Ankeny Fanatic

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Caleb Rathjen

Rathjen’s run at NCAA Championships comes to end short of blood round

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Caleb Rathjen's run at the NCAA Division I Championships came to an end on Friday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, one match shy of reaching the crucial blood round. The former Ankeny wrestling star dropped a 10-1 major decision to 21st-seeded Gabe Willochel of Wyoming in a third-round consolation match at 149 pounds. Rathjen, a Northern Iowa senior who was … [Read more...] about Rathjen’s run at NCAA Championships comes to end short of blood round

UNI’s Rathjen advances to 2nd round of NCAA Championships before falling in OT

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All five of Northern Iowa's wrestlers stayed alive on the first day of the NCAA Division I Championships on Thursday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, including former Ankeny star Caleb Rathjen at 149 pounds. The 14th-seeded Rathjen opened the tournament with a 3-1 victory over No. 19 Brock Herman of Little Rock. He then dropped an 8-5 decision to No. 3 Cross … [Read more...] about UNI’s Rathjen advances to 2nd round of NCAA Championships before falling in OT

UNI’s Rathjen takes 2nd at Big 12 tourney, earns 2nd trip to NCAA Championships

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Former Ankeny wrestling standout Caleb Rathjen of Northern Iowa has earned his second career trip to the NCAA Championships. Rathjen, a senior, earned an automatic berth by placing second in the Big 12 Championships at 149 pounds on Saturday night at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. He led the Panthers to a 10th-place finish. Rathjen knocked off two … [Read more...] about UNI’s Rathjen takes 2nd at Big 12 tourney, earns 2nd trip to NCAA Championships

‘UNI was a perfect fit’: Rathjen to wrestle for Panthers, will reunite with Anderson

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Former Ankeny wrestling star Caleb Rathjen is heading to Cedar Falls. The two-time state champion announced that he will transfer to Northern Iowa. The ex-Iowa Hawkeye will have one season of eligibility remaining. "I was looking for a place close to home that I felt I fit on with the team and the culture, and UNI was a perfect fit," said … [Read more...] about ‘UNI was a perfect fit’: Rathjen to wrestle for Panthers, will reunite with Anderson

Rathjen places 4th at UWW Junior World team trials, earns all-American honors

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Ankeny wrestler Caleb Rathjen has dropped a few pounds since his runner-up finish in the Class 3A state tournament in February. He's still one of the best wrestlers in the country. Rathjen, who competed at 152 pounds as a senior, placed fourth at 65 kilograms in the UWW Junior World team trials this weekend at Coralville. He cut nearly nine pounds over … [Read more...] about Rathjen places 4th at UWW Junior World team trials, earns all-American honors

‘It feels really good to prove them wrong again’: Anderson wins his 2nd state title

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For the last 12 months, Ankeny wrestler Trever Anderson has been motivated to erase the memory of last year's disappointing third-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament. He wasn't even going to let a bum shoulder get in his way. The top-ranked junior captured his second state title on Saturday with a 3-2 victory over No. 3 Chad Bellis of Dubuque … [Read more...] about ‘It feels really good to prove them wrong again’: Anderson wins his 2nd state title

Centennial wrestlers capture Iowa Conference crown on Wells’ pin

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There was a lot at stake when Ankeny Centennial's Jackie Wells and Ankeny's Will Hinrichs took the mat for the championship match at 195 pounds in the CIML Iowa Conference wrestling tournament on Friday night. Wells didn't know it, but the outcome of the whole tournament was on the line. The Centennial senior got a pin in 3 minutes 35 seconds, allowing … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers capture Iowa Conference crown on Wells’ pin

Maihan, Cox, Rathjen capture titles; Hawks finish 4th at Bob Sharp Invite

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Saturday's Bob Sharp Invitational provided the Ankeny wrestlers with an opportunity to build some momentum heading into the final month of the season. Several of the Hawks took advantage of it. Fnu Maihan, Cael Cox and Caleb Rathjen each won an individual title as seventh-ranked Ankeny placed fourth in its own 13-team tournament. The Hawks finished … [Read more...] about Maihan, Cox, Rathjen capture titles; Hawks finish 4th at Bob Sharp Invite

