled up 14 pts. in the finals. That’s our kind of wrestler! Across the mat looking stoic is Casey Cunningham, Central Michigan’s only ever wrestler to win a national title. Coached by the legendary Tom Borrelli, Cunningham is a 2x NCAA finalist and his 134 career wins are a school record. “Mighty” Casey’s run in ‘99 for the Chippewa was pretty dominant, two pins while the other (3) opponents combined to score only one pt. Cunningham's work ethic is fabled, often running to and from practice. So, who wins this classic matchup, the unstoppable force or the immovable object? Something’s gotta give.
#25 Bubba Jenkins '11 (ASU) 21-3 (3FALLS) [93-24] VS. #8 Isaiah Martinez '15 (ILL) 33-0 (6FALLS) [119-5]
Buckle up, we got a battle of the greats of the 2010’s as ASU’s Bubba Jenkins takes on the Fighting Illini’s Isaiah Martinez! Bubba is a massive weapon on the feet, as his ankle picks and re-attacks are lethal. The 2011 NCAA champion (FALL over David Taylor 🐐) will have his hands full though when Martinez takes the mat. “IMar” posts a 165-3 career record, which is the highest in program history and four finals appearances at the NCAA tournament while bringing home two gold. Honestly, these two have pretty similar but different styles: both like to go single leg or ankle pick attacks, but Jenkins is gonna wait for you to make a mistake and capitalize while IMar will come after you with an under hook and go to work from there. At any rate, this one will be interesting to say the least.
#5 Wade Schalles '72 (CLAR) 39-1 (25FALLS) [153-5-1] VS. #28 Steve Marianetti '95 (ILL) 28-3 [119-28]
Wade Schalles is touted as one of the “most exciting wrestlers to ever walk on a wrestling mat…”, as his resumé impressively illustrates. The Golden Eagle owns many of Clarion University and NCAA records, most notably his career FALL tally of 106! Schalles collected (2) D1 and (2) D2 titles, and was awarded the “Outstanding Wrestler” in both tournaments during his 1972 campaign. He possibly could’ve won a third, if transferring rules didn’t prevent him from competing in the ‘74 NCAA championships, which had been his most dominant year statistically. He carried a 153-5-1 record thru his career, totals unheard of in the early ‘70’s era. Watch out, “Plastic Man” is always looking to catch you in his patented “spladle”! Standing across from Schalles is Steve Marianetti. All he ever did was knock off “GOAT MATNESS” #1 seed, Lincoln McIlravy (🐐) in the ‘95 finals, preventing him from becoming a 4X champion. The Illinois star really is defined by this upset win to claim his only title, but be assured there’s plenty of FIGHT in this Illini.
#21 Chris Bono '96 (ISU) 37-4 [128-34] VS. #12 Matt DeMaray '91 (WISC) 42-0 [117-13]
Wisconsin’s Matt DeMaray and Chris Bono of Iowa State ALMOST overlapped in “real time”. Their styles are similar, highly proficient on their feet, and can turn impenetrable defense into offense. Their stats are similar too, both haviong over 115 career wins and each making the NCAA finals twice. The difference being, DeMaray won both, while Bono has just the one. The Badger did put up a clean 42-0 record in his ‘91 season, which holds a lot of water with WrestleMATNESS’ seeding committee. This match really could go either way and might come down to “last to score.”
#13 Mike Grant '70 (OU) 24-2-2 (6FALLS) [69-4-3] VS. #20 Derek St. John '13 (IOWA) 31-2 (4FALLS) [106-17]
Derek St. John prescribes to the Iowa wrestling doctrine, which made him into one of the more consistent point-getters for the Hawkeyes. Though as reliable as he was in dual meet competition with an overall record of 106-17, it was his ability to peak for the NCAA’s that has him in the GOAT discussion. St. John landed himself in the finals twice, winning the title in 2013. Peaking is an important component to the “Iowa way”, a lesson learned the hard way for the Hawkeyes’ legendary coach Dan Gable. Gable at least partially attributes his only letdown of his college career, (the loss to Larry Owings) to “peaking too early” in order to bump up and wrestle the other competitor in this bout, Mike Grant of Oklahoma. The Sooner was a three-time finalist, 2X champion, and during his most dominant season in 1970, Grant went 24-2-2 with 6 FALLS). This is a workman’s type matchup, so it should come down to which wrestler puts in the extra work needed to overcome their opponent.
