Killar, Mosely Earn All-American Honors at NCAA Championships

All season long, Harvard wrestling co-captains Joey Killar and Ed Mosley have led by example, turning in one great performance after in both tournament and dual meet competition. And this weekend simply proved a culmination of this standard of excellence, as the two capped off outstanding collegiate careers by earning All-American honors at the NCAA Championships.

It is the second time in Crimson history that two wrestlers earned All-American accolades in the same season. Last year was the first, with Killar and Dustin DeNunzio '99 distinguishing themselves. Killar, DeNunzio, and John Lee '53 are the only repeat All-Americans for the Crimson.

"I feel great. Nationals is a very intimidating and tough tournament," Harvard Coach Jay Weiss said. "To place two guys both years is amazing. They should be very proud."

Securing the trip to Nationals with a top finishes at Easterns, Killar, Mosley, sophomore Dawid Rechul, and freshman Max Odom headed to St. Louis this past weekend ready to battle the nation's best wrestlers for the coveted All-American honors, reserved for the top eight wrestlers in each weight class. The four combined for a highly respectable 28th overall finish.

Almost two weeks after capturing the EIWA championship title--another honor earned last season as well--Killar went to nationals and proved himself to be among the best of the best. The journey to All-American status began with a first round victory over Hofstra's Noel Thompson. Following this, he pulled out a 3-1 overtime victory against No. 11 Rangi Smart of BYU.

In the quarterfinals, Killar faced one of the top contenders in the weight class, No. 3 Steve Blackford of Arizona State. After a heated match that went into overtime, Killar lost a heartbreaker as Blackford went for a shot early in overtime and was able to get the better of Killar in a scramble.

"The best wrestling of the tournament is done in quarters and semis," Weiss said. "Three returning national champions lost in the quarters. It is a very tough round."

In the wrestlebacks, Killar then posted a 2-1 win over strong opponent Ty Wilcox of Oklahoma State. Although he would go on to lose the next two matches, Killar's tough wrestling already had secured him the necessary eighth place for his All-American stripes.

"Joey wrestled a great match against Wilcox," Weiss said. "He was down by one, but came back to win by reversing him in the last twenty seconds."

Mosley, the only wrestler in school history to qualify for NCAA's in all four years, made the most of his final opportunity at 174-pounds.

"Nationals is quite a tournament. You never quite get used to it," Mosley said.

He began with a decisive 8-5 victory over Steve Strange of Cal Poly in the first round. Mosley's subsequent 4-3 defeat of Virginia Tech's Eric Hall propelled him into the quarterfinals. He then lost a close 5-2 bout to the No. 3 seed Josh Koscheck of Edinboro. Koscheck and Mosley split the two matches they wrestled earlier in the season.

"Ed wrestled a close bout against Koscheck. It could have gone either way," Weiss said.

In the wrestlebacks, Mosley's pulled out an exciting tiebreak victory. Having to take the top position, he rode out Eastern Michigan Mike Feeney for the necessary thirty second, guaranteeing himself his eighth place spot and All-American accolades.

"I thought we did okay. You always feel you can do better but we did what we could. We were a little banged up," Mosley said.

In their first trip to Nationals, Rechul and Odom turned in great performances that gives them much to look forward to in the future seasons.

"I am so happy with these guys," Weiss said . They are skipping steps in the progression. They are not just going out there--they are going out there and winning matches the first time around."

Both wrestlers were randomly chosen to wrestle in an extra "wrestle-in" match prior to the first round. At heavyweight Rechul easily commanded this opening match, grappling to an 11-2 major defeat over Matt Fisher of Duquesne. In the first round, he gave No. 3 Wes Hand of Iowa a run for his money keeping him within a point until the last twenty seconds. Hand, who pulled out the match 7-3, went on to capture second in the tournament.

"Dawid wrested a smart bout against Hand," Weiss said. "He took his wrestling to a new level."

In the wrestlebacks, Rechul posted a 12-7 victory over John Devine of Cal-Bakersfield before losing 13-3 to Penn State's Mark Janus.

"After I beat the first guy, I felt pretty positive but I came up short a couple of times. I lost my focus in the last match," Rechul said. "It was all a learning experience, especially that last match. I'm happy in that I know I'm not light years away from where I want to be. The tournament showed me what I need to focus on next year."

At 149-pounds, Odom turned had a terrific tournament, as the freshman went 3-2 in his first trip to NCAAs. Also forced to grapple in a "wrestle-in" match, Odom's career at nationals had an auspicious start as he pinned Old Dominion's Dennis Whitby in 2:59. Unfortunately, this placed Odom in the first round against the Tony Davis of Iowa, the No. 1 seed. Odom wrestled an aggressive match, but got caught for the pin at the end of the third period.

Davis would go on to claim the championship title.

Odom wrestled very well in the wrestlebacks, as he went 2-1 against some very tough opponents. He first defeated Joey Calavitta of Cal-Fullerton, 5-4 before going on to a thrilling victory over Penn's Jonathon Gough. Avenging a loss to Gough from earlier this season, Odom grappled to a 6-4 win. He then fell 12-4 to No. 11 seed Joe Henson of Nebraska.

And so as the season draws to a close for this Harvard squad, there is much to excited about and much to anticipate in the future. However, the Crimson will certainly feel a tremendous loss with the graduation of Killar, Mosley, and the core group of seniors that have shaped the program.

"While having them leave is a big loss for the program, there is also a huge gain in what they have done and the standards they have set for the younger guys." Weiss said. "It is a great way to wrap up the season. We just need to keep taking these steps."

"It amazes me how far the team has come," Mosley said. "We are definitely moving in the right direction. I expect good things to happen."

And judging by the continued success of this team, it's hard to expect any differently.