DeNunzio and Killar earn All-American Wrestling Honors

Is it really lonely at the top?

Well, just ask senior Dustin DeNunzio and junior Joey Killar. The two star wrestlers became All-Americans this past week at the NCAA tournament in Penn State, an honor reserved only for the top eight wrestlers in each weight class.

For the first time in Harvard history, two wrestlers have earned All-American honors in the same season. With these outstanding performances, the Crimson tied Oregon State for a 20th place finish, bettering last year's 29th place and placing them among the nation's elite.

DeNunzio--seeded seventh in the tournament--ended his spectacular wrestling career by making Harvard history yet again. Finishing fourth in the 141-pound weight class, DeNunzio became the second wrestler ever at Harvard to earn All-American accolades twice.

Last season, he became the first Crimson wrestler in fifteen years to win All-American honors by placing sixth in the 134-pounds weight class. After this season's performance, he joins John Lee, '53, as the only other repeat All-American.

Two weeks after winning his second consecutive EIWA title--another Harvard first--DeNunzio went to Nationals and showed not only that he could compete against anyone in the Northeast, but against anyone in the country.

Denunzio's road to All-American honors began with a first round defeat of Rider's Derek Jenkins 8-2. DeNunzio then fell to No. 10 seed Tony Deanda of Nebraska, 5-3, but quickly regrouped, going on to win five straight victories in the wrestlebacks--which included wins against the No. 12, 8, 5, and 2 seeds of the tournament.

The streak started with a pin of James Gross of Cal Poly at 4:48 followed by a 3-2 victory over No. 12 Mark Perryman of Arizona. A 6-3 win over No. 8 Carl Perry of Illinois sent him to the quarterfinals of the wrestlebacks.

There he faced Michigan's Damion Logan, who beat DeNunzio 7-0 earlier this season at the Cliff-Keen Invitational. It was time for some sweet revenge, though, as DeNunzio not only won the match, but pinned the No. 5 Logan in just 1:09.

"It was definitely a highlight of the tournament," DeNunzio said.

And then, in a thrilling match that went into double overtime, DeNunzio defeated Chris Marshall, the No. 2 seed from Central Michigan. He would go on to a fourth place finish after losing a close 4-3 bout to Clarion's Mark Angle, the No.1 seed of the tournament who had been upset in the semifinals.

"It was a bummer because I had been building up to win," DeNunzio said. "But characteristically I haven't come back well after a loss and this time I was able to prove that I could."

"Dustin did a great job. He beat three outstanding guys and then lost a close bout [to Angle]," Coach Jay Weiss said. "He proved a lot to himself."

Doug Schwab from Iowa was the tournament champion in the 141-lb class, followed by Michael Lightner of Oklahoma.

For seventh-seeded Killar--also EIWA champ--the first time was a charm, as his first trip to Nationals ended with a sixth place finish in the 165-pound class. Having missed two months of competition during the regular season because of a rib injury, Killar's All-American performance was all the more impressive.

"I wasn't used to wrestling so much. It is hard to train for competition without actually competing," Killar said.

Killar began his quest with a 3-0 victory over Northwestern's Drew Pariano in the first round. In the second round, he shutdown Ivy foe Rick Springman with ease, handing him a 5-2 loss. In the quarterfinals, Killar faced more of a challenge, as he was matched with Kirk White of Boise State. In a heated, high-scoring battle White was able to pull out a 12-11 victory on his way to eventually winning the national title.

The loss placed Killar in the fourth round of the wrestlebacks, where he defeated Sean Morgan of Oregon 3-1. Killar then posted a 6-4 victory over Edinboro's Mark Samples in the quarterfinals.

Although he would lose the next two matches to Arizona State's Steven Blackford and Wisconsin's Don Pritzlasff, respectively, Killar's strong wrestling had already secured him the coveted All-American honor.

"Joey wrestled well and lost to some very tough guys," DeNunzio said.

"Every match is a hard match so there isn't any break," Killar said. "I am disappointed with the way I wrestled the last day but that gives me something to work on for next year."

Sophomore Brad Soltis--in the 197-pound division--was the third Harvard wrestler to earn a berth to Nationals after an outstanding second place finish at EIWAs. Soltis was tested right away as he faced Oregon's No. 11 seed Chael Sonnen in the first round. After being pinned by Sonnen, Soltis put up a strong showing against Mike French of Cal Poly but was unable to garner the victory.

However, with a phenomenal season to build from and the experience of a national tournament under his belt, there is no doubt that Soltis will be someone to watch out for in the coming years.

"Brad can use this to propel him for the next two years," Weiss said. "He walked away learning a lot."

"It was his first time out there and a good learning experience," DeNunzio said. "There is never an easy match. Brad will be back, and will be a force to be reckoned with."

Fortunately for Harvard, Killar and Soltis return next season to wreak more havoc and to lead the Crimson on its path of continued success.

Harvard, however, will suffer two irreplaceable losses as starters DeNunzio and Joel Friedman will graduate this spring. The duo has been the backbone of the team on its rise on the regional as well as national level.

"It's going to be hard to lose them. They mean a lot to the program," Weiss said. "They set many examples of work ethic and dedication that will be instilled for many years to come. They are great leaders."

Indeed, although their presence will surely be missed, the example they have set both on and off the mats is something that the team will continue to rally around.

"It's been an unbelievable four years," DeNunzio said. "The coaches are great and the program will only keep on getting better."

After a season of many exciting team and individual accomplishments, there is no doubt that the only direction Harvard wrestling will be going in is up.

"The team was dealt a lot of adversity this year," Weiss said. "We focused from the get-go on March. They way they responded--finishing third at EIWAs and 20th at Nationals--is a credit to the whole team, not just the guys at Nationals. They excelled at the end."

Such excellence has come to be a trademark of these Harvard athletes, and the future looks as bright as ever for the Crimson.