March 9, 2008

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - North Carolina junior 165-pounder Keegan Mueller earned one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's four wild card berths to the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships March 20-22 in St. Louis. Mueller will join teammate Justin Dobies, who captured the league's heavyweight title Saturday, at nationals.

Mueller was the league's runner-up at 165 pounds but owns a 28-4 record on the season. He had won 22 straight matches before a 7-2 overtime loss to Virginia Tech's Matt Epperly in Saturday's final.

Both Dobies and Mueller, who are ranked among the nation's top 20 in their respective weight classes, will be making their first appearance at nationals. Sophomore Dennis Drury, who owns a 20-11 record and was second at 197 pounds at the ACC Championships, is the league's first alternate.