CRETE, NE — Doane wrestling practice didn’t look like this in spring 2019.

The Tigers had the same digs at Butler Gymnasium, but they didn’t have the bodies. Only four wrestlers came to Dana Vote’s first meeting as head coach. Garrett Cornwell of Albion was one of them.

“To be honest, when they were coming to tell us that our coach at the time had been fired, I thought we were cutting the program,” Cornwell said.

Now, Vote’s roster includes 42 names and the Tigers fill up the wrestling room without the full squad there. 

“You know, just having Coach come in and all the recruits he’s brought in, the success we’ve had, and myself, the improvement I’ve had just from good coaching has been awesome,” Cornwell said.

Vote came to Doane via rival Midland, where he had just earned conference coach of the year. He says many thought he was crazy for making the switch, but he saw potential.

“The location, the people, the facilities, the name of the university, just hearing how much pride alumni have in Doane University," Vote said. "If you’ve ever met a Doane alum, they are always so proud of Doane and as I came here I saw that.”

What’s happened so far is two top 20 finishes in national rankings and the program’s first conference title.

“The biggest thing was just get on the road, get on the phone, start recruiting, find kids, sell what our vision was, and get kids to buy into the vision and the culture and that if you come here you’ll have success,” Vote said.

The Tigers biggest success is courtesy of Baagii Boldmaa, a junior from Mongolia. He won the national title at 141 pounds in 2020, then repeated as champ last year.

“Everybody was calling my name, like Baagii, Baagii all over the stage calling my name. I felt so happy," Boldmaa said. "There were so many Doane fans up there and I felt amazing.”

He credits his teammates and coaches for his success.

“Our coaches are doing a great job," Boldmaa said. "We believe in their job and they believe in us, they’re pushing us so hard. That’s why we are competing tough.”

Cornwell says it’s a completely different atmosphere from three years ago.

“We cheer each other on," Cornwell said. "Everybody wants everybody to get better because, like coach said, winning doesn’t get old, trophies never get old.”

Doane already captured the conference regular season title. The Tigers will go for a conference tournament trophy two weekends from now. The team's ultimate goal is to earn a trophy at the national tournament, which means placing in the top four. The Tigers are currently ranked seventh in the country.