As Thomas Monn’s monumental wrestling career nears its end at McDaniel College, Tanner Halling’s legacy at Frostburg State University is just beginning.
The two former Washington County high school standouts have already established themselves among the nation’s best college wrestlers, with the biggest matches of their lives still looming.
Monn, a senior and 2022 North Hagerstown High graduate, is 40-0 this season at 149 pounds and will put his unbeaten record on the line at the NCAA Division III championships March 13-14 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Halling, a freshman and 2025 Boonsboro High graduate, is 23-0 at 133 pounds and looking to make his mark at the NCAA Division II championships March 13-14 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Monn chasing history
Monn is ready to cement his status as the greatest wrestler in McDaniel history.
Most importantly, he wants to become the program’s first NCAA wrestling champion. No Green Terror wrestler has ever placed higher than third at nationals.
He already owns the school record for career wins with a 142-11 overall mark, and with two more victories this year, he’ll set the program record for single-season wins.
“I would love to win a national title,” Monn said. “That’s obviously the goal of the year. Everybody dreams to have this opportunity to go to nationals and have a chance at it.”
Monn already is a two-time All-American, placing fifth at nationals last year after finishing sixth in 2023 as a freshman.
This season he’s gone to another level with 18 pins and 13 technical falls. He’s ranked No. 2 at 149 pounds in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III poll, behind Dom Mallinder of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
“I don’t look at the rankings. They’re just numbers,” Monn said. “Whatever I am, I am. I’m just going to go wrestle, free-spirited. I’m just looking forward to wrestling these top guys.”
He earned his spot in the 18-man bracket at nationals by winning his third Region 3 tournament title Feb. 28 in Ewing, New Jersey, overcoming a sprained LCL he suffered in the quarterfinals.
Monn isn’t spending much time thinking about potential matchups at nationals.
“Some guys look at the brackets and know what they have to study on somebody, but I just don’t care,” he said. “I’m just going to wrestle my match. Whatever happens is the outcome, and I’m going to be ready for it no matter what.”
At North Hagerstown, Monn was a two-time Maryland Class 4A-3A state champion under legendary coach Greg Slick.
He mentioned the possibility of returning to North Hagerstown to help coach the Hubs with Slick after he graduates.
“I don’t know what’s in store,” said Monn, a kinesiology major. “One problem at a time, one match at a time, one situation at a time. That’s what I was taught under Coach Slick.”
Right now, he has business to take care of in Cedar Rapids.
Halling off to blazing start
Halling’s seamless transition from high school to college isn’t overly surprising considering his dominance at Boonsboro, where he won two Class 2A-1A state titles and set Washington County records for career wins and winning percentage with a 179-2 mark.
However, even some of his Frostburg teammates weren’t sure his success would come this quickly.
“You were good in high school, but college is different,” Halling said he was told before the start of the season.
“Respectfully, I don’t care,” was his reply.
Now he’s ranked No. 1 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division II poll at 133 pounds with a 23-0 record — including five pins and nine technical falls — and has his eyes on becoming Frostburg’s first national champion.
“I don’t think there’s anyone who can outwrestle me in the country,” he said.
Halling has every reason to feel confident. In the finals of the Super Region 1 tournament at East Stroudsburg on Feb. 28, he posted a 12-1 victory over Gannon’s Jerry Echevarria, who is ranked No. 2 in the country.
In fact, it was Halling’s second victory over Echevarria this season. When the two met in a dual meet in late November, Echevarria was ranked No. 1 while Halling was No. 10. The Frostburg freshman didn’t waste the opportunity to make a statement, prevailing 8-4.
“I was super excited, and then I went out and beat him,” Halling said. “That was a really big breakthrough for me to go out and beat the No. 1 guy in the country. It was something I said I was going to do, and to actually do it just built up my confidence for the rest of the season.”
He said he’s improved leaps and bounds during his first year out of high school.
“Strategy-wise and technique-wise, I’m at a whole other level,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot better, really with every aspect — how I cut my weight, how I eat and rehydrate after my matches. Overall, I’ve gotten more mature and have become a way better wrestler.”
At Frostburg, Halling feels right at home.
“It’s kind of a smaller school. The environment and facilities remind me a lot of Boonsboro,” he said. “Everything is not state of the art or super fancy. It’s just a good school — head and nose down and just work hard.”
