Longest Win Streaks Entering NCAAs

Longest Win Streaks Entering NCAAs

The longest winning streaks heading into the 2017 NCAA wrestling championships

Mar 7, 2017 by Wrestling Nomad
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This season more than most, there has been a clear separation between the top-ranked guy in every weight class and everyone else. Eight of the 10 preseason No. 1's are still undefeated and ranked first.

Since there has been such an obvious delineation, we wanted to post the longest winning streaks heading into the 2017 NCAA championships.

  1. Zain Retherford, 149 Penn State: 58 wins in a row [last loss - Mitchell Port on March 22, 2014]
  2. J'Den Cox, 197 Missouri: 43 wins in a row [last loss - Phil Wellington on December 13, 2015]
  3. Isaiah Martinez, 165 Illinois: 40 wins in a row [last loss - Jason Nolf on January 23, 2016]
  4. Gabe Dean, 184 Cornell: 39 wins in a row [last loss - Nolan Boyd on February 7, 2016]
  5. Dean Heil, 141 Oklahoma State: 36 wins in a row [last loss - Joey Ward on February 19, 2016]
  6. Zahid Valencia, 174 Arizona State: 33 wins in a row [no NCAA losses yet]
  7. Thomas Gilman, 125 Iowa: 27 wins in a row [last loss - Nico Megaludis on March 19, 2016]
  8. Kevin Jack, 141 NC State: 27 wins in a row [last loss - Randy Cruz on November 13, 2016]
  9. Jason Nolf, 157 Penn State: 25 wins in a row [last loss - Isaiah Martinez on March 19, 2016]
  10. Kyle Snyder, 285 Ohio State: 23 wins in a row [last loss - Kyven Gadson on March 21, 2015]
  11. Nathan Tomasello, 133 Ohio State: 21 wins in a row [last loss - Thomas Gilman on March 18, 2016]
Incredibly, Zain Retherford's streak goes all the way back to the 2014 national tournament. His last loss was in the consi semis there in Oklahoma City by a 3-1 OT score to Mitchell Port of Edinboro. J'Den Cox has the most flukish of the last losses, on a DQ when he ran Phil Wellington though the scorer's table on December 13, 2015.

Martinez is in part because he did not wrestle the first semester this season, but I'm sure we all remember his last loss, to Jason Nolf on January 23rd of last year. Gabe Dean's extensive schedule puts him at 39, and has avenged his Nolan Boyd loss from February 7th of last year three times now.

Heil closes out the NCAA champions (sort of) and has won 36 straight since falling to Joey Ward in last season's February 19th dual meet. Zahid Valencia has won every match this year and will be the top seed at NCAA's with a 33-0 record.

Like Valencia, Thomas Gilman and Jason Nolf have won all their matches this season. Their last losses came to Nico Megaludis and Martinez, respectively in last year's NCAA finals. Kevin Jack has won every bout since the Journeymen Collegiate Classic.

Snyder has not lost a match since the 2015 finals to Kyven Gadson, and Tomasello's was to Gilman in semifinals last year.