I believe Branch had a losing record going into NCAA's in '94 (his freshman year). I remember seeing it in the NCAA program that year and here's an excerpt from an article I just dug up......
Mark Branch of Oklahoma State reached the NCAA Championship finals four times, placing first in 1994, second in 1995 and 1996, and first in 1997.
Branch entered the 1994 NCAA Championships as a freshman with an 8-9 record and shocked the field by winning the 167-pound bracket. Pat Smith, his Cowboy teammate, made history by becoming the first wrestler to win four NCAA Division I titles in the weight class before Branch, so there was an expectation that Branch would also win four.