Wrestling: Boise State-bound Chamberlain a national champion
Every once in a while, a school gets a steal in the world of recruiting, landing an athlete that easily could have gone to a bigger, better program.
Even in college wrestling.
Case in point: Boise State's recent signing of national high school wrestling champion Jason Chamberlain of Springville High. While rising in football the past few years, the Broncos aren't known for their wrestling program. Chamberlain, the four-time Utah state champion, won the national championship at 140 pounds at the NHSCA National High School Senior Wrestling Championships on Sunday night in Virginia Beach, Va.
Chamberlain defeated Tee Edwards of Virgina 21-6 in the championship match. He won the national championship for juniors last year at the same venue.
Seven other Utahns placed at the senior nationals.
American Fork's Justin Ballantyne was eighth at 103. Bingham's Ryker Vandertoolen was seventh at 112. Wasatch's Blake Mangum was seventh and Mountain Crest's Jarrett Morrill was eighth at 125.
Wasatch's Jacob Salazar was sixth at 152. Wasatch's Ethan Smith was fourth at 160 and Layton's Adam Fager was fifth at 189.
Salazar has signed with Michigan, but will go on an LDS Church mission first.
Friday night, Mountain Crest's Ethen Lofthouse won the junior national title at 160 pounds. Obviously, he will be highly recruited next fall.
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Speaking of Lofthouse, he may end up wrestling for the national champion Iowa Hawkeyes. His uncle, Luke Lofthouse, is on Iowa's team but redshirted this past season after returning from a church mission to South Africa and was not part of the crew that won the recent NCAA Division I national title.
Still, Iowa did feature one Utahn. Former Uintah High wrestler Phillip Keddy placed sixth at 174 lbs. for the Hawkeyes and earned All-America honors.
Even in college wrestling.
Case in point: Boise State's recent signing of national high school wrestling champion Jason Chamberlain of Springville High. While rising in football the past few years, the Broncos aren't known for their wrestling program. Chamberlain, the four-time Utah state champion, won the national championship at 140 pounds at the NHSCA National High School Senior Wrestling Championships on Sunday night in Virginia Beach, Va.
Chamberlain defeated Tee Edwards of Virgina 21-6 in the championship match. He won the national championship for juniors last year at the same venue.
Seven other Utahns placed at the senior nationals.
American Fork's Justin Ballantyne was eighth at 103. Bingham's Ryker Vandertoolen was seventh at 112. Wasatch's Blake Mangum was seventh and Mountain Crest's Jarrett Morrill was eighth at 125.
Wasatch's Jacob Salazar was sixth at 152. Wasatch's Ethan Smith was fourth at 160 and Layton's Adam Fager was fifth at 189.
Salazar has signed with Michigan, but will go on an LDS Church mission first.
Friday night, Mountain Crest's Ethen Lofthouse won the junior national title at 160 pounds. Obviously, he will be highly recruited next fall.
_____________________________
Speaking of Lofthouse, he may end up wrestling for the national champion Iowa Hawkeyes. His uncle, Luke Lofthouse, is on Iowa's team but redshirted this past season after returning from a church mission to South Africa and was not part of the crew that won the recent NCAA Division I national title.
Still, Iowa did feature one Utahn. Former Uintah High wrestler Phillip Keddy placed sixth at 174 lbs. for the Hawkeyes and earned All-America honors.
4 Comments:
With all due respect to you Mr. Drew, when you wrote the following:
"While rising in football the past few years, the Broncos aren't known for their wrestling program."
It appears that you don't know much about the Boise State wrestling program. Boise State University has won FOUR Pac 10 team championships in wrestling in this century (2000, 2002, 2004 and 2008). That is more PAC 10 team championships than any other school that participates in the sport of wrestling in the PAC 10 Conference.
Boise State has also placed as high as 10th place TWICE at the N.C.A.A. national championships as a team. Boise State has also place among the top 25 in the nation in the sport of wrestling SEVEN of the last TEN years.
Also, next season, Jason Chamberlain will be one of FOUR Boise State wrestlers who have won the championship at their weight class at the Senior National tournament. The other three are Tyler Sherfey (2004 High School Senior National champion at 140 lbs), Adam Hall (2006 High School Senior National champion at 152 lbs) and Kirk Smith (2007 High School Senior National champion at 171 lbs.). Boise State also has one other wrestler who placed 3rd at his weight class at the Senior National tournament (Andrew Hochstrasser of Utah placed 3rd at the 2004 High School Senior National tournament at 125 lbs).
So, to say that Boise State is "not known for their wrestling program", is uninformed at best.
When did Boise St. join the Pac 10?
Kelly-With all due respect, nobody cares about wrestling except for wrestlers and their families. I'm sure all Jay meant was that BSU is known more nationally for football than for wrestling.
xanthis- I thought the same thing, but then I realized probably not all WAC or PAC-10 schools have wrestling programs so they sort of have their own mixed conference under the name of the PAC-10. Think, Notre Dame football: Independant, all other Notre Dame sports: Big East
For what it's worth: Boise State finished 24th at the recent NCAA Division I wrestling tournament. The Broncos had one wrestler place (eighth or better). He took eighth.
Jay
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