MARSHALL, Minn. – During this quiet time for collegiate athletics with no activity on the field of play due to COVID-19, Southwest Minnesota State University Athletics will take a look back at a "Mustang Memory", several times a week during the next month or longer, as we celebrate and remember some of the most memorable events, teams, coaches and student-athletes over the past 50-plus years of Mustang Athletics.
 
April 8: SMSU's three individual national champion wrestlers
 
The SMSU wrestling program has always had a strong tradition of excellence, recording seven conference championships, finishing among the Top 30 numerous times at the NAIA and NCAA national championships, while producing 55 All-Americans, which includes three individual national champions.
 
Today's Mustang Memory looks back at our three national champions.
 
John Sterner, 1989: John Sterner became SMSU's first-ever national champion as he won the 190 pound weight class at the 1989 NAIA Championships in Jamestown, N.D. 
 
Sterner, who finished third at the NAIA meet in 1987, did not compete during the 1987-88 season as he focused on his senior season with the SMSU football program. Sterner entered the 1989 NAIA Championships as the No. 3 seed and went 4-0, with three one-point victories, in the three-day event to earn the title.
 
He opened the championship with a win by fall at 2:37 over Wisconsin-Parkside's Scott Wessley, before defeating Thomas Upchurch from Alaska Pacific University, 5-4 in the quarterfinals. Sterner then picked up a 5-4 win over Tracy Fitzsimmons from Adams State to advance to the championship match. In the national championship match versus Pat Whitcomb of Western Montana College, Sterner used a first period takedown to take a 2-0 lead, but Whitcomb would escape twice to tie the match at 2-2 after two periods. Sterner chose to start down in the third period and escaped in three seconds to take a 3-2 advantage. He would later take Whitcomb down with 1:02 left in the period to build a 5-2 cushion. Whitcomb, a former Junior College national champion, would use an escape and later received a point when Sterner was called for stalling late in the match, but it wasn't enough at Sterner won the title by a 5-4 score.
 
Sterner was one of six Mustangs to earn NAIA All-American honors in 1989 and helped the team finish seventh in the team standings, which is the highest national finish in program history.
 
A native of Marshall, Minn.,  Sterner finished the year 38-2, also was the NIC champion at 190 lb. and helped lead the Mustangs to the 1989 NIC team championship.  He also won the 1989 NAIA Bi-District title helping lead SMSU to their second straight NAIA Bi-District 13/15 team championship.
 
Sterner finished his career as a two-time NAIA All-America and had a career record of 100-21 (.826), which ranks in the top five in career winning percentage in school history.  A member of three NIC championship squads (1985, 1987, 1989), he took home his first NAIA All-America award in 1987 by placing third at 190 lb. He was also the NIC champion at 190 lb. in both 1987 and 1989 (he redshirted during the 1987-88 season) and took second at 190 lb. in 1985. 
 
Leon Bullerman, 1991: Leon Bullerman put together one of the best seasons in SMSU wrestling history and capped it becoming just the second NAIA national champion in program history. 
 
A native of Adrian, Minn., Bullerman won two Junior College individual national championships at Worthington Community College prior to his arrival at SMSU. During his first season at SMSU in 1989-90, he compiled a 25-2 record and qualified for the NAIA Championships, but suffered an injury at the NAIA Bi-District meet in January and was forced to missed the remainder of the season.
 
Bullerman came back determined for his senior year in 1990-91, putting together one of the best seasons in program history. He won the Northern Intercollegiate Conference championship and the NAIA Bi-District championship at 158 pounds.
 
At the NAIA Championships in Butte, Mont., Bullerman was seeded third at 158 and picked up three victories to advance to the national championship match. He opened with a win at by fall at 2:00 in the second round over Matthew Huck from Montana Tech, before winning 11-2 over Corey Bolten from Western Montana. In the semifinals he recorded a 4-1 victory over Cody Allen from Western Oregon State, before he closed his remarkable season in a big way,  pinning the No. 1 seed, Rod Clugston from Northern Montana in just 1:09 and was named the meet's Most Valuable Wrestler.
 
Bullerman, who helped the Mustangs to a ninth place finish at the 1991 NAIA Championships, closed the season with a 40-3-1 record, setting a school single-season record for victories.
 
Link Steffen, 1998: Link Steffen became SMSU's first-ever NCAA national champion, taking home the 1998 title at 190 pounds capping one of the most dominate seasons in program history.
 
A three-time NCAA national qualifier and two-time NCAA All-America (1997 & 1998), Steffen finished his national championship senior season in 1997-98 with a school best 39-1 record and was named the Midwest Region Wrestler of the Year. He earned the region honor after winning the Midwest Region meet in Edmond, Okla., to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Pueblo, Colo.
 
Despite an unblemished record versus NCAA opponents, Steffen entered the NCAA meet as the No. 6 seed and opened with a dominating 21-10 victory over Steve Divirgilo from UMASS-Lowell. He then picked up a 6-3 victory over Andy Sistek from Nebraska-Kearney before earning a victory by fall at 2:39 over Edwin Lorne from Central Oklahoma in the semifinals. In the final, Steffen faced off versus Mike Schadwinkle from Adams State and following a scoreless opening period, Steffen scored on a reversal to go up 2-0 in the second period and cruised from there to earn an 8-1 victory and national championship.
 
Steffen's only loss on the season was a 9-6 decision to two-time Junior College national champion, NCAA All-American, two-time Olympian and UFC two-division world champion, Daniel Cormier from Colby Community College. Steffen and Cormier met in the championship match of an open tournament hosted by the University of Central Missouri.
 
Steffen, who placed fourth at the 1997 NCAA Championships at 177 pounds to earn All-American honors, was a two-time NSIC champion (1997 & 1998) and two-time conference runner-up (1995 & 1996). He finished his career with a 114-22 record, ranking third all-time in school history for winning percentage at .838.