Megaludis and English Shine
Nittany Lions Now Trail Gophers in Team Race
OKLAHOMA CITY– Led by junior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) and his perfect morning and a thrilling seventh-place win from James English (York, Pa.) at 149, the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will have a chance to claim its fourth straight NCAA title in tonight’s national finals. Megaludis was perfect at 125 to claim third and English thrilled the building with an emotional win in the seventh place bout at 149.
For the first time this weekend, Penn State will not hold the lead at a session’s conclusion. Minnesota owns first place with 104.0 points while Penn State is close behind in second at 101.5, just 2.5 off the pace. Both Penn State and Minnesota have two finalists in action tonight. Penn State has four-time All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) taking on Oklahoma State’s Tyler Caldwell at 165 and four-time All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) taking on Maryland’s Jimmy Sheptock at 184. Minnesota has No. 9 seed Dylan Ness taking on No. 3 seed Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State at 157 and No. 1 seed Tony Nelson meeting No. 2 seed Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State at 285.
Megaludis, the No. 3 seed at 125, took on No. 8 seed Cory Clark of Iowa in the consolation semifinals. Megaludis scored quickly against Clark, using two takedowns to take a 4-1 lead into the second period. He would turn that lead into a convincing 5-2 win. The victory moved Megaludis into the third place bout where met No. 16 Joey Vance of Virginia Tech. Megaludis was impressive once again, dominating the action from start to finish on his way to a 6-1 decision with 1:47 in riding time. The Nittany Lion junior, now a three-time All-American, used first and third period takedowns to roll to victory and third place. Megaludis now has second, second and third place finishes as a true junior. Megaludis ends his season with a 31-4 overall record.
True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 141, met No. 1 seed Mitchell Port of Edinboro in the consolation semifinals. Retherford was the aggressor throughout the bout but Port’s defense kept the Lion from finishing off any shots, sending the bout through a first sudden victory and tie-breaker session. In the second sudden victory period, Retherford once again looked to score and Port countered once more, this time finishing off the shot to notch the 3-1 (SV2) decision. Retherford then took on No. 11 Joey Lazor of Northern Iowa in the fifth place bout. Lazor was injured in his prior bout and was medically unable to compete in the match, giving Retherford the win, fifth place, and two important bonus points. Retherford ends his true freshman campaign with a 33-3 overall record and is an All-American as the fifth place finisher. His 33 wins is the seventh most for a freshman since 1980 at Penn State, tying former Lion four-time All-American Quentin Wright.
Junior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), the No. 5 seed at 174, faced off against No. 6 seed Logan Storley of Minnesota in the consolation semifinals. Like Retherford before him, Brown was the aggressor throughout the match, but Storley’s defense allowed the Gopher to keep Brown from finishing any shots. The match went to sudden victory tied 1-1. After forcing Storley into a stall warning, Brown shot once again, Storley countered and this time slipped behind Brown for a takedown and a 3-1 (SV) win. Brown then took on No. 4 Mike Evans of Iowa for fifth place and dominated the bout from start to finish. Brown took Evans down twice in the first period to open up a 4-2 lead. Brown added an escape in the second and an escape in the third off an injury timeout and posted the convincing 6-3 decision to place fifth. Brown ends the season as the fifth place finisher at 174 with a 33-6 overall record. Brown is a two-time All-American with second place and fifth place finishes.
English, unseeded at 149, battled No. 4 seed Kendric Maple of Oklahoma for seventh place on Saturday morning. With the team scored tied, English completed an epic and emotional story with a thrilling 2-1 (TB) win over the fourth seed. The duo traded escapes in the second and third period and went through a scoreless sudden victory stanza. English was down first in the tie-breaker session and escaped with :11 on the clock. With Maple down to end things, English was simply dominating on top, not giving Maple any room to move and riding him out for the duration. The 2-1 win gave the unseeded sixth-year senior the seventh place trophy and put his team back on top by one in a tight team race. English, who has missed two full seasons with injuries and was out most of this year due to an early season injury, went 5-2 in his first trip to the NCAA Championships and ends his Nittany Lion career as an All-American with an 18-7 record.
Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 3 seed at 197, wrestled No. 11 seed Nathan Burak of Iowa in the seventh place match as well. McIntosh controlled the bout from the start. The Lion sophomore scored a first period takedown at the buzzer to lead 2-0 after the opening stanza. He added a third period escape and posted the 3-1 decision to finish seventh. McIntosh ends his sophomore campaign as a first-time All-American with a 32-5 overall record.
Taylor and Ruth will compete in tonight’s National Finals, looking to help Penn State clinch its fourth straight team title in a very tight team race. Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), junior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) and junior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) all bowed out of the tournament in session three. Gulibon went 1-2, Alton went 2-2 and Gingrich went 2-2.
The Nittany Lions went 6-2 in session five and are now 36-15 overall. Penn State has collected 24.0 bonus points off seven majors, two techs, four pins and a medical forfeit. Penn State has seven All-Americans: Ruth and Taylor in the finals, Megaludis in third, Retherford and Brown in fifth, English and McIntosh in seventh. It is the highest All-American total of the school since 1992. Penn State is looking to win its fourth straight NCAA title after claiming the crown in 2011 in Philadelphia, 2012 in St. Louis and the 2013 title last year in Des Moines.
The event concludes tonight with the championship finals and the crowning of the team champion on ESPN beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central). All six sessions will air/have aired live on ESPNU and/or ESPN, with ESPN3 offering full tournament multi-mat coverage online.
Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships – Team Standings after Session 5 — TOP FIVE
Friday, March 21, 2014 – Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, Okla.
1: Minnesota – 104.0
1: PENN STATE – 101.5
3: Oklahoma State – 87.5
4: Iowa – 74.5
5: Edinboro – 62.0
The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown/agate of Penn State’s tournament to date (rankings listed are NCAA Championship Seed):
125: #3 Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), Jr. – 31-4 overall
ALL-AMERICAN – 3rd Place
1st Rd: Darian Cruz, Lehigh – W, 18-3 (TF; 7:00)
2nd Rd: #14 Eddie Klimara, Oklahoma State – W, 6-0 dec.
Qtrs: #6 Jarrod Patterson, Oklahoma – W, 6-0 dec.
Semis: #2 Nahshon Garrett, Cornell – L, 4-6 dec.
Con Semis: #8 Cory Clark, Iowa – W, 5-2 dec.
3rd Place: #16 Joey Vance, Virginia Tech – W, 6-1 dec.
Two-time All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 125, opened up Penn State’s tournament with bonus points, rolling over Lehigh’s Darian Cruz to the tune of an 18-3 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. Megaludis overcame an early Cruz takedown to dominate the action and roll into round two. Megaludis then became Penn State’s first quarterfinalist at the tournament with a dominating 6-0 win over No. 4 Eddie Klimara of Oklahoma State. The win, key in the team race as well, came via two takedowns, an escape and 1:28 in riding time. Megaludis punched his ticket to Friday morning’s quarterfinals with the win. He took on No. 6 Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals and rolled to a 6-0 win. Megaludis collected a first period takedown and then rode Patterson out for the entire second period. He tacked on a late takedown and a riding time point to post the win. The victory makes Megaludis a three-time All-American, the 23rd in Penn State history.
Megaludis took on No. 2 Nahshon Garrett of Cornell as Penn State’s first national semifinalist of the night. Garrett scored quickly, notching a takedown in the first :20 to open up a 2-1 lead. That score carried into the second period where Garrett chose down. The Big Red grappler notched and escape and a takedown to mount a 5-1 lead heading into the final period, where Megaludis mounted a furious comeback. The Lion junior, now a three-time All-American, chose down and escaped quickly to cut the lead to 5-2. He then took Garrett down with under a minute to wrestle and cut him loose to a 6-4 score. Megaludis then got in on a deep single leg and was scrambling for a tying takedown when Garrett fled the mat and got called for stalling. But the Cornell defense was enough, coming at :11 and Garrett grabbed the hard fought 6-4 win.
