Johnny Galloway layed in his bed just staring at the ceiling.

It felt so real. The line repeats itself on a constant loop. He felt the pressure, the sweat, the other wrestler.

Lying under the sheets, Galloway relives over and over making the pin and letting himself fall to the mat. He remembers weeping tears of success as his name was announced as national champion over the loudspeakers of the arena.

National Champion.

Right then, Galloway set a new goal: to not let what he saw remain only in his dreams.

After a 2005-06 season in which Galloway exceeded his goals and fell one match short of being named an All-American, the new goal seemed the only logical step.

He finished with a record of 23-11, a MAC title at 165-pounds and a 2-1 record at nationals all under his belt. And it was his accomplishments that landed Galloway the Northern Star’s No. 8 athlete of the year.

“Johnny had an outstanding year,” said NIU coach Dave Grant. “He went into nationals and upset the fourth-ranked guy in the country. The sky is the limit for him.”

Indeed it seems that way. Galloway exceeded what everybody thought he would do while struggling on and off the mat.

Along with the exhaustion of being a wrestler, the junior had to deal with a pair of deaths in his close family.

Yet, despite doubts, Galloway finished strong to earn his MAC title and a trip to nationals.

His momentum carried him past an overtime victory in round one as the fourth seed and to literally one point away from being named All-American.

“This was a good season,” Galloway said. “And a memorable one. And the end justified it all.”

The future looks even brighter for Galloway, with his new goal of being a national champion in place, Grant said.

And Galloway got an even bigger push to reach his dream. After being informed he had made the list for top athletes of the year, Galloway was speechless.

But after thinking about it, he decided to set another goal. He wants to be No. 1 next year.