The NCAA tournament is the pinnacle of the collegiate wrestling season, where a grueling season culminates with the crowning of 10 individual champions. 

But the flip side to glory is the bitter disappointment of unrealized dreams. All weekend long, the arena tunnels and lockers rooms are strewn with the shattered minds and bodies of defeated wrestlers.

The record books will always be a prominent place for champions, but here we'll carve out a special section for the best who never become champs. This is a place for the greats who never quite made it to the top of the NCAA podium, yet remain some of the most dominant and dynamic competitors of their era.

Previous Entries: 125 Pounds | 133 Pounds | 141 Pounds | 149 Pounds

To limit the size of our lists, and to lower the burden of research to a relatively sane amount, we very arbitrarily narrowed our time frame to the last 10 years. Due to creative redshirting, this rule proved difficulty to adhere to, but a general rule of thumb is anyone who used up his eligibility by 2009 was not included. Hence the absence of Mike Poeta, an incredible 157-pound wrestler for Illinois who thrice placed in the top three of NCAA.

It is possible we overlooked someone, however, so please feel free to call out your favorite unmentioned non-champion in the comments.

1) James Green, Nebraska - 7, 7, 3, 3

Since he graduated Nebraska without ever making it to an NCAA finals match, James Green has won spots on three consecutive USA freestyle world teams at 70kg/154lb. The redemption must have felt sweet for Green who was a consistent winner for the Cornhuskers since he arrived on campus in 2011 despite never claiming an NCAA championship trophy. The South Jersey native also never took a redshirt season,and never finished off the podium in four years at Nebraska. Green was the No. 1 seed as a junior in 2014 but was upset in the quarterfinals by one of Dylan Ness' patented "gator bacons." A year later, Green dropped a heartbreaker in the semis to Isaiah Martinez, which ended his title dreams and cemented his position at the top of our list of 157-pounders of the last decade to have never won an NCAA title.

2) Jason Welch, Northwestern - R16, 6, 4, 2

Jason brought his "Welch's Grapevine" attacks from Northern California to Northwestern in 2009. Welch finished off the podium as a true freshman, then took a redshirt season, and then reeled off three straight All-American seasons. Welch improved his place on the podium each successive year but was unable to reach that top step. Welch also never won a placement match in his career, falling to Adam Hall in 2011, Dylan Alton in 2012, and Derek St. John in a nail-biter in the finals of 2013.

3) Ian Miller, Kent State - R24, 4, 5, 6

No discussion of Ian MIller's career would be complete without mentioning his disastrous quarterfinal "loss" to Cornell's Brian Realbuto during MIller's junior season in 2015. Miller admirably battled from that colossal foul-up to finish fourth. In his final year of eligibility, the Ohio native made it to the semifinals before dropping a sudden victory loss to eventual champ Isaiah Martinez. Miller would injury-default out of his next two matches and end his career after one of the best three-year stints without a title.

4) Nick Brascetta, Virginia Tech - R24, 8, 4, 3

A graduate from Ohio's small but insanely prolific powerhouse high school St. Paris Graham, Nick Brascetta became the 149-pound starter for the Hokies his true freshman year. He started the next season at 149 pounds as well, capturing eighth place at the NCAAs before taking a redshirt. Brascetta came back bigger and better than ever, finishing in the top four twice in the next two years at 157 pounds. He had his best season as a senior, losing in the quarterfinals of the 2016 tournament to Isaiah Martinez before peeling off four victories in a row to finish his career on the third-place step of the podium.

5) Adam Hall, Boise State - R12, R12, 3, 5

A native of Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, and another member of the tragically departed Boise State University wrestling program, Adam Hall had a remarkably consistant career. Two bloodround finishes and two trips to the podium is an impressive feat despite never having ascended the summit. Hall was the No. 2 seed as a junior in 2009 and ultimately finished third. As a senior in 2010, he was the No. 1 seed and placed fifth. Welch upset Hall in 2010 in the quarterfinals, but Hall got revenge in the consolation fifth-place match, capping off his career with a victory.

6) Dylan Palacio, Cornell - R12, R16, 4, 6

Though Dylan Palacio may have been people's champion from Long Beach, New York, his highest finish in college was three steps away from an NCAA championship. Palacio earned that moniker, however, by providing fans with some of the most electrifying moments of the more recent NCAA tournaments and further entertained the crowds with provocative sound bites and social media content. In 2016, Palacio pinned Oklahoma State's Joseph Smith in the consolation quarterfinals, and in 2017 he pinned Iowa's Michael Kemerer in the championship quarterfinals, both in dramatic fashion. Alas, Palacio never earned the opportunity to show off his abilities in a championship finals match.

Honorable Mention

Steve Fittery, American
Matt Moley, Bloomsburg
James Fleming, Clarion
Dylan Alton, Penn State

Like our time frame, our achievement cut-off point for inclusion on our list of best who never won is entirely arbitrary. There will never be an article large enough to mention every deserving All-American who fell short of his ultimate goal. So if you think we overlooked anyone, please don't hesitate to let us know!

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