Colon will be resident athlete in Ames

(Above) Joe Colon picks up another win for team USA.  -Submitted photo

by Marianne Gasaway

Joe Colon, a Clear Lake two-time state champion wrestler who went on to excel on the mat in college and beyond, is returning to Iowa as a resident athlete at the Cyclone Regional Training Center (CRT) in Ames.

Iowa State University Head Wrestling Coach and CRT Director Kevin Dresser announced Colon will become a resident athlete in the coming weeks.  

“It is very exciting for us to add Joe to our program,” Dresser said. “He is one of the top lightweights in the entire world right now. He made great improvements these past four years with Coach Steiner at Fresno State, and we are going to try to build off of that moving forward. Joe’s got a lot left in his tank, so we will be fortunate to have him in Ames for a good bit.”

Colon joins the Cyclone Wrestling program after a four-year coaching stint at Fresno State. He is currently a member of the US National team at 61 kg and is ranked No. 20 in the world.  In Senior Level competition, Colon is as decorated in accomplishments as they come.  In 2018, he made the United States World Team and brought home a World Bronze Medal for the US at 61 kg. That year, he also claimed Gold at the Pan-American Championships, the U.S. Open and was a member of the Men’s Freestyle World Cup team that brought home the team title.  Colon is a Dave Schultz Memorial International and Bill Farrell International Champion, and has won the Pan American Championship on two occasions. Most recently, he was the runner-up at Final X (2019) and earned a spot on the U.S. National Team. He took eighth at the 2019 Ivan Yarygin Gran Prix, fifth at the 2019 Dan Kolov International and finished second at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone International.

As a resident athlete at the CRT Colon will continue his training in the international styles of wrestling, with his sights set firmly on qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team.

“I’m looking forward to following my Olympic dream in Ames with the Cyclone RTC,” Colon said. “I’m excited to be back in my home state. It’s where my wrestling journey first began. I want to thank Coach Dresser and the rest of his staff for this opportunity.”

The center uses the wrestling room at Iowa State University and serves elite-level postgraduate resident athletes, as well as younger wrestlers from high school through college.  Although Colon is not directly associated with Iowa State as a member of the CRT staff, he and others in the CRT program practice in ISU facilities with ISU wrestlers.

“Joe brings toughness and a professional-athlete attitude with him,” said Coach Dresser.  “It will be great for our younger athletes to experience that on a day to day basis”

The Clear Lake native compiled a 62-6 overall mark in his two seasons competing for UNI. He went 27-4 as a redshirt sophomore in 2011-12, advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships before falling in the blood round.  After sitting out the 2012-13 season, Colon came back as a senior in 2013-14 and went 35-2 overall, finishing his career first in Panther program history in career winning percentage (.911). His senior season winning percentage of .946 ranked third-best for a single-season in UNI history. He finished his career a perfect 24-0 in duals.

Colon began his collegiate career at Iowa Central