Iowa’s Thomas Gilman was an “uncrowned NCAA champion” of sorts for many years. As a true freshman, he battled his teammate Cory Clark for the 125-pound starting spot. Despite losing a tight wrestleoff to Clark, Gilman scored a huge victory over two-time NCAA champion Jesse Delgado, as well as taking out top ten opponents like Oklahoma State’s Eddie Klimara, the dangerous Dylan Peters, and fellow true freshman Darian Cruz. Iowa opted to send Clark to the postseason, effectively burning a year of Gilman’s eligibility.
Gilman’s sophomore year was no less productive. With Clark at 133, he had the spot at 125 locked up.