ABERDEEN — Wyatt Turnquist, a native of Winner, turned in an All-American performance for the Northern State wrestling program at the Division II national tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday.
Turnquist placed third at 149 pounds and finished with a 25-4 record after entering as the No. 7 seed. In the third-place match, the senior scored a 10-5 decision to defeat sixth-seeded Jalen Spuhler, of Wisconsin-Parkside.
It was one of three victories Turnquist notched on Saturday in the consolation bracket, having also knocked off 3-seed Nick Young, of Gannon (Pa.), and No. 1 Jacob Ealy, of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.), both by decision (8-6 and 8-4, respectively).
On the first day of the tournament, Turnquist opened with a 21-2 technical fall over an unseeded wrestler from Mount Olive (N.C.). In the quarterfinals, Turnquist was bested by No. 2 Josiah Rider, of Adams State (Colo.), who went on to claim his second-straight national championship. Turnquist then earned a 9-0 major decision over an unseeded wrestler from West Liberty (W.Va.) to advance to Saturday.
With his performance, Turnquist became the 47th All-American in NSU wrestling history. Including his time wrestling unattached as a redshirt freshman, Turnquist’s career collegiate record is 68-20, including a 45-9 mark over the past two seasons.
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During his prep career, Turnquist was a five-year starter for the Warriors, finishing with 199 wins. He placed at the state tournament four times, including a state championship in 2019 at 138 pounds.
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