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| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 20, 1986 Flint, Michigan, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 143.3 lb (65 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Hawkeye Wrestling Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Tom Brands and Terry Brands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Brent Metcalf (born July 14, 1986) is an American former freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. Metcalf was a three-time member of the US World Team and two-time NCAA wrestling champion at the University of Iowa.
As a prep wrestler, Metcalf went undefeated with a career record of 228–0, won four consecutive Michigan state titles, and earned six junior national titles. After originally committing to Virginia Tech, Metcalf would ultimately transfer to the University of Iowa following his redshirt year, to follow coach Tom Brands, who was switching head coaching positions from Virginia Tech to the University of Iowa also. Due to Virginia Tech's desire not to release him, Metcalf was forced to sit out the entire 2006–2007 season. In the fall of 2007, as sophomore, Metcalf finally began his collegiate wrestling career. [1] During the course of his first competitive season, he captured the Big Ten and National Championships at 149 lbs.
Metcalf joined Cael Sanderson and David Taylor as the only sophomores to win the Dan Hodge Trophy as the best collegiate wrestler in the United States. He was also named the Jesse Owens Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year, beating out athletes in more high-profile sports like football and basketball. Metcalf was additionally named Outstanding Wrestler of the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments, and honored as Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.
Raised in Davison, Michigan, Brent Metcalf is the son of Tom and Lynn Metcalf. His mother was an all-state gymnast and state champion in track and field. He was high school teammates with 3x All American and 1x National Champion Paul Donahoe and 3x All American and 1x National Champion Jon Reader, all coached under Roy Hall. [2] His older brother, Chase Metcalf, was also a very successful wrestler, but lost his life in a car accident in his university years. Roy Hall's son Chase Langdon Hall was named after Brent Metcalf's brother Chase Metcalf. Metcalf married Iowa City native Kristin Metcalf (née Knipper). [3] Metcalf graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Metcalf finished his prep career with a 228–0 career record, tallying 156 pins. A four-time state individual champion, Metcalf also led his team to four consecutive state titles. As a senior, he was named Michigan's "Mr. Wrestler" in 2005, was selected as second-team ASICS all-American (behind rival Dustin Schlatter), Wrestling USA all-American and a Wrestling USA scholastic all-American.
A two-time FILA Junior national champion, Metcalf captured the Most Outstanding Wrestler award in 2004 and was named the Outstanding Wrestler at 2005 Junior Freestyle Nationals. He defeated Pennsylvania wrestler Matt Dragon in the finals. He also wrestled Dragon in the Dapper Dan beating him in an 8–7 win. A six-time Junior National champion, he was also three-time Junior National Greco-Roman and Freestyle champion en route to earning double Most Outstanding Wrestler awards in 2005. He completed his senior season as a 2005 Dave Schultz High School Excellence regional award winner. Metcalf was also a cadet Greco-Roman national champion and freestyle runner-up. [1]
After committing to coach Tom Brands at Virginia Tech, Metcalf used the 2005–2006 season as his redshirt year.
On April 9, 2006, past NCAA champion and former Iowa Hawkeye Tom Brands was named the head coach of the Iowa wrestling program. [4] Shortly after Brands accepted Iowa's offer, the five Virginia Tech wrestlers requested to transfer to Iowa pursuant to the NCAA's "one-time transfer exception." Virginia Tech chose not to grant their release, and despite their issuing a lawsuit against Virginia Tech, the wrestlers were unable to successfully transfer without losing one year of eligibility. [5]
During this season of lost eligibility, Metcalf competed in both folkstyle and freestyle competitions. He competed unattached in three open college tournaments, winning all three en route to compiling a 14–0 record at 149 pounds. He won Omaha's Kaufman-Brand Open, an event that included a number of top Division I teams.
Metcalf entered the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships as the top-seeded wrestler in the 149-pound weight class. He had only one loss on the year, getting pinned in a spladle in the first period by NC State wrestler Darrion Caldwell during their dual meet. He opened his tournament in dominant style with a first-period fall on Will Rowe of Oklahoma, his only pin of the tournament, and won the 2008 NCAA wrestling championship by defeating Bubba Jenkins, future 2011 NCAA champion from Arizona State, 14–8. He gave up the first two takedowns in the first period before coming back for the victory. He defeated future world champion and Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska in the semifinals, 6–3. He also defeated returning All American Lance Palmer of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. For his efforts he was named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler. [6] For his achievements, Metcalf was named the winner of the 2008 Dan Hodge Trophy, awarded annually to the nation's best college wrestler.