In Saturday’s consolation semifinals, Megaludis took on No. 8 seed Cory Clark of Iowa in the consolation semifinals. Megaludis scored quickly against Clark, using two takedowns to take a 4-1 lead into the second period. He would turn that lead into a convincing 5-2 win. Megaludis met No. 16 Joey Vance of Virginia Tech. Megaludis was impressive once again, dominating the action from start to finish on his way to a 6-1 decision with 1:47 in riding time. The Nittany Lion junior, now a three-time All-American, used first and third period takedowns to roll to victory and place third. Megaludis now has second, second and third place finishes as a true junior.
133: Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), Fr. – 18-15 overall – Season Complete
1st Rd: #4 Jon Morrison, Oklahoma State – L, 0-4 dec.
Cn. 1: Vincent Pizzuto, Eastern Michigan – W, 10-2 maj. dec.
Cn. 2: #14 Zane Richards, Illinois – L, 3-4 dec.
Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), unseeded at 133, dropped a hard fought 4-0 decision to No. 4 Jon Morrison of Oklahoma State in his first-ever match at the NCAA Championships. The loss moved Gulibon into Thursday night’s consolation action. Gulibon was outstanding in his first consolation bout, picking up key bonus points and rolling to a 10-2 major over Eastern Michigan’s Vincent Pizzuto. Gulibon came back from an early 2-0 deficit to notch three takedowns and a three-point turn to post the victory and move into the second round of consolation action Friday morning. He took on No. 14 Zane Richards of Illinois in the second consi round. Gulibon notched second period takedown to take the lead heading into the third but needed to hold Richards down for just one more second to start the final period. Richards escaped to a 3-3 tie with 1:00 of riding time and used that bonus point to grab the win. Gulibon went 1-2 with a major decision in his first run through the NCAA Championships, picking up key bonus points for Penn State.
141: #3 Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), Fr. – 33-3 overall – ALL-AMERICAN – 5th Place
1st Rd: Undrakhbayar Khishignyam, The Citadel – W, 5-0 dec.
2nd Rd: #14 Edgar Bright, Pittsburgh – W, 3-0 dec.
Qtrs: #11 Joey Lazor, Northern Iowa – W, 5-2 dec.
Semis: #2 Logan Stieber, Ohio State – L, 3-7 dec.
Con Semi: #1 Mitchell Port, Edinboro – L, 1-3 (SV2) dec.
5th: #11 Joey Lazor, Northern Iowa – W, med. forfeit
True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 141, made his NCAA Championship debut with a dominating 5-0 win over All-American Undrakhbayar Khishignyam of the Citadel. Retherford used takedowns late in the first and in the third to roll to the win and move into round two. He then became in his first run at nationals with a strong 3-0 win over No. 14 Edgar Bright of Pittsburgh. Retherford used an escape and a third period takedown to post the win and move into Friday morning’s quarterfinals. He took on No. 11 Joey Lazor of Northern Iowa in the quarters and used a furious first period flurry to post the strong 5-2 decision. Retherford took Lazor down midway through the period and turned him for two back points. Lazor managed a reversal but Retherford quickly escaped and the score bolted to 5-2 in a hurry. Lazor rode Retherford out for the entire second period and the Nittany Lion freshman controlled Lazor for the entire third period. The 5-2 win made him Penn State’s first true freshman All-American since Megaludis in 2012.
In the semifinals, Retherford met No. 2 Logan Stieber in the semis at 141. The Buckeye used two first period takedowns to open up a 4-1 lead after one period. After taking neutral, Stieber took the Lion freshman down for a third time and opened up a 6-2 lead after Retherford worked for an escape. The Nittany Lion freshman chose down to start the third period but Stieber was able to control the action from the top and build up over 2:00 in riding time. Retherford escaped to a 6-3 score with under :10 and Stieber, with riding time, posted the 7-3 win.
