Saying Jake Herbert won every match last year doesn’t tell the whole story.
Yes, the senior 184-pound wrestler won all 34 of his matches on the way to his second national championship, a performance that won him the Hodge Trophy (awarded to the best college wrestler) and the Jesse Owens Award (presented to the best male athlete in the Big Ten Conference).
Herbert was so good he wasn’t content with merely winning.
“I don’t just want to win every match,” he said. “I want to completely dominate. I want my opponent to know that he has absolutely no chance of doing anything on the mat.”
When Herbert won, he didn’t celebrate, he just spoke about how he needed to win by more. When Herbert pinned his opponent, he was angry he hadn’t done it faster.
Herbert’s first match of the year ended when he pinned his opponent only 14 seconds into the match. By the end of the year, he had pinned 14 more opponents, won nine major decisions and had four of his matches ended by technical falls, leaving only six regular victories. He referred to these regular victories as “hiccups.”
After going 36-1 as a sophomore, losing only the national championship match, 32-0 as a junior in 2007 and winning his first national championship before taking the 2008 year off to attempt to qualify for the Olympics, Herbert’s reputation began to precede him.
“My opponents should completely dread having to wrestle me,” Herbert said early in the year. “I want them to be afraid of even setting foot on the mat.”
It wasn’t just talk. Herbert’s opponents were genuinely scared. Often, opposing coaches would have their most talented wrestlers move into more difficult weight classes to avoid matchups with Herbert. And those who did get into the ring never really went on the offensive, choosing instead to lose by as little as possible and avoid getting pinned. He easily went the entire year without suffering a single takedown at the hands of one of his opponents.
Eventually, Herbert’s championship seemed a foregone conclusion. After winning the prestigious Midlands Championship and coasting to a Big Ten title, Herbert took down Ohio State’s Mike Pucillo in the opening seconds of the first round and held on to his lead until the end of the match. When the bell rang, his NU career ended just the way he wanted it: with his 65-game winning streak turning into a 66-game winning streak.
“I was just pumped I got it done,” Herbert said. “Everything’s done. I finished it, and it’s how I wanted to go out: on top.”
