The ISU wrestling team is not the only team on campus who can boast about the staggering amount of National Champions and All-Americans that have been garnered over the years.

Through the ISU Boxing Club’s 25-year history, 43 ISU boxers have been named All-Americans and 23 have won the national championship. What makes these statistics even more staggering is that before stepping foot on campus, the majority of these fighters never had any experience in the ring. The large amount of success that has been achieved is all thanks to one person – coach Terry Dowd.

The coach since the program’s inception, Dowd is very much a boxing aficionado. Although he has experienced health problems over the years, he still dedicates his time to the sport he loves. He shares his passion for the sport through teaching his students.

“I have the best job in the world,” Dowd said. “It’s even better since I have a great group of kids to work with. These kids are just super.”

When entering their practice, the connection each shares with their beloved coach is obvious. Immediately, it is easy to tell that everyone is having fun, and yet are still getting their work done. Although many will dispute that it is impossible for both to coexist at the same time, Iowa State proves it wrong and has the results to back it up.

Last year, Iowa State sent four boxers to the national tournament. Although each boxer did exceptionally well, Ben Marcov, senior in operations and supply chain management, wishes his year would have ended a little differently.

“I probably would have won the national championship if I had not broken my wrist,” Marcov said. “When I threw a right hook, it hit the guy in the elbow and my wrist just snapped. Since I could no longer fight, I had to settle for fourth place.”

Along with Marcov, Iowa State also returns three other All-Americans. They include: Nick Nelson, 185, Tony Sims, 165 and Ryan Allan, 156. Dowd has high expectations for each this year.

“I expect them to win the national title this year,” Dowd said. “I know they will get the job done. They never let me down.”

To win Nationals, each boxer must go through specific steps. First, they must qualify for Regionals. To do so, they must be selected as the best boxer in their weight class. For many of the weight classes, this is already decided since someone has already established that reputation from their past performances. In the weight classes that are undecided however, the boxers must go a different route. The boxers vying for the spot must face off in Friday Night Fights and the winner is then the representative. This year’s Regionals will take place in Lexington, Ky. from Wednesday to Sunday.

At Regionals, boxers must finish either first or second to qualify for Nationals. The fighters will be placed in a traditional bracket with the winner of each round advancing until the title is decided. For participants lucky enough to make it, Nationals will be held in Reno, Nev., from Apr. 13 to 15.

The road to the finals will be a difficult one. Along the way, it is extremely likely that Cyclone boxers will face opponents from a powerhouse such as the Naval Academy, the Air Force or University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Even with a difficult schedule in the upcoming future, Marcov is not worried.

“We have the bracket filled out completely and have someone boxing in every class from 135 to heavyweight,” Marcov said. “I expect that we will do very well this year since for the most part we know what to expect.”

Despite the outcome, Dowd will be proud of his team no matter what. Dowd said that although the Naval Academy requires it students to take boxing – thus having more than 200 participants each year – Iowa State only has 30 to 40 boxers. The result is that each student has to work hard if they wish to become successful.

“While boxing is important now, the main thing is graduation and learning how to be a professional person,” Dowd said. “To work out, they must have a 2.5 [GPA] and a 3.0 to compete. In my 25 years, everybody I have coached has graduated except for one guy. The education is the only reason why you are here.”