Gabe Youel ’11 became just the second wrestler in North Central history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament all four years. He is also the second Cardinal to earn All-American honors on three-separate occasions.
Youel came to North Central mainly because his brother Ben ‘09 was a Cardinal wrestler in the class ahead of him.
In his first season at North Central, Youel posted a 34-8 record and took second at the Great Lakes Regional Championships. He tallied 11 pins while winning the CCIW Championship at 184-pounds.
“Being good at the basics, being hard to score on and having a decent offense, those skills are very transferable from high school to the college level which helped me be successful right away,” Youel said. “I relied on those skills and that made it a lot easier for me to win.”
In just his second season, Youel eclipsed the 40-win mark on his way to a 47-6 overall record; the second most wins in North Central history. He won the CCIW and the Great Lakes Regional Championships before taking fourth-place at the NCAA Division III National Championships.
Youel, along with his brother, became the only two people in program history to record multiple 40-win seasons in 2009.
“My brother was there at my first wrestling practice and I was at his last wrestling practice. Competing in the national championships with him is a really special bond we share,” Youel said. “I started wrestling when I was five years old and Ben started when he was six. We were always wrestling and competing against each other our entire lives.”
Gabe ended his junior season with a 41-5 record with 10 pins. Again, he took fourth-place nationally to earn All-American honors. Finishing out his career, Youel tallied a 33-6 record, winning individual titles at the North Central and Wheaton Invitationals, becoming a four-time champion at both. He also claimed his fourth straight CCIW Inidivudal Title on his way to a fifth-place finish at the national championships to claim All-American honors for the third time.
The Cardinals won three CCIW team championships as well throughout Youel’s career.
“A positive about wrestling is that I can win, even if the team is struggling but it's always a lot more fun when the guys that you practice with and work hard with every single day are winning as well,” Youel said.
Youel ended his career as the program record holder for career wins with a 157-27 record. He also ranks third in career pins with 38.
