marchmatness1928–2026

1978 NCAA Championships

Champions, team standings, and brackets for all 10 weights.

The 1978 NCAA championships had 10 weights and 483 bouts. Iowa won the team title with 94.5 points; Iowa State was second with 94.

10weights
10individual champions
483bouts
97wins by fall

Most falls in the least time: Scott Heaton, California-Poly · 3 falls in 6:09

Open 1978 in Match Finder

Individual champions

1978 individual champions by weight
WeightChampionProgramTitle bout
118Andy DanielsOhioOhioFall 0:30 over John Azevedo, California-Bakersfield
126Mike Land (1)Iowa StateIowa StateMD 13–5 over Randy Lewis (2), Iowa
134Ken Mallory (8)Montclair State (NJ)Montclair State (NJ)Dec 10–7 over Frank DeAngelis, Oklahoma
142Dan Hicks (1)Oregon StateOregon StateDec 11–9 over Andy Rein (2), Wisconsin
150Mark Churella (1) · 2nd titleMichiganMichiganFall 3:09 over Bruce Kinseth (3), Iowa
158Lee Kemp Jr. (1) · 3rd titleWisconsinWisconsinDec 10–8 over Kelly Ward (2), Iowa State
167Keith Stearns (3)OklahomaOklahomaDec 3–2 over Paul Martin (1), Oklahoma State
177Mark Lieberman (1)Lehigh (PA)Lehigh (PA)Dec 7–1 over Eric Wais (2), Oklahoma State
190Ron Jeidy (2)WisconsinWisconsinDefault over Frank Santana (1), Iowa State
UnlimitedJimmy Jackson (1) · 3rd titleOklahoma StateOklahoma StateFall 1:12 over John Sefter (6), Princeton (NJ)

Team standings

Scoring details →

Published standings · Source: NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Records Book, All-Time Team Results, 1978

Head coach for the 1978 tournament, from the coaching record; a dash where none is established yet.

1978 team standings
RankProgramHead coachPoints
1IowaDan Gable94.5
2Iowa StateHarold Nichols94
3Oklahoma StateTommy Chesbro86.25
4WisconsinDuane Kleven77.25
5OklahomaStan Abel52.25
6Brigham Young (UT)Fred Davis41.5
7Lehigh (PA)Thad Turner37.5
8Oregon StateDale Thomas33.25
9California-PolyVaughan Hitchcock32.5
10MichiganBill Johannesen29.25
11Syracuse (NY)Ed Carlin27
12Arizona StateBobby Douglas26.75
13OhioHarry Houska24.75
14Princeton (NJ)John Johnston21.75
15Penn StateBill Koll19.25
16FloridaGary Schneider17.5
17Louisiana StateLarry Sciacchetano16
18Notre Dame (IN)Raymond George Sepeta15.5
19Kent State (OH)Ron Gray13
20Pittsburgh (PA)Dave Adams12.5
Show all 68 teams
1978 team standings, continued
RankProgramHead coachPoints
21OregonRon Finley11.75
22Shippensburg (PA)Bill Corman11.5
23Lock Haven (PA)Ken Cox10.75
24Franklin & Marshall (PA)Stan Zeamer10.5
25KentuckyFletcher Carr9.5
26California-Los AngelesDave Auble7.75
27California-BerkeleyBill Martell7
28Cleveland State (OH)Richard Bonacci6.5
T29Drake (IA)Lonnie Timmerman6
T29MissouriBob Kopnisky6
31Nevada-Las VegasDennis Finfrock5.5
32Rhode IslandGarry Barton5
T33Auburn (AL)Tom Milkovich4
T33Washington (WA)Darren Sipe4
35Navy (MD)Ed Peery3.75
T36IllinoisTom Porter3.5
T36Michigan StateGrady Peninger3.5
T36VirginiaGeorge Edwards3.5
T36William & Mary (VA)Ed Steers3.5
T40ArizonaWilliam J. Nelson3
T40Clarion (PA)Bob Bubb3
T40MinnesotaWally Johnson3
T40Washington StateRoger James3
T40Wilkes (PA)John Reese3
45North CarolinaBill Lam2.5
T46Boise State (ID)Mike Young2
T46ConnecticutChip Wilhide2
T46Cortland (NY)Vincent Gonino2
T46East Stroudsburg (PA)Clyde H. Witman2
T46Hofstra (NY)Al Bevilacqua2
T46Long Beach State (CA)Not yet established2
T46Tennessee-ChattanoogaJim Morgan2
T53Bowling Green (OH)Pete Riesen1.75
T53Western MichiganGeorge Hobbs1.75
T55Indiana (IN)Doug Blubaugh1.5
T55NebraskaOrval Borgialli1.5
T55West Chester (PA)Milton Collier1.5
T55WyomingJoe Dowler1.5
T59Ball State (IN)Peter B. Samuels1
T59Idaho StateItalo "Babe" Caccia1
T59Miami (OH)Darryl Rhoda1
T59North Carolina StateBob Guzzo1
T59Northern ColoradoJack LaBonde1
T59Ohio StateChris Ford1
T59Rider (NJ)Barry Burtnett1
T59Rutgers (NJ)Deane Oliver1
T68ColoradoMike Sager0.5
T68MarylandSully Krouse0.5
52 more programs that entered but are not in the published standings