Metcalf entered the 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships with an unblemished 37–0 record and again garnered the number-one seed for the 149-pound weight class. He lost in the finals to Darrion Caldwell of NC State 11–6. As time expired in the match, Caldwell went to do a celebratory backflip and Metcalf pushed him in mid-air causing Caldwell to land dangerously on his back. The NCAA Wrestling Committee reprimanded Metcalf, issuing a news release that it "strongly believes the championships should not be tarnished by such acts." [7]
Metcalf went undefeated during the regular season at 149 lb. Metcalf then lost to Lance Palmer from Ohio State in the Big 10 Championships when Metcalf, down by one considering riding time, failed to finish a deep single and was put to his back late in the third after a wild scramble. Palmer, a fellow four-time high-school state champion, had met and lost to Metcalf in 4 prior matches. Metcalf would avenge the loss by defeating Palmer 3–2 to capture his second NCAA championship. Metcalf finished his collegiate career with a record of 108-3 (.973).
In 2013 on Golden Grand Prix "Ivan Yarygin" in Krasnoyarsk became runner-up. He lost in final wrestler from Russia Ilyas Bekbulatov (8-0,7-1).
In 2014 at the Wrestling World Cup in Los Angeles, Metcalf helped the USA secure 3rd place, while becoming the World Cup champion at 65 kg.
In 25–27 July on the "Golden Grand-Prix Heydar Aliyev" Metcalf became winner in 65 kg.
In 2014 World Wrestling Championships Metcalf lost in 1/16 finals to Mustafa Kaya of Turkey (7-4).
On December 21, Metcalf competed in Flowrestling's Premiere League (FPL) where he faced off against Franklin Gomez (Puerto Rico) in a freestyle-folkstyle hybrid match. Metcalf won his match 9–2 over Gomez [8] in what was at the time a matchup of two of the top 20 freestyle wrestlers in the world. [9]
In January 2015 it was announced that Metcalf would face 18-year-old phenom Aaron Pico in an Agon Wrestling Championship match. Metcalf and Pico were billed as the main event and Metcalf won the match by a score of 4-1 [10] scoring the match's only takedown.
On January 24, 2015, Metcalf faced Ilyas Bekbulatov of Russia in finals 65 kg match at Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2015 in Russia. [11] Bekbulatov won the final 8–6, and Metcalf earned the silver medal for Team USA. Metcalf is the first American this decade to make the Yarygin finals twice. On the same overseas trip Metcalf later took bronze at the Paris Grand Prix at 65 kg.
For the second straight year, Metcalf went 4-0 and won the World Cup [12] at 65 kilograms, picking up two wins against World medalists along the way. He defeated Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran of Mongolia 8-2 and Masoud Esmaeilpour 3–1. His four victories helped team USA secure the Team Silver Medal.
In April 2017, Brent Metcalf accepted a position as Volunteer Assistant Coach for Iowa State University's wrestling team. [13] The following year in 2018, he became a full time assistant coach for the Cyclones. [14] Prior to Iowa State, Metcalf had brief stints as Assistant Coach for Cedar Rapids Prairie High School wrestling from August through November 2016, [15] and as the National Freestyle Developmental Coach for USA Wrestling from November 2016 until April 2017. [16]
Cael Norman Sanderson is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an Olympic gold medal and was undefeated in four years of college wrestling at Iowa State (159–0), becoming a four-time NCAA Division I champion (1999–2002). He is the only wrestler in NCAA Division I history to go undefeated in official matches with more than 100 wins. Sports Illustrated named his college career as the second most impressive college sports feat of all-time, behind the setting of four world records by Jesse Owens in a single hour at the 1935 Big Ten track and field conference championship meet.
Danny Mack Gable is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a world gold medalist, and an Olympic gold medalist. Gable was only the third wrestler to be inducted into the United World Wrestling's Hall of Fame in the Legend category. In 2014, Gable was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame and on December 8, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump awarded Gable with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Dustin Schlatter is an American former folkstyle wrestler. He won the 2006 NCAA wrestling title and was a three-time NCAA All-American at 149 pounds for the University of Minnesota. As a high school wrestler, Schlatter was a NHSCA Senior national title, USA Wrestling Junior and Cadet national titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, and was a four-time Ohio high school state champion.
