March 18, 2005

St. Louis, MO - Senior Ryan McClester and junior Travis Piccard recorded their final losses in the round of 12 at the NCAA Championships, just one win away from becoming The Citadel's first All-American wrestlers, Friday afternoon at the Savvis Center.

McClester (133) started the day in the consolation fourth round where he defeated Nebraska's Dominick Moyer by an 11-2 major decision. He then moved on to the round of 12 where he faced UC Davis' Derek Moore. McClester owned the riding time and was on top of Moore tied, 2-2 in the third period, but Moore gained a reversal at the buzzer to end McClester's All-American chances.

Piccard (157) started the day in the quarterfinals where he lost an 8-0 major decision to fifth seeded Jake Percival. Following the loss Piccard moved to the round of 12 via the consolation fifth round, where he faced Clarion's Chris Horning. Horning defeated Piccard, 10-6 to dash Piccard's All-American hopes.

"Ryan had a great career and he wrestled hard in this tournament," said head coach Rob Hjerling. "He came up a little short in his final match, but he has been instrumental in bringing this program to another level."

"Travis wrestled great this week also. He will learn from and build on his experience here at nationals. He wrestled in one of the toughest weight classes in the tournament and if he continues to work hard he will end up on the All-American podium in the future.

"They both went further than anyone from The Citadel has gone in a very long time."

McClester finishes the season with a record of 24-10 and ends his career with a 112-42 mark. McClester's 112 wins top The Citadel's all-time victory chart. Piccard finishes his junior campaign with a record of 35-5, pushing his career record to 95-27. He needs only 17 more wins to tie McClester.