North Central College Cardinals

Nathan Fitzenreider ’12 elevated the standard of North Central College wrestling in the early 2010s. Fitzenreider graduated as the program leader with 161 career wins and a .899 career winning percentage. He also ranked second with 40 pins over his five seasons. He was just the third wrestler in school history to qualify for the NCAA Division III National Championships four times, earning his spot by winning the Midwest Regional in four consecutive seasons (2010–2013). The start of his historic career went differently than he had imagined.

"My freshman year, I wrestled four or five matches, got hurt, and couldn’t wrestle the rest of the year," he said. " I spent a whole year watching my teammates and the guys I’d compete against. When you take a year off, you miss it more. I was hungry, watching and thinking, 'I could beat these guys. I’m good enough.' By the time I could wrestle again, I was excited and ready, and I think that helped me a lot." 

At nationals, Fitzenreider became the third Cardinal to be named an All-American on three separate occasions. Over his career, he won 13 regular-season tournaments, including the North Central Invitational in each of his four seasons. He was a three-time College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) champion.

In 2010, Fitzenreider helped propel the Cardinals to their sixth CCIW team championship. The Cardinals scored 100.5 points to edge out second-place Elmhurst University (95.0 points), with Fitzenreider capturing his first CCIW individual title.

His achievements in the classroom were equally impressive. Fitzenreider is one of only three North Central wrestlers to be named a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America selection, and he was a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American.