American’s Ryan Flores (top) battles Lehigh’s Zach Rey in the 2011 NCAA finals. Larry Slater photo.

Ryan Flores was a two-time NCAA qualifier for one of the most prestigious universities on the planet.

But something was missing during the two years Flores spent at Ivy League school Columbia University.

So Flores decided to make a change.

He spent the 2009-10 school year living and training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs before transferring to American University.

The move paid huge dividends when Flores placed second at the 2011 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia. Now a senior, Flores is unbeaten, ranked No. 1 at heavyweight and poised to win his first national title next month at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.

“Ryan wants to be a national champion,” American coach Teague Moore said, “and I think he understands what it is going to take to get there.”

Flores, from Clovis, Calif., placed second at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association tournament as a freshman and won it as a sophomore. But he went a combined 1-4 in his two NCAA tournament appearances for Columbia. He was the No. 10 seed in 2009, but lost both matches at nationals.

“I decided to make a change after my sophomore year,” Flores said. “Columbia wasn’t a good environment for me and it just wasn’t a good fit for me. The biggest difficulty in stepping away from Columbia was leaving that type of education behind and the prestige you gain from going to a school like that.”

Flores arrived at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in September 2009, living and training there for seven months in Colorado Springs.

Among the top freestyle wrestlers he trained with were World bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev, Olympians Steve Mocco and Andy Hrovat, and National Team members Bryce Hasseman and Scott Steele.

He worked daily with U.S. Assistant National Coach Brandon Slay, an Olympic gold medalist.

“It really opened my eyes when I came to Colorado Springs,” Flores said. “I really loved it out there at the Olympic Training Center. I was able to compete with and train with some of the best guys in the country. It showed me that I could definitely compete with and dominate guys at the college level. And it opened my eyes to the fact that I wanted to get to the next level after college. It is a very large priority for me to wrestle freestyle when I am done with college.”

Following his time in Colorado, Flores transferred to American University. He joined a program led by top heavyweight coach Mark Cody, who has worked with elite big men like Olympic champion Rulon Gardner and Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland.

The third-seeded Flores rolled into the championship match of the 2011 NCAA tournament before battling No. 1 seed Zach Rey of Lehigh in the finals. Flores had beaten Rey 4-2 in the EIWA finals, but fell to Rey in the NCAA finals by a 2-1 score.

“Rey had a little bit of size on me and he controlled the match with me by using his raw power,” Flores said. “I couldn’t get my wrestling going against him in that match. I just need to keep focusing on my strengths and improve in some areas that other people have strengths in.”

Flores and Rey, a senior who is ranked No. 3 nationally, are expected to meet again in early March at the EIWA tournament.

Cody left American following the 2010-11 season to take over at the University of Oklahoma, the team American faces in the first round of the National Duals regional on Sunday at Cornell University.

“I was really happy to have an opportunity to wrestle under Coach Cody,” Flores said. “He taught me to trust in my ability and I learned a lot from him. I was happy for him when he got the Oklahoma job because it was a good opportunity for him and his family. It will be good to see Coach Cody this weekend and compete against them.”

The transition to a new coaching staff has worked well for Flores this season. Moore is a past NCAA champion who was the head coach at Division I Clarion before coming to American.

“Teague is really individually-oriented,” Flores said. “He has given me a lot of room to blossom. He has helped me sharpen my strengths and patch up some of my weaknesses. He has helped me continue to improve.”

Flores is 10-0 this season with seven falls for American.

“Ryan is really fun to work with,” Moore said. “He is very mobile for a heavyweight – he wrestles like a 133-pounder. He is really good at creating scoring opportunities. He wrestles an aggressive style where he is very good at attacking the legs. He’s been in matches where guys try to slow him down, but Ryan’s figured out what he needs to do to score.”

Flores has figured out how to excel off the mat as well. He carries a 3.81 grade-point average and is scheduled to graduate this spring with a degree in psychology. He earned the third-highest grade-point average among Division I wrestlers while being named an Academic All-American in 2011.

He said he is the first member of the Flores family to go to college.

“I will graduate in May, and my family is really looking forward to that,” he said. “They are so tremendously proud. It sets a new standard for my family, and my younger brother will be following in my footsteps. It’s huge for me and for our family. It’s really uplifting to be able to do that.”

Moore said Flores sets a great example for the student-athletes on his team.

“Ryan has very high goals academically, and he puts the extra time and effort in to excel in school,” Moore said. “The guys on the team see how hard he works in the wrestling room and how hard he works in the classroom. And he lives the right lifestyle. He is a great leader for the younger guys on the team.”

Flores said he plans to compete in freestyle wrestling during the next four-year Olympic cycle. He said he “is leaning toward” trying to gain entry into April’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City.

“I would like him to explore that aspect of wrestling,” Moore said. “I think he could do exceptionally well in freestyle. He weighs around 260 or 265 pounds. He is a good-sized heavyweight who has great athleticism. I think he would transition well to the international level.”

For now, the focus is on capturing an NCAA title. Flores is seeking to become American’s second national champion. Josh Glenn won an NCAA title for the Eagles in 2007.

“I’ve been dreaming of winning that national title,” he said. “Everybody sets that goal and I’ve had that goal in mind for a while. It would be a defining achievement for me. It won’t define my entire life, but it might be a beautiful mark for who I am as a wrestler.”