For wrestlers, All-American status is left completely up to their performances on the mat in March. It works well for the sport, leaving those top-eight spots at each weight coveted as the bloodround begins at the national tournament. 

It works well and leaves nothing up to chance. The wrestlers define their fate, not someone behind a curtain voting on the finality. That is, until the cancellation of the 2019 NCAA Championships in Minneapolis led to no wrestlers earning All-American status by the official governing body of the sport. 

For some, that means never having the chance to become a four-time All-American in the eyes of the NCAA. So it’s worth taking a look back on some of those who set themselves apart in history in achieving the feat, 20 of whom wore a black Iowa singlet. 

The First: Joe Scarpello

From 1946-1950, Joe Scarpello helped to anchor the Hawkeyes at the heavier weights, wrestling at 175 pounds for his entire tenure in Iowa City. He lost five matches in his entire Iowa career, going undefeated as a freshman (12-0) and as a senior (11-0) en route to his two only NCAA titles. He was the first Hawkeye to win two NCAA titles. 

Scarpello was a four-time Big Ten champion during Mike Howard’s 31-year team title-less reign as head coach, in the midst of which he served as an alternate at the 1948 London Olympics. 

The Latest: Brandon Sorensen

Current member of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club Brandon Sorensen is the last Iowa wrestler to earn four-time All-American status, collecting a 127-17 record from 2014-18. He was a one-time NCAA finalist, finishing 29-2 after placing second at the national tournament. 

His 40 wins in 2014-15 was one win shy of the Hawkeye freshman record, held by Ed Banach in 1979-80, another four-time All-American. 

The Head Coaches: Jim Zalesky & Tom Brands

Former Hawkeye head coach Jim Zalesky and Iowa’s current leader Tom Brands were both four-time All-Americans as wrestlers before taking over to try and fill the shoes of Dan Gable. 

Zalesky, who wrestled from 1980-84 and compiled a 132-7-1 record in his career, was a three-time NCAA champion after placing fifth his freshman year. He went 79-0 in his junior and senior seasons combined. 

Brands, also a three-time NCAA champion, was a Hawkeye wrestler from 1988-92 and has been the head coach of the Hawkeyes since 2006. In 1990-91, he went a perfect 45-0 to rank second all-time among Hawkeyes for the most wins in a season. 

Following his collegiate career, he won a gold medal at 136.5 pounds in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. 

The Olympic Medalists: Ed Banach, Barry Davis, Randy Lewis, Lincoln McIlravy

Along with Brands, Randy Lewis, Ed Banach, Barry Davis, and Lincoln McIlravy are all four-time Hawkeye All-Americans who medaled at the Olympics. 

Lewis wrestled at Iowa from 1977-81, winning NCAA titles during his sophomore and junior seasons when he went a combined 76-1. Prior to his senior season, he earned a place on the 1980 Olympic team and won a gold medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Games. 

Banach, who won a program-record 41 matches as a freshman on his way to his first of three NCAA titles, won a gold medal in 1984 after going 141-9-1 during his collegiate career. His 73 wins by fall set a new school record during his reign from 1979-83.

Davis, a teammate of Banach’s both at Iowa and on the 1984 Olympic team, placed seventh in 1981 and followed it up with three consecutive NCAA titles. His 46 wins in 1981-82 and his 162 wins over four years both set school records.

McIlravy was a four-time NCAA finalist for Iowa and went 96-3-0 on his way to three titles. He went undefeated in both his sophomore and senior seasons. He was one of the last Hawkeyes to win an Olympic medal, taking bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in which Terry Brands also medaled.

Anna attended the University of Iowa, where she covered multiple sports from volleyball to football to wrestling. She went to Pittsburgh in March 2019 for the NCAA DI Wrestling Championships and did live coverage of the entire event and Spencer Lee’s second-straight NCAA title. Follow her on Twitter.