By David Herder

Seven years before he was an Olympian, he was a freshman.

After taking a redshirt year, Jake Herbert was entering the 2004-05 season ready to hit the mats for the first time representing Northwestern. He had logged a 14-0 record wrestling unattached while redshirting and looked to continue that streak.

After sweeping his early season schedule, Herbert was named the No. 7 seed in the 184 lbs. class at the Midlands Championships. He would first come up against the second-seeded Pete Friedl of Illinois, who had earned All-American honors the year prior as a sophomore. Despite the low seed, Herbert ripped off upsets of Friedl and the No. 5 and 6 seeds to become Northwestern's first individual champion at the Midlands since 1974.

Through the early parts of that season, Herbert was unstoppable. Going into a February 17 match against Illinois, he was a perfect 22-0. However, on that February night, he would again face off against Friedl. This time, the result was flipped with the Wildcat being handed his first loss.

That would be the only blemish on Herbert's resume, as he entered the Big Ten championships with the singular loss. Of course, Herbert would again run into Friedl, this time for the Big Ten crown. Friedl made it two in a row, and Herbert had to settle for second.

But he would get his revenge at the national championships. After dropping an early match, Herbert put together six straight wins, including three pins, to reach the third place match. There, he again came face to face with his in-state rival. This time, with bronze on the line, Herbert mustered a 6-3 victory to claim third.

Herbert returned for his sophomore year with designs on besting his high finish from the year prior. To start, he swept his way to his second consecutive Michigan State Open Title. And then he did it again, going 5-0 at the Midlands to become Northwestern's first repeat Midlands Champion, as well as being named the tournament's Champion of Champions.

As the season continued, Herbert continued to mow down the competition. For the second straight year, he swept team awards, leading the team in falls, takedowns and points. He had maintained his No. 2 national ranking for the entire season, en route to his first Big Ten Championship.

At the National Championships, Herbert got off to a better start than the year before. In fact, he got off to a better start than any Northwestern wrestler ever, recording a pin over Rider's Doug Umbehauer in 17 seconds. A series of wins set him up for a clash in the finals with Missouri's Ben Askren. Askren had been ranked No. 1 the entire year, and his 44-match winning streak was the only active streak longer than Herbert's chain of 42. One man's streak had to end, and it was Askren who was able to eke out the victory, sending Herbert home with a 36-1 record on the season.

There isn't much better one can do than win 36 of 37 matches, with 15 pins, as Herbert had done. But in 2006-07, he would set out to do just that. For the second straight year, Herbert ran the regular season table, racking up bonus points with a team leading nine pins, 10 major decisions and four tech falls. At the Big Ten Championships, Herbert defeated No. 4 Tyrel Todd of Michigan in the semifinals, before toppling second-ranked Roger Kish of Minnesota with an 8-1 victory to claim his second conference title. He was also named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

At the National Championships, Herbert was looking to become just the fourth Wildcat to garner three All-America honors. He got off to a hot start, scoring four major decisions, before taking down Iowa State's Jake Varner to become the school's first national champion since Jack Griffin in 1990. Herbert was able to do so without giving up a single takedown in the entire tournament on the way to a perfect 32-0 record on the season.

After using the 2007-08 year to attempt to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, Herbert was granted an extra year of eligibility and returned to Evanston in 2009 for his final collegiate season. He had lost just once in his last 75 collegiate matches.

In his first match back, he needed only 14 seconds to register a pin over Hunter Collins-Montoya of Michigan. On December 30, 2008, he became the first Wildcat to win three Midlands championships and was a unanimous selection for the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler award. He once again cruised through conference action and was ranked No. 1 in the nation on Jan. 6, 2009, a spot he never relinquished. He led the team once again with 15 pins, nine major decisions and four tech falls. At his final conference championships, he did the same as the previous three, sweeping his way to the finals. There, he met up against No. 3 Phil Keddy of Iowa, and by an 8-1 score, captured his third conference title.

If Herbert were to reclaim his national title, he would finish his career on a 66-match winning streak, with only one loss in his last 108 matches. He had not surrendered a takedown all season, and he would not do so at the national championships either. Facing reigning champion Mike Pucillo of Ohio State in the final, Herbert pulled out a 6-3 victory, becoming the school's second four-time All-American and first two-time national champion since Jack Riley in 1931-32.

With his second consecutive undefeated season, this time with a 34-0 record, Herbert was awarded the Hodge Trophy, presented annually to the nation's top college wrestler. He also received the Jesse Owens award, given to the Big Ten's most outstanding male athlete. Herbert's 135 wins placed him fourth all-time at Northwestern, and he graduated with the top winning percentage at .971. His winning percentage was the fifth best four-year winning percentage among all Division I wrestlers since 1974-75.

Jake Herbert ended his collegiate career not only as the best to ever wrestle for Northwestern but as one of the greatest to ever step on the mat.

••••••

Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

Making his Mark: Jake Herbert's Dominant Northwestern Career

••••••

Related News

Related Videos