Zach Horan wrestles his way to postseason run with back against the wall
Zach Horan needed to be alone.
He was just defeated in his first match by teammate Tyler Kesselring in a three-match series that would determine the competitor in the Mid-American Conference wrestling Championships for Central Michigan.
Horan was one of six CMU wrestlers competing for three different spots in a wrestle-off on Feb. 24 because of a failure to separate from the pack.
He finished the regular season 12-11 overall and 0-1 in the MAC. Kesselring was 13-9 and 2-1 in the conference.
“The guys know each other very, very well because they practice against each other in the room," head coach Tom Borrelli said. "It’s really more difficult to execute the things you’re good at (in a wrestle-off) because the guy anticipates that.”
It was a tough spot for the teammates and friends alike.
“It’s not a very good situation,” Horan said. “It’s not a match you want to be wrestling too often."
Horan had one hour to recuperate until the next match against Kesselring. He spent the first 20 minutes sulking in an empty locker room.
“I thought my season was about to be over,” he said. “I sat up in the locker room and just kind of thinking, oh jeez I came out of high school with pretty high hopes. I was going to be a pretty good college wrestler and now at the end of the season I’m not even starting.”
Horan was not accustomed to losing. He began wrestling at the age of 4. He had an illustrious high school career. He set the school record in wins in the ninth grade.
He won a state high school championship with a record of 49-0 in his senior year, after losing in the state finals to three different wrestlers, who were No. 1 in the country from his freshman to junior year.
Horan would most likely not have been in the locker room inside McGuirk Arena, if it were not for his high school coach Dave Crowell.
He became acquainted with Borrelli at a coaching clinic. Crowell, who kept in contact with Horan throughout the season, always reminded Horan to keep the Chippewas in mind.
“I was actually kind of thinking about not visiting here and my high school coach is always like ‘you keep that one on the list,’” Horan said. “Then this ended up being the last school I visited and it was the one I liked the most. I committed right away.”
Horan said he likes the campus and the wrestling coaches.
“I think (Borrelli) is awesome,” he said. “He’s a great guy, great coach. It takes a lot to get him angry. He won’t really raise his voice at us when he’s disappointed, but he can still get that same effect.”
Horan had lost five of his last six matches entering the wrestle-off. Everyone had their own reasoning to why he struggled.
His roommate and teammate Mike Ottinger said he needed to improve on the little things; Borrelli said he was not relaxed enough and Horan said he needed to improve his strategy.
All that mattered was Horan’s woes were washed away after he left the locker room.
He started the next two wrestle-off matches fast. He grabbed takedowns in the first period of both. That resulted in two wins earning a trip to Athens, Ohio for the MAC Championships.
With his newfound confidence, he started the conference tournament by pinning the MAC’s No. 4 wrestler of the 133-pound weight division.
Next was No. 1 Andrew Nowak.
With the two tied at one after three periods, Horan held on to a 2-1 lead after escaping for a point in the tiebreaker.
“When I was on bottom, he just let go and I was able to get away,” Horan said. “I could tell he was running out of gas, and I was feeling pretty good, so I knew just as long as I put pressure on him and did everything right on top, I was going to be able to ride him.”
He finished the tournament giving a congratulatory hug to his coaches and parents after an easier win in the conference championship.
In the first round of the NCAA Championships Horan defeated No. 12 Bryan Ortenzio in the final seconds to win 5-4.
The postseason winning streak finally came to a close against No. 5 Joe Colon.
But he rebounded with two victories in wrestlebacks, including one over Mason Beckman, who had defeated Horan before.
“I did not want to lose to him again,” Horan said. “I just went out and wrestled as hard as I could. Kept attacking him and kept going after him.”
Horan's luck ran out when the All-American status was at stake. He lost 5-3 after facing a 3-0 deficit in the third period again.
“I was upset. I believed I was going to be on the podium and I was going to be an All-American,” Horan said. “I know it was unlikely. Most people probably don’t believe me, but when the coaches are saying everything to you, like if you wrestle well you can place… I was kind of sticking to all of that stuff.”
