Of the current crop of teams vying for the fourth spot Northern Iowa is on the longest streak without making the podium
Minnesota - 2nd 2014
Nebraska - 4th 2009
Northern Iowa - 4th 1953 (when they were Iowa Teachers)
Ohio State - 4th 2023
Virginia Tech - 4th 2016
I am pulling hard for Northern Iowa this, both as a lover of underdogs and as a lover of symmetry. With PSU the prohibitive favorites this year a fourth place finish for UNI would match the 1953 placements:
"For the first time in 23 years of tournament competition, the National Collegiate wrestling championship belongs to the East. Charlie Speidel's Penn State matmen, unbeaten since 1950 and three times Eastern champions,' deposed Oklahoma in the 1953 tourney at State College, Pa., March 27-28.
Virtually every. record of the tournament was shattered as the host team rolled up 21 points to 15 for runner-up Oklahoma. There were 208 matches, 127 on opening day, as entries reached an all-time high of 166. Attendance at the four sessions climbed to a new high of 15,000.
The East, which waited until 1951 to cop more than one individual title and until 1952 to gain three, walked off with five individual crowns as Cornell took two, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Lock Haven State one each.
Only one of three defending titlists-Hugh Peery, Pittsburgh 115-pounder- retained his crown as Joe Lemyre, Penn State's 167-pounder and Gene Nicks. Oklahoma A&M heavyweight, were defeated. Even the outstanding wrestler award came to the East when Frank Bettucci, Cornell 147-pounder, was accorded this distinction.
Cornell's Don Dickason, who had eliminated Joe Lemyre in the semi-final round, clinched the team title for Penn State when he won a referee's decision over Oklahoma's Frank Marks in the 167-pound' final. But it remaine~ for Hud Samson, Lion 191-pounder, to set off the celebration when he pinned his opponent in the next-to-last bout on Saturday night's card. An overflow crowd of 6,000 was on hand for the final session."
This year, Cael Sanderson will hope to become his generation's Charlie Speidel.