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 | 184 Pounds | 197 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) Mike McMullan, Northwestern - 3, 2, 3, 3 

A graduate of prep school powerhouse Wyoming Seminary, Mick McMullan can make an argument for being the best to never win a national championship at any weight in any era. The Easton, PA, native and former Northwestern Wildcat had just four losses in four trips to the NCAAs. Those loses are to eventual champion Tony Nelson of Minnesota in the quarterfinals in 2012, to Nelson again in the finals in 2013, to Oklahoma State's Austin Marsden in the second round in 2014, and to Michigan's Adam Coon in the semifinals of 2015. Now part of the Penn University coaching staff, McMullan's career stacks up competitively against any non-champ in NCAA history. 

2) Jared Rosholt, Oklahoma State - R24, 4, 3, 2

Oklahoma native Jared Rosholt stayed in state for college, and the move paid off for OSU coach John Smith and his Cowboys squad. After going 1-2 on his first trip to the NCAAs, Rosholt steadily improved his finishes, culminating in a finals appearance in 2010, where he was felled by Iowa State's David Zabriskie 3-2. Rosholt also entered his final three tournaments with a top five seed on each occasion.

3) Bobby Telford, Iowa - 5, R24, 4, 5

Bobby "The Delaware Destroyer" Telford was a stalwart for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The only time Telford finished outside the top five was his sophomore season, when he entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed but was forced to default out of his second-round match and then medically forfeited in the consolation. Along with McMullan and the two-time champ Nelson, Telford would headline a recent golden age of Big Ten heavyweights. 

4) Ty Walz, Virginia Tech - R24, 7, 4, 4

A product of the wrestling hotbed of Cleveland, Ohio, Ty Walz was an anchor for the Hokies during his impressive stint at Virginia Tech. Though he never finished higher than fourth, Walz was always in the mix, especially his final two seasons of eligibility, when he matched two No. 3 seeds with two fourth-place finishes. 

5) Connor Medbery, Wisconsin - R24, R12, 4, 2

Connor Medbery was another contributor to the golden age of Big Ten heavyweights who finally broke through and made the podium his junior year with a fourth-place finish in 2015. The Loveland, Colorado, native then took an Olympic redshirt season before returning to Wisconsin for his senior season. Medbery was unbeatable in the 2016-17 season except for a gentleman by the name of Kyle Snyder. The Olympic champ from Ohio State bested Medbery in both the Big Ten and NCAA finals that year, denying Medbery his claim on college wrestling's ultimate prize. 

Honorable Mention

Jarod Trice, Central Michigan
Michael Kroells, Minnesota
Dom Bradley, Missouri
Alan Gelogaev, Oklahoma State
Konrad Dudziak, Duke
Ryan Flores, American

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!

Get all of the hottest FloWrestling content!

Sign up for the FloWrestling newsletter for instant access to: breaking news, live events, results, rankings, archived matches and more!