Congrats to TJ on a great career at Nebraska. 4 time NCAA qualifier, 3 Time AA (8th, 2nd, 3rd) and many Nebraska honors along the way. Great job TJ...proud of you and your dedication...and to think you didn't start wrestling until you were in 8th grade and begged by Kimrey to do it!!!! Remember all those years watching you grow in to it!!!
TJ Dudley
- Thread starter D11WrestBest
- Start date
It was easy to get him to wrestle. But he was disappointed when there were no ropes to jump off of at his first wrestling practice in 8th grade. He fell in love with sport quickly and after his freshman year in High School, he really up his work ethic and commitment to the sport. He said he wanted to be the best and wrestle in the Big Ten. He dreamed big, worked hard, never doubted himself, and had a lot of fun wrestling. He also never let being a new wrestler be an excuse which you see in a lot of first and second year kids. I hope the up and coming SC wrestlers look at him and say why not me.
I am super proud of him the way he battled back for 3rd. Coach Manning and Synder are first class guys who truly care about their athletes.
I am super proud of him the way he battled back for 3rd. Coach Manning and Synder are first class guys who truly care about their athletes.
Imagine how good he could have been if he had a good high school coach!!!!!!
Two other notables with their roots in SC:
Dan Wirnsberger
A 1995 graduate of Michigan State with a degree in criminal justice, Wirnsberger posted a 35-8 record and was the Big Ten Champion and NCAA runner-up at 158 pounds in 1995. That was his third of three straight All-America plaques, and he earned team Most Valuable Wrestler honors. Overall in his career, Wirnsberger compiled a record of 120-44, the third-most wins in school history. In NCAA competition, he logged 11 victories for the Spartans in three trips to nationals. During his career at Michigan State, the team went from a struggling program to a 12th-place national ranking his sophomore year, 25th his junior year and third in the nation his senior season.
A three-year captain of the Spartans, Wirnsberger continued his wrestling career at the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club while training for the 1997 World Team Trials. He qualified for the trials after placing sixth at the USA Senior Freestyle Tournament, his first senior competition. Participating at a higher weight class of 167 pounds, Wirnsberger defeated such renowned opponents as two-time NCAA champion Marcus Mollica of Arizona State and Iowa’s NCAA champion Darryl Weber.
Shelton Benjamin was a JUCO Champ for Lassen before transferring to Minnesota and becoming a 2x All-American with a high place of 3rd I believe.
I let him off easy. Didn't want to embarrass him so it was just a regular takedown. Didn't hit him with the 5 point takedown which is my specialty.
That would be a 6 pointer at the level you all are at...lol
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