That moment arrived Sunday morning when the Iowa City West star pulled his dad aside inside the Wisconsin wrestling offices and told him he was ready to commit to the Badgers.

“I broke into tears a little bit and told him this is it,” said Koethe, ranked by InterMat as the No. 31 prospect nationally in the Class of 2012. “They’re building something and I want to be a part of that.”

Koethe took visits to Minnesota and Iowa State and canceled trips to Iowa and Northern Iowa. He said his relationship with first-year Wisconsin assistant Ryan Morningstar, a two-time All-American at Iowa, was instrumental in his decision.

“That had quite a bit to do with it,” Koethe said. “I know for a fact he’s going to be there and he’s going to help me if I need help or he’s going to push me if I need to be pushed. I know he’s going to be a big part of my life when I’m there.”

Koethe is projected as a 157-pounder in college. He compiled a 127-15 record during his first three seasons at West, but he’s still in search of his first state championship after getting disqualified for slams at the state meet in each of the past two seasons. He wrestled back to place third as a sophomore and junior after finishing fourth as a freshman.

But Koethe’s accomplishments on the national level were perhaps what boosted his stock in the recruiting rankings and made him a sought-after prospect. He’s a five-time All-American at Cadet and Junior Nationals. He claimed the Cadet freestyle national title in 2009 and won a Greco-Roman title this spring at the FILA Junior National tournament.

“He’s not afraid to put himself in a challenging spot,” Iowa City West coach Mark Reiland said. “He’s very explosive and athletic and that helps at the next level. It’s tough not to be explosive and athletic and be successful at the next level with the way the sport is evolving.”

Reiland said Koethe needs to continue to progress technically.

“You can’t just overpower kids at the next level, and he’s got to learn that,” he said. “But I think he probably has more technique than most of us give him credit for because he can get away with so many things at the high school level right now that we don’t have to see everything he has.”

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/10/02/iowa-city-wests-koethe-picks-badgers/