STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Aaron Holker went 3-1 Friday at the NCAA Wrestling Championships to earn a spot among the elite eight in the 133-pound weight class.  The freshman from Orem is the first BYU All-American wrestler since 1987 when heavyweight Jim Nielsen placed seventh.

“Aaron is a true freshman that has a lot of desire and deserves a lot of credit,” said BYU head coach Mark Schultz. “He is the perfect example of a guy who has come into this program and improved dramatically in just one year.”

In the second round of the consolation bracket, the Western Athletic Conference Champion and unranked Holker defeated No.8 ranked Bobby Hanson of Chattanooga, 6-4.  He then followed by routing Sean Shea of George Mason, 15-3.

Perhaps Holker’s best performance came against the No. 10 seed Roman Fleszar of Hofstra. The match went into overtime and Holker came away the winner in sudden death by a score of 8-6. 

Eric Juergens of Iowa, ranked sixth, ended Holker’s four-match win streak by defeating him 10-2.

Another BYU freshman, Scott Coleman also came into Friday’s competition hoping to advance but was knocked off by Oklahoma State’s Mark Munoz, 12-7. 

“Our freshman class has been a source of strength for us these past three years,” said Schultz. “Hopefully they will continue to get better as they return home from their missions.” 

Holker is now 22-10 on the season and has one match remaining on Saturday that will decide seventh or eighth place.

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