In Saturday morning’s consolation semifinals, Retherford met No. 1 seed Mitchell Port of Edinboro in the consolation semifinals. Retherford was the aggressor throughout the bout but Port’s defense kept the Lion from finishing off any shots, sending the bout through a first sudden victory and tie-breaker session. In the second sudden victory period, Retherford once again looked to score and Port countered once more, this time finishing off the shot to notch the 3-1 (SV2) decision. Retherford then met No. 11 Joey Lazor of Northern Iowa in the fifth place bout. Lazor was injured in his prior bout and was medically unable to compete in the match, giving Retherford the win, fifth place, and two important bonus points. Retherford ends his true freshman campaign with a 33-3 overall record and is an All-American as the fifth place finisher. His 33 wins is the seventh most for a freshman since 1980 at Penn State, tying former Lion four-time All-American Quentin Wright.
149: James English (York, Pa.), Sr. – 18-7 overall ALL-AMERICAN – 7thPlace
1st Rd: #12 Dyllan Cottrell, Appalachian State – W, 5-4 (TB) dec.
2nd Rd: #5 Jason Tsirtsis, Northwestern – L, 3-4 dec.
Con 2: Christian Barber, North Carolina – W, 3-1 dec.
Con 3: Ryan Lubeck, Wisconsin – W, 4-3 dec.
Rd 12: #10 Zach Niebert, Virginia Tech – W, 6-4 (sv) dec.
Con Qtr: #8 David Habat, Edinboro – LBF (4:52)
7th Place: #4 Kendric Maple, Oklahoma – W, 2-1 (TB) dec.
Senior James English (York, Pa.), unseeded at 149, made the most of his first match at the NCAA Championships. The Nittany Lion senior posted a thrilling 5-4 (TB) decision over No. 12 Dyllan Cottrell of Appalachian State, using a ride out and an escape to post the tie-breaker decision and move into the second round. English nearly notched his second straight win over a seeded foe in round two. He led late into the third period against No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern. But the Wildcat notched a late takedown and ride out to sneak away with a 4-3 win, sending English into consolation action Friday morning. English took on North Carolina’s Christian Barber in the consolation second round. After a scoreless first period, English chose down escaped quickly to lead 1-0 after the second stanza. Barber took down and English made him pay with a two-point near fall, which would prove to be the difference in a 3-1 decision. English then faced Ryan Lubeck of Wisconsin in consolation round three and kept his All-America dreams alive with a rousing 4-3 win. English used a second period reversal to take a 4-2 lead and survived an illegal hold call in the third period as he rode Lubeck out to post the decision and move into Friday night’s All-America round, the Round of 12.
English then became an All-American with a thrilling 6-4 (SV) win over No. 10 Zach Neibert of Virginia Tech in the round of 12. The Nittany Lion senior, who received a sixth year of eligibility due to injury and still missed most of this season coming back from an early season injury, took down Neibert early in the first period for a 2-0 lead but was reversed and went to the second period tied 2-2. English chose down to start the second period and Neibert controlled the action for most of the period. But English was able to reverse him in the final seconds and led 4-2 after two. Neibert chose down and escaped in the third and used the riding time point to send the match into sudden victory tied 4-4. The duo battled evenly for :55 seconds of the extra period when English turned a low single into a standing cradle and notched the winning takedown with just :01 on the clock. The victory made English Penn State’s 184th All-American. A short time later in the consolation quarterfinals, English took on No. 8 David Habat of Edinboro. English battled Habat tough, leading throughout the bout off a first period takedown. But Habat turned English in the third period and got a fall at the 4:52 mark.
In Saturday morning’s seventh-place bout, English battled No. 4 seed Kendric Maple of Oklahoma for seventh place on Saturday morning. With the team scored tied, English completed an epic and emotional story with a thrilling 2-1 (TB) win over the fourth seed. The duo traded escapes in the second and third period and went through a scoreless sudden victory stanza. English was down first in the tie-breaker session and escaped with :11 on the clock. With Maple down to end things, English was simply dominating on top, not giving Maple any room to move and riding him out for the duration. The 2-1 win gave the unseeded sixth-year senior the seventh place trophy and put his team back on top by one in a tight team race. English, who has missed two full seasons with injuries and was out most of this year due to an early season injury, went 5-2 in his first trip to the NCAA Championships and ends his Nittany Lion career as an All-American with an 18-7 record.
