Champ,

wrestling career, marked by some adversity.

He started wrestling as a sixth grader in the Neillsville-Greenwood-Loyal (NGL) cooperative program. He placed sixth at state as a sophomore, first as a junior, and took first again as a senior. His success was due in no small part to then-Loyal School District Administrator Cale Jackson. Jackson drove Buchanan to Osseo-Fairchild (O-F) High School at least once, if not twice, a week to train in freestyle wrestling with then-O-F Administrator Bill Tourdot.

“He (Jackson) saw I had potential before anyone else knew who I was,” said Buchanan.

Despite his success as a state champion, Buchanan didn’t always plan to pursue wrestling at the collegiate level.

“It was late (when I decided to pursue wrestling), probably my senior year,” said Buchanan. “I had always wanted to be an NFL football player, so I had trained for that. Wrestling I was better at, but I had a passion for football. But when I got a scholarship to attend the University of Wyoming for wrestling, I changed to go after that. I had always wanted to be a D1 athlete and I did achieve that.”

Buchanan attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie starting in 2019. However, just before the national tournament, COVID began running rampant and the tournament was cancelled. Athletes were given another year of eligibility.

“I barely got into the national tournament my freshman year. I got seventh, I think, at the Big 12 tournament. Honestly, the national tournament getting cancelled was probably the best thing for me,” said Buchanan.

One memory that stands out from his freshman year was earning his first ranked win against Dakota Geer.

His second year of college, Buchanan again qualified for the national tournament and took eighth place there. The following year, he took third.

His fourth year of college, Buchanan took a red shirt year. “My body was breaking down a bit; I had some lingering injuries and my body needed a break,” said Buchanan. “My coach was also transferring to another university.”

Buchanan ended up transferring to the University of Oklahoma, following his coach Teyon Ware. He wrestled his fifth year at Oklahoma, again making it to the national tournament and again placing third.

“During my year at Oklahoma, I tore my meniscus and had to wrestle with that the second half of the season. That was hard because I couldn’t wrestle the way I wanted to. It was not the greatest Big 12 tournament because I knew I could do better,” said Buchanan.

He transferred to Iowa for his sixth and final season, wrestling under the guidance of Olympic medalists Tom and Terry Brands.

“At Iowa, my passion has grown for wrestling as a sport. Before that, I had thought of it like my job. But this past year I started not just liking it, but building a love and passion for the sport, and when that happens, it changes your perspective on everything — how you practice, how you show up,” said Buchanan.

His season culminated in him earning the top place on the national stage.

Buchanan’s college career is unique in having spanned over six years. He said that to sustain wrestling at a high level as he’s gotten older, he’s had to discipline himself.

“I don’t recover as fast as I did as a freshman, but I also have the knowledge of what I’ve been taught. Now that I’m older, I have more knowledge to do things the right way. I’ve had to focus more on recovery, nutrition, and sleep in order to perform this year.”

He also had to “trust the training regimen and trust the coaches” through the transition from one college to the next.

Buchanan doesn’t have plans to slow down anytime soon. He will conclude his studies at the completion of this school year but continue wrestling at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, which uses the same training facility as the University of Iowa and is under the leadership of former Olympic wrestler Daniel Dennis. Buchanan has set his sights on wrestling freestyle in the Olympics.

“It’s a different style than folkstyle. Throughout college, I did folkstyle wrestling but anything beyond that is freestyle. My goal is to be the freestyle world champion or freestyle Olympic champion,” said Buchanan. “After that I would like to possibly coach.”

Buchanan plans to start training this summer. There are various qualifying tournaments in which a wrestler has to place high enough in order to advance to the World Championships, which are held every year. This year’s World Championships will be Sept. 13-21 in Croatia. The next Summer Olympics will be in 2028.

Buchanan credits a former coach with instilling in him the drive to always shoot higher and not be afraid to set ambitious goals.

“I remember a conversation I had with Mark Branch (University of Wyoming wrestling coach). I told him, ‘I want to be a two-time national champion’ and he said, ‘Why not four?’ He challenged me and I thank him for giving me that mindset. If I have the opportunity to go for the World Championships now, why not do it? If I have the opportunity, why not try? If you fail, you fail, but at least you tried.”

Although he’s accomplished so much on the mat and has a lot to look forward to, Buchanan said that for him, wrestling goes far beyond the accolades.

“The best thing that comes from wrestling is, it pushes me closer to God. I’ve learned to lean on Him every time,” said Buchanan.

He said he had a lot of coaches, friends, and an FCAleader that encouraged him in his walk with God.

“Teyon Ware was a huge help, because I had been falling off and he helped me get back on track. Also (fellow wrestlers) Job Greenwood and Tate Picklo,” said Buchanan.

He also took inspiration from athletes such as wrestler Aaron Brooks, bronze medalist at the 2024 Summer Olympics and a devout Christian.

Buchanan said his faith has grown and matured over the years, and he couldn’t be more grateful.

“At first, I was using God as a lucky rabbit’s foot, as in, ‘If I have a relationship with God, He’ll help me win.’ Then it turned into, ‘Why is a relationship with God so important?’ Then my walk opened up and it turned into, ‘Do I even want to walk with Jesus?’ And now that I do, how do I walk with Jesus? As an athlete, we often have an attitude of perfection. But I came to the realization that I can’t do anything for God, but I can do life with Him — every practice, every failure, every victory. It’s not a performance. Whether failure or victory, He’s right there with me.”

As he moves into the next phase of his athletic career, Buchanan feels an immense amount of gratitude, knowing he wouldn’t have gotten to where he is today without an incredible support system.

“There’s so many people I could thank,” said Buchanan. He thanked his parents, Stephen and Kerline; all his siblings; Cale Jackson and Bill Tourdot; and “all the people in the past who poured into me in wrestling and sharpened my tools to make me the wrestler that I am. I had many people helping along the way and I can’t thank them enough.”

And ultimately, “I just give God glory for all of it,” said Buchanan. “It’s been a long journey; I’ve come a long way. He put the right people in my path and I can’t thank Him enough for all He’s done for me.”

At left, Stephen Buchanan kneels and thanks God after winning his championship match. He said he has grown in his faith throughout his wrestling career.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO