CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –When junior Jack Mueller (Dallas, Texas) stepped on the mat in Virginia’s dual meet at No. 6 Missouri on Thursday night, it changed the plans for the All-American that had been set out from the start of the season.
Mueller, who competed in the U23 World Games in November and took a fifth-place finish in freestyle, entered the season with a plan to sit out this year and focus on the goals for the world stage.
“The original plan was for Jack to redshirt this year after he made the World Team, our primary focus was on his personal quest for a world championship,” said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. “After returning from Romania, things had changed internally with our team. The bottom line was the team needed him.”
“My brothers needed me and the coaches gave me the option to either keep my redshirt or wrestle – I was ready to go,” Mueller said. “I love this team. I love the coaches. I love this great university. At the end of the day, it was an easy decision to come off the redshirt and represent Virginia.”
The 2017 ACC Freshman of the Year, Mueller held a 51-12 career record prior to Thursday night’s dual at Missouri. He earned All-America honors as a freshman after advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship where he finished sixth overall after an injury forced him to default following his semifinal match. He narrowly missed on All-America honors in his sophomore campaign after falling in the blood round at the NCAA Championships last season.
When he walked off the mat against the Tigers on Thursday, he had added one more win to the win column, posting a pin in the first period and vaulting his team out to an eight-point lead on the nationally-ranked Missouri squad. It was a continuation of the dominance he’s shown for the Cavaliers in his previous two seasons and nothing less than what the Virginia coaching staff has come to expect of Mueller.
“When we sat him down to talk with him about competing, true to his nature and how competitive he is, he jumped at the opportunity,” Garland said. “He is a special kid. He has an elite skill set and mindset. He wants it and truly believes he can do it. The proof of how much he means to our team was immediately on display at Missouri. We are a different team with him in the lineup. He has and will continue to make a huge impact for us, God willing. I’m just grateful to have him here and be his coach.”
With the return of Mueller to the 125-pound spot in the lineup, the Cavaliers will now be able to shift sophomore Louie Hayes (Orland Park, Ill.) to the 133-pound spot in the lineup. It provides a formidable stretch to the top of the Virginia lineup with two-time NCAA qualifier and 2017 All-American Mueller at the top, NCAA qualifier and nationally-ranked Hayes next and junior Sam Krivus, a two-time NCAA qualifier and nationally-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds. It adds a little more punch to a lineup that currently features four nationally-ranked wrestlers with Cam Coy (Jeannette, Pa.) ranked No. 18 at 165 pounds and Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.) ranked eighth at 197 pounds.
Mueller’s energy and return to the mat couldn’t come at a better time for Virginia as the Cavaliers return to action at the South Beach Duals to close out December. Virginia will wrestle some top-flight programs in the two-day event, including Lehigh, West Virginia, Utah Valley and SIU-Edwardsville. The South Beach Duals will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., from Dec. 29-30.