5x All-American and NCAA Runner-Up in 2022 from the Iowa Hawkeyes, Jacob Warner, just joined the Heavyweight Nation Podcast and reflected on his historic career with the Hawkeyes.
Here’s what he had to say:
Iowa’s Jacob Warner just completed his career in a Hawkeye singlet with five All-American honors, a second place finish in 2022, and a 97-28 career overall record.
Warner is the third wrestler to be a 5x All-American in Iowa’s history, and most recently placed fifth at the 2023 NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Going back to his high school career, Warner never really understood his potential until he started to win multiple state championships. The Illinois native placed fifth his freshman year at the state tournament, then went on to win three consecutive state titles.
“I didn’t realize that I was doing pretty good because I always wanted to win everything. Once I started to win a lot in my junior and senior year, then I realized I was doing good this whole time, just maybe not in my point of view,” said Warner.
Warner’s mentality fit just right in with the Iowa wrestling room, and as soon as Warner took that visit to Iowa City, he knew it was the perfect fit for him.
“Iowa was my fourth visit, and Sammy Brooks was my host. He asked me how I felt about this place and if I could see myself being there, once he said that I was biting my tongue because I was ready to commit on the spot,” said Warner.
Iowa was everything that Warner could want, and can now fully reflect on how unique and special the wrestling room in Carver Arena was.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind experience, the fans, the family, Tom and Terry, there’s nobody like them. I could go to my grave with the passion that they give us, when we hurt they hurt, and when we celebrate they celebrate,” said Warner.
As much as Warner can reflect on his career at Iowa, the pages have turned and he wants to keep going at it for at least another year.
“Right now my plan is to wrestle for another year at least, after talking with Tom and Terry I would do myself an injustice if I didn’t, going to try to make a world team,” said Warner.
Despite saying he has his mind set on competition, Warner has a lot of options with his master’s degree, a future career in coaching, or to continue to compete after this year’s international cycle.
“If I want to go into coaching, keep wrestling, or use my degree, depending on how the trials go next year that’s where I’ll reassess my life,” said Warner.
Iowa has always taken great care of their wrestlers when they wrap up their careers, so it will be interesting to see what Warner will decide to do next after an upcoming run at the U.S. world team trials.
