PSU’s McIntosh 3rd at NCAAs
ST. LOUIS – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team concluded the fifth session of the 2015 NCAA Championships this afternoon, with four of its five All-Americans competing 
for placement. Two-time All-American Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) led the way, coming back from a quarterfinal upset yesterday to take third place at 197 pounds.
With senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) prepping for the 174-pound national final tonight against Pitt’s Tyler Wilps, Penn State ended session five with a third place finisher, a fifth place finisher, a sixth place finisher and an eighth place finisher. Brown’s national title bout will air live tonight on ESPN at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), the No. 7 seed at 133, took on No. 9 A.J. Schopp of Edinboro in the consolation semifinals. Gulibon took an early lead with a low single that led to a scramble and a takedown midway through the period. Schopp countered with a reversal with just :08 on the clock and the bout moved to the second period tied 2-2. Schopp chose top to start the second and a scramble ensued right off the opening whistle. Gulibon worked in on a high crotch and turned Schopp’s back to the mat but the Scot rolled through before Gulibon could get the fall and turned the Lion to his back for a pin at the 3:38 mark.
Gulibon took on No. 10 Mason Beckman of Lehigh in the fifth place match. Beckman scored early to take a 2-0 lead but Gulibon answered back quickly. The Lion sophomore escaped and then quickly took Beckman down to take a 3-2 lead. Beckman escaped and action resumed in the center circle knotted at 3-3. Beckman chose down to start the second period and Gulibon was able to control the action long enough to build up a 1:12 riding time edge before Beckman escaped to a 4-3 lead. Gulibon retook the lead with a sweet single leg to takedown and two quick back points to lead 7-5 with 1:24 in riding time after two. Gulibon chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to an 8-5 lead, still maintaining a 1:18 riding time edge. Gulibon rolled on to the 9-5 decision to place fifth as the seven seed. The All-American went 4-2 at this year’s NCAA tournament and ends his year with a 26-9 overall record.
Junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 2 seed at 197, took on No. 1 and defending NCAA Champion J’Den Cox of Missouri in the consolation semifinals. McIntosh had the first period’s nearest scoring chance, connecting on a low single that Cox was able to fight off. After a scoreless first period, Cox chose down to start the second. An escape gave the Tiger a 1-0 lead. Trailing by one, McIntosh chose down to start the third period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 1-1 tie. With both men on their feet as the period wound down, McIntosh worked his way in on a low single at the :10 mark and finished off the takedown with just :03 on the clock. The late score clinched a 3-1 win and moved the Lion into the third place match.
In the third place bout, McIntosh took on No. 5 Scott Schiller of Minnesota. McIntosh broke into the scoring column with a takedown midway through the opening stanza to lead 2-1 early. The Lion then extended his lead with a scrambling takedown as the period ended to carry a 4-1 edge into the second period. McIntosh chose down to start the second period and quickly reversed Schiller to up his lead to 6-1. He then controlled Schiller, trying to lock up a cradle. Schiller managed a reversal and McIntosh escaped to a 7-3 lead. Schiller chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 7-4 score. Schiller cut into the lead with a takedown but McIntosh quickly reversed him to up his lead to 9-6 with a clinched riding time point. Finishing strong, McIntosh added one more takedown after a Schiller escape and rolled to a 12-7 win. McIntosh went 6-1 at this year’s championships, taking third place. Now a two-time All-American, the junior ends his season with a 32-3 overall record.
Senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), the No. 8 seed at 285, battled No. 2 Mike McMullan of Northwestern in the consolation semifinals. McMullan came out hot, taking Lawson down quickly for an early lead. He turned the Nittany Lion senior for two different two-point near falls and led 6-0 at the 1:17 mark. The quick flurry by the Wildcat was too much for Lawson to overcome and the Penn State senior dropped a 10-1 major.
In the fifth place match, Lawson met No. 3 Bobby Telford of Iowa. Telford notched an early takedown to lead 2-0 out of the blocks. The Hawkeye then controlled the action from the top for the rest of the period to lead 2-0 with 2:39 in riding time after one. Lawson chose down to start the second period but could not escape and Telford led 2-0 with 4:39 riding time after two. Telford chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead with a clinched riding time point. Telford added a late takedown and posted the 6-0 win. Lawson ends nationals as an All-American, the sixth place finisher, with a 4-3 record. He ends his season with a 19-6 record overall.
Junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), the No. 11 seed at 125, met No. 7 Eddie Klimara of Oklahoma State in the seventh place match. Conaway was the aggressor early but could not connect on two quick singles. Klimara then scored on his first to take a 2-0 lead at the 1:05 mark. Trailing 2-1, Conaway chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Conaway then took his first lead with a solid low double on the edge of the mat to move out to a 4-2 advantage with 1:24 on the clock. The Nittany Lion All-American then controlled action from the top for the rest of the period and led 4-2 with :41 riding time after two. Klimara chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 4-3 Conaway lead. Conaway took a final shot with :15 left and Klimara was able to counter on the edge of the mat, turning the scramble into a takedown and posting a dramatic 5-4 win in the final seconds. Conaway ends the tournament with a 4-3 mark as the 8th place finisher and an All-American. He closes out the year with a 27-9 overall record.
Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.) concluded his tournament on Friday with a 1-2 mark including a major. Beitz posted a 19-11 overall record on the year. Freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), the No. 14 seed at 184, bowed out in last night’s session with a 2-2 mark in the ‘round of 12’. McCutcheon went 26-14 on the year.
Penn State went 3-4 in the fifth session and is 25-13 overall at the tournament. The Nittany Lions sit in sixth place in the team race with 63.5 points.
The 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships conclude tonight with the National Finals, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on ESPN.
2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships – Team Score – Top 7
Saturday, March 21, 2015 – Scottrade Center – St. Louis, Mo.
1: Ohio State – 94.0
2: Iowa – 84.0
3: Edinboro – 75.5
4: Missouri – 69.5
5: Cornell – 67.5
6: PENN STATE – 63.5
7: Oklahoma State – 61.0
