Klessinger: Memorable moments from the best tournament on Earth

Photo: Air Force 141-pounder Carter Nogle put together one of the feel-good moments of the tournament, when the Falcon sophomore placed fifth at 141 pounds as a No. 18 seed.

Editor’s Note: This article appeared in WIN’s Volume 32 Issue 7, which printed on April 1, 2026.

By John Klessinger

As I stood in line waiting my turn to step on the scale, I glanced left and right at the sight of the room full of more than 300 wrestlers. It was 1997. My only time making the NCAA Division I tournament from a small, barely-heard-of-school named Millersville University. I looked around and saw names I had only read about in the newspapers. Guys like Mark Ironside, Eric Guerrero, Joe Williams, and Kerry McCoy. I saw my first-round opponent, Yero Washington from Fresno State. I thought to myself, “he isn’t as big as I thought he would be.”

There was no internet. At least nothing close to what there is today. All we knew was what we read in magazines like WIN. You saw rankings and pictures. You knew the “super studs” like the ones mentioned above from TV footage or VHS videos.

I knew nothing about Washington. Only that he placed 3rd the year before; that should have been enough. Third in the nation! “Holy cow, that’s who I got!” Back then, the NCAA tournament seeded the top 12 and randomly drew the remaining wrestlers in the bracket.

My opponent, though, didn’t really cross my mind as much as the whole scene and environment. From the flight to Iowa, the workout the day before weigh-ins, and then the weigh-ins. It was overwhelming. I certainly felt like a small fish in a very big pond. Not to mention, John Smith and the Oklahoma State wrestlers were directly across the hall in our hotel.

I remember it was the legendary Dan Gable’s last year in his hometown of Waterloo. Although I wrestled a few guys in my bracket already, having some success, I walked around like a deer staring into headlights.

Close to 30 years later, with a lot more wisdom and perspective, I see the error of my thinking. I try to impart what I’ve learned from my experiences to the kids I coach today.

Yes, Yero Washington was a stud. He placed 3rd again in 1997. However, I could have wrestled with more self-belief and urgency against Washington and in my consolation match. I wrestled many wrestlers who placed in the NCAA Division I, II, and III tournaments throughout my career. I allowed the stage’s magnitude to prevent me from performing to my full potential.

Each year, watching the NCAAs, I am amazed at the level of mental toughness of these kids. I ask myself, “How are they so tough? What can I learn from them? What are they doing differently?” Maybe that’s the point of this article. Or maybe just observations that will resonate later.

The NCAA tournament is a breeding ground for inspiration. That is why we glue ourselves to the television or bleacher seats for three days. These young men show us courage and bravery. They show us poise, grace, and vulnerability. All of them work hard. That’s a given. But their determination and grit are what stand out most. My respect for this sport deepens every year.

Here are a few examples from observations of why the NCAA Division I Championship is the greatest tournament on earth.

Carter Nogle from the Air Force Academy. The 18th seed at 141 pounds, he lost his opening match to the 15th seed, Eli Griffin from Rider, 7-4. The sophomore from Maryland then won five straight matches and placed fifth. “It was definitely a difficult task. My mindset was just to take it one match at a time and focus on having a plan for each guy. I knew I was going up against some tough opponents, but there was never a doubt in my mind I couldn’t beat anyone in the bracket,” said the U.S. Open Greco-Roman third-place finisher, Nogle. He earned All-American status by defeating No. 6 Vince Cornella of Cornell by fall in the Blood Round.

Like Nogle, Iowa utility man and fan favorite, No. 27 seed at 197 pounds Gabe Arnold, lost his first-round match against No. 6 Justin Rademacher of Oregon State by a one-second riding time advantage. The Hawkeye won four straight matches to become an All-American. Arnold defeated No. 15 Remy Cotton from Rutgers, 4-3, in the Blood Round and placed 7th. Arnold has wrestled everywhere needed for Iowa and qualified for the 2025 NCAA Championship at 184 pounds. He wrestled 174, 184, and 197 this season.

In December of 2024, Arnold thought his career was over. “I was tired, and I felt defeated,” he said. “March 2026, I’m an All-American. When the hard days are too hard, I got up and did it. When I didn’t want to, I got up and did it,” emphasized Arnold.

Caleb Campos, the 10th seed from American at 184 pounds, won his first match in sudden victory against No. 23 Caesar Garza of Cal Poly. He lost his next match in the Round of 16 to No. 7 Angelo Ferrari from Iowa. Campos went on a five-match winning streak and took 4th.

The Freshmen. Six freshmen in the finals. Four champs. Jax Forrest, Sergio Vega, Aden Valencia, and Landon Robideau. Except Valencia from Stanford, the remaining three were “Stilly Boys” from Oklahoma State. At 133 pounds alone, the top five seeds were freshmen.

Last and certainly not least, Stanford placing 6th. The highest finish in their history. Before this year, the 2011 team placed 11th with three All-Americans. A team that briefly dropped wrestling in 2021 while still having a national champion in Shane Griffith has become a top team in the country. Stanford had four All-Americans: Valencia, 1st at 149; Nico Provo, 3rd at 125; Tyler Knox, 6th at 133; and Angelo Posada, 6th at 197. In the process, head coach Chris Ayres was named the NWCA National Coach of the Tournament.

Penn State broke another record. Oklahoma State demonstrated they are becoming a legitimate threat to Penn State with eight All-Americans and three champs.

Mitchell Mesenbrink won his second national championship. He was named the Outstanding and Most Dominant Wrestler. Mesenbrink also wins the award for most enlightening interviews, quoting St. Francis of Assisi and providing fans with numerous philosophical insights. My favorite being, “sometimes it takes obtaining the goal to realize the goal is not the thing to be obtained.”

The Ferrari brothers — AJ (Nebraska) and Angelo (Iowa) — both were All-Americans, placing 6th. Iowa rebounded from a poor regular season to place fourth with seven All-Americans.

And Jax Forrest leaves high school in December to win a collegiate national title three months later.

The greatest tournament on earth.

(John Klessinger is a teacher and wrestling coach at South River High School in Maryland. You can follow him on Instagram @coachkless and like his Facebook page “Coach Kless”.)