In his first match in the Wrestlebacks, Keith had the 5-3 decision over University of Central Michigan’s Zach Horan, but he was pinned in his next contest by Chris Dardanes from the University of Minnesota at 7:48 to send him to the seventh-place match.

In a tight battle between Keith and No. 8 Zachery Stevens, Stevens managed to get the upper hand in a 13-11 final that placed Keith in eighth.

Nevertheless, Keith’s finish earned him All-American honors for the first time in his career.

“I’m never really satisfied,” Keith said. “I would have liked to place higher, but becoming an All-American was one of my goals, so I’m pretty pleased with that.”

Harvard’s other All-American was Peppelman, but Peppelman’s road was different than Keith’s. Peppelman was upset in his first match of the NCAA tournament by unranked David Bonin from the University of Northern Iowa, who got the fall at 2:55. He then won four straight matches in the Wrestlebacks—three decisions and a pin at 2:29—before Fleming got the major decision, 9-0.

Peppelman’s final contest of the year came against No. 11 James Green from the University of Nebraska. The junior was unable to come out on top and lost the match, 9-1.

“I didn’t wrestle my best,” Peppelman said. “But I got the job done, which is what matters. Obviously I don’t feel like I wrestled up to my potential, but I wrestled good enough, so I’m very happy about that.”

Keith had much admiration for his co-captain, who notched All-American status for the second year in a row.

“Being a two-time All-American is not something that not many people can say,” Keith said.

—Staff writer Taryn I. Kurcz can be reached at tkurcz13@college.harvard.edu.