Tate found a home at Wartburg, proving he can compete at any level

EVANSTON, Ill. - Wartburg's Byron Tate has proved he can compete with wrestlers on any level.

The Knights' two-time NCAA Division III 197-pound champion affirmed that with a second straight medal at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Friday at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Tate was a Midlands finalist at 197 last year, and cracked the top six again against primarily a Division I field, despite battling illness which included a high fever earlier in the week.

“It's been a great experience,” Tate said of his second straight Midlands tournament. “Wish I could have done better.

“I came in and gave 100 percent each match.”

Few have been as good as Tate, who was invited to compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's All-Star Classic in November. Tate is top-ranked in the NWCA/Brute-adidas coaches poll and looking for a third straight national title. He entered the season with 77 wins, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors at the 2010 Iowa Conference tournament.

Tate was courted by Division I programs, winning a Class 3A state title as a senior at Clinton High School. He only took two visits and said he left a number of letters from schools unopened.

“I got a lot of looks,” Tate said. “I didn't really want to go to a big school. I didn't want to deal with D-I politics.

"I found my home at Wartburg.”

Tate marched to Friday's semifinals, but lost his next two matches, dropping a 17-9 match to Edinboro's top-seeded Chris Honeycutt, who caught Tate in a cradle and pinned less than a minute in the All-Star meet. He then battled back from an 8-0 deficit to tie American's Danny Mitchell 11-11. he was attempting a takedown in the third before get caught on his back and pinned. Wartburg co-head coach Eric Keller said his results, although not what they hoped, showed a lot about Tate's heart and fight.

“Those are things that are hard to teach,” Keller said. “That's why he's able to compete with anybody out there, because the guy's a fighter.”

Keller said Wartburg coaches recognized that in Tate early. He was a raw talent, needing work with the “X's and O's,” but he was determined immediately as he worked to improve as a Freshman reserve. He went from backup to NCAA champion within a year.

“He did what a lot of guys don't do freshman year,” Keller said. “He saw the vision. He worked his butt off that whole year and saw what he wanted to do and had a goal.”

Tate still has accomplishments to earn, but his career already proves he made the right decision.

“It was a really good choice,” said Tate. “It's a good coaching staff and good community ... I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.”