Cavaliers Experience Success At 2018 US Open Championships
April 30, 2018
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Current Virginia wrestlers Jake Keating and Quinn Miller put together deep runs at the 2018 U.S. Open Wrestling Championships, while volunteer assistant coach Shelton Mack and Eddie Klimara, a current resident athlete with the Cavalier Wrestling Club, also experienced success in Las Vegas over the weekend at the same event.
Miller placed third, while Keating posted a 5-2 mark on his run in the bracket. Klimara placed seventh at the event, while Mack went 3-2 in his appearance on the weekend.
“I’m really proud of the way Jake (Keating) and Quinn (Miller) competed,” said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. “Jake got seven matches in and really competed hard. We always tell our guys, the best way to get better at wrestling is to wrestle! Jake sure did that. He learned a ton and I believe this trip will be a big part of his development. Quinn also was really impressive. He went 6-1. To wrestle that many times and to keep winning round after round, I was just blown away by his toughness and determination in the tournament. These guys are both very young, so trips like this are so big for their development. Quinn now gets the chance to wrestle at the Junior World Team trials, so we are all really proud of him.
“It was also an honor to be there and support one of my own coaches, Shelton Mack in his pursuit of a world team. He wrestled hard and represented our program well. The Cavalier Wrestling Club RTC had a solid day in addition to Shelton as well. Eddie Klimara placed seventh and has now qualified for the world team trials and Ceron Fransisco got to compete in his first ever U.S. Open. Again, it was a good weekend for everyone involved with Virginia wrestling.”
Keating, who went 5-2 at the US Open Wrestling Championships, is coming off his freshman season with the Cavaliers. He went 25-15 on the year with 10 wins by fall and 19 bonus-point victories on the season.
Miller posted a third-place finish and qualified to compete at the Junior World Team Trials. He went 6-1 on the afternoon. He is coming off a redshirt freshman season with the Cavaliers in which he posted a 13-9 record and posted seven bonus-point victories.
In his appearance, Mack’s 3-2 record included a win over four-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American Earl Hall of Iowa State, and three-time All-American Chris Dardanes who wrestled at Minnesota. He was eliminated by four-time All-American and 2016 NCAA Champion Nico Megaludis who wrestled at Penn State.
Klimara took his seventh-place finish with a 4-2 record that included a win over three-time All-American and 2017 NCAA Champion Darian Cruz from Lehigh. With his seventh-place finish, he now qualifies for the World Team trials.