Jason Nolf


Jason Michael Nolf is an American freestyle and former folkstyle wrestler. In freestyle, Nolf is the Pan American Champion at the 79-kilograms division. As a folkstyle wrestler, he is a three-time NCAA Division I Champion, four-time finalist and two-time Big Ten Champion.

High school

Nolf attended Kittanning High School in where he was a three-sport athlete, lettering four times in wrestling, twice in cross country and once in track and field. He was also an Outstanding Student with a 4.5 GPA. As a wrestler, he was a three-time PIAA champion and compiled a record of 176 wins and a lone loss throughout his career. He was also a one-time captain of the varsity team.

College

After graduating, Nolf was recruited by Pennsylvania State University to wrestle as a Nittany Lion.

2014–15

and wrestled unattached in open tournaments, compiling a record of 15 wins and 1 defeat.

2015–16

Became the runner-up of the Big Ten Championships after losing to Isaiah Martinez in a tie-breaker loss. At the NCAA tournament, he dominantly made his way to the finals, where he ended up suffering a close 5–6 loss to Martinez again. He was named Freshman of the Year by Intermat and compiled a record of 33 wins and 2 losses, both coming from Martínez.

2016–17

Became the Big Ten Conference Champion. At the NCAA Championships, he absolutely dominated with 2 technical falls, 1 fall and 2 majors to claim the title and help Penn State to win its sixth Team Championship. After the tournament, he finished second at the NCAA Outstanding Wrestler after his teammate Zain Retherford won the award. He posted an undefeated record of 27 wins and no losses

2017–18

Nolf reached the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Conference championships, however, he was forced to medical forfeit at the semis and finals. At the NCAA championships, he downed five opponents to claim his second title in a row and help Penn State win its third Team Championship in a row. He finished the season with a record of 26 wins and 1 lone loss.

2018–19

Became the Big Ten Conference Champion. At the NCAA Championships, he dominated his competition, defeating 5 opponents to claim his third consecutive title and once again help Penn State win his fourth consecutive title.
Overall, Nolf is a three-time NCAA Champion, four-time finalist, four-time All-American and two-time Big Ten champion as a collegiate wrestler.

Freestyle

Prior to competing as a senior, Nolf competed as a cadet and a junior, competing in prestigious tournaments such as the US Open and the United World Wrestling World Team Trials.

2017

After his sophomore season in college, Nolf competed at the US Open. He opened up with three technical falls before losing a tough 8–9 to two-time World Medalist James Green. He came back with a victory but came up short in the third-place match.
After finishing fourth at the US Open, he qualified and competed at the US World Team Trials. He won his first match by technical fall but ended up losing to Jimmy Kennedy. He came back with a victory to earn a bronze medal at the tournament.

2019

Coming fresh out of college, Nolf competed at the US Open. He teched four opponents prior to losing to James Green in a criteria decision. After the loss, he managed to come back and win his next two bouts to earn himself a bronze medal.
Due to the medal he earned at the US Open, Nolf was able to compete at the World Team Trials Challenge and decided to move up to 74 kilograms. He defeated his first three opponents and went on to face collegiate rival Isaiah Martinez in a best-of-three. He lost the first match but managed to come back with a victory, leading to a third bout in which he lost by technical fall.
In his first senior international competition, Nolf competed at the Bill Farrell Memorial. He defeated four of his opponents to reach the finals in where he faced Isaiah Martinez. He lost the bout by technical fall to claim the silver medal of the tournament.
2020
In his first competition of the year, he competed at the prestigious Pan American Championships at the non-olympic 79 kilograms division. He defeated two opponents with a technical fall and a fall respectively to win the championship and qualify for the US Olympic Team Trials.
Nolf was scheduled to compete at the US Olympic Team Trials on April at State College, Pennsylvania. However, the event was postponed for two0two1 along with the Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Nolf competed against the accomplished Jordan Oliver on June 28 at Rumble on the Rooftop. He won the match by points.

Personal life

On June 30 of 2018, Nolf married Penn State women's soccer player Maddie Elliston.

Awards and honors

;2020
;2019
;2018
;2017
;2016
! colspan="7"| Senior Freestyle Matches
! Res.
! Record
! Opponent
! Score
! Date
! Event
! Location
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Chicago, Illinois
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Ottawa, Canada
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
New York, New York, United States
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

NCAA record

! colspan="8"| NCAA Championships Matches
! Res.
! Record
! Opponent
! Score
! Date
! Event
! style=background:white colspan=6 |2019 NCAA Championships at 157 lbs
! style=background:white colspan=6 |2018 NCAA Championships at 157 lbs
! style=background:white colspan=6 |2017 NCAA Championships at 157 lbs
! style=background:white colspan=6 |2016 NCAA Championships at 157 lbs

Stats

! Season
! Year
! School
! Rank
! Weigh Class
! Record
! Win
! Bonus