A successful outing for the Tigers also marked a milestone for their leader.

Albert Lea wrestling head coach Larry Goodnature surpassed 500 wins Saturday when his team wrestled in the Park Wolfpack Duals.

Albert Lea went 4-0 as a team, defeating Cambridge-Isanti, Park, Tartan and Hutchinson.

“It was a good tournament for us,” Goodnature said. “It was also individually a good competition.”

He said some of his wrestlers experienced their first losses of the season Saturday, leaving just Garrett Aldrich and Zach Glazier undefeated on the season so far.

While Goodnature said the Tigers defeated their first three team opponents — Cambridge-Isanti, Park and Tartan — pretty handily, Hutchinson forced Albert Lea into its first time having to come from behind in duals points this season.

“The kids didn’t panic,” he said. “From there on out they just turned it up a notch and dug in and competed.”

Goodnature credited his wrestlers’ ability to work as a team with Saturday’s win.

“They don’t quit, they give it 100 percent,” he said. “That’s why we’re a good team.”

Following this weekend’s results, Goodnature’s career record as a coach is now 501-159. While he said he has been coaching almost 40 years, his 27 years as a head coach are where the record comes from. Three of those years were spent with Hutchinson, the last team the Tigers wrestled Saturday.

“I don’t think about records, I don’t worry about that,” he said. “It just says I’ve been coaching a long time.”

Goodnature said the fact that a number of Albert Lea wrestlers have returned to the team as assistant coaches has helped the team’s success over the years. Of his coaching staff, Neil Skarr, Brandon Klukow and Ryan Palmer, as well as Goodnature and his sons Nate and Brian, are all Albert Lea alumni.

“I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of Albert Lea alumni helping me in the program,” he said. “They want to give back to Albert Lea wrestling and what they experienced. … I’ve had some great athletes over the years. They’re all a part of the 500 wins, too.”