Utah Valley wrestler Kdjar first All-American from his school
As Ben Kdjar switched from his wrestling singlet into a matching grey sweatsuit in a hallway underneath the Wells Fargo Center, the Utah Valley senior said he was thankful that he had not wrestled his last match. As no one wants to end on a loss.
As Ben Kdjar switched from his wrestling singlet into a matching grey sweatsuit in a hallway underneath the Wells Fargo Center, the Utah Valley senior said he was thankful that he had not wrestled his last match. As no one wants to end on a loss.
Kdjar lost to top-ranked Anthony Robles in the 125-pound semifinal match at the NCAA Wrestling Championships Friday night.
Robles, born with one leg, forced Kdjar to wrestle lower to the mat. In turn, this caused Kdjar to be unable to hit his attacking shots and he often found himself unable to return the wrist locks applied by Robles.
Still, Kdjar finds himself in the weight class's top 8, which makes him the first All-American in school history.
"To be an All-American is a blessing for me," said Kdjar, who will return to the mats later Friday to wrestle for a spot in Saturday's third-place match.
Kdjar was born with Crouzon syndrome, which caused his facial bones and skull to fuse together and disallow normal bone growth. He has undergone three facial reconstructions.