From big laughs to all business, wrestlers declare their independence

July 4, 1:10 PMCollege Wrestling ExaminerMark Palmer

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Minnesota's Dustin Schlatter (Photo/Big
Ten.org)

In honor of Independence Day, let’s take a look at some college wrestlers who have declared their independence in one way or another.

Minnesota’s Dustin Schlatter. In three years of competing for the University of Minnesota, Dustin Schlatter has more than made a name for himself as a two-time Big Ten conference champ and three-time NCAA All-American, compiling an impressive 100-7 record. However, instead of continuing to wrestle for the Golden Gophers in his senior year, Schlatter is taking a redshirt year to pursue another dream: Wrestling fort the U.S. World freestyle team at the 2009 World Championships this September in Herning, Denmark. Learn more about Dustin Schlatter’s plans in this article from the Big Ten’s wrestling website.

Iowa’s Tyler Clark. A few weeks ago, we reported that Iowa State wrestler Tyler Clark had been granted a release from the Cyclones after head coach Cael Sanderson had left the program to take the helm at Penn State. Clark will now be wrestling for cross-state rival the Hawkeyes… partly because the University of Iowa’s business school has a higher ranking than the one at ISU. There are other reasons, as award-winning wrestling writer Andy Hamilton explains in his profile of Clark in the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
 

Missouri matman turned funny man Greg Warren
(Photo/InterMat)

The Albrights of Pitt. College wrestling has had more than its share of brother acts over the years (including Dustin Schlatter and his older brother C.P.). The Albrights of the University of Pittsburgh continue that tradition. Eric is a senior, wrestling at 141 pounds, while Chris is a 125-pound freshman. Eric made the move from the University of Virginia to Pitt, and now the two brothers are a team again. Find out more about how things seem to be all right for the Albrights in Mark Walters’ profile for the amateur wrestling website TheWrestlingMall.

Missouri’s Greg Warren. Imagine going from the wrestling mat, to the world of standup comedy… each brutal in its own way. That’s the transition Greg Warren made. He wrestled for the University of Missouri, earning NCAA All-American honors at 158 pounds in 1991. Then, in 2001, he became a full-time comedian with comedy CDs, and making it as far as the semifinals of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. In a laugh-filled question-and-answer session with Andrew Hipps, senior writer for the amateur wrestling website InterMat, Warren shares funny stories about his standup career… as well as wrestling all-time greats like Pat Smith and Tim Krieger.