Washburn wins national title

Hunter Washburn was heavy and happy.Then he put a hurting on his opponents.The Alburnett sophomore pinned four of his five opponents, claiming the 132-pound Cadet championship at the USA Wrestling/Cliff Keen Folkstyle Nationals wrestling tournament last weekend at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.Washburn, a two-time Class 1A state champion, pinned Jeremy Thomas, of California, in 1:53 for the national title. Washburn was wrestling at a higher class and focused on having fun."I wasn't even expecting much, because I was bumping up so many weights,"  Washburn said. "It is a whole different feeling in the (varsity) offseason. It's a lot more fun and relaxed."More than 30 states were represented by competitors at the event. He received gratification when others acknowledged his achievement."A lot of people congratulated me, even guys I didn't know," Washburn said. "I know people notice that kind of stuff and it's a good feeling."Washburn was dominant his his final year. He opened with three straight falls, beating Illinois' Riley Beard, 10-6, in the semifinals. Washburn produced for DC Elite, a wrestling club run by Dusty Coufal, a former Cedar Rapids Prairie state champion and former University of Wisconsin wrestler."He stayed calm and wrestled well," Coufal said. "He wrestled with a lot of passion and got after it. He came out victorious."Coufal said Washburn's dedication to wrestling was a key component to his title. It is the offseason for high school wrestling, but Washburn isn't taking anything off. Coufal said Washburn was mentally prepared through his conditioning and had the proper attitude to compete at his highest level."He trains super hard," Coufal said. "It's the offseason and he's still going four days a week. He's running by himself outside (and) lifting in the morning."Washburn was strong on his feet and scored on numerous scrambles throughout the tournament, scoring three takedowns against Beard. Nothing seemed to faze the Alburnett standout, who overcame being headlocked to his back before getting a pin in the quarterfinals and then decking Thomas so quick in the finals.Washburn also owns a schoolboy-division national crown, and has placed highly in multiple national competition. He is experienced in tournaments against top competition."I know I definitely wrestled more aggressive than I did all season for school," Washburn said. "It's nothing new. I've been to big tournaments."DC Elite provided a solid group of training partners, having 37 entrants in the tournament. Washburn routinely works out with Union Community's two-time state champ Max Thomsen, Linn-Mar state champ and two-time state medalist Matt Wempen and Edgewood-Colesburg two-time state medalist Sawyer Amling. Thomsen placed third at 138, and his brother, Logan, was fourth at 152 in the Junior division."He doesn't choose partners he can get the better of," Coufal said. "He's always looking for the best partners to roll with and I think that's what helps him for these big tournaments."Next up is a competition in Colorado. Washburn is excited for the team's potential with a loaded lineup which includes state champions like Max Thomsen and Bettendorf's Jacob Woodard."We have some great wrestlers on our team," Washburn said. "It shows because there's a lot of great wrestlers at DC (Elite)."