Reusse: Gophers wrestler Tyler Wells, the matter of weight weighing on him less, embraces Big Ten challenge

Carin Stresemann had moved to a 5.3-acre farm outside Princeton with sons Zach, Tyler and Noah Wells when they were ages 6, 4 and 2, respectively. They were rambunctious lads, particularly Tyler, the hyperactive kid in the middle.

“I put them in every sport imaginable, just to wear off some of that energy,” Stresemann said. “A couple of years after we were there, I saw a notice in the paper that for $35 a week, you could put them in wrestling two nights a week, for two or three hours.

“Five, six hours a week of relaxing time for me for $35 … that sounded like a bargain."

Mom laughed at that memory and said: “Other sports interested them, but wrestling, Zach and Tyler just took to it. Noah — he was crazier for football from the time he was a little kid.”

The little farm near Princeton did something else for the Wells brothers: Gave them a sizable appreciation for being outdoors.

“I’m really glad those first few years here, the world wasn’t looking at phones, the internet and videos,” Stresemann said this week. “Your life wasn’t on your phone like it is now.

“They learned to love the outdoors, loved fishing. Zach … he’s a true outdoorsman. He’s probably ice fishing right now."

Tyler had the smallest frame of the three boys but became a phenom on the wrestling mat. His father, Erik Wells, drove him to many camps and weekend events. He participated in the Regional Training Center at the University of Minnesota.

Tyler represented the United States in June 2019 at the first-ever world U15 championships in Budapest. He won the title at 41 kilograms (90.3 pounds). The parents were there for that moment, on their own credit cards.

Two years later, the national 16U tournament was being held in Fargo. Tyler finished third at 120 pounds.

This was June 2021, shortly after Tyler completed his sophomore year in high school. That June 15 was the first day college wrestling coaches could contact recruits to offer them official visits.

It was also a time when the wear of making weight and a life devoted to wrestling above all else — including a love of fishing and hunting — was getting to Tyler.

“I don’t know if people really understand what it is,” Wells said this week. “It’s an entire lifestyle that revolves around burning weight.”

Tyler was the undefeated Class 2A champion at 106 pounds as a freshman in 2020. That was the same tournament in which older brother Zach finished third at 145 pounds.

Tyler had one loss while winning the 113-pound title as a sophomore in 2021.

Brian Hellman, then Princeton head coach, said: “That was Tyler’s only loss in high school, and it was a strange one. The ref called him for three ‘false starts.’ He didn’t have that many the rest of his high school career.”

Tyler remained small, but not 113 pounds small. “I probably made some bad food decisions, because I would balloon right up after matches,” he said. “I never missed weight, but a couple of times I had to lose 15 pounds in two, three days for the next match. It was ridiculous.”

So ridiculous that when the phones started buzzing at the farm on June 15, 2023, Tyler was unwilling to make any commitments.

“We were getting calls from many of the top wrestling programs in the country,” Carin said. “He didn’t take one campus visit. I’d say, ‘Can’t you just take three, Tyler, so your mom can get a free trip somewhere she hasn’t been?’

“Nope. He wound up committing to St. Cloud State. It’s one of the best D-II programs in the country with a great coach in Steve Costanzo. But I think the biggest reason was it was 40 miles from home — hunting, fishing, not a place where it would be all school and wrestling."

Wells gave himself some relief from the onerous weight losing as a junior. He wrestled at 132 pounds as a junior and senior. He was undefeated both seasons — 162-1 for his prep career, a state record .994 winning percentage.

“Fast, strong, good everywhere, but extra tough on his feet,” Hellman said. “Tyler was a takedown machine.”

Wells kept participating in the Regional Training Center at the U of M, testing himself against more experienced wrestlers. Eventually, life balance lost out to his fierce competitive nature.

“There was always an offer from [coach] Brandon Eggum and Minnesota,” Carin said. “And Tyler had been a Gophers fan in all sports.”

It took a while to get the ducks — or in the Wells brothers' case, the walleyes — in a row, but Eggum and the Gophers announced in June 2023 that Tyler was added to the 2023-24 recruiting class. He has been Eggum’s 133-pounder for two seasons.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” Tyler said. “But the Big Ten is so tough. Every weekend, every match, is fierce."

Comfortable with the big-time wrestling lifestyle? “This is probably my last season making 133, but yes,” Wells said. “Two big matches this weekend, and then [Feb. 14] here — Iowa.

“Penn State might be on top now, but Iowa, their fans, our fans, a full arena [Maturi Pavilion] … hard to beat that.”