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DECEMBER 2017 31 cavalier profile JACK MUELLER Second-Year • Wrestling Last season, Jack Mueller became the first first-year to earn All- America honors in the history of wrestling at Virginia. Mueller, seeded No. 10, advanced to the semifinals of the 125-pound weight class at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis last March before having to default because of an injury. He was unable to participate in the consolation rounds and ended up sixth in the nation — the top eight are recognized as All-Americans. En route to finishing four spots higher than his seed, Mueller upset No. 7 seed Sean Russell of Edinboro and No. 2 seed Joey Dance of Virginia Tech. His overall record for the year was 27-5. "I didn't get my full goal of being a national champion, but that's what we are here for — to improve," Mueller said. "I'm blessed with the people who helped me get there." The Dallas native led the nation with 12 technical falls (when a wrestler leads his opponent by 15 points, the match ends). "You have to love scoring points," he said. "It's not just about winning but winning with some dominance." Mueller became involved in wrestling at a young age and was a four-time National Prep champion. "My brother [Keegan] and my parents [Michael and Shelly] threw me into the pit early," Mueller said. "Ever since then, I've never really thought of it as a one-on-one sport. "I've viewed it as everyone helping me to get better. It's like taking a test in school. No one is going to take it for you, but people are going to help you prepare to get to where you need to be. "Everything in my life is like that." Mueller credits numerous people for influencing his career. "My mom drove me to practices every day of the week," he said. "My dad poured the resources into me and has been my number one fan. Keegan put me in the sport and always has helped me. "Kendall Cross, an Olympic gold medalist, has been one of my coaches since I was a little kid, and of course there's Coach [UVA's Steve] Garland." Mueller has moved up to the 133-pound weight class this season and was ranked No. 5 in the country by FloWrestling as of Nov. 27. — Mike Scandura Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA