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cavalier profile RYAN MALO Fourth-Year • Wrestling Ryan Malo is living the dream. When Malo graduated from high school, he wanted to wrestle at the Division I level. He went to Boston University but quickly discovered the pace and social environment were not for him, so Malo transferred to Division III Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. With the conclusion of a stellar three-year career in which Malo was a three-time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up, he decided the desire to prove himself at the Division I level was still burning. "I was at Williams three years and I enjoyed my time there," Malo said. "I had a ton of great friends 28 ◆ CAVALIER CORNER and had a lot of great success at wrestling, but I always had the goal of wanting to get back to Division I and see how I could do." Malo petitioned the NCAA and was granted his final year of eligibility and the opportunity to com- pete as a graduate student. And compete he has. As of mid-January, Malo held a 12-8 record in the 197-pound weight class, a total that ranks sixth for the No. 21 Cavaliers. He was also tied for third on the squad with four pin-falls. "I wrestle a lot on top, and when I get on top I ride legs," Malo said. "I had a lot of success riding legs at Division III and getting a lot of pins. But my focus this season is being a more complete wres- tler and working on weaknesses." UVa head coach Steve Garland said Malo's dedi- cation is noticeable. "Ryan is an extremely intense guy," the coach said. "He walks into our room every day with a purpose. His entire life right now is focused on reaching his academic and athletic goals. It is really neat to work with a guy like him who is that driven. He's been a great addition to our team." For Malo, the biggest key right now is to balance that drive with a desire to fully appreciate his time at UVa. "I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself, and my wrestling competition has suffered be- cause of that pressure," he said. "I'm with people I enjoy, coaches I love to work with, my grad pro- gram is awesome and this is a year I need to enjoy. "My main goal for the rest of the year is to ease up on the pressure, and the wrestling results will come." — Greg Waters ◆ Photo by Thomas Wilson/ courtesy UVa