RAPID CITY - Chadron State wrestler Josh Majerus knows only one speed.

"I just go as hard as I can when I go," Majerus said. "I don't like to back down."

"I think his attitude is 'I will go hard at all times,'" his head coach, Scott Ritzen, said.

No matter how you describe it, the style has served him well. On March 15, Majerus won the NCAA Division II national title at 197 pounds. He also finished as a first-team All-American.

His coach says his all-out wrestling style is somewhat different, but it works.

"I like his work ethic. He's kind of a care-free human being. He's found things that work for him.

"He did not change anything for the whole year long. He stayed consistent and maintained his focus."

Majerus' style has not changed in his time at Chadron State. What have changed are his motivations. He lost in the Division II championship match last season, and the memory helped him earn a national title in 2008.

"It gave me confidence," Majerus said. "I knew I was one step away. By getting that far, I wouldn't be satisfied with anything less."

Majerus came from nowhere in the 2006-07 season to reach the national championship match. In 2008, all sights were on him.

"He wrestled good competition all along the way, and we felt like he was the best in his class all year," Ritzen said.

His anonymity stemmed mostly from his measureables. At 6-foot-5, many considered him too tall to wrestle in his 197-pound weight class, Majerus said. He understood criticism, and deflated expectations with a national title.

"I got a lot of criticism for how tall I am," Majerus said.

"He certainly has an unusual height, but he beats that with leverage," Ritzen said. "Leverage beats strength every time."

Majerus carried the top Division II record from the start of the 2007-08 wrestling season to the end.

"I thought it gave me a lot of confidence," Majerus said. "But it kind of marked me."

His 37-3 record did not include a loss to an NCAA Division II opponent, a statistic that was not lost on Majerus.

"I did not want to lose that," he said.

The 2008 national tournament, and the regional competition that preceded it, had plenty of challenges.

Majerus had to win three matches at regional competition, and then three national tournament matches before the championship match.

In the first round at nationals, he earned a major decision over University of Indianapolis' Nick Peppler, 10-2. In the quarterfinals, he wrestled to an 8-0 major decision over Saint Cloud State's Nicolas Wilkes.

Awaiting in the semifinals was Josh Ohl of Ashland University, who had also not lost a match this past season to a Division II opponent. He was also previously an All-American in the heavyweight division.

In the match, Majerus found himself down 2-0 early in the first period. But that did not last long. He took control and had 3:22 of riding time. The match ended 11-2 in Majerus' favor.

Majerus was not intimidated by or overestimating his championship-match opponent - Donovan McMahill of Western State. He wrestled him twice during the season. Both matches resulted in three-point decisions.

"I was confident, but I also knew it was the third time," Majerus said. "I had to look at it just like any other match. Any slip-up could have ruined it."

Majerus got an early start in the match with a takedown. Up 4-0 midway through the match, he was able to wrestle his style - a little more relaxed - and he earned a near fall on his opponent for a 6-0 lead.

"We felt confident going into the third period," Ritzen said.

Majerus then gave up an escape and a takedown for the only points against him. Back on the offensive, he earned more points with an escape and riding time to walk away with an 8-3 decision and a national title.

"He handled the whole tournament and was never in trouble," Ritzen said.

Majerus is not satisfied with just a national title. There is plenty to look forward to for Majerus and Chadron State wrestling.

Chadron State had no seniors on the 2007-08 team that placed in the top 10 nationally for the second consecutive year. Returnees next fall include Brett Hunter at 165 pounds, who was a national champion in 2007 who reached the quarterfinals this past season, and Devlon Webb, who was out for a month with a broken hand and finished this past season fifth at nationals for All-American honors.

"We're really excited about how we finished," Ritzen said.

As for Majerus, he wants to repeat as champion and have an undefeated Division II record. He will continue to lift weights, run and eat healthy - the same habits that helped him reach the national tournament this past season.

"We also have a good recruiting class, and the coaches work hard in the preseason," Majerus said.

But once again, the sights will be on Majerus.