157: #13 Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), Jr. – 20-7 overall – Season Complete
1st Rd: Brian Murphy, Michigan – W, 5-1 dec.
2nd Rd: #4 Ian Miller, Kent State – L, 1-4 dec.
Con 2: Immanuel Kerr-Brown, Duke – W, 5-2 dec.
Con 3: #12 Luke Smith, Central Michigan – L, 2-4 (sv) dec.
Junior All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), the No. 13 seed at 157, was strong in his first round match-up. He used two third period takedowns to walk away with an impressive 5-1 win over Michigan’s Brian Murphy, moving into Thursday night’s second round. In round two, Alton battled No. 4 Ian Miller of Kent State tough before dropping a 4-1 decision in round two. Alton’s loss dropped him into Friday morning’s consolation second round. Alton then picked up a key victory in consolation round two over Duke’s Immanuel Kerr-Brown. Alton used a four point move in the first period with a takedown and two near fall points to bolt out to a 5-0 lead. Kerr-Brown would answer with two escapes but it would not be enough and Alton moved into the third round of consolation action. He met No. 12 Luke Smith of Central Michigan in the next consolation round and dropped a heart-breaking 4-2 (sv) decision, ending his NCAA tournament run. Alton posted a 2-2 mark at NCAAs, picking up a first round win and a consolation victory as well.
165: #1 David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), Sr. – 33-0 overall ALL-AMERICAN
1st Rd: Joseph Brewster, South Dakota State – WBF (2:58)
2nd Rd: #16 Jim Wilson, Stanford – WBF (6:55)
Qtrs: #8 Michael Moreno, Iowa State – WBF (3:19)
Semis: #4 Steven Monk, North Dakota State – W, 13-5 maj. dec.
Finals: #2 Tyler Caldwell, Oklahoma State – Tonight
Three-time All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), the No. 1 seed at 165, moved one step closer to Penn State’s all-time pin record with a first period fall over South Dakota State’s Joe Brewster. Taylor pinned Brewster with just two seconds left in the opening period, stepping over the Jackrabbit, adjusting from the top and getting the fall. It was the 51st of his career (the Penn State record is 53). In round two, Taylor continued to thrill the sellout crowd in Chesapeake Energy Arena. Taylor rolled up a 14-2 lead on No. 16 Jim Wilson of Stanford, took him down once more in the final :30 and then stepped over the Cardinal grappler, turned his shoulders to the mat and got his second pin in as many bouts at the 6:55 mark. The fall with just :05 on the clock was the 52nd of Taylor’s career and moves him to within one of Penn State’s all-time record. It also sent Taylor into Friday morning’s quarterfinals, where he met Michael Moreno of Iowa State. The Lion leader continued his streak of pins against Moreno. Taylor rode a first period takedown to a 2-0 lead after three minutes of wrestling. Moreno chose down to start the second period and Taylor went to work. The Lion senior worked Moreno’s shoulders to the mat, adjusted once and then pushed the Cyclone flat for the pin at the 3:19 mark. The win, his third by fall of the tournament, moved him into the national semifinals and makes Taylor Penn State’s seventh four-time All-American in Penn State history. He also tied Penn State’s all-time career pins record with the fall. Taylor now has 53, tied atop the Lion list with former Penn Stater Josh Moore.
In the national semifinals, Taylor became a rare four-time NCAA finalist with a resounding 13-5 major decision over No. 4 Steven Monk of North Dakota State. Taylor broke open the match early, using two takedowns and two near fall points to lead 6-4 after the opening period. Monk chose top to start the second stanza but Taylor was undaunted, quickly reversing Monk to lead 8-4. Taylor then rode Monk out to build up over 2:00 in riding time to carry that lead into the third period. Taylor, looking for bonus points for the Nittany Lions, then controlled the third period as well. He collected two takedowns and ended the match with 4:11 in riding time to post the 13-5 major decision and move into tomorrow night’s national semifinals against No. 2 Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma State.