#29 Matt Gentry '04 (STAN) 42-0 (7FALLS) [138-25] VS. #4 Nate Carr '83 (ISU) 33-1 [122-17-1]
Stanford’s Matt Gentry is highlighted by his semifinal win over defending champion Ryan Bertin (🐐), to go on and win his ‘04 title and cap off a perfect 42-0 season. He’ll need to take those sort of theatrics to the next level if he’s to have a chance against his first round competition. The “Carr” name is among the likes of the “Gables”, “Smiths”, and “Sandersons”of USA wrestling royalty, and Nate played a huge role in that. The Iowa State Cyclone’s three NCAA titles, two of which were overtime wins over Kenny Monday (🐐), speak volumes, but his stature and calm intensity are what make him so intimidating to stand across from. If you land a shot, best finish fast, because Carr is bringing his hips to the party and good luck trying to keep him underneath.
#3 Mark Churella '78 (MICH) 23-2 [132-13] VS. #30 Eric Siebert '98 (ILL) 36-0 [112-29]
Illinois' Eric Siebert has a steep climb in front of him, as he steps to Mark Churella, the first and only 3X champion for the U. of Michigan. Siebert posted a flawless 36-0 in the '98 season to win the crown, in his only finals appearance. Will it be enough, when up against a wrestler who's highschool, and later, collegiate goal is to "pin everyone he wrestles"? Churella dominated the 150lb weight class, placing third as a freshman, then back-to-back titles, before jumping up to 167lbs. his senior year to win the 3rd. It's his mythical 1978 season that proves him to be such a "tough out". That year, he knocks off Dave Schultz (🐐) in the semi's and pins Bruce Kinseth (🐐) in the finals, to claim the Outstanding Wrestler award of the tournament. Churella's explosive, while Siebert's steady. Can the barrage be staved off long enough for Siebert to give himself a shot at pulling off a miracle in the end?
#19 Jim Heffernan '86 (IOWA) 32-3-1 (7FALLS) [131-18-2] VS. #14 Stan Dziedzic '71 (SRU) ?-0 (?FALLS) [116-2]
These two are separated by 15 years of competition, but outside of that, they're almost carbon copies. Slippery Rock's Stan Dziedzic was unbeatable in 1971 at 150lbs., taking his lone D1 title home. He also compiled: a 3rd place finish as a sophomore (losing to 2x champ Mike Grant 🐐), 2nd place finish in his senior season at 158lbs. (losing to 2X champ Carl Adams 🐐), plus an additional three D2 titles to round out his trophy case. Most impressively he only lost twice, stacking a 116-2 career record despite a defunct freshman year of eligibility. Jim Heffernan counters all of these accomplishments with a lengthy resumé of his own. Wrestling at Iowa, Heffernan made three finals while winning it all his junior year, posting a 32-3-1 record for that season. Dziedzic will scrap but Heffernan won't be bullied. It looks like we got ourselves an old-fashioned back alley brawl!
#11 Ryan Bertin '05 (MICH) 31-1 (3FALLS) [117-19] VS. #22 Andy Rein '80 (WISC) 40-0 (14FALLS) [113-19-1]
We here at WrestleMATNESS had to go pull Andy Rein off the Appalachian Trail, where he’s out raising money for the NWHOF by walking 5 million steps. He threw on his old Badger singlet, and we hope he still remembers how to hit that killer headlock for this matchup! Rein is a 2X finalist, winning his title in 1980, a season where he posted a perfect 40-0 mark, 14 of those wins by FALL. And wearing the green ankle band, Michigan’s Ryan Bertin. The Wolverine boasts 2 titles to his name, essentially owning the 157lb weight class from ‘03-‘05. If not for an OT loss in the 2004 NCAA semifinals to Matt Gentry (🐐), he might’ve been a 3 timer and a top 5 seed in this ‘GOAT MATNESS’ tournament. Bertin best be wary of Rein’s big move potential, and at the same time look to play it safe and outlast Rein. Which could prove to be futile when the competition’s (Rein) willing to hike 2000+ miles for charity.
