Luther traveled to the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championships with six qualifiers and returned home with four All-Americans en route to a sixth-place finish in a field represented by 60 teams.

Travis Grawin (‘08) was the highest place finisher, with a fourth-place finish in the 141-pound weight class. Even with the finish, it was clear that Grawin wanted more.

“It’s hard to think that my wrestling career is over,” he said. “But as selfish as it sounds, I’m not fully satisfied and wish I had another chance to prove that I can be a national champ.”

Alec Bonander (‘09), the No. 2 seed in the 197-pound weight class, earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish, while Yonny Quist (‘09) and Zac Bartlett (‘09) finished seventh and eighth in their respective weight classes. Nic Barclay (‘09) and John Miller (‘09) did not qualify for All-America honors.

Bartlett understood that the tournament came with both ups and downs.

“Nationals were bittersweet,” he said. “The team didn’t accomplish what it wanted to, but we had some guys step up and do much better than they were projected to do.”

Quist felt the same sentiment.

“The national tournament left me with a bittersweet feeling,” he said. “I was happy to become an All-American, but at the same time I wanted more.”

The sixth-place finish, though impressive, was below the expectations of the team as a whole. Used to consistently finishing in the top four in the nation, the Norse certainly expected more of themselves this season.

Head Coach Dave Mitchell described some of the adversity the team faced during the regular season.

“We lost five national qualifiers, including two national champions from last year’s team, so we knew we would have some ups and downs this season,” he said. “We have finished in the top four in the country each of the past four years and we hope to be back in that mix next season.”

Mitchell was named the Iowa Conference Co-Coach of the Year in a season that saw six IIAC teams ranked in the top 30 in the nation, including conference rival Wartburg, which was ranked No. 1 the entire season.

Mitchell, though, is confident the team will reach a more successful level next year.

“We return four All-Americans and five guys with national tournament experience, which should help us in [the quest for the top four],” he said.

In addition to a top-six finish at nationals, the Norse were greeted with positive news when it learned that alumnus Garrett Kurth (‘03) had been inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Hall of Fame.

Kurth completed his career as one of the most decorated wrestlers in Luther history, being the only Norse wrestler to reach a NCAA Division III title bout three times.

He recorded a national championship in his sophomore season and was the runner-up in his next two seasons, while finishing his career with a record of 114-35 , which ranked fourth on Luther’s all-time list.

Kurth became the third Luther wrestler to be inducted into the NWCA Hall of Fame.

The team now looks forward to next season when it returns each All-American except Grawin.

Information taken in part from Luther College Sports Info.