174: #5 Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), Jr. – 33-6 overall
ALL-AMERICAN – 5th Place
1st Rd: Kyle Meyer, Stanford – W, 17-3 maj. dec.
2nd Rd: #12 Tanner Weatherman, Iowa State – W, 6-1 dec.
Qtrs: #4 Mike Evans, Iowa – L, 4-5 (tb) dec.
Rd 12: #16 Matt Miller, Navy – W, 10-6 dec.
Con Qtrs: Bryce Hammond, CS-Bakersfield – W, 9-3 dec.
Con Semis: #6 Logan Storley, Minnesota – L, 1-3 (SV) dec.
5th Place: #4 Mike Evans, Iowa – W, 6-3 dec.
Junior All-American Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), the No. 5 seed at 174, took care of Stanford’s Kyle Meyer in the first round, storming his way to a 17-3 major. Brown used multiple takedowns and a three point near fall in the third to rack up 3:07 in riding time as well, moving into the second round. In round two, Brown controlled the action in a strong 6-1 win over No. 12 Tanner Weatherman of Iowa State. Brown notched two takedowns, an escape and riding time in the 6-1 victory and moved into Friday morning’s quarterfinals. Brown scored in just :10 to take an early 2-0 lead over No. 4 Mike Evans of Iowa. But the Hawkeye countered with a late first period takedown and the duo was tied 3-3 after one period. They traded escapes and went to sudden victory knotted at 4-4. Neither man scored in extra time and Brown was unable to escape during his tie-breaker session. Evans then escaped with :09 left in his and posted the 5-4 (tb) win. The loss moved Brown into Friday evening’s fourth round of consolation action.
Brown took on No. 16 Matt Miller of Navy in the round of 12 and rolled to a 10-6 victory to become a two-time All-American. Brown notched takedowns in every period, leading 2-1 after one and 5-2 after two. The duo traded scores in the third period. Miller chose down and escaped to a 5-3 score and Brown quickly took him down to lead 7-3. Looking for bonus points with the riding time clinched, Brown cut Miller loose to a 7-4 score. He quickly took Miller down again but Miller managed a scrambling reversal. Brown’s riding time point gave the Nittany Lion junior a 10-6 victory and made him Penn State’s sixth All-American of the year. In the consolation quarters, Brown dominated Cal State-Bakersfield’s Bryce Hammond. The two-time All-American rolled up early takedowns to control the bout and then rode his way to a 9-3 decision.
Brown faced off against No. 6 seed Logan Storley of Minnesota in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning. Like Retherford before him, Brown was the aggressor throughout the match, but Storley’s defense allowed the Gopher to keep Brown from finishing any shots. The match went to sudden victory tied 1-1. After forcing Storley into a stall warning, Brown shot once again, Storley countered and this time slipped behind Brown for a takedown and a 3-1 (SV) win. faced off against No. 6 seed Logan Storley of Minnesota in the consolation semifinals. Like Retherford before him, Brown was the aggressor throughout the match, but Storley’s defense allowed the Gopher to keep Brown from finishing any shots. The match went to sudden victory tied 1-1. After forcing Storley into a stall warning, Brown shot once again, Storley countered and this time slipped behind Brown for a takedown and a 3-1 (SV) win. Brown then took on No. 4 Mike Evans of Iowa for fifth place and dominated the bout from start to finish. Brown took Evans down twice in the first period to open up a 4-2 lead. Brown added an escape in the second and an escape in the third off an injury timeout and posted the convincing 6-3 decision to place fifth. Brown ends the season as the fifth place finisher at 174 with a 33-6 overall record. Brown is a two-time All-American with second place and fifth place finishes.
184: #2 Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), Sr. – 33-1 overall ALL-AMERICAN
1st Rd: Jackson Hein, Wisconsin – WBF (1:59)
2nd Rd: Nikko Reyes, Illinois – W, 15-0 (TF; 7:00)
Qtrs: #7 Kevin Steinhaus, Minnesota – W, 10-2 maj. dec.