#27 Ryan Deakin '22 (NW) 18-0 (6FALLS) [127-19] VS. #6 Tim Krieger '89 (ISU) 30-0 [116-3-2]
They say "steel sharpens steel", and that quote emphatically applies to this first round matchup. Northwestern's Ryan Deakin is set to take on Tim Krieger of Iowa State, sparks will fly as these two conflicting styles from distinctly different eras, attempt to land the death blow. Krieger is the prototypical '80's grappler. Honed from legendary rivalries with wrestling powerhouse programs and the deep pool of competition of the time period, the Cyclone was one of the best. Tim reached the finals 3 times, winning it twice and secured the Outstanding Wrestler award in his last go-around. He was mean, strong, and relentless, and in 1989, his perfect 30-0 record stamped what was truly a GOAT season. Deakin, who is the apple of Shane Sparks’ eye inversely epitomizes the modern era wrestler, highly technical with great riding abilities. He’s athletic, and well-built like a "you know what". Like Krieger, Deakin was flawless in his championship year with a 18-0 record in 2022. Guess we’ll see who's more hardened...
#7 Chuck Yagla '76 (IOWA) 41-1 (15FALLS) [115-13-3] VS. #26 Luke Becker '02 (MINN) 37-3 (12FALLS) [126-29]
Chuck Yagla is 100% Iowa. He grew up in Waterloo, then made the natural progression by becoming a Hawkeye. Yagla launched himself into the stratosphere of the collegiate ranks by beating Lee Kemp (🐐) by referee's decision to win his first title in 1975. He followed it up with his most dominant season yet in '76, finishing with a 41-1 record (15 by FALL) and a second title. Chuck topped it off with an Outstanding Wrestler award. Enter Luke Becker. The Minnesota Gopher realizes he has his hands full, but adversity and long odds are nothing new for this grinder. In 2002, Becker put it all together with a solid 37-3 record, a career best 12 FALLS on the season, and a sudden death victory in the finals to win the title. Becker has to stalk Yagla and let the match come to him. If Luke can keep it close, perhaps some 3rd period or even overtime heroics are in store. Becker MUST keep his head up, or Yagla will go hunting.
#23 Levi Haines '24 (PSU) 23-0 (5FALLS) [48-2] VS. #10 Austin O'Connor '23 (UNC) 23-0 (4FALLS) [130-13]
We have an EXPLOSIVE NCAA finals rematch between PSU’s Levi Haines and UNC’s Austin O’Connor in this first round bout! These two crossed paths in the 2023 NCAA finals and O’Connor outlasted the freshman by a score of 6-2. This one was a chess match, no doubt, as Haines is notorious for his high-octane offense and savvy takedowns while O’Connor has some of the best takedown defense and leg ride in the country. Both guys have definitely earned their flowers up to this point with a combined total of seven NCAA medals to their name! O’Connor is one of the few men to have FIVE of them while Haines has multiple seasons left of eligibility to add to it. These athletes are no strangers to finals appearances either, as they each have seen the heightened center mat twice. Unfortunately, someone has to fall here…but WHO?
#15 Bruce Kinseth '79 (IOWA) 34-1 (23FALLS) [95-17] VS. #18 Kenny Monday '84 (OKST) 33-1 (18FALLS) [122-12-2]
Is it July 4th? Must be, because here come the fireworks! The “pinning machine” Bruce Kinseth clashes with the “slick technician” Kenny Monday. Kinseth is a prototypical Hawkeye, outworking everyone else to cultivate himself into a dominant force. After coming up short in the finals his junior year, Bruce preceded to pin his way through the BIG TEN’s and the NCAA tournament! Kinseth finished with a 34-1 record, 23 FALLS, and an Outstanding Wrestler award to end his ‘79 senior season. Monday, who’s rangy and FAST, is a three-time finalist, with his title finally coming in 1984. He can catch you on your back too, finishing second on the Oklahoma State leaderboard for career FALLS. Go ahead, try going with him on his feet…well, let’s just say, “you can’t stop what you can’t see.”
#31 Jordan Leen '08 (COR) 27-3 (3FALLS) [118-29] VS. #2 Jason Nolf '19 (PSU) 31-0 (15FALLS) [133-4]
If I could go ALL-IN for the match with the most amount of scrambling, I’d bet the house on this one. These two guys have created their own styles throughout the course of their careers and most people have better chances of hitting the lottery than taking these guys down. We’ll start with Leen: one of Cornell’s finest with 3 NCAA medals including one gold in ‘08. Nolf sits on the Penn State “Mount Rushmore” as a 3x champ and 1x runner up and another funkmaster in his own right. Don’t be fooled though, as these guys are virtually identical if you take their accolades away. Expect lots of “Granby’s”, funk rolls, leg rides and maybe even a “Winn-Dixie” in this one…GUARANTEED FIREWORKS!