It took Wabash senior Keith Garrard four years to get to the NCAA Division III National Championship wrestling meet, but less than two minutes to become an All-American.
Garrard scored a pin 1:41 into his match against fourth-seeded Alec Bonander from Luther College to advance to Saturday's semifinal round of the 197-pound weight bracket, where he'll wrestle top-seeded Tyler Miller from Wartburg. The winner of that bout will compete for the national title at 197 pounds, while the loser will compete in the consolation bracket.
Even if Garrard were to lose the remainder of his bouts, he will finish no worse than sixth place, guaranteeing him a place as an All-American.
Entering the tournament as a fifth-seed, Garrard drew a first round bye while Bonander opened with a pin against unseeded Wally O'Conner from Augsburg. The victory at the 1:39 mark of their bout set up the match between Bonander and Garrard.
Miller advanced with an 18-0 win in the first round against Jason Reilly from Kings College and a 15-2 major decision against the eighth seed in the tournament, Wisconin-Whitewater's Mike Schmidt.
Action begins at Loras College Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
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