OHSAA champs to NCAA All-Americans: Take a look at how standout wrestlers fared in college

There are few moments in sports more impressive than reaching the top of the podium after a season of chasing a state championship. For many that glory doesn't come to a halt after the completion of high school careers.

As the winter sports seasons inch closer to tournament time, here is a look at Cincinnati's wrestling state champions from the last five tournament seasons (not including the canceled 2020 state finals) and what those grapplers did in collegiate careers after claiming Ohio High School Athletic Association titles.

The Enquirer will follow up with a look at recent Kentucky and Indiana state champions and their collegiate journeys.

More: 'We don't run from competition': Harrison wrestling sharpens iron heading into postseason

Lucas Byrd, La Salle

Byrd was one of the area’s most dominating wrestlers in his run for La Salle, capped off by consecutive Division I state championships in 2018 and 2019, and was the top-ranked wrestler in his class for the 120-pound division. Byrd was originally committed to Maryland before switching to Illinois.

For the Fighting Illini, Byrd went 74-15 in his first three varsity seasons. He's a three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American with a pair of fifth-place finishes at the NCAA tournament.

Alex Coleman, Ross

In the 2019 state championships in Division II, Coleman pinned his way to the heavyweight finals where he faced defending champion Jack DelGarbino of Girard. Coleman picked up the 10-7 decision and the junior became the first Ross wrestler to win a state championship. Coleman’s senior season saw him go 41-1 before his chance to repeat was prevented when the state tournament was canceled in 2020.

Coleman went on to wrestle for a season at Campbellsville University.

Eugene Harney, Sycamore

Last year, Harney became the most recent Cincinnati wrestler to claim an OHSAA Division I state championship. After placing fifth as a freshman and third as a sophomore, Harney wrestled at 150 pounds and finally reached the top of the podium.

Now a senior, Harney has wrestled up at 157 pounds and has added tournament victories at the SWOWCA Coaches Classic and the Fairfield Invitational.

Antonio McCloud, Elder

As a senior in 2018, McCloud defeated Harrison’s Cameron Sauerwein 13-3 in the Division I state championship. McCloud followed by wrestling at Mount St. Joseph where he was a Division III NCAA qualifier in 2022 as a senior.

Jake Niffenegger, La Salle

For the Lancers, Niffenegger was a state runner-up as a freshman in 2019 and a junior in 2021 before winning the Division I state championship at 138 pounds in 2022.

Niffenegger was a freshman last year at Mercyhurst where he was a Division II All-American after finishing in seventh place at the national championships. He was named the Freshman of the Year in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and was his region’s Rookie of the Year.

Dustin Norris, La Salle

Norris was a three-time state finalist for the Lancers, including state championships in 2019 and 2021. Norris was also a top seed for the 2020 state tournament that was canceled for the COVID-19 pandemic.

With his stellar high school career, Norris moved up to Purdue for his collegiate career. Last season as a redshirt freshman for the Boilermakers, Norris went 14-16 and was one win shy of reaching the NCAA tournament. Through Jan. 8 of this season, Norris has gone 4-8 overall with one ranked victory.

Zach Shupp, Fairfield

While La Salle’s Norris picked up two state titles, it was Shupp who defeated Norris in the 2018 Division I state finals. At 106 pounds, Shupp defeated Norris in a 3-1 decision, finishing his senior year at 44-1 after being the runner-up a season before.

Shupp spent his first two seasons at Central Michigan before transferring to Newberry College where he became an NCAA qualifier.

Trey Sizemore, La Salle

Sizemore was one of three La Salle Lancers to win individual state championships at the 2019 tournament, giving La Salle a runner-up finish as a team with 186.5 points. After his time at La Salle, Sizemore went to Illinois and went 6-3 as a redshirt freshman in 2019-2020 before combing to go 12-14 overall the next three seasons with an 8-7 mark last season.

Sizemore graduated from Illinois and transferred to the University of Indianapolis where he is nationally ranked by Open Mat in Division II’s 174-pound class.

Brian Stears, Williamsburg

Stears went undefeated at 36-0 as a senior in 2018, capping off his career with a 3-2 tiebreaker victory in the Division III 285-pound state finals. The championship made Stears the first male state champion in Williamsburg history.

Stears then went on to wrestle at Bellarmine where he went 27-13 as a freshman in 2018-2019, the fourth-most wins by a Knight wrestler that season.

Pierce Taylor, McNicholas

Taylor was a multi-sport star for McNicholas, including handling quarterback duties for the football team, but he took over the mats when the winter seasons came alive. In 2021, Taylor was a third-place finisher in Division II before taking the title at 144 pounds in Division III the next season.

Taylor now competes at Ohio University where he went 3-4 as a freshman last year.

Jake Thompson, Moeller

For Moeller, Thompson was a two-time state finalist, winning the 195-pound championship in 2018. The three-time district champ was a top-10 recruit who went to Air Force. Thompson wrestled for four years at Air Force, amassing over 40 wins in his career.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati wrestlers in college: How former state champions are doing