Saint Mark’s graduate Bobby Telford, a two-time state champion wrestler for the Spartans and all-American, recently helped the Iowa Hawkeyes to the 2021 NCAA wrestling championship. Telford, a 2010 graduate of Saint Mark’s, is an assistant to Tom Brands, for whom he wrestled in Iowa City.
As a Spartan, Telford went 118-37, including 80-1 over his junior and senior seasons. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2010 state tournament, and he was 8-0 at the Virginia Duals as a junior and senior. Telford also won at Mount Mat Madness, Beast of the East, War on the Shore, the Bethlehem Hurricane Classic, Ray Oliver Invitational and Hurricane Invitational.
At Iowa, he was a three-time NCAA all-American and won 108 matches in his career in the 285-pound class. Since graduating from the university in 2015, he has been a member of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, competing both nationally and internationally. He joined the wrestling coaching staff at Iowa in 2018.
Telford told Saint Mark’s that the school and his coaches there helped him develop his drive and determination.
“When I was a student at Saint Mark’s, my coaches didn’t talk about being the best in the state,” he said. “They talked about being the best in the country.
“I didn’t place in the state tournament my freshman and sophomore years. By junior year, I was heavyweight champion. There were a lot of steps along the way. I have a lot of pride in Saint Mark’s. The way I carry myself and how I conduct my life has a lot to do with my time at Saint Mark’s.”
Telford, a Hockessin native, lives in Iowa City with his wife, Alex.
