Torrance High School Wrestling, 2200 W Carson Street, Torrance, CA (2026)

09/13/2025

10/02/2023

Marty Kistler; Notre Dame HS (Riverside, CA)/Iowa Hawkeyes

How’s this for a Dan Gable coaching success story?! From 1982-1986, the Gable-led Iowa Hawkeyes had a guy on their team from Notre Dame HS in Riverside, California named Marty Kistler who started for them at 150 lbs in his first year there as a Freshman in the 1981-1982. Marty had some nice moments that year, especially towards the end of the season, but ended up finishing 12-16 overall and was 1-10 in dual meets. The next year, Marty was redshirted and when he was ready to step up as the Hawkeyes starter again, he was like a new and much improved machine… He started out in 1984 by winning a Big 10 title at 150 lbs and would place 2nd at the NCAA Tournament that season. In his final two seasons in 1985 and 1986 as the Hawkeye starter at 158 and 167 lbs, Marty would win 2 NCAA titles and won the OW award at the NCAA Tournament in his senior season after winning 4 matches via 3 major decisions and 1 tech fall, which included a 15-3 major decision over Mark Van Tine of Oklahoma State! In Marty’s 3 final seasons as the Iowa Hawkeyes starter, he went 106-9 with 27 falls! Incredible…

Prior to Iowa, Marty was an absolute animal on the mat… he was the youngest of 4 Kistler brothers who all wrestled at Notre Dame HS in Riverside, California and all did so at such a high level that they went on to become known as “Riverside’s first family of wrestling.” Lindley, Harlan, Jackson and Marty won a combined 12 CIF Championships; 7 Masters Championships and 4 State championships from 1977-1981. Marty was known as the “intense one” of the 4 brothers. Their little sister, Darci was even an accomplished ballet dancer for the New York City Ballet, where she would perform for over 3 decades, achieving the highest level of notoriety in dance. Their mother grew up on an Ohio farm and their father, Dr. Jack Kistler competed for the UCLA Bruins in the 1950’s where he was 3rd in the Pacific 8 Conference Tournament at 147 lbs before having to quit after his sophomore season due to a shoulder injury, not to mention having to focus on his studies. Jack got his boys started with wrestling at the youth level in 1969 at a YMCA-affiliate program where they would combine to win 31 national AAU freestyle and Greco-Roman (no holds below the waist) age-group titles and three 18-and under world championships!

Marty Kistler himself would go on to put up a HS career in which he became a 4x SS CIF Champion (Masters); 4x California HS State Finalist and a 2x California HS State Champion who went 147-3 in his career. He placed 2-2-1-1 from 1978-1981 at weights; 98, 112, 127 and 145 lbs! The closest anyone came to Marty in his final season was a 9-0 MD… he concluded his HS career by pinning Scott Bilyeu of Clovis HS in the 145 lb California HS State Wrestling Championship Finals in 1981!

3X NCAA National Champion/1X Olympic Champion/Current Iowa Hawkeyes HC, Tom Brands has referred to Marty Kistler as being his hero growing up…just to give you an idea of the wrestlers Marty would inspire!

This man was one of the best Iowa Hawkeyes ever!

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This one is for the upcoming docu-series called “The Dual” and in that article I mentioned that in the upcoming next couple months, that you should expect to see a lot of write-ups about the coaches/wrestlers from this dual meet as well as reminders of screenings and what not. This is the write-up for former Iowa State Cyclone, Eric Voelker, a 2X NCAA Champ.

For those of you who didn’t catch the article, “THE DUAL" is a multi-episode documentary featuring a classic college wrestling dual meet that originally aired live on lowa Public Television February 23, 1986 between the 8X consecutive NCAA Champion low Hawkeyes who were coached by the iconic Dan Gable and their in-state rival, the lowa State Cyclones who were coached by 26-year-old Jim Gibbons in his first season as head coach for the Cyclones. Now, 35 years later, the coaches and wrestlers take a look back at the legacy of this event, through interviews with the athletes, coaches and the media.

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09/07/2023

High School Wrestling Participation Tops 300K For First Time In 45 Years - FloWrestling High school wrestling is coming off a historic year of growth after participation numbers topped 300,000 for the first time since 1978.