Incoming Class On Full Display At Junior Nationals

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State's No. 3 recruiting class was on full display at USA Wrestling Junior Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. The team of future Cyclones garnered a combined seven All-America finishes and four national championships.

The coming out party for this highly-touted class came as no surprise to the Iowa State coaching staff.

"We knew these guys were ready to go," assistant coach Travis Paulson said. "We knew that these guys had what it took to compete at this level."

Paulson credits Iowa State's Summer Bridge Program for a lot of the success at the national event. It allows new student-athletes to live on campus during the summer, train with their team and take 12 credits of class work to get acclimated to their new lifestyle.

"It's an awesome resource that we have here at Iowa State," Paulson said. "Our guys got to get in 12 credits and train in our room while they got ready for Fargo."

Nebraska native, Zemua Baptista and Oregon product, Sam Colbray got things started in Greco. In the 220-pound bracket, it was all Colbray. He rolled through anyone that got in his way, posting a 6-0 record, and winning every match by fall or technical-fall to win the 220-pound national championship.

Baptista also earned All-America honors when he finished third at 152-pounds. He reached the semifinals before suffering his first loss. He finished the tournament with a 6-1 record.

Then came the Freestyle portion of the tournament where the Cardinal and Gold shined on the national stage.

Ian Parker, Sam Colbray and Gannon Gremmel all finished on top of their respective podiums. Kanen Storr and Danny Vega also captured All-America honors. Storr finished runner-up champion at 138-pounds with a gritty 11-8 loss in the finals. Vega took fifth-place in a loaded 120-pound bracket.

Parker, who is Storr's Team Michigan teammate, cruised to the 132-pound finals. He scrapped to a 3-2 victory in the championship to stretch his record to 7-0 for the weekend to earn his Stop Sign.

Colbray won his second national title of the weekend after he obliterated the 220-pound bracket. He won every match by technical-fall and didn't yield a single point until the championship match, which he won 15-4. Colbray was the only wrestler in the tournament that was a national champion in both Greco and Freestyle.

Dubuque native, Gremmel, won every match-up by fall or technical-fall except for one. He went undefeated in the 285-pound division, winning his national championship by 14-4 technical- fall.

Head coach Kevin Jackson and his staff are thrilled about the success that these young grapplers are having before they even step into an Iowa State singlet.

"Fargo is the biggest predictor of college success," Paulson said.

In an article put together by FloWrestling, they showed that in the past 10 years over 82 percent of All-Americans were once Fargo competitors.