By Mark Nesvig, Correspondent 

Since becoming the first Laker wrestler in program history to win a second state title this past March, Shakopee's Jake Kahnke has been a busy man.

He competed at the Senior Nationals tournament in Virginia in late March and earned high school All-America honors for the second year in a row.

Then in April, Kahnke wrestled at a regional tournament in Las Vegas and placed among the top three in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, qualifying for the individual national tournament, which will be held next month in Fargo.

Just 10 days later, he captured the Triple Crown at the USA Minnesota state tournament, winning all three styles (freestyle, Greco and folkstyle) for the second straight year.

As an individual champion, he qualified in both freestyle and Greco for the Minnesota National Dual Team, which will compete in the national dual tournament in Oklahoma City June 30 through July 4.

In late May, Kahnke was recognized by USA Wrestling Magazine and The Guillotine as one of just eight Minnesotans to receive high school All-America honors.

W.I.N. Magazine, meanwhile, had Kahnke ranked as high as second in the nation at 215 pounds this year.

Earlier this month, around the same time he was graduating from Prior Lake High School, Kahnke received a certificate from the Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla., for winning two state titles in a row.

Jake KahnkeSo which accomplishment is Kahnke most proud of?

“Honestly, I think my biggest highlight was finally making up my mind on college,” Kahnke said. “A lot of stress was relieved there.”

Now Kahnke will be causing stress for his opponents in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) after accepting a five-year Division-I scholarship from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

Kahnke is part of a recruiting class for Old Dominion that was ranked ninth in the nation by W.I.N. Magazine.

“We are extremely pleased with this recruiting class, as it is our third top ten class in four years,” said Old Dominion coach Steve Martin. “What is impressive with this group is that they are model citizens, serious students and have goals of being NCAA champions.”

Since Martin took over the program in 2004-05, all four of his recruiting classes have been ranked among the top 20.

Old Dominion is coming off the second-best year in program history in terms of overall record, going 17-3 in dual meets. The Monarchs’ .850 winning percentage ranked third in the nation behind Iowa (.955) and Central Michigan (.889) last year.

“The addition of our wrestling room in mid-June only helps out with the recruiting process,” Martin said. “The fact that we have seven returning NCAA qualifiers shows that we are closing in our goal of being a national powerhouse. These new additions to the Monarch family will help us in achieving our overall program goals.”

Kahnke said his choice of Old Dominion over other schools like Minnesota, Iowa State, North Dakota State, Nebraska and Michigan was a tough one.

“I was a little iffy about it because it was so far away from home,” Kahnke said. “But my dad (Jesse) really helped me a lot. When I saw that he really liked it, that helped me finally make my decision.

“I wanted to go to a place where I’d be happy and with good people, and when I went there to visit, I really liked it. The coaches were great, there’s a nice environment there, and they have awesome facilities. The whole program is great, and they do a lot more summer wrestling than most other college programs.”

Kahnke said that his coaches told him they expect him to come in and start at 197 pounds as a true freshman, and he’s excited about the opportunity and the challenges that lie ahead.

“I get to get into it right away, and that’s what I wanted,” Kahnke said. “I feel like I’m ready for it, but I know that it will be tougher than I think. No matter how hard I think I’ve trained in the past, Division-I college athletics is a huge step up from anything high school could ever be.

“I’ll go in as prepared as I can be, and I’m sure the team will have some goals for me, but I have big expectations of myself. With the training that I’m going to get there, I feel that I’ll be an All-American and place at nationals in my first year. That’s my main goal.”

There’s nothing in Kahnke’s high school career to suggest he won’t succeed at the next level.

After transferring to Prior Lake from Shakopee prior to his sophomore year, Kahnke earned his first individual state berth that season, falling in the championship match.

He never lost again, putting together back-to-back undefeated seasons spanning 87 matches and becoming the first two-time state champion in Laker history. He graduated as the program’s all-time winningest wrestler.

He also helped the Lakers capture the Class AAA state consolation team title this past year.

And while Kahnke’s excited to begin the next chapter of his career, a fellow 2008 high school graduate has him looking even further down the road.

Anoka’s Jake Deitchler shocked the wrestling world earlier this month when he became the first high-school-aged wrestler to earn an Olympic berth in more than 30 years.

“We used to wrestle together in freestyle, and it was great to see him make it,” Kahnke said. “It was really awesome to see a young kid do that. I feel like once I get that level of coaching, I can do it, too. It’s definitely a reality check for me. I think it’s something that could really happen now.”