Rathjen suffers rare loss, Anderson injured as Hawks finish 1-2 in Dubuque

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Ankeny wrestling coach Jack Wignall likes to give his team the best competition possible. Saturday's Dubuque Hempstead Duals accomplished that goal and then some. The tournament featured four of the top nine teams in Class 3A according to The Predicament--top-ranked Southeast Polk, No. 2 Waverly-Shell Rock, No. 7 Ankeny and No. 9 Hempstead. The Hawks … [Read more...] about Rathjen suffers rare loss, Anderson injured as Hawks finish 1-2 in Dubuque

‘It’s nice to finally beat them’: Ankeny ends losing skid against Jaguars

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The last time the Ankeny wrestling team defeated Ankeny Centennial in a dual meet was on Jan. 19, 2017--one day before Donald Trump's inauguration as the 45th president of the United States. "It's been awhile," said Ankeny junior Trever Anderson, who was a seventh grader at the time. "It's nice to finally beat them." Anderson had one of Ankeny's five … [Read more...] about ‘It’s nice to finally beat them’: Ankeny ends losing skid against Jaguars

Rathjen wins matchup of top-ranked wrestlers, claims crown at Indianola

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Caleb Rathjen is still working himself into wrestling shape. The Ankeny senior, though, is still dominating his opponents on the mat. Rathjen, a two-time state champion who is ranked No. 1 at 152 pounds in Class 3A, easily captured a title at 160 in the Indianola Invitational on Saturday. He won his first three matches by fall in a combined 2 minutes … [Read more...] about Rathjen wins matchup of top-ranked wrestlers, claims crown at Indianola

‘We can definitely smell it’: Hawks top Cedar Falls, move closer to semifinals

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A trip to the UNI-Dome is now just one win away for the Ankeny football team. The second-ranked Hawks advanced to the Class 4A quarterfinals for the second straight year with a 37-16 victory over visiting Cedar Falls on Friday. They scored the final 29 points of the game to erase a 16-8 deficit. "We've been anxious these last couple of weeks," … [Read more...] about ‘We can definitely smell it’: Hawks top Cedar Falls, move closer to semifinals

Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny wrestling team

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(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is dedicated to longtime Des Moines Register wrestling reporter Dan McCool, who died on Monday at the age of 60. Dan was a legend in the wrestling community and will be sorely missed. I was working for the Register as a correspondent in the 80s and one of the first big events that I was asked to cover was to help out Dan with state … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny wrestling team

Ankeny Fanatic Podcast: Episode 84

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Check out the latest edition of the Ankeny Fanatic weekly podcast sponsored by the Ankeny office of Iowa Realty. Ankeny boys' swimming coach Justin Crouch and four-time state champion Trent Frandson stopped by to discuss the Hawks' runner-up finish in the state meet with Ankeny Fanatic publisher Dan Holm, who also recapped the state wrestling tournament with … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Podcast: Episode 84

Rathjen dominates, becomes Ankeny’s fourth two-time state champion

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Ankeny's Caleb Rathjen doesn't want to just win state titles. He also wants to dominate his opponents on the wrestling mat. On Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena, Rathjen did both of those things. The top-ranked junior racked up eight takedowns and rolled to a 17-6 major decision over No. 2 Dreyzon Phillips of Fort Dodge to win the Class 3A crown … [Read more...] about Rathjen dominates, becomes Ankeny’s fourth two-time state champion

BLOODY GOOD: Ankeny’s Rathjen claims 2nd straight state wrestling crown

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Ankeny junior Caleb Rathjen captured his second straight state wrestling title on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena, despite getting a bloody nose for the second year in a row. The top-ranked Rathjen rolled to a 17-6 major decision over No. 2 Dreyzon Phillips of Fort Dodge to win the Class 3A crown at 138 pounds. He finished the season with a 43-1 … [Read more...] about BLOODY GOOD: Ankeny’s Rathjen claims 2nd straight state wrestling crown

WELL DONE: Ankeny’s Rathjen, Kallem to wrestle for state titles on Saturday night

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Whenever Caleb Rathjen steps on the wrestling mat, he brings a ton of confidence with him. His teammate on the Ankeny squad, Sam Kallem, boasts just as much confidence in his own abilities. Both Rathjen and Kallem advanced to the Class 3A finals on Saturday night with a pair of victories on Friday in the state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. The duo … [Read more...] about WELL DONE: Ankeny’s Rathjen, Kallem to wrestle for state titles on Saturday night