Senior 149-pounder Caleb Brus earned his 94th victory of his career at the Simpson vs. Loras dual at Simpson College on Jan. 19. This accomplishment ranked him fourteenth in career victories in Storm history.

Brus’ 94 victories places him one win behind Simpson wrestler Nick Ackerman, who won the National Championship and Hodge Trophy in 2001.

The Storm have four matches plus tournament competition left in the season, giving Brus the possibility of being tenth in school history to reach 100 victories. The last Simpson wrestler to reach the 100 victory mark was Brett Christenson in 2006 with a record of 137-42.

Brus said he would be happy if he broke the 100 victory mark, but he doesn’t pay attention to his record that much and won’t be training any differently.

“If you change what you have been doing this late in the season, you are giving yourself a disservice,” Brus said. “One of my coaches in high school always said to treat every match like it’s the championship match and that is what I do.”

Brus hit an obstacle early in the season, suffering from a separated shoulder and causing him to sit out a month.

Brus said a huge secret to success in wrestling is wrestling through minor injuries and staying healthy.

“He is just tough,” head coach Clint Manny said. “He takes risks and does a lot for the team as well as himself.”

Freshman Justin Bruce said Brus is a good role model to follow. Bruce is one of Brus’ main practice partners and competes at the 157 weight class for the varsity team.

“He works hard and when he gets hurt, he doesn’t quit,” Bruce said. “He always wrestles through it.”

Besides having success on the wrestling mat, Brus also has earned much success in the classroom. He is currently a two time Academic All-American.

Bruce said Brus has helped him transition from high school to college, classes and other areas outside of wrestling.

“He taught me to work hard and not settle for what is good but go beyond,” Bruce said.

Manny said Brus is not necessarily a vocal leader, but leads by example in everything he does.

“He simply puts himself out there,” Manny said. “Once he makes a commitment, he goes one hundred percent.”

Manny said Brus has been a good contribution to the team over the last four years.

“He is slow and steady and that is hard to find in wrestling,” Manny said. “When we recruited him, we knew he was a tough kid. He is resilient and a guy we knew we would have in the lineup all the time.”

Brus and the rest of the Simpson team will compete next at the Iowa Conference duals on Jan. 29.