[20] In the first match, Retherford beat Diakomihalis 10–4. Big Ten Championships (4-0, Champion, NCAA Qualifier): 2016 Big Ten Champion with 4-0 run through tourney...pinned #5 Alec Pantaleo of Michigan in semis and shutout #2 Brandon Sorensen of Iowa 4-0 in finals...2016 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. [32], After 6 months without being able to compete, Retherford returned to the mats against three-time NCAA Division I All-American Alec Pantaleo on September 19 at the NLWC I,[33] whom he outscored 3 points to 2. 149: Zain Retherford vs. Bill Koll The list of NCAA greats who have competed at 149 pounds or at a comparable weight is long, but we have to start with one of the most recent multiple-time champs. 2013-14: First year of collegiate wrestling...rolled to the Binghamton Open title at 141 in his first collegiate tournament on 11/10, going 5-0 with two pins, a tech fall and a major....12-3 major over Paul Kirchner of Rider in Penn State dual meet debut on 11/16...made Rec Hall dual debut on 11/24 with strong 6-1 decision over Lock Haven's Dan Neff...thrilling 4-2 (SV) victory over #1 Logan Stieber of Ohio State on 12/15, sparking Penn State to 31-6 victory over Buckeyes in Rec Hall...he was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (12/17) for his efforts...4-2 win over #9 Josh Dziewa of Iowa in Lions' dual win in CHA on 12/21/13...rolled to 2014 Southern Scuffle crown as a true freshman, downing the #11, #7 and #19 ranked grapplers on the way...5-0 run included a pin and a major...won four straight Big Ten dual meet bouts by major (1/12 through 1/24)...pinned MSU's Brian Gibbs on 1/31 (4:42)...7-1 win over #13 Steve Dutton of Michigan on 2/2...strong 4-0 win over #6 Chris Dardanes of Minnesota on 2/9...beat #19 Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State on 2/16...closed out perfect regular season (26-0) with 8-4 win over Clarion's Tyler Bedelyon on 2/23. Russ Hughes (his coach back then) states that it was in this time when Retherford started to really focus and grow as a wrestler. [26], Retherford competed at the Alan International in Russia. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. 1 at 65 kg/143 lbs. Wrestler Links. [1][2], As the #3 recruit in the country, Retherford committed to the Nittany Lions, at Penn State University. He lost the match by points (9-5). Retherford spun behind early for the opening takedown and led 2-0 at the break. He then earned the Dan Hodge Trophy award as the most dominant wrestler in NCAA Division I and was named the year's NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler for the second time in a row.[9]. Get the latest news, schedule, scores, stats, league standings, rankings and photos for high school sports teams and players. As a result of the move, Retherford was declared enable to compete that season (2011-2012). [19] At the Challenge Tournament, he defeated Dean Heil, Frank Molinaro and Jordan Oliver twice before competing at Final X: Rutgers against Yianni Diakomihalis. 06/24/2015 Yianni Diakomihalis (born John Michael Diakomihalis; April 11, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms and 141 pounds.In freestyle, he is the reigning Pan American champion, the '19 US Open National Champion and a two-time age-group World Champion. [21][22], He once again faced Yianni Diakomihalis in the qualification round of the Grand Prix Yaşar Doğu. Becomes fourth Buckeye in school history to win award. [5] At the NCAA championships, Retherford defeated an unseeded opponent in the first round and also the eleventh and fourteenth seeds before losing to the second-seeded Logan Stieber once again. In his four seasons at PSU, he graduated with a 128–4 record (all of his losses coming as a freshman). Zain Retherford, Penn State’s second ever three-time national champion in 2018 had the opportunity to experience both. Zain Retherford, the country's No. Diakomihalis earned the first point on a failed Retherford challenge. As a folkstyle wrestler, Retherford was a three-time NCAA Champion and four-time All-American. NCAA Championships (5-0, Champion, All-American): Concluded unbeaten sophomore season by winning 2016 NCAA 149-pound crown with 5-0 run in Madison Square Garden...had three pins and a tech fall to get to the finals where he rolled to a 10-1 major over #2 Brandon Sorensen of Iowa. [25] He defeated Diakomihalis by two points to one. Retherford projects at 141 for Penn State. Zain Retherford Freestyle Wrestling. Lion Career Zain Retherford estimated Net Worth, Biography, Age, Height, Dating, Relationship Records, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. [10], Overall, Retherford is a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, three-time NCAA Champion, four-time All-American, three-time Big Ten Champion and four-time Big Ten finalist. At the NCAA Championships, he opened up with a tech (16-1) and a pin before another tech (20-2) in the quarterfinals. [29], In an attempt to make his way to the Olympics, Retherford competed at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament. In his junior year, he continued to establish dominance, staying in the top-spot of the division through the regular season. [12], At the US Olympic Team Trials, Retherford defeated James Green (9-2) in the preliminary match and advanced to the quarterfinals, where he faced Logan Stieber, whom he lost to (6-8). [31] However, the event was postponed for 2021 along with the Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving all the qualifiers unable to compete. Penn State's Zain Retherford vs. Rutgers' Eleazar DeLuca in the 149 lbs match. It never entered Zain Retherford’s mind, even as the pandemic and the subsequent panic crept across North America, that he wouldn’t have the opportunity