March in Omaha. The Qwest Center was packed, vibrating with that specific brand of midwestern intensity you only find when thousands of people in singlets and hoodies descend on one city. If you were there, you remember the noise. It wasn’t just a tournament; the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships felt like a changing of the guard, or maybe a final stand. Honestly, it depends on who you ask.
Iowa won. Again.
They did it with 134.5 points, leaving Cornell and Iowa State in the rearview mirror. But the raw score doesn't tell you how close it felt, or how much tension was bubbling under the surface between Tom Brands and a young Cael Sanderson.
The Hawkeye Juggernaut and the "Inevitable" Three-Peat
Tom Brands has this way of looking at you like he wants to wrestle you right there in the hallway. In 2010, his Iowa team reflected that. They were mean. They were relentless. They were basically a buzzsaw. It was their third straight team title, a feat that cemented that era of Hawkeye wrestling as one of the most dominant in the modern age.
Jay Borschel was the hammer at 174 pounds. He went undefeated that season. Think about that for a second—running the gauntlet of Big Ten wrestling and the national tournament without a single blemish. He beat Central Michigan’s Ben Bennett in the semis and then took down Mack Lewnes of Cornell in the final. It wasn't flashy; it was just Iowa wrestling. Gritty. Tough. Constant pressure.
Then you had Matt McDonough at 125. He was just a freshman, but he didn't wrestle like one. He dismantled Andrew Long of Iowa State in the finals. It’s kinda wild to look back and realize how much that specific win set the tone for the next four years of the 125-pound division.
Brent Metcalf: The Shock That Nobody Saw Coming
If you want to talk about the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships, you have to talk about the 149-pound final. This is the part that still gets people fired up at bars in Iowa City. Brent Metcalf was supposed to be the sure thing. He was the reigning king, a Hodge Trophy winner, the guy who looked like he was carved out of granite.
👉 See also: Tottenham vs FC Barcelona: Why This Matchup Still Matters in 2026
Then came Lance Palmer.
Palmer, wrestling for Ohio State, had lost to Metcalf several times before. Most people figured this would be another notch on Metcalf's belt. Instead, Palmer wrestled a tactical masterpiece. He frustrated Metcalf. He neutralized the aggression. When the whistle blew, Palmer had pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament. The silence from the Iowa section was deafening. It was a reminder that on any given Saturday, even legends can bleed.
Why Cornell Almost Ruined the Party
People forget how close Cornell came to making history. Under Rob Koll, the Big Red were the "Ivy League team that could." They finished second with 90 points. They had Kyle Dake, a name that would eventually become synonymous with GOAT status. In 2010, Dake was just a true freshman at 141 pounds. He beat Iowa’s Montell Marion in the finals, 4-1.
That was the first one.
We didn't know it then, but we were watching the start of the greatest four-year run in the history of the sport. Dake winning his first title in Omaha was the spark. Cornell also had Mack Lewnes and Cam Simaz scoring big points. If a few matches had swung differently at 165 or 184, we might be talking about an Ivy League school toppling the Iowa dynasty. But "almost" doesn't get you a trophy in wrestling.
The Cael Sanderson Factor at Penn State
This was Cael’s first year at Penn State. Nobody really expected the Nittany Lions to do much—they finished ninth. It was a rebuilding year, or so we thought. Looking back at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships with the benefit of hindsight, you can see the seeds being planted.
✨ Don't miss: Buddy Hield Sacramento Kings: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
Frank Molinaro was there. Dan Vallimont was there.
They weren't the powerhouse they are now, but the culture was shifting. Cael was bringing that Iowa State excellence to State College, and the rest of the wrestling world was largely oblivious to the storm that was coming in 2011 and beyond. The 2010 tournament was the last time the "Old Guard" of the Big Ten felt completely safe.
Max Askren and the 184-Pound Chaos
Missouri’s Max Askren was always... different. He didn't wrestle the standard high-crotch-to-a-finish style. He was funky. He was unpredictable. At 184 pounds, he finally climbed the mountain by beating Kirk Smith of Boise State. It was a massive moment for Mizzou and a testament to the "scramble" style that was starting to take over the sport.
While the big names like Iowa and Oklahoma State were focused on power, guys like Askren were proving that flexibility and "wrestling through the positions" could win titles.
The Heavyweight Grudge Match
You can't talk about Omaha without mentioning the big boys. David Zabriskie of Iowa State took the heavyweight crown by beating Jared Rosholt of Oklahoma State. It was a 3-2 decision. Typical heavyweight stuff—lots of hand fighting, a lot of pushing, and one crucial escape.
Zabriskie’s win was huge for the Cyclones. They finished third as a team, and for a moment, it felt like the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry was at an all-time peak. Kevin Jackson had taken over for Cael at ISU, and keeping the Cyclones on the podium was a major statement, even if they couldn't quite catch the Hawkeyes.
🔗 Read more: Why the March Madness 2022 Bracket Still Haunts Your Sports Betting Group Chat
What We Learned (And What Most People Get Wrong)
Most fans remember 2010 as just another Iowa win. But that’s a lazy take. It was actually the peak of a specific style of wrestling before the "Scramble Era" truly took over.
- The Fall of the Pin: Iowa won with points and decisions, but the tournament saw a shift toward more defensive, tactical wrestling in the finals.
- The Freshman Impact: Dake and McDonough winning titles as freshmen changed how coaches looked at redshirting. If you’re good enough, you go.
- The West Isn't Dead: Boise State finishing 6th was a massive deal. It showed that wrestling wasn't just a PA/IA/OK sport.
The depth in 2010 was insane. You had future MMA stars like Lance Palmer and Bubba Jenkins (who was still at Penn State then, before his 2011 Cinderella run at Arizona State) all over the brackets. You had programs like American University and Cal Poly putting guys on the podium.
Actionable Insights for Wrestling Historians and Fans
If you want to truly appreciate what happened during the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships, don't just look at the brackets. Do these three things:
- Watch the Dake vs. Marion match: Look at how Kyle Dake, even as a teenager, controlled the hand-fight against a much more seasoned Iowa senior. It’s a masterclass in positioning.
- Study the 149-pound bracket: Notice how many All-Americans from that year went on to have successful Bellator or UFC careers. The 2010 149-pound class was arguably one of the most athletic groups ever assembled.
- Analyze the team point spreads: Look at the gap between 1st and 2nd. Iowa didn't just win; they suffocated the field. Understanding their "bonus point" mentality in the early rounds is key to understanding why they were untouchable that year.
The 2010 tournament was the end of one era and the absolute beginning of another. It was the last time the Hawkeyes felt like the undisputed kings of the world before the Penn State dynasty rose to challenge them. It was gritty, it was loud, and honestly, it was exactly what wrestling should be.
Go back and find the old footage of Borschel’s run. It’s a clinic in fundamental wrestling that still holds up today, even with all the fancy new techniques. Sometimes, being tougher than the guy across from you is enough. In 2010, for the Iowa Hawkeyes, it definitely was.