St. John Wins National Championship in Wrestling for Iowa Hawkeyes, Ramos Finishes Second

Iowa as a team didn't finish the way they wanted to, but they had a highlight in National Champion Derek St. John.

Title Belongs to St. John, Ramos Places 2nd (Hawkeyesports)

University of Iowa wrestler Derek St. John became the 52nd national champion in program history following a 3-2 decision over Northwestern's Jason Welch in the finals of the 2013 NCAA Championships.

St. John, a three-time All-American and 2012 NCAA runner-up, put together five straight wins to climb to the top of the 157-pound bracket and claim his first career national crown.

"It's unbelievable. It's awesome," said St. John. "It's what I've been working toward the last four years, and I finally, finally got it. It's unbelievable. It's just unbelievable."

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Iowa finished fourth in the team race with 73 points. Penn State won its third straight NCAA title with 123.5 points. Oklahoma State (119.5) and Minnesota (103) finished second and third, respectively.

Tony Ramos also made it to the championship round, but lost in a controversial match. The coaches Brand and many Hawkeye fans felt Ramos had pinned No. 1 seed Logan Stieber.

NCAA wrestling: Iowa's St. John wins title; Ramos second (Des Moines Register)

Iowa associate head coach Terry Brands argued with mat officials that Ramos had scored near-fall points during the flurry, but he was awarded only a takedown — a call that was upheld on a video review.

“I just tried to bail out,” Stieber said. “I knew it was close to a near fall, but I didn’t think it was one.”

In the tunnel after the match, Brands hollered at reporters, indicating that he thought Ramos pinned Stieber. His twin brother Tom, Iowa’s head coach, declined interviews afterward.