Jake Varner named Iowa State's Male Athlete of the Year

July 9, 2:39 PMCollege Wrestling ExaminerMark Palmer

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Jake Varner, Iowa State's 2009 Male Athlete of the Year (Photo/www.Cyclones.com)

It's been a winning year for Iowa State wrestler Jake Varner.

The Iowa State Athletics Department announced today that national champion wrestler Jake Varner was named the school’s 2008-09 Male Athlete of the Year.

Varner, a native of Bakersfield, California, capped off an outstanding junior season by winning the 2009 NCAA Division I title at 197 pounds. Varner, who ended the year with a 31-2 mark, defeated Nebraska’s Craig Brester, 2-1, in the final match to give ISU its 65th NCAA individual title in school history.

“It’s a great honor to be in the same group as the other outstanding wrestlers who have won this award in the past,” Varner said.

By winning the school’s Male Athlete of the Year, Jake Varner becomes the twenty-second Cyclone wrestler to be so honored in the award’s more than 60-year history. Among the ISU matmen to have earned this award since 1947: 1948 Olympic gold medalist Glen Brand (1948), 1972 Olympic gold medal-winner Dan Gable (1969, 1970), 1972 Olympic bronze medalist Chris Taylor (1973), newly hired assistant coach Chris Bono (1997), and 2004 Olympic gold medalist (and former head coach) Cael Sanderson (1999; 2001-2002).

Varner recently made the U.S. freestyle team for the World Wrestling Championships, defeating 2008 Olympian Andy Hrovat (96-kg) in the finals of the 2009 World Team Trials. A three-time All-American and three-time NCAA finalist (2007- 2nd, 184 pounds; 2008- 2nd, 184 pounds; 2009- 1st, 197 pounds), Varner will try to become just the 13th wrestler in NCAA history to be a four-time finalist at the NCAA Championships next season.

In addition to all these achievements this year, Varner – a criminal justice major -- was a 2009 First-Team Academic All-Big 12 honoree.

Jake Varner becomes at least the fifth wrestler from a major college program to have won his school’s Male Athlete of the Year Award. Among the others to win similar honors: J Jaggers from Ohio State… Steve Luke from University of Michigan… Franklin Gomez of Michigan State… and Jake Herbert of Northwestern, who also won the 2009 Jesse Owens Award as the Big Ten conference’s Male Athlete of the Year.
 

Resources

Iowa State article announcing Jake Varner's award, including list of past winners