Loras’ Jacob Krakow ends winding wrestling road as an All-American: D-III wrestling notes

CEDAR RAPIDS — Jacob Krakow reflected on his final workout in the hotel fitness center Friday night.

The Loras 174-pounder was getting down to weight one more time and was joined by Duhawks assistant Jeren Glosser, who Krakow wrestled against as a prep at Iowa Valley. He admitted he didn’t think he’d be in that position when he started his college career five years ago.

“It’s crazy,” Krakow said. “You never know what life is going to throw at you. God’s plan, it’s something I like to roll with.”

Krakow’s long, winding wrestling road came to an end with a victory Saturday afternoon. He defeated Wartburg’s Zane Mulder, 3-1, in sudden victory for third place at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships at Alliant Energy PowerHouse. He capped his career with his second podium finish at the NCAA tournament and third All-America honor.

“It feels great to come out on top and finish strong,” Krakow said. “I finished a good career the right way.”

Interestingly, he started his college career at Wartburg. He was 14-2 for the Knights as a freshman. Krakow transferred to Loras, placing eighth as a sophomore and qualifying for the 2020 event that was canceled. He was third at the National Wrestling Coaches Association national tournament last season.

Ending with success made everything a bit more palatable.

“I’ve been through a lot of adversity in my career,” Krakow said. “It’s hard to do.”

His path to a bronze medal wasn’t easy either. Krakow lost in the quarterfinals, but rebounded with four straight wins. He had three two-point victories in that stretch, including two sudden victory triumphs. The strong bonds with coaches and teammates helped inspire him.

“Your No. 1 dream is gone, but you’ve got to work back,” said Krakow, who finished with 81 career wins. “It’s easier to fight when you’ve got a good team behind you. Regroup and you take that (loss) for about 10 minutes and you have to get up, get ready to go and get the next best thing.

“That’s what we preach at Loras. I’m proud I came back and did that. Not for me, but for them.”

Wabash raising the Barr

Wabash had a shot to become the first team other than Augsburg or Wartburg to win a national team title since Ithaca in 1994. One of the reasons it was in contention was the performance from 149-pounder Alex Barr.

Barr rattled off six straight victories to place third, running the “consolation gauntlet” after being pinned in an opening-round pigtail match. Barr also earned four bonus points, including a pin of Wartburg’s Kristian Rumph in the consolation semifinals — a key result in the teams’ head-to-head battle — and a 10-2 major decision over North Central’s Alex Villar in the placing round.

Barr accounted for 16 1/2 team points.

Lucky No. 7 (seed)

Wabash 125-pounder Carlos Champagne and Olivet heavyweight Donovan King were the highest seeds to reach Saturday night’s finals. Both were seeded seventh of their respective weights.

Champagne was an All-American in 2019, placing seventh.

King competed in his first NCAA tournament, becoming Olivet’s first NCAA finalist since Jason Brew in 2009.