DiCamillo, Mueller Take Pair Of ACC Awards
March 28, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Senior George DiCamillo (Highland Heights, Ohio) was named ACC Wrestler of the Year and freshman Jack Mueller (Dallas, Texas) was named ACC Freshman of the Year when the league office announced its annual awards on Tuesday (March 28).
DiCamillo is the fourth ACC Wrestler of the Year for Virginia, joining Matt Roth (1999), Steve Garland (2000) and Scott Moore (2004) in claiming the honor. Mueller is the third ACC Freshman of the Year for Virginia, joining Eric Albright (2006) and Chris Henrich (2008) in the recognition.
The awards are determined by a vote of the league’s six head coaches.
DiCamillo finished the 2017 season with a 25-5 record and earned All-America honors as he advanced to the finals of the NCAA Championships. The redshirt senior entered the NCAA Championships as the sixth-seeded wrestler and picked up a major decision over Iowa’s Christopher Carton in the first round before pinning 11th-seeded Randy Cruz of Lehigh in the second round. DiCamillo then defeated 14th-seeded Thomas Thorn of Minnesota in a 5-2 decision and 10th-seeded Bryce Meredith of Wyoming in a 10-7 decision to advance to the finals. He lost to top-seeded and defending NCAA Champion Dean Heil of Oklahoma State in the finals.
“George is a special guy,” Garland said. “He’s been such a model for our program since the first day he stepped foot on Grounds. I’m so happy for him and proud of him.”
“I’m privileged to receive this award and honored to be in such great company, “said DiCamillo. “My career has had plenty of ups and downs, however I’m proud of the way I finished my senior season and developed as a person. This could not have been possible without my coaches, teammates, family and friends. I am grateful for the opportunities this program has given me to grow and learn.”
Mueller finished his freshman campaign with a 27-5 record, including a nation-leading 12 technical falls, as he earned All-America honors and a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He is the first freshman Virginia wrestler to earn All-America honors. Seeded 10th in the NCAA Championships, Mueller posted three straight wins to advance to the semifinals – defeating Travis Piotrowski of Illinois by technical fall before posting a 5-2 decision over seventh-seeded Sean Russell of Edinboro and a 4-2 decision over second-seeded Joey Dance of Virginia Tech.
The freshman dropped his semifinal match to sixth-seeded Ethan Lizak of Minnesota, suffering an injury that forced Mueller to settle for a sixth-place finish.
“We are so proud of Jack,” Garland said. “I’m blessed to coach a guy like him and I am grateful for him. This is a great honor and he should be proud.”
“I am so honored to receive this award,” said Mueller. “I just want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point in my life: God, my parents and family, the coaching staff at Virginia, Kendall Cross and Melvin Lofton. Without each of these people in my life, I would not have been able to get to this point in my career.”
Virginia Tech’s Kevin Dresser and Tony Robie shared ACC Coach of the Year honors. Dresser led the Hokies through the season before leaving to take the head coaching position at Iowa State, at which time Robie took over head coaching responsibilities for the Hokies and finished out the season.