"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.