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 | 157 Pounds | 165 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) Nick Amuchastegui, Stanford - R24, 4, 2, 2

Amuchastegui only won one match at his first NCAA tournament, but he had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2009, placing fourth after starting the tournament unseeded. The Oregonian proved that year to be no fluke, making the finals the next two years, where he was stopped agonizingly close to a championship title by Iowa State's Jon Reader in 2011 and Penn State's Ed Ruth in 2012. Both Ruth and Reader were No. 1 seeds.

2) Logan Storley, Minnesota 6, 4, 3, 4

There is an argument to be made for Storley being the top 174-pounder never to win a title based on total NCAA team points earned over a career. But it all hinges on how much you value Storley's sixth-place finish as a freshman versus Amuchastegui's two finals appearances. But however you rate either wrestler, there's no denying that the Golden Gopher from South Dakota was a model of consistency. Throughout his career, Storley never finished nor got seeded worse than sixth.

3) Robert Kokesh, Nebraska - R12, 3, 4, 3

Kokesh was another Big Ten 174-pounder from South Dakota with an incredibly consistent and impressive resume. After a bloodround finish as a freshman down at 165 pounds, Kokesh never finished, nor was seeded, worse than fourth. Kokesh also picked up two Big Ten championships in his junior and senior years, potentially tipping the scales in his favor as the best to never win it all.

4) Mack Lewnes, Cornell - 4, R32, 2, 4

Lewnes is another competitor with a viable claim to headline this list -- 174 was very difficult to rank -- so your list may vary. The Annapolis, MD, native twice started the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed: in 2009 as a sophomore at 165 pounds when he crashed out with an 0-2 record and as a junior in 2010 up at 174 when he lost to Iowa Jay Borschel, the No. 2 seed. As a senior, Lewnes entered as the No. 3 seed but was upset by Amuchestegui in the semifinals.

5) Brian Realbuto, Cornell - 6, 2, R32, 5

Realbuto had an eerily similar career as his Cornelian elder, Lewnes. Realbuto spent half his career at a lower weight, in his case two classes below at 157. He also had a disastrous 0-2 tournament in 2016. Realbuto made the semifinals in his three other trips to the NCAAs and was seeded second every year but his freshman year.

6) Chris Henrich, Virginia - R24, 7, 3, 6

Henrich spent all four years at 174 pounds. After a solid if unspectacular freshman season, the Pennsylvanian native would reel off three straight All-American honors for the Cavaliers, including a career-high third-place finish in 2010.

7) Jordan Blanton, Illinois - R32, 5, 4, 7

Blanton went 0-2 at his first NCAA tournament while wrestling up at 184 pounds. The next year the Illinois native was at 174, where he'd be for the next three years. The lower weight suited Blanton just fine, as he placed in the top eight all three subsequent NCAA tournaments.

8) Mike Evans, Iowa - R24, 6, 6, 6

The famously mustached Hawkeye had a very productive career. The Blair Academy graduate was never seeded lower than fifth in four years at the NCAAs, though his results never matched those expectations. Two "semi-slides" from the semifinals to sixth place in his last two years had to have been frustrating as well.

Honorable Mention

Zach Epperly, Virginia Tech
Kyle Crutchmer, Oklahom State
Cody Walters, Ohio

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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