Tom Brands is an American former Olympic wrestler and is currently the head coach of the University of Iowa men's wrestling team. He won a gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Robert Edward Douglas is a retired American freestyle wrestler and coach. He competed as a featherweight at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics and placed fourth in 1964. He won a silver and a bronze medal at the 1966 and 1970 world championships, respectively, and retired later in 1970. After that Douglas coached several U.S Olympic teams, is one of only four collegiate coaches to win more than 400 dual meets, and he won an NCAA team national title at Arizona State. His coaching accomplishments include: 13 NCAA champions, 110 All-America performances, and 68 conference titles.
The University of Iowa men's wrestling program is one of the most successful NCAA Division I athletic programs. The Hawkeyes are 37 time Big Ten Conference champions and second in NCAA history with 24 National Championships
Matt McDonough is a two-time NCAA wrestling champion who attended the University of Iowa.
Michael Najeeb Zadick is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler. He competed in the Men's freestyle 60 kg division at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He lost in the 1/8 finals to Vasyl Fedoryshyn.
Jordan Ernest Burroughs is an American freestyle wrestler and former folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 79 kilograms, and previously competed at 74 kilos. In freestyle, he was the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, is the reigning and a six-time world champion, three-time Pan American Games gold medalist, four-time Pan American champion, and four-time US Open national champion, and has made the US World or Olympic Team on 11 occasions.
Kyle Frederick Snyder is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 97 kilograms. He holds the distinctions of being the youngest Olympic Gold medalist and the youngest World Champion in American wrestling history.
Darrion Caldwell is an American mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler, who currently competes in the bantamweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for Legacy FC. As a folkstyle wrestler, Caldwell was the 2009 NCAA Division I National Champion, and a two-time All-American at 149 pounds out of the North Carolina State University. He was also a four-time ACC Conference champion.
Tony Ramos a former American folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who competed on the International circuit for the United States.
James Malcom Green Jr. is an American retired freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 70 kilograms. His most successful year came in 2017, when he placed second at the World Championships and the World Cup and claimed the Pan American Continental Championship and the US Open National Championship, as well as other international titles. In college, Green was a four–time NCAA Division I All–American and a Big Ten Conference champion for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Thomas Patrick Gilman is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms. In freestyle, Gilman is a 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist and the 2021 World Champion and Pan American Continental champion. In folkstyle, Gilman was a three-time NCAA Division I All-American, the 2016 NCAA national runner-up, and a Big Ten Conference champion out of the University of Iowa.
Mark John Hall II is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 86 kilograms. As a folkstyle wrestler, Hall was an NCAA Division I National champion and a three-time Big Ten Conference champion out of the Pennsylvania State University. As a freestyle wrestler, Hall was the 2021 US Open National champion, 2018 Pan American Continental champion, a two–time Junior World Champion and a Cadet World Champion.
Zain Allen Retherford is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 70 kilograms. In freestyle, he is a gold and silver medalist at the World Championships, as well as a Pan-American champion.
Mekhi Kevin Lewis (born April 29, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. In freestyle, he was the 2018 Junior World Champion and the US National runner-up in 2019. As a folkstyle wrestler, Lewis is an NCAA Division I champion and ACC champion out of Virginia Tech and three-time NJSIAA champion as a high schooler.
Isaiah Alexander Martinez is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 79 kilograms. In freestyle, Martinez is a two-time US Open National champion and was the 2017 US U23 World Team Member. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a two-time NCAA Division I National champion and a four-time Big Ten Conference champion.
Jordan Michael Oliver is an American freestyle, graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms and professional mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division of Bellator MMA. In freestyle, he was a 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Member, but failed to qualify internationally after falling in the semifinals of the 2021 World Olympic Qualification Tournament. He was also the 2019 U.S. national champion. As a folkstyle wrestler, Oliver was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, three-time finalist, and four-time Big 12 Conference champion at Oklahoma State.
Gable Dan Steveson is an American professional wrestler, freestyle wrestler, and folkstyle wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, the second Olympic wrestling gold medalist to be signed by the company, after Kurt Angle.
