Zain Retherford

Retherford was scheduled to compete at the 2020 US Olympic Trials, however, the event was postponed (along with the Summer Olympics) for 2021, leaving him and all the qualifiers unable to compete.

In his junior year, he continued to establish dominance, staying in the top-spot of the division through the season. At the Big Ten Championships he downed 4 opponents with 3 falls and a technical fall (16-1) to become a two-time Big Ten Champion. At the 2017 NCAA Championships, he went 5-0 with four technical falls and a pin at the tournament to claim his second-straight NCAA Championship, making him the seventh Nittany Lion to do so. Due to his efforts, he was named the 2017 NCAA and Big Ten Championships Outstanding Wrestler. He ended the season with a 28-0 mark with 17 pins, seven techs and a major.

He was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy as the best wrestler in the NCAA and was named the 2017 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler for the second time in a row.

As a sophomore, Retherford moved up to 149-pounds and closed the season undefeated with a 26-0 record before the Big Ten's. At the tournament, he defeated #2-ranked Brandon Sorensen in the first bout and downed three more ranked opponents via major and two falls to win the championship. At the NCAA Championships, he dominated with a technical fall (21-6) to start the tournament, accumulated 3 pins in a row and a major at the finals to close the tournament and claim his first NCAA Title. He was named 2016 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler, Penn State Male Athlete of the Year, Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and was the top-ranked wrestler at 149-pounds.

In this season, Retherford chose to redshirt to focus on training and freestyle, placing second at the Junior World Team Trials and fourth at the 2015 Dave Schultz Memorial International.

Retherford competed at the Alan International in Russia. He downed Inar Kettia and Iulian Gergenov (TF 13-2, TF 11-0) prior to losing to Saiyn Kazyryk (4-6), placing 7th.

As a result of the move, Retherford was declared enable to compete that season (2011-2012). Russ Hughes (his coach back then) states that it was in this time when Retherford started to really focus and grow as a wrestler. As a senior, he compiled an unbeaten record of 47-0 and collected his second state title. After the season, he became a Cadet World Champion in freestyle at 65-kilograms.

At the Dave Schultz Memorial, Retherford lost to Jordan Oliver in the quarterfinals (2-6). In the repechage matches, he made his way to the third place match by beating Evan Henderson (10-7), Borislav Novachkov (injury default) and Murad Nukhadiev (9-2). In the third-place match, he faced Andrey Kviatkovski, whom he lost to (4-8), placing 4th in his first competition as a senior.

At the World Championships, Retherford teched (10-0) David Habat in the opening match but went on to lose to Adam Batirov (4-6), getting eliminated and placing 11th.

Retherford competed at the World Championships weeks after his wrestle-off. He lost a close bout in the first round against Alejandro Valdés (9-10) and was eliminated, placing 26th.

Zain Allen Retherford (born May 21, 1995) is an American freestyle wrestler and former folkstyle wrestler. As a folkstyle wrestler, Retherford was a 3-time NCAA Champion and 4-time All-American. In 2017 and 2018, he was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy as the most outstanding folkstyle wrestler in the nation.

Retherford had incredible success as a true freshman, going 27-0 in regular season. He made his way to the Big Ten Conference finals to face defending NCAA Champion (future 4-time NCAA Champion) Logan Stieber, whom he lost to by 4 points, making him the runner-up of the tournament and qualifying to the NCAA tournament. At the annual Nationals, Retherford beat three ranked wrestlers including #2-ranked Joey Lazor before losing to top-ranked Logan Stieber once again. After losing his chance at first place, he faced and lost to #1 seeded Mitchell Port, ending his run at the tournament and placing 5th, which earned him All-American Status.