WHO’S NEXT? USAW STAR OF THE FUTURE
Dieringer emerges as top prospect
By Craig Sesker Wisconsin’s Alex Dieringer was not happy. Frustrated by a loss in the Junior Nationals Greco-Roman competition this past July, Dieringer didn’t sit around and feel sorry for himself. He came back with a vengeance. Dieringer rebounded to place third in Greco-Roman before following a few days later by tearing through the freestyle field to win a Junior Nationals title in Fargo, N.D. He capped his remarkable run by rallying to beat University of Minnesota recruit Dylan Ness 6-4, 1-2, 6-5 in the freestyle finals at 145 pounds. “I was pretty motivated to win in freestyle. I was pretty angry
after I lost, and I came back strong,” he said. “Ness is a tough kid, and it was a good win for me. It was a fun match where we both got after it.” Dieringer is off to a strong start to the 2010-11 season. He
won USA Wrestling’s Preseason Nationals on Oct. 30 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Dieringer, a three-time Wisconsin state finalist and two-time champion for Port Washington High School, committed to wres- tle collegiately for Oklahoma State. Dieringer is ranked No. 1 nationally at 145 pounds by
Wrestler Insider Newsmagazine. “Oklahoma State has a great tradition and history,” he said.
“John Smith is a great coach and he’s one of the legends in the sport. I was looking at wrestling in college and beyond. They’ve put a lot of wrestlers on the Olympic Team and that really appealed to me. I want to be an Olympic champion.” Dieringer chose to leave his home state to wrestle for the Cowboys in college. “Wisconsin was my No. 2 choice,” he said. “They had a lot to
offer. They have a good program.” Dieringer wrestles in the Ringers club in Wisconsin with top Greco-Roman prospect Jesse Thielke, who plans to wrestle col- legiately for Wisconsin. “Jesse and I are very close friends,” Dieringer said. “I owe a
lot of my success to him. We push each other in practice. He’s a great wrestler, and we have a lot of the same goals.” Dieringer also won a USA Wrestling Junior National title in Folkstyle in 2010. He nearly won a Triple Crown last year, before his third-place
Fargo finish in Greco-Roman. “Greco is my favorite style,” he said. “There was a bad call
that went against me in the match I lost in Fargo. I should’ve won that tournament.” No matter what style he is wrestling, Dieringer wrestles an
20 USA Wrestler
Wisconsin’s Alex Dieringer wins the 2010 Junior Nationals in freestyle in Fargo, N.D. G. Wyatt Schultz photo.
aggressive style. He beat Blaise Butler of Izzy Style Wrestling 3- 2 in the finals of the Preseason Nationals at 145. “I don’t like to stand around and do nothing out there,” he
said. “I like to mix it up and score points. I try to wrestle an exciting style where you put points on the board.” Dieringer has developed into a top recruit by competing in numerous USA Wrestling events. “I’ve wrestled in a lot of the top USA events, and it’s given me
a chance to face the best wrestlers in the country,” he said. “It’s helped me a lot. I’ve gained a lot of experience and I’ve improved a lot from wrestling in those tournaments.”
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