to earn a place for the United States in the 2020 Summer Olympics. He started high school at Line Mountain, where he won a state title as a freshman and took third place as a sophomore. As a folkstyle wrestler, Diakomihalis is a two-time NCAA Division I champion out of … High School Amos led Calvert Hall College High School to the MIAA Class A Conference Championship and the No. He went on to place third as he beat Joey McKenna (10-5) and pinned Vasyl Shuptar in the repechage matches. In the third-place match, he faced Álbaro Rudesindo, whom he pinned. W DEC. [23] He was then scheduled to compete at the Pan American Games, however, he was forced to pull out a week before the event and was replaced by Jaydin Eierman. Retherford's transfer from Line Mountain to Benton was deemed by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) to be "materially motivated by athletic intent," while Retherford … In addition to Mikey, there was a multiple time PIAA champion from the WPIAL whose only high school loss, I believe, was to Zain Retherford in a match where neither had a takedown and he lost in sudden death. According to the PIAA the move was entirely because of "athletic intent", however, Retherford claims there were other factors like bullying, health reasons and being closer to his f… He was part of a recruiting class by Jason Peters which looked on paper to be terrific, but never came close to living up to expectations. At the Big Ten Championships he downed four opponents with three falls and a technical fall (16-1) to become a two-time Big Ten Champion. NCAA Championships (3-2, 5th, All-American): Went 4-2 at first NCAA tournament as a true freshman, placing fifth...both losses at NCAAs were to #1 and #2 seeds. There he would face off with 2017 World Team member Zain Retherford. As a senior, he compiled an unbeaten record of 47-0 and collected his second state title. Zain recently won Final X 2019 and secured the 65kg spot on the World Team. Sean McKeag / Staff Photographer He went on to compile a record of 84-3 before moving to Benton High School in his junior year. Big Ten Championships (3-1, 2nd, NCAA Qualifier): Advanced to Big Ten title bout as a true freshman before dropping 7-3 decision to defending NCAA champ Logan Stieber of Ohio State in the finals...the loss was Retherford's first after a 29-0 start to his collegiate career...went 3-1 to finish as Big Ten Runner-Up. NCAA Championships (5-0, Champion, All-American): 2017 NCAA Champion, his second-straight title...Penn State's 26th three-time All-American, is now tied for 17th on Penn State's all-time NCAA wins list with 14...seventh two-time NCAA Champion in school history...went 5-0 with four technical falls and a pin at the tournament and ends the season with a 28-0 mark with 17 pins, seven techs and a major...named the 2017 NCAA Championships Outstanding Wrestler for his effort...also honored for his season long dominance as the 2017 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler...pinned #5 Brandon Sorensen of Iowa in the semifinals (2:36)...won title with 18-2 tech fall over #3 Lavion Mayes of Missouri in the final. [24], Due to the past controversy at Final X: Rutgers, Retherford faced Diakomihalis for the fifth time in their freestyle career in a wrestle-off called Final X: Yianni vs. Zain to determine who was going to represent the United States at the World Championships. 100. 03/15 NCAA Championships. High School/Personal: Zain Retherford came to Penn State after blazing to the 2013 Pennsylvania State title in 2013. Ed Scott and Hayden Hidlay dominated the regional tournaments in high school, combining for seven titles. Retherford graduated of high school with a 131–3 record and two PIAA titles. Zain Retherford Edit 149 Rankings Compare Zain Retherford to... Other Seasons. High School: Monroeville Weight: 141 Major: Business Administration 12/10/2016 Stieber wins World Championship in Budapest 06/25/2015 Stieber, Jones, Meyer Candidates for 2015 ESPY Awards 06/24/2015 Stieber Named Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year. 2016-17: Ranked #1 by InterMat...opened season with tech fall at Army WP on 11/11 and pin vs. Stanford in Rec Hall on 11/13...pinned his way to the Keystone Classic title at Penn on 11/20, going 5-0 with five falls, earning tournament OW honors in the process...pinned #9 Laike Gardner of Lehigh on 12/4 (3:58) in BJC Dual, his seventh straight pin...picked up ninth-straight pin in B1G opener against Carson Brolsma of Minnesota (2:28) on 1/6...pinned #14 Ken Theobold of Rutgers (5:33) on 1/13...tough 8-8 (tb2) win over #3 Brandon Sorensen at Iowa on 1/20...pinned Wisconsin's Andrew Crone (4:30) on 1/27...furious 20-5 tech fall (7:00) over #5 Micah Jordan of Ohio State in the Nittany Lions' lop-sided 32-12 victory in Columbus on 2/3...pinned #19 Eric Barone of Illinois (4:09) on 2/10...2-1 decision over #2 Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State on 2/19...2017 Hodge Trophy winner as the nation's top collegiate wrestler...InterMat Wrestler of the Year...first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District...first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American. Final X Rutgers 2019: USA … He won the PIAA title as a freshman with a 40-1 mark then placed third as a sophomore. He was named the year's NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler, Penn State Male Athlete of the Year and Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.[9]. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. At the Big Ten's, he defeated three ranked wrestlers with two majors and one decision by points to claim his third-straight B1G Championship. In his next two matches he won by decision (10-4 and 6-2), claiming his third-straight NCAA title.