Freshman Jacob Warner is more than adjusting to college wrestling, he is dominating it.
By James Geerdes
[email protected]
A semester into his freshman school year, Jacob Warner has done what few other wrestlers do in their career: upset the nation’s third-best wrestler.
Six months out of high school, some might say Warner has acclimated to college competition well.
Warner wrestled in two events unattached this season: the Luther Open and the Lindenwood Open. He has climbed to the top of the podium at both.
“We love Jacob Warner because of his energy and what he’s been able to do as a young guy,” head coach Tom Brands said. “He’s won two tournaments, and he’s rolling. He comes to work with no drama and no distractions. We love it. We love what he’s doing.”
At the Luther Open on Nov. 11, Warner worked through the Elite 197-pound bracket. After a first-round bye, he won by fall over Cornell College’s Chris Lyons at 2:31 in the second round. In the semifinals, Warner won by tech fall over Wesley Shultz of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 22-7. And to cap off his tournament, in the finals, Warner won by a major decision over Jordan Newman of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 18-10.
A week later, Warner won his second title at the Lindenwood Open. In the 197-pound Gold Division, Warner worked through four matches en route to the title. After a first-round bye, Warner beat Jake Woodley of Oklahoma by decision, 5-2. In the quarterfinals, he beat Hunter DeLong of West Virginia by tech fall, 19-4. Warner then beat Oklahoma’s Andrew Dixon in a 3-1 decision in the semifinal to advance to the finals match against third-ranked William Miklus of Missouri. Warner showed his potential when he topped Miklus in dominating fashion, winning, 16-7, in a major decision.
“I need to keep doing my thing, keep being offensive,” Warner said. “I thought I wrestled well, but there’s always room to improve.”
Surprising? Not necessarily.
Warner dominated in high school. The Washington, Illinois, native was the No. 8 overall prospect in the 2017 class and the No. 1 prospect at 195 pounds, according to FloWrestling. Warner is a two-time Illinois state champion and won bronze at the Cadet World Championships in 2016 at 85 kg.
Hawkeye fans got an early preview of Warner’s talents during Iowa’s wrestle-offs from Nov. 2 to Nov. 4. The first day of the event saw Warner tech fall teammate and fellow freshman Connor Corbin, 21-6. Warner decided to one-up himself the next day when he pinned sophomore Stephen Holloway. Warner found his toughest challenge in Cash Wilcke, Iowa’s 197-pound starter. Warner won in a 4-3 decision. Last season, Wilcke was one win shy of being an All-American.
“The energy has been good,” senior Brandon Sorensen said. “We have the right kids in here. We have the right freshmen. They’re doing the right things.”
Although Warner will most likely remain a redshirt this season, he will continue to wrestle unattached for Iowa.
“Right now, I plan to redshirt,” Warner said. “But I will do whatever Coach Brands wants me to do. Right now, I’m focusing on training Cash to be a national champion and for me to be a national champion.”
Hawkeye fans will see Warner in action at the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29, an annual holiday wrestling event held by Northwestern that hosts some of the nations’ top programs.