Leisure selected as a 2017 Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler finalist

Clear Lake senior and two-time State Champion wrestler Ryan Leisure has been selected as a Class 2A 2017 Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler finalist.

Leisure has been invited to attend the 2017 Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler Award Luncheon on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the Iowa Hall of Pride in Des Moines, where the winners will be announced.

Iowa High School Sports Network will provide finalist award plaques and trophies for the winners.  Nine finalists, three from each class, will compete.  The student-athlete in each class that receives the most votes in that class from head wrestling coaches and Iowa High School Wrestling officials will be the recipient of the Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler of the Year Trophy.  The remaining two student-athletes will each receive a finalist award plaque.  A duplicate Mr. Wrestler trophy and duplicate Mr. Wrestler finalists plaques will be given to each high school where the nominees attend for permanent placement in the high school trophy case.

Dan Gable is a retired American Olympic wrestler and head coach. He is best known for his tenure as head coach at the University of Iowa where he won 15 NCAA team titles between 1976 and 1997. He is also famous for having only lost one match in his entire Iowa State University collegiate career and winning a gold medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.