Native sons return to lead collegiate schools


ISU head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser (left) and Purdue head mat coach Tony Ersland (right) will return to their home gym Sunday for a first-ever collegiate NCAA Division 1 wrestling dual in Humboldt.

By Phil Monson
Humboldt will take center stage in the wrestling world on Sunday, Dec. 19, when Purdue University and Iowa State compete in a college dual starting at 5 p.m.
The meet is already sold out due to an advanced ticket lottery system conducted two months ago. The public is welcome to attend the 1:30 p.m. high school dual between a pair of Class 2A powers in the Humboldt Wildcats and the Creston Panthers.
The gymnasium will be cleared out after the conclusion of the high school dual, per NCAA rules.
Iowa State and Purdue are a pair of up-and-coming programs led by Humboldt natives in Kevin Dresser and Tony Ersland.
Iowa State fifth-year head coach Kevin Dresser is a 1981 Humboldt High School graduate and two-time state high school champion and one-time national champion at the University of Iowa in 1986.
Ersland is a 1992 Humboldt High graduate and two-time state high school wrestling champion. Ersland also wrestled at the University of Iowa and qualified for nationals in his final year with the Hawkeyes and earned All-American honors.
ISU is currently 2-1 in duals and ranked 13th in the nation while Purdue is ranked 15th and is off to a 6-0 start in duals.
See the Dec. 23 Humboldt Independent for full coverage.

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