Knox wrestler wins All-American honors

Jaran Rutledge, a senior from Mundelein, Illinois (Carmel High School), became a two-time NCAA Division III Wrestling All-American after finishing eighth at heavyweight at the 2008 Wrestling Championships at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, March 8. Rutledge suffered a left knee strain in the first period of his first match, but persevered to pick up an overtime victory in the consolation bracket before withdrawing from the second day of action. Thanks to his efforts, Knox finished 40th in the country.

Rutledge, the draw's fourth seed, earned a bye into the championship quarterfinals Friday night. Just 2:32 into the scoreless match, Rutledge suffered the injury. His opponent, Ryan Bowers (Heidelberg), took advantage by picking up two second-period points. Rutledge earned a point when Bowers was penalized for stalling but could not complete the comeback. After a point for riding time, Bowers won 3-1.

With less than an hour to recover for his crucial consolation match, Rutledge responded against Matt Williams, from Ursinus. Each wrestler earned one point for an escape as the match was tied 1-1 after the third period. Both competitors battled through multiple overtime sessions, again exchanging escapes for a 2-2 tie. Finally, Rutledge escaped and rode out the final 30 seconds for the 3-2 win in Friday's final match.

Rutledge, who became Knox College's first All-American wrestler last season, withdrew from the tournament Saturday morning due to the injury. He finished eighth, and the top eight in each weight class are named All-Americans.

Head coach Tony Islas said, "We talked about how he wanted to end his career. Did he want to go out with an injury or did he want to go out with a win. He decided he wanted to win, and he did that and now has become a two-time All-American. Jaran is a great kid and now he's made history. That was the goal."