Semis: #3 Gabe Dean, Cornell – W, 5-3 dec.
Finals: #1 Jimmy Sheptock, Maryland – tonight
Three-time American and two-time defending NCAA Champion Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), the No. 2 seed at 184, equaled teammate Taylor with a first period pin. Ruth worked his second takedown into a near side cradle, then adjusted his hold one time and got the pin at the 1:59 mark. The pin was 46th of his career, placing him third on the all-time list at Penn State and moving him into the second round. In the second round, Ruth dominated Illinois’ Nikko Reyes for seven minutes. The Lion senior controlled the action from start to finish on his way to a 15-0 technical fall with 5:36 in riding time at the 7:00 mark. Picking up key bonus points, Ruth moved into tomorrow morning’s quarterfinals with the win as well. Ruth became the eighth four-time All-American in Penn State history with a dominating 10-2 major decision over No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota in the quarterfinals. Ruth used multiple takedowns in each period to roll to the win. He countered numerous Steinhaus shots, forcing short scrambles that he calmly turned into takedowns of his own, racking up 1:41 in riding time for the key point for the major decision. Ruth’s victory was the 19th NCAA Championship win of his career, setting a new school record for wins in at nationals.
Ruth met No. 3 seed Gabe Dean of Cornell in the national semifinals. Ruth, who pinned Dean earlier in the year but suffered an upset loss to him in the finals of the Southern Scuffle in January, quickly took the Big Red grappler down in the first period to lead 2-1 early. The duo traded shots for the remainder of the period and the Lion senior led by one after one. Dean chose down to start the second stanza but Ruth had the answer, dominating the action from the top position and riding Dean out to lead 2-1 after two. The Nittany Lion chose down to start the third and escaped to a 4-1 lead with a clinched riding time point. Dean countered a Ruth shot late for a takedown, but the story was written as a Ruth escape and riding time gave the Nittany Lion a 5-3 decision.
197: #3 Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), So. – 32-5 overall
ALL-AMERICAN – 7th Place
1st Rd: John Bolich, Lehigh – W, 5-0 dec.
2nd Rd: #14 Chris Penny, Virginia Tech – L, 2-3 dec.
Con 2: #13 Daniel Mitchell, American – W, 15-7 maj. dec.
Con 3: #6 Richard Perry, Bloomsburg – W, 6-4 dec.
Rd. 12: Cody Reed, Binghamton – W, 13-4 maj. dec.
Con Qtrs: #5 Kyle Gadsen, Iowa State – L, 3-5 dec.
7th-Place: #11 Nathan Burak, Iowa – W, 3-1 dec.
Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 3 seed at 197, was dominating as well in his first bout at nationals. McIntosh posted a strong 5-0 win over Lehigh’s John Bolich, rolling up 2:29 riding time in the process and moving into round two. He then suffered a tough 3-2 upset loss to No. 14 Chris Penny of Virginia Tech in the second round. McIntosh had a takedown late in the first period overturned by the officials then gave up a second period takedown in the loss. McIntosh dropped down to Friday morning’s consolation action with the loss. The Nittany Lion sophomore rebounded from the upset with a dominating 15-7 major over No. 13 Daniel Mitchell of American. McIntosh notched multiple takedowns throughout the match, including two in the final :20 to secure, thanks to 2:17 riding time, the major and important team bonus points. The victory moved McIntosh into the third round of consolation action where he met action where he met No. 6 Richard Perry of Bloomsburg. McIntosh notched a takedown in each of the first two periods and overcame a first period reversal by Perry to post a 6-4 decision and keep his All-America dreams alive. McIntosh’s win moved him into Friday night’s All-American Round of 12.
In the conso fourth round, McIntosh rolled through Binghamton’s Cody Reed to become Penn State’s 185th All-American in his consolation round three bout. McIntosh scored early and often, opening up a 4-1 lead after one period and widening that throughout the bout. McIntosh picