A U.S. College Wrestler Sees a World of Possibility

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Look out, world, Jake Herbert is on quite a roll.

In a three-week span, Herbert finished an undefeated season with his second N.C.A.A. title, won the Hodge Award as the nation’s top college wrestler and claimed his first title at the United States championships.

Later this month, he will go to the world team trials in Iowa, where he will need to win only one match in his 185-pound class to qualify for his first world championships, set for September in Denmark.

“Why not go out there and establish dominance and let everyone know I’m the guy, I’m the top dog?” Herbert said. “I want to establish myself as the guy to beat.”

Herbert was 135-4 at Northwestern, finishing with a 66-match winning streak. His .971 winning percentage is fifth best among all college wrestlers since 1975.

But there are differences in the scoring and technique between the folkstyle wrestling in college, and the freestyle at the Olympics and the world championships. That Herbert won a national title without much freestyle training is an indication of his talent.

By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY
Northwestern’s Jake Herbert, named Tuesday as the 2009 winner of the Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top college wrestler, didn’t celebrate with a day of rest.
Instead, he was training for the U.S. freestyle wrestling championships, a step toward his goal of becoming a 2012 Olympian.

Herbert plans to compete April 11 in Las Vegas at freestyle nationals, a qualifier for the world team trials May 30-31 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The freestyle world championships will be held in September in Denmark.

“My immediate goal is to go win nationals and win the world team trials. If you’re not training to win a tournament, why even enter it?” Herbert said after a workout in Naperville, Ill., at the Overtime School of Wrestling, where he is now a staff member.

As a Northwestern junior, Herbert won the 2007 NCAA championship at 184 pounds, going 32-0. He took a year off from college wrestling in 2008 in an unsuccessful try to make the Olympics.

In his return to college wrestling, Herbert recently completed a 34-0 season and won another NCAA title at 184. He did not allow a takedown all season.

By Philip Hersh | Tribune reporter

Jake Herbert continues to take nothing for granted in his prolonged career as a Northwestern student-athlete.

Herbert may not have lost a college wrestling match since 2006 — and just one of 81 matches since his freshman season — but he refuses to consider himself the favorite for what would be his second straight NCAA title at 184 pounds.

And he may need just one more class to graduate in March, but that does not mean Herbert will refuse the opportunity for more.

“I will be fully enrolled,” Herbert said. “I have been lucky enough to get a free Northwestern degree, so why would I miss out on some classes?”

As he prepares for his final appearance as a collegian at the annual Midlands Wrestling Championships on Monday and Tuesday at Northwestern, it is clear Herbert, 23, has availed himself of every opportunity during a six-year stay in Evanston.

After taking a redshirt first year to adapt to college, Herbert’s first major tournament was the Midlands in 2004, when he became the first NU wrestler to win an individual Midlands title in 30 years.