Every time Case Western Reserve University senior
Zak Kallai steps on the wrestling mat this season it will be
his opponent's biggest match of the year because his challenger
will be up against a-not one, not two, but-three-time All-American
who has his sights set on a fourth title.
But being the favorite
has its disadvantages. Kallai's name and technique are no
longer a secret among his NCAA Division
III opponents.
"The hardest part for me is I have a couple
moves in my back pocket that I love to hit," Kallai said. "Now
everyone knows them, and it has gotten to the point where I
have to
do things differently. That tends to make me a little uncomfortable
at times."
He definitely wasn't uncomfortable his first
three seasons, or at least he didn't show it if he was. Kallai
finished sixth
in the nation at 149 pounds his freshman year (record: 28-14)
at Case. He finished fifth in the country his sophomore season
(40-8) and eighth a year ago (16-13). He enters his senior
season with an 84-35 record.
Will he reach the coveted 100-win
mark this season? He already did, before the calendar year
even ended. The Wadsworth High
School graduate became just the sixth wrestler in university
history to post 100 wins with a recent victory. And he has
continued his winning ways early in 2004. He is currently 110-39
(26-4 this season).
"Just having that many wins I think is amazing," Kallai
said. "Especially considering I took half a season off
last year to co-op (participate in an cooperative education
experience). I think I would have been able to get closer to
the top if I hadn't, but I don't regret that one bit."
Case's
all-time leader in wrestling wins is Chris Ricklic (167 pounds)
who finished 147-9-1 in from 1992-1995. Ricklic was
a two-time All-American and two-time national champion (1994
and 1995). Kallai won't catch him but is on track to take over
second place, which is currently held by Derek Messmer (275
pounds). Messmer finished 121-26-0 from 1993-1996 and was a
national champion and All-American in 1996.
Sure, more wins
would have been nice, but the computer engineering major who
will graduate from Case next winter said preparing
himself for life after wrestling is equally, if not more, important.
Kallai
continues to work part time in technical support for engineers
at Rockwell Automation in Mayfield Heights, Ohio,
where he did his co-op during the fall of 2002.
"It's basically really advance computer support," Kallai
said. "They run software for the automation controls,
and I help setting up networks, computers and that kind of
high-end stuff for their engineers."
Kallai became the first wrestler in Case history to become
a three-time All-American last season. So, will he one-up himself
this season with a fourth title or go one-better and become
the school's first national champion in 10 years?
"There aren't many four-time All-Americans
in wrestling," said
Head Coach Bob Del Rosa, who has been at Case 42 years and
is a member of the Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame. "Just
staying healthy-and now with people knowing who he is-will
make it tough to do it a fourth time. But I think with the
way he is wrestling now, he can definitely be a four-time All-American,
if not a national champ."
So, how about it, does Kallai
have a set routine when his wrestling shoes first sink into
the mat?
"Pretty much, and it is usually in the beginning of matches," Kallai
said. "I'm going to do something to get them to come after
me. Either they're going to jump off the whistle and come right
after me, or I'm going to lean into them a little and give
them a nudge so maybe they come back into me. There are a few
moves that are almost a guaranteed hit during the first few
seconds of the match."
