Cher Qin, Assistant Photo Editor

For Zack Murillo ’19, this wrestling season has been like a dream come true. The 125-pound wrestler was the lone Cardinal to travel to the NCAA Division III Championships at Roanoke, Va. on March 8-10.  

“It’s something you’ve always dreamed about as a kid growing up,” Murillo said. “And when you’re finally there—it’s kind of just like an ‘oh crap’ moment.”

Murillo has had an extremely successful campaign in his final season donning the Red and Black. He finished with a 28-10 record, was selected for the All-New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Second Team, and won the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III Scholar Athlete award.

“I feel that I improved tremendously as a player,” Murillo said about his performance this season. “I fit into the weight class much better. Last year, I was at the 133, and now I’m back down in the 125. I feel really comfortable with my style of play, and I feel like I competed a lot harder this season.”

Among his most noteworthy matches were the two times he defeated previously top-ranked wrestler Peter Del Gallo from the University of Southern Maine. The first victory came by a narrow 3-2 decision, and the second with a 2-1 decision.

“Beating the number one wrestler—dang, it’s just an incredible feeling,” Murillo said. “When I went into the match, I guess I didn’t really think much about it. I mean, I knew I could do it, but I still had that little doubt in my mind. And when I finally did do it—it’s just wow! I immediately ran to my family. It’s so amazing when you finally see results come through.”

It was also after the second match against Del Gallo that Murillo secured his playoff berth at the NCAA Championships and finished second in the Northeast regionals.

The NCAA Championship was an unreal experience for Murillo.

“It was like playing in the Colosseum!” he said. “They had the nicest and softest mats I’ve ever seen. And when you’re wrestling in front of a big crowd–it’s just awesome. It’s everything trained for my whole life. That feeling is just—well, you can’t mimic it.”

Murillo, who was unseeded in the tournament, had a first-round bye in the morning and was matched up with seventh-seeded Brady Kyner of Wartburg College, the three-time defending national champions. Kyner entered the tournament as the number-one seed in the Lower Midwest region with a 24-6 record. Within 30 seconds, Kyner took down Murillo, before he recovered with a quick reversal. In the third period, Murillo reversed Kyner to his back and eventually won the match in incredible fashion with a 10-7 decision.

In the following round, Murillo then faced the second-seeded Mike Tortorice from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Murillo lost the match by an 8-0 decision. He then also lost his following match against Carlos Champagne of Wabash College by another 8-0 major decision victory, which effectively brought his final season to an end.

The Southington, Conn. native finished the day with a 1-2 record and the season with an overall 28-10 record. He also ended with a coveted NWCA Scholar Athlete honor for his cumulative GPA of 3.91 as an economics and math double major.

“Overall, I think we had a really good run this season. We had lots of success, especially with our freshmen, all of whom I’m very proud of.” Murillo said. “They’re going to be really good. They’re going to break records. And I can’t wait to watch them when they do.”

As much as Murillo is excited about the team and its newcomers, finishing his final season is definitely bittersweet.

“I’m a little sad to leave,” Murillo said. “I have been doing sports since I was five, so it’s definitely hard to see it go. But I am excited to be in the next phase of my life. Overall, in this sport, there has definitely been some ups and some downs and some things which I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Franklin Ribli can be reached at fribli@wesleyan.edu.