OKLAHOMA CITY - Twice before, Blue Mountain graduate Josh Kindig had qualified for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
And twice before, Oklahoma State's Kindig had left the arena disappointed - without a medal, without a spot on the podium as an All-American.
Not this year.
Putting it all together at the perfect time, Kindig not only became an All-American on Friday, but also stormed into the finals at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Seeded 11th at 149 pounds, Kindig held off Lehigh's Mitch Minotti 5-2 in the semifinals to earn his spot in tonight's championship finals.
There, Kindig (24-8) will meet No. 5 seed Jason Tsirtsis (31-3), who edged top-seeded Drake Houdashelt of Missouri 2-1 in the tiebreaker in the other semifinal. Houdashelt defeated Kindig three times this season.
"It's indescribable. It's great. I probably shocked the nation," Kindig said of his run to the finals. "I always love challenges. It's just the way I grew up. I knew it was going to be a grind all the way through.
"It was a battle the whole year. I had a lot of tough kids," he added. "There was a lot of adversity this year. I kept pushing through."
Minotti (25-9), a former state champion from Easton seeded 15th, battled Kindig to a scoreless tie through one period.
Minotti chose bottom for the second period, but Kindig rode him for more than a minute before giving up the escape. Late in the period, Minotti took a shot, but Kindig countered, tackling and trapping both of Minotti's legs for a takedown and a 2-1 lead.
Kindig chose bottom in the third period, got a quick reversal and added to his riding time. Lehigh's coaches challenged the reversal, but the call stood and Kindig led 4-1. Minotti escaped but couldn't get the tying takedown. Kindig added a point for riding time for the three-point decision.
"It's a great feeling to be where I'm at,'' Kindig said. "Going in, seeds really don't matter. It's a tough weight class.
"I stayed calm and focused,'' he added. "I just kept pushing and stayed focused."
The match was halted numerous times because Kindig was bleeding, but he maintained his concentration and composure through the stopping and starting.
A two-time state champion and one-time silver medalist, Kindig is now a national finalist as well.
"We were friends, but he was always at a lighter weight," Kindig said of his relationship with Minotti. "... I never wrestled him before."
In Friday morning's quarterfinals, Kindig won his third straight bout at nationals, edging Oregon State's Scott Sakaguchi 7-5 to clinch All-America status.
Kindig scored the first takedown with a sweep single but gave up a reversal at the end of the first period.
Kindig escaped in the second period and finished another sweep single to extend his lead to 5-2.
An escape from Sakaguchi and a quick shot and finish off the whistle in the third tied the score 5-5. Kindig escaped from bottom and got another point for riding time to earn the win and advance to the semifinals.
"It's a brawl,'' Kindig said after the quarterfinals. "I pinned him earlier at the Southern Scuffle (on Jan. 2), but I knew it would be a brawl. I'm here to win for myself, but I'm doing it for my team as much as me.''
A key for Kindig during nationals has been his ability to finish takedowns. Through the quarterfinals, he had nine takedowns in three matches. Moving his feet more from neutral has made a difference.
"I changed my style up a lot, and I've been working it hard," Kindig said.