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 | 174 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) Robert Hamlin, Lehigh - R32, 2, 4, 2

Hamlin had a rough go as a freshman down at 174 pounds in 2010, but the Vermonster started dominating once he bumped up to 184 pounds the following year. Over the next three years, Hamlin was seeded Nos. 2, 2, 3 and finished second, fourth, second. In 2011, Penn State's Quentin Wright stopped Hamlin in the finals. In 2012, it was Wright once again, though this time they met in the semis. Hamlin also lost in the consolation finals to Appalachian State's Austin Trotman. In 2013, Hamlin was denied a title by another Nittany Lion, a young Ed Ruth. But for a certain school in Happy Valley, Bob Hamlin could have been a two-time champ and three-time finalist. 

2) Joe LeBlanc, Wyoming - 4, 5, 6, 7

LeBlanc is an example of someone who can make a case for valuing consistency over finals appearances. The Colorado native had qualified for four NCAA tournaments and climbed the podium on every occasion. He was never seeded lower than ninth and even earned the No. 1 seed his senior year in 2012. Unfortunately, LeBlanc was upset by App State's Austin Trotman in the quarterfinals and slid to down to seventh. LeBlanc had an amazing career for the Cowboys of Wyoming no matter where you rank him.  

3) Ben Bennett, Central Michigan - 6, 8, 6, 4

Bennett is yet another model of consistency, going 4 for 4 in NCAA tournaments and All-American honors. He also has a win over Robert Hamlin in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA tournament. Bennett consistently improved his NCAA seed, going Nos. 7, 6, 3, 2 from 2010 to 2013. The Michigan native had a tougher time living up to those seeds, however, never finishing higher than fourth and never winning a match on Saturday, the last day of the NCAAs when ultimate placements are decided.

4) TJ Dudley, Nebraska - R24, 8, 2, 3

The studly TJ Dudley hails from South Carolina, a state not known for its high school wrestling prowess. But coach Mark Manning and his Cornhuskers staff scour the country far and wide for elite prep talent and showed their team has some of the best recruiting in the DI game. Dudley was never seeded higher than seventh but turned it on in March, with two top three finishes in 2016 and 2017. The closest Dudley came to a title was his junior year, when he was stopped by Cornell's Gabe Dean in the finals.  

5) Michael Cannon, American - R12, 6, 8, 3

It took Michael Cannon a couple tries to find his ideal weight, going up from 165 as a freshman to 174 for the next two years before finally landing at 184 pounds and finishing with a career-high third-place All-American honor. Cannon didn't travel too far from his hometown to wrestle for the Eagles, coming from Washington's outer burbs in Southern Maryland to American University's campus inside the Federal District. 

6) Kevin Steinhaus, Minnesota - 8, 5, R12, 5

Minnesota's Kevin Steinhaus' solitary podium miss was his junior year when he was stopped in the bloodround by Jimmy Sheptock in 2013. Steinhaus was seeded fifth that year. Throughout his career, Steinhaus never entered the tournament with less than a No. 8 seed. Though he never achieved the ultimate in NCAA wrestling, Steinhaus was an upperweight rock for the Golden Gophers lineup for four straight years.

7) Jimmy Sheptock, Maryland - DNQ, R12, 6, 2

It took some time for Sheptock to find his groove. After not starting as a freshman, the Northamption, PA, native steadily improved his NCAA results until he made the finals for the Terrapins as a senior. Unfortunately it was that finals match where Headlock Sheptock ran into the buzzsaw that is Ed Ruth, ending his career one placement short of a championship. 

8) Phil Keddy, Iowa - R24, 6, 4, 8

The Hawkeye by way of Vernal, Utah, just squeaks onto our list, by dint of his four NCAA appearances and three trips to the podium. Keddy also placed four times in the Big Ten tournament, providing incredible consistency for Iowa at 184 pounds.

Honorable Mention

Kirk Smith, Boise State
Ryan Loder, Northern Iowa
Nate Brown, Lehigh

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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