The Most Shocking College Wrestling Upsets of the Last 20 Years

****This originally ran in mid-November 2022**** We're just a few hours removed from one of the most shocking college wrestling upsets in recent memory. Wisconsin's Austin Gomez put together a 9-3 victory over three-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell. Gomez took Diakomihalis to his back in the second period for four points and later added two additional takedowns. The win itself was pretty difficult to fathom; however, the manner in which he achieved it is just remarkable. Diakomihalis' 75-match winning streak was shattered as were possibly Hodge Trophy aspirations. Within a few minutes after Gomez's victory, some on social media were asking how this ranks in comparison to other collegiate wrestling upsets. That's a great question, as we went back to find some of the most shocking upsets of the last 20 years. For clarification's sake, generally only returning NCAA champions were considered. As you peruse the list, you'll see that there were a few wrestlers that were never NCAA champions among this group, but if you go back in your DeLorean you'll find they were significant favorites. Also, clearly injured wrestlers were not considered. Some that come to mind but did not make the cut include: Kyle Snyder/Nick Gwiazdowski (2016 NCAA's) - A decent amount of people favored Snyder in the match. Bubba Jenkins/David Taylor (2011 NCAA's) - While a shocking match, Bubba was capable of anything and could beat anyone on his best day. Tyler Caldwell/Andrew Howe (2011 NCAA's) - Earlier in the year, Jordan Burroughs beat Howe pretty good at the Midlands. That kind of took away an aura of invincibility from Howe, though the Caldwell loss was eye-opening. Fred Santaite/Troy Nickerson (2010 NCAA's) - Huge upset of a returning champion; however, Nickerson was not close to prime condition. Cole Konrad/Steve Mocco (2006 National Duals) - Konrad unofficially beat Mocco at the All-Star Classic earlier in the year in an ugly bout. This was amazing and was via fall which gave Minnesota the team title. Sean Stender/Jon Trenge (2005 NCAA's) - Trenge actually had a loss earlier in the year to Hofstra's Chris Sketkowicz, along with two via disqualification. The result was definitely one I didn't see coming. Now, onto our most shocking results! 2022 NCAA Round of 16 - Hunter Willits (Oregon State) over David Carr (Iowa State) We don't need to look very far back to find this shocking result. David Carr was the top seed at 157 lbs and riding a 55-match winning streak that dated back to December 2019. The dangerous Carr could never get his offense on track and was stymied by Willits 2-1 in tiebreakers. Though the two did not meet again, Carr finished third while Willits was seventh. 2019 NCAA final - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) over Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) One of the best total “runs” in recent memory at the NCAA tournament belongs to Mekhi Lewis, who captured his national title as the eighth seed at 165 lbs. To finish his dream tournament, Lewis used a cradle to put the two-time national champion on his back and blow open what was a close match. Lewis’ national title made him the first wrestler in Virginia Tech history to accomplish the feat. 2019 NCAA semi - Max Dean (Cornell) over Myles Martin (Ohio State) The night before Lewis’ win, Max Dean had the PNC Paints Arena in awe after he ruined Myles Martin’s perfect record and earned a spot in the finals. Dean was able to flip the script on Martin for a 5-4 victory. Earlier in the year, Martin had majored Dean at the CKLV Invitational and was victorious, 13-6, in the final dual of the season. 2018 NCAA quarters - Kyle Conel (Kent State) over Kollin Moore (Ohio State) Here’s another upset that wasn’t over an NCAA champion; however it was as shocking as any on this list. Kollin Moore was two weeks removed from his second Big Ten title and a heavy favorite to win at 197 lbs. No one told Kyle Conel. The Kent State star tossed Moore and the wrestling world on its collective head as he pinned Moore and moved into the semifinals. Surprisingly, Conel posted a second win over Moore in the NCAA third-place contest. 2017 NCAA finals - Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) over Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) Up at 165 lbs for the first time, Isaiah Martinez was halfway to the hallowed four national titles after winning as a freshman and sophomore. Undefeated and fresh off his third Big Ten crown, Martinez was paired with redshirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph in the national finals. At the time, Joseph wasn’t necessarily viewed as even the conference’s top freshman at the weight. That distinction went to Michigan’s Logan Massa (Big Ten finalist). Joseph, an 8-5 loser to Martinez at the conference meet, was dangerous from all of the setups that made Martinez great. What resulted was a pin that almost shook the foundation in St. Louis. 2016 NCAA finals - Myles Martin (Ohio State) over Bo Nickal (Penn State) This was the rare NCAA final between two freshmen; however, Bo Nickal was a redshirt freshman that was the top seed after a Big Ten title. Myles Martin was a true freshman that had lost three times to Nickal, including once via fall at the Big Ten Tournament. In this meeting, Martin has all the answers for the dangerous Nickal’s offense and won an 11-9 shootout. 