Trent Gutschenritter added to Dana College’s list of outstanding athletes, Oct. 4

Trent Gutschenritter was honored with Dana College’s highest alumni honor for athletics Oct. 4 in Blair, Neb., when the college named him to its athletic Hall of Fame at a special ceremony held as part of Homecoming festivities.

Honorees are nominated for their excellence in athletics while attending Dana. In Gutschenritter’s case, his determined effort at wrestling singled him out.

At the end of his senior season, Viking wrestler Trent Gutschenritter earned a sixth place finish at NAIA Nationals. But had he wrestled in any other weight class in any other year, Gutschenritter probably would have placed even higher.

At the time, the NAIA was considered the best wrestling division outside of the NCAA Division I, and Gutschenritter’s weight class, 150 pounds, is still considered by many to be the toughest of all time. Gutschenritter also received All-American honors that year.

“ Trent improved every year and had 30 wins as a senior,” said Ron Beaman, Gutschenritter’s coach at Dana. He qualified for the national tournament three times, and went on to share his love for wrestling as a high school official from 1990-97.

Gutschenritter earned a degree in business/computer science. He has worked for First Data Resources for 10 years, and has received the company’s Fat Cat Award, the most prestigious honor available.

Gutschenritter and his wife, Tina (Klein) Gutschenritter, live in Pacific Junction, Iowa, where they raise four children, Katelyn, 11; Steve, 9; Sydney, 6; and Sara, 5.

Beaman still remembers the perserverance and commitment Gutschenritter showed at his final national tournament. “Trent took the hard way, winning five straight and avenging a first round loss in the process,” Beaman said.

Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution that currently enrolls approximately 600 students. The campus is located on 150 acres overlooking the Missouri River Valley in Blair, Neb. Dana grants bachelor’s degrees in more than 20 liberal arts, business, education and pre-professional programs. Dana is affiliated with the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and its athletic teams compete in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

More information on Dana College can be found on its web site, www.dana.edu.

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For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu