Wisconsin Wrestling Legacy
USA TODAY Sports Asks: Who Are Wisconsin's Defining High School Wrestlers? Vote Now
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USA TODAY Sports has launched a public vote to find Wisconsin's best-ever high school wrestlers, as part of its "US 250" series marking America's 250th anniversary Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The project goes beyond wins and titles — it asks which wrestlers truly shaped their communities and defined the state's wrestling identity.
Wisconsin is one of the nation's top wrestling states. The WIAA Individual State Tournament in Madison draws more than 50,000 fans over three days each year Wausau Daily Herald. The vote aims to capture the legends behind that culture.
Ben Askren Built His Legend in Wisconsin
Ben Askren won two WIAA state titles at Arrowhead High School before becoming one of the most decorated college wrestlers in history Green Bay Press-Gazette. He posted a 153-8 career record at the University of Missouri, winning three NCAA championships and three Big 12 titles at 174 pounds.
Askren credits his Wisconsin roots for his toughness. He went on to compete at the 2008 Olympics and later built a global profile through MMA. Supporters argue his "funky" style and personality made him a worldwide face of Wisconsin wrestling Post-Crescent.
Alex Dieringer's Stats Are Nearly Untouchable
Alex Dieringer went 172-4 at Port Washington High School, winning three WIAA state titles HTR News. He then moved on to Oklahoma State, where he won three NCAA championships and earned the Dan Hodge Trophy — given to the nation's top college wrestler.
Some voters say Dieringer is the clear choice based on pure numbers alone. His record at the high school and college levels is among the best ever compiled by any Wisconsin-born wrestler Wisconsin Rapids Tribune.
Dennis Hall Put Wisconsin on the World Map
Dennis Hall was a three-time WIAA state champion at Hartford Union High School, going 146-1-1 in his prep career Marshfield News-Herald. He became a World Champion in 1995 and an Olympic Silver Medalist in 1996. In 2011, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Hall achieved all of this before Wisconsin was seen as a national wrestling powerhouse. That timing matters. Historians call him a pioneer — someone who opened the door for every great Wisconsin wrestler who came after him Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
A Cultural Project With Stakes Beyond the Poll
The "US 250" initiative is more than a popularity contest. It is a way to validate the role small Wisconsin towns play in building national sports champions Green Bay Press-Gazette. Towns like Port Washington and Hartford have used wrestling as a core part of their community identity for decades.
The project also lands at a key moment. Wisconsin recently held its first WIAA-sanctioned girls' state wrestling tournament. Lifting up figures like Askren, Dieringer, and Hall helps inspire the next generation — on and off the mat Wausau Daily Herald.
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