2012 NCAA Heavy National Champion • All-American • defeated 2011 NCAA champion Zach Rey of Lehigh in the finals by a 4-1 dec. • named Best Male Athlete of the Year at the 2012 Golden Goldy's • awarded as the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the season on the team • Big Ten Champion• finished the season 32-2 overall and 25 consecutive wins • second on the team with eight falls • posted a perfect 8-0 record in Big Ten dual matches • defeated Peter Sturgeon of Central Michigan in the second round of the NCAA's by a 6-0 dec., to erase his previous loss earlier in the season • gave up just four points at the NCAA's • outscored his opponents 150-55 on the season • one of four captains who posted 30 or more wins on the year • started off the season with a Bison Open title • Posted a 4-0 record at the Bison Open to win the heavyweight title • picked up wins over #4 Cameron Wade of Penn State (5-0) and #20 Matthew Gibson of Iowa State (4-0) • defeated Oregon State's Clayton Jack to earn the Southern Scuffle (T.N.) championship • posted a perfect 8-0 record against regular season Big Ten opponents, highlighted by victories over #17 Peter Capone of Ohio State, #11 Ben Apland of Michigan, and #9 Tucker Lane of Nebraska • went 2-0 at the National Duals, including a sudden victory over Kent State's Brendan Barlow (5-4) • letterwinner.

2010-11 • REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON:

Overall Record: 33-8
Dual Meet Record: 7-2
Big Ten Record: 1-1
Pins: 2
Major Decisions: 2
Technical Falls: 1

All-American as a freshman, finished seventh at the NCAA national championships • co-Most Outstanding Freshman team award winner with Kevin Steinhaus • finished 33-8 overall with a record of 13-4 in duals matches and 4-3 in Big Ten matches • recorded two pins and three major decisions • opened the year with a pair of individual championships at the Bison Open and the Kaufman-Brand Open, finishing with a combined record of 8-0 • finished third at the Southern Scuffle with a 6-1 record • won the National Duals after beating Stryker Lane of Cornell in the semi-finals and Wisconsin's Eric Bugenhagen in the championship match • finished second at the 2011 Big Ten Championships • earned first letter.

2009-10 • REDSHIRTED:

Went 9-0 at heavyweight in his first season in the maroon and gold competing solely in open meets, joining Jayson Ness as the only Gophers to finish the season unbeaten • won three matches by fall and one by major decision • went 3-0 and was champion at the Duhawk Open beating Blake Rasing of Iowa 8-7 for the Championship • went 4-0 at the Dragon Open, winning his first three matches by fall, and beating Tim Johnson of MSU Moorhead 4-2 in the Championship match • opened the season with a split Championship at the Bison Open, going 2-0 share champion honors with Ben Berhow.

HIGH SCHOOL:
2009 graduate of Cambridge-Isanti High School • Nation's top prospect at 215 lbs. • two-time Minnesota state champion (197, Hwt.) • 2009 Minnesota Class AAA state champion with a 47-0 record, including a staggering 35 wins by fall • captured the 2009 National Wrestling Championship in the 215-pound class with a 6-0 mark during the tournament • tallied three pins in the tournament including the National Championship match with a fall in 30 seconds • state tournament place-winner as a junior and a sophomore, finishing as the runner-up in 2008 after recording a third-place finish in 2007 • also won more than 40 bouts in each of the final three seasons of his prep career, going 44-3 as a junior and 41-6 as a sophomore • concluded high school career with an impressive 141-18 record as a prep, including 80 victories by fall • named an academic All-American for his success in the classroom • also starred on the gridiron as a standout defensive end and linebacker • 2008 Mississippi Eight Conference Linebacker of the Year • collected 112 tackles, including 20 for losses • earned all-metro and all-conference accolades, and received honorable mention all-state recognition from The Associated Press • finished his three-year football career with 259 tackles.

PERSONAL:
Born Sep. 27, 1990 • son of Todd and Sandi Nelson • has one brother Evan (22) and two sisters Kelli (21) and Grace (16) • majoring in engineering • lists winning national titles in both freestyle and folkstyle as his greatest sports thrills.