* Calculated from the bouts under the 1978 scoring rules.

1978 programs not in the published standings
RankProgramHead coachPoints
10*California-BakersfieldJoe Seay31.5*
15*Montclair State (NJ)Richard Sofman22*
24*John Carroll (OH)Anthony J. DeCarlo11.5*
28*Northern IowaChuck Patten9.5*
28*Springfield (MA)Douglas E. Parker9.5*
33*Columbia (NY)Ronald Russo6.75*
34*Southern Illinois EdwardsvilleLarry Kristoff6.5*
38*Augustana (SD)Paul Wayne Kendle5.5*
41*Morgan State (MD)James Phillips4.5*
44*Portland State (OR)Len Kauffman3.5*
49*Binghamton (NY)Stephen Erber3*
57*California (PA)Frank Vulcano Sr.2*
57*Eastern IllinoisRon Clinton2*
57*Illinois StateGeorge Girardi2*
57*Millersville (PA)Jerry J. Swope2*
57*Northern MichiganBob Fehrs2*
57*South Dakota StateTerry Linander2*
73*Concordia (MN)Finn Grinaker1.5*
77*Bloomsburg (PA)Roger Sanders1*
77*California Poly HumboldtFrank Cheek1*
87*Baldwin Wallace (OH)Not yet established0.5*
90*AlabamaJim Tanara0*
90*Appalachian State (NC)Paul Mance0*
90*Bucknell (PA)Bob Ferraro0*
90*California-ChicoArmand Brett0*
90*Central MichiganCharles Sherwood0*
90*Clemson (SC)Wade Schalles0*
90*Colorado StateJames Kinyon0*
90*DelawarePaul G. Billy0*
90*East Carolina (NC)Bill Hill0*
90*Fresno State (CA)Dick Francis0*
90*Hiram (OH)Pete Brann0*
90*Indiana StateFran McCann0*
90*Lafayette (PA)John Piper0*
90*Marshall (WV)Bob Barnett0*
90*MassachusettsDavid Amato0*
90*MontanaJohn Jerrim0*
90*New HampshireIrv Hess0*
90*New Jersey (TCNJ)David Icenhower, Sr.0*
90*New MexicoRon Jacobsen0*
90*Northern IllinoisDon Flavin0*
90*Northwestern (IL)Ken Kraft0*
90*Old Dominion (VA)Thomas Merrill Robinson0*
90*San Jose State (CA)T.J. Kerr0*
90*Southern Illinois CarbondaleLinn Long0*
90*Temple (PA)Jerry Villecco0*
90*TennesseeGray Simons0*
90*Toledo (OH)Harvey Bowles0*
90*UtahMarvin G. Hess0*
90*Utah StateBob Carlson0*
90*Virginia TechJerry Cheynet0*
90*Weber State (UT)Charles Hislop0*

Cite this page: “1978 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships”, March Matness, NCAA Division I championship record, release affad6e7. https://www.marchmatness.app/tournaments/1978/

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