Former Lisbon wrestler Cade Siebrecht almost didn’t return to Central College for his senior season.
Ultimately, he decided to close his wrestling career with one more attempt to climb the podium.
And he ended up on top, winning a NCAA D-III national title March 13 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids.
“I’m here to give it one last try,” Siebrecht said. “And I’m not going to come back and not give it my all. I was going all-in this year.
“My main goal was to end up on top. It is always what I wanted. I was able to come back, and stand on what I set out to do.”
His coach at Central, Landon Williams, remembers meeting with Siebrecht in the fall.
“I get it. He spent a lot of time dealing with injuries, and you can’t be the wrestler you want to be,” Williams said. “We talked about taking each day and finding the joy in each day.
“I knew he had that wrestler inside of him. That’s how we run our program. We invest in each guy, and know what they need.”
That is impressive, considering Siebrecht didn’t always know what he needed.
After a high school career that included 178 wins (to 31 losses) and two Class 1A titles, he opted to join his older brother Cobe at the University of Iowa.
“My time at Iowa was very special,” Siebrecht said. “My brother was there, too, and we had a lot of fun. I will cherish that time.”
Siebrecht redshirted his first season (2022-23) and went 2-3 unattached. Then he went 9-4 his second year in Iowa City.
But he hurt his knee during practice, and when his brother decided to transfer to South Dakota State, Cade followed.
“I was looking for a new path, a new adventure,” Siebrecht said.
He spent a semester with the Jackrabbits, mostly rehabbing his repaired ACL. But then he tore his meniscus during a weightlifting accident. Which set him back, once again.
He had some former Lisbon teammates at Central College, and they convinced him to come to Pella.
“Coming in at the semester is hard,” Siebrecht said. “I did wrestle at regionals, but fell short to qualify.
“That was pretty hard to deal with. But things happen. You’ve got to move past that. You can’t be stuck on that too long.”
Siebrecht had to wear a bulky knee brace and was not fully recovered. He went 4-4 and placed sixth at D-III Regionals.
“It was mentally frustrating,” Siebrecht said. “It is such a long process, getting healthy. Then to feel that pain in my knee again scared me mentally. It was hard on me.
“With the brace I couldn’t shoot. I couldn’t get my legs back. I was giving up points at the end of matches. It was tough.”
So Siebrecht was left wondering if he had the desire to keep going it.
Williams, who was hired in 2024, was part of the Wartburg dynasty as a wrestler before joining their coaching staff. He was building a program at Central, and wanted to see Siebrecht stick it out.
“Our process was hey, how can we get him, number one, healthy, and number two, really enjoying the process again,” Williams said. “I’m obviously very proud of what he did and the person he became.”
Because of injuries and his redshirt year, Siebrecht could return next year. But he plans on graduating from Central in May. So that’s that.
“Seeing everyone get together and come out and see me in Cedar Rapids … realizing the support I actually had. It felt amazing,” Siebrecht said. “I doubt they realize how much it meant to me.”