2015/16 Dual - Jason Nolf (Penn State) over Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) In 2014-15, Isaiah Martinez became the first freshman since Cael Sanderson to go undefeated and win an NCAA title. Martinez’s unbeaten run stopped during his sophomore year after he met the redshirt freshman Jason Nolf. Nolf’s pace and gas tank were evident as he wore down Martinez and pinned the returning champion to hand him his first official collegiate loss. 2015/16 Dual - Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) over Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) Talk about one we didn’t see coming! Cody Brewer demolished the NCAA field in 2015 as the 13th seed, which was a combination of head-scratching seeding and a lack of regular season matches. Early in the following season, true freshman Kaid Brock was thrown into the Cowboy lineup to face Brewer during a Bedlam clash. Brock turned the college wrestling world on its head with a :42 fall over Brewer. Just a few weeks later, Brock would injure his knee and missed the remainder of the season. 2013/14 Dual - Zain Retherford (Penn State) over Logan Stieber (Ohio State) Logan Stieber was halfway through his quest for four NCAA titles and fresh off an undefeated sophomore season that earned bonus points in 23 of 27 wins. True freshman Zain Retherford made sure Stieber would not go unbeaten in his junior year, as he won on the strength of a second-period rideout and a takedown in sudden victory. Stieber bounced back to beat Retherford at the Big Ten’s and in the NCAA semifinals and is responsible for half of his four career losses. 2013/14 Scuffle - Gabe Dean (Cornell) over Ed Ruth (Penn State) After losing in the NCAA semifinals as a freshman, Ed Ruth reeled off an 84-match winning streak that saw him capture a pair of NCAA titles and generally dominate everyone within his path. That was abruptly ended by freshman Gabe Dean in the Southern Scuffle finals. The two were on the same half of the bracket as the #’s 2 and 3 at nationals and Ruth got revenge with a 5-2 victory in the semis. He would defeat Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) for his third title. 2011/12 CKLV - Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) over Kellen Russell (Michigan) 2011 saw Kellen Russell claim a national title and go undefeated in the process. Russell was as good as anyone at prevailing in close matches or in overtime (14-0 in overtime). One time where he was tripped up was in Vegas, as a senior, against freshman Hunter Stieber. Russell had to beat Stieber in the NCAA semifinals for a shot at his second title. 2010 NCAA Semi - Andrew Long (Iowa State) over Angel Escobedo (Indiana) Escobedo was a 2008 champion who looked to be on a collision course with 2009 champion Troy Nickerson (Cornell). Nickerson was injured in the early going and was not a factor in the title hunt. Escobedo was shocked by a late flurry from freshman Andrew Long, which made for an all-freshman final, opposite Matt McDonough (Iowa). 2009 NCAA finals - Darrion Caldwell (NC State) over Brent Metcalf (Iowa) The returning Hodge Trophy-winning Brent Metcalf looked to be on his way to a second Hodge and an undefeated season, with only Darrion Caldwell in his way. From the opening whistle, Caldwell threw the kitchen sink at Metcalf and stunned him with a wide variety of offense. Earlier in the same season, Metcalf had teched Caldwell at the All-Star Classic. 2007/08 Dual - Chris Brown (Old Dominion) over Mark Perry (Iowa) InterMat recapped this stunning, likely forgotten upset here . 2007 NCAA finals - Paul Donahoe (Nebraska) over Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) All the stars seemed to align perfectly for Sam Hazewinkel, who had previously lost three times in the NCAA semifinals. Hazewinkel handily disposed of freshman Jayson Ness (Minnesota) in the semifinals and earned his first berth in the championship bout opposite conference foe Paul Donahoe. Less than two weeks earlier, Hazewinkel had majored Donahoe. Donahoe was able to shut down Hazwinkel and won in sudden victory. 2007 NCAA semi - Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro) over Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) A 2006 NCAA champion as a true freshman, Dustin Schlatter amassed a 65-match winning streak and looked beatable by only rival Brent Metcalf. Metcalf was ineligible to compete in the 2006-07 season. Schlatter’s streak was snapped by Edinboro’s Gregor Gillespie on the strength of an early takedown. Watch Here 2005 NCAA semi - Mark Perry (Iowa) over Troy Letters (Lehigh) Letters won an NCAA title as a sophomore and rolled through the 2004-05 season without a loss. He even picked up two wins over the eventual champion, Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State). But they would not meet in the national finals because, Letters was shut out and ridden out by Mark Perry. 2004 NCAA semi - Cliff Moore (Iowa) over Scott Moore (Virginia) Scott Moore was the top seed and put up some of the most absurd stats you could imagine in college wrestling. Despite his semifinal loss (via major decision), Moore finished the year 51-1 with 34 pins. Even without an NCAA finals appearance, Scott was a Hodge Trophy finalist. Watch Here 2003 NCAA 1st Round - Ralph Everett (Hofstra) over Greg Jones (West Virginia) Jones was a returning national champion, he won as a freshman in 2002, but lost in the opening round to Ralph Everett to dash any hopes of becoming a four-timer. Jones was eliminated in the consi’s by future UFC star Rashad Evans (Michigan State) and did not AA.

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