PITTSBURGH, Penn. — Jarrett Degen is an all-American.
After missing the podium by a single match at last year’s NCAA Championships, the Belgrade native and Iowa State wrestler secured all-American honors on Friday at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships, clinching a top-eight finish in the 149-pound weight class.
Degen advanced to the quarterfinals after a pair of wins on Thursday, but fell to top-ranked and unbeaten Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers, 10-3.
The loss sent the former four-time Montana high school state champion to the blood round, where he earned a 6-5 decision over Anthony Artalona of Penn to guarantee his top-eight finish and first all-American honor.
Degen continued his chase toward the consolation match, meeting Missouri’s Brock Mauller in the consolation round of four. Degen defeated Mauller in their previous two matches, but lost a 10-7 decision to send him to the seventh- and eighth-place match on Saturday.
He will meet Iowa’s Pat Lugo on Saturday.
ALL AMERICAN!
Jarrett Degen defeats Anthony Artalona by 6-5 decision and is a 2019 All American at 149 pounds!#Cyclones 🌪️🌪️🌪️ pic.twitter.com/nmNrcLZYHQ— Iowa State Wrestling (@CycloneWR) March 23, 2019
Degen was Iowa State’s lone representative at the 2018 NCAA Championships, but nine Cyclones qualified for the season’s final weekend, with Degen’s teammate Willie Miklus also securing all-American honors Friday. Miklus, now a four-time all-American, wrestles in the consolation semifinals with a chance to compete for third place in the 197-pound weight class.
