When Mark Hall had his redshirt pulled at Iowa and subsequently lost to Alex Meyer at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, questions of whether or not it was a good idea for Penn State to put the true freshman into the lineup started to circulate.

Well, just a few months later, all those questions have been put to bed after Hall was crowned the 174-pound national champion on Saturday in St. Louis. Coming into this season as the most sought-after recruit in the country, Hall certainly lived up to the hype as he progressed through the NCAA tournament and won in every way possible, including with a bit of controversy.

Round 1: Mark Hall, PSU vs. David Kocer, SDSU

In his NCAA tournament debut, Hall was given a tough battle by Kocer early on. But in the end, it was all Hall as he grinded out an 8-2 win. WATCH MATCH

Round 2: Mark Hall, PSU vs. Jadaen Bernstein, Navy

After getting that first win under his belt, Hall loosened up tremendously and dominated returning NCAA qualifier Bernstein to the tune of a first-period technical fall.

Quarterfinals: Mark Hall, PSU vs. Zach Epperly, Virginia Tech

A match that some had circled in their brackets as a tough one for the true freshman seemed to be just the opposite for Hall, who rolled to a 10-2 major-decision win to make the semifinals. WATCH MATCH. 

Semifinals: Mark Hall, PSU vs. Zahid Valencia, ASU

It was the most talked-about challenge of the tournament. A headgear pull by Valencia and the challenge by Penn State changed the entire dynamic of the bout.

Finals: Mark Hall, PSU vs. Bo Jordan, Ohio State

The controversial cloud of judgement followed Hall to the finals, where a "no takedown" call was the focus of the match. But, ultimately, Hall came out on top to win the title.