"I was never unbeatable in high school or younger," reflected Isaiah Martinez.
But having defeated Penn State's Vincenzo Joseph twice before, and with two NCAA wrestling trophies on his mantel, it had to come as a shock when Joseph pinned him in the 165-pound NCAA final on March 18.
Martinez is the UI's most accomplished athlete, having won the 2016 Dike Eddleman award and Monday finding his name among the 2017 Eddleman nominees. He has spoken frequently of leaving a legacy of four NCAA championships. But setting extreme goals often leads to the most bitter tumbles.
"When you've won two NCAA titles and the third year goes so smooth, it looked like it was going to happen," he said.