By Kyle Klingman, W.I.N. Columnist
Similar to last year, a series of awards will be given out to those individuals who made wrestling better because they chose to take part. Coaches, athletes, teams and fans are all eligible based on ambiguous criteria. No trophies or plaques will be given out so each winner will have to be satisfied with seeing his name in print.

Best-dressed Head Coach
Winner: Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson
After seeing the attire Sanderson wore (a visor or hat and a short-sleeved shirt was the norm) as a coach at freestyle competitions I never thought the former four-time NCAA champion would be in contention for this award. However, his military haircut and a suit at every Iowa State dual meet changed all that.

Best-dressed Assistant Coach
Winner: Northwestern’s Ryan Bertin
At least three people came up to me this year and said that Ryan Bertin — a former two-time NCAA champion for Michigan — looked like he should be at a modeling session instead of on the side of the wrestling mat.

Greatest Moment
Winner: The Missouri switch
Like last year, the greatest moment came courtesy of the finals of the NWCA National Duals. And there were a lot of moments challenging for this coveted award: The Iowa vs. Iowa State meet, the Ryan Lang vs. Darrion Caldwell quarterfinal shoot-out, and the Hendricks versus Perry finals match were all worthy candidates.
Ultimately, it was the University of Missouri’s attempt to win the school’s first major wrestling title that will go down as the greatest moment of the 2006-07 college wrestling season.
The drama began when Missouri edged Minnesota at the Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29-30, 2006, by 3.5 points. Two weeks later, defending National Dual meet champions Minnesota faced the top-rated Tigers to decide the best dual meet team in the nation.
After the first five matches, Minnesota held a commanding 14-4 lead. That’s when Missouri head coach Brian Smith decided to gamble. Inserting freshman Nick Marable into the line-up at 165 pounds, Smith moved Matt Pell (the starter at 165 pounds) up to 174 pounds and Ben Askren (the starter at 174 pounds) up to 184 pounds.
And the move almost worked. Marable, Pell, and Askren all won their matches but they all failed to get some much-need bonus points to make a run at the Golden Gophers. Askren’s match against the second-ranked Roger Kish only added to the Missouri senior’s mystique.
In typical Minnesota fashion, heavyweight Cole Konrad closed the deal with a pin. The Gophers won their second title in a row with a 20-16 win over the Tigers.
Why is it that dual meets aren’t important?

The Rick Sanders Funk Award
Winner: Ben Askren (Missouri)
Is an explanation really needed here? The tie-dye Ben Askren T-shirts with the word “FUNKY” was more than enough to give Askren this award for the second consecutive year.

Sentimental Favorite Award
Winner: Oklahoma’s Sam Hazewinkel
After placing third in three previous NCAA tournaments, most everyone wanted to see Hazewinkel win the big one. Despite placing second to Nebraska’s Paul Donahoe, Sooner and non-Sooner fans alike were pulling for Hazewinkel to win all season.

Villain of the Year
Winner: Oklahoma State’s Johny Hendricks
Here was a wrestler who played his role well. Hendricks knew that most fans didn’t like him and he embraced it. It’s what made Hendricks tick.

Entertainer of the Year
Winner: Ben Askren
What can you say? He goes for the pin. He plays to the crowd. He’s good with kids and he has a ton of hair. Askren loved to entertain.

Entertainers of the Year
(Group or Ensemble)
Winner: Dan Gable, Tom Brands, Tim Hartung and Cael Sanderson
Their center of the mat “altercation” in front of 13,732 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena during the Iowa vs. Iowa State dual meet was the talk of the wrestling nation. Was it the bird or the arm Dan?

Innovators of the Year
Winner: FloWrestling
I’m not sure who these guys are but I see them at virtually every wrestling tournament getting great behind-the-scenes wrestling footage. After all the NCAA finals matches this year they were recording post-match reactions and post-match interviews with fans, coaches and parents.
Their website (www.flowrestling.com) has it all: video interviews, practice footage, a car ride with Ben Askren and much more. J Robinson, Tom Brands, Jack Spates, Mark Johnson and Kerry McCoy are just a few of the wrestling personalities featured on this site. The interview with John Smith called “The Scientist” is worth the time to type in the address and view this site.

Most Guts/Least Time
Winner: Mack Reiter
Minnesota’s Mack Reiter was out with a knee for the majority of the season and didn’t get into the starting line-up until February. Reiter had placed twice the previous two years but did not place at the NCAA tournament this year. Reiter finished the season 14-4 but showed his resolve in coming back after what could have been a season-ending injury.

Best Fans
Winner: University of Iowa
Give it up for the Hawkeyes and their wrestling fans. They absolutely destroyed the competition for dual meet attendance. Their 6,740 dual meet average nearly doubled Oklahoma State’s 3,749. Now that’s loyalty.

Best Physique
Winner: Minnesota’s Roger Kish
Kish is simply a miniature version his Golden Gopher coach Brandon Eggum. Both Eggum and Kish look like He-men. It’s too bad that American Gladiators is no longer a television show because Kish would be a great candidate for the show.

Most interesting fan statement
Winner: The guy yelling for Missouri’s Josh Wagner at the Big 12’s
Someone yelling for Josh Wagner during the semifinals of the Big 12 wrestling tournament actually yelled this: “You’re a man-beast, Josh. You’re a man-beast.”

Underrated Hairdo
Winner: Dustin Fox
Ben Askren stole the show again this year with his massive fro so someone was going to have a sweet haircut that got overlooked. Last year, it was Coleman Scott’s Mohawk. This year, it was Northwestern heavyweight Dustin Fox’s season of hair. Whether his hair was black or blonde, short or long, Fox proved that this award is “Just for Men”.

Fairest Referee
Winner: Chuck Yagla
All Chuck Yagla wanted during his final year of officiating was to leave quietly. But the former two-time NCAA champion from Iowa received more coverage for his retirement than he did when he was competing. Either way, Yagla was a great official.

Best Impersonation of a Referee
Winner: Ben Askren (Missouri)
After his 8-3 win over Iowa’s Eric Luedke in 174-pound semifinals, Ben Askren of Missouri called both sections of Iowa wrestling fans for stalling. Was it deserved? Eric Luedke didn’t think so. He didn’t feel like Askren was doing all that much either.

Best Interviewee
Winner: Minnesota’s J Robinson
Robinson is the king of classic interviews.

Best Quote
Winner: Eric Luedke, Iowa’s 174 pounder, after the NCAA tournament
“Some guys don’t have the right attitude. The way some guys train in the off-season is not how guys in the finals train like (Ben) Askren and (Jake) Herbert. I know for a fact that Herbert sticks in World matches and watches them. Our guys would rather go dancing and chase girls downtown. That’s got to change.
“We can’t do anything until (Tom) Brands gets his recruits. It’s hard to lay the law down with some of those guys who have the full rides. Those guys with full rides don’t deserve them.
“If you’ve been in this program for three years and haven’t earned All-American honors, something has to change. We’re not even in the top three and haven’t contended for a title since 2001.”

Mispronounced name of the year
Winner: Sacred Heart’s Payam Zarrinpour
A native of Iran, the heavyweight became Sacred Heart’s first All-American. n