The historic 2009 Boise State wrestling squad earned top honors as the
2008-09 Bronco Team of the Year in balloting which concluded this week on
BroncoCountry. Coach Greg Randall's Broncos garnered 45 percent of the
vote to top the Western Athletic Conference Champion football team, which
generated 36% support. Greg Patton's tennis team was third with 17
percent.
This was a watershed year in Bronco sports as a record eight Boise State teams earned Top 25 status and four of them finished in the elite group of their respective sports. The Broncos also captured four conference championships.
The Bronco wrestlers finished the season ranked ninth in the country with a
17-3 record (8-0 in the Pac-10) and broke an all-time record for points in
dominating the Pacific-10 Conference Championships. Seven of Randall's
wrestlers were ranked in InterMat's top 20: Andrew Hochstrasser (#4 at 133
pounds), Kirk Smith (#4 at 184), Brent Chriswell (#6 at 197), Adam Hall (7th at
157), Nate Lee (13th at 174), Jason Chamberlain (16th at 149) and Tyler Sherfey
(#18 at 165 pounds).
Six Broncos (Hochstrasser, Chamberlain, Sherfey, Lee, Smith and
Chriswell) won individual titles in leading Boise State to a second
consecutive dominating Pac-10 Championship. In this one, though, the
Broncos outdid every other team in league history, shattering the 13 year-old
championships point record (155) with 172.5 points. Adam Hall finished
second in his weight class while Brian Owen, Cory Fish and Sam Zylstra took
fourth place.
Nine of Boise State's 10 starting wrestlers were invited to the NCAA
National Championships in St. Louis, where they finished 12th. Three
Broncos were named All-America Hochstrasser finished fourth in the
nation, Brent Chriswell ended up sixth and Sherfey placed eighth in his weight
class.
The Boise State wrestling team joins the 2006 Bronco football team and the
2007-08 men's basketball team as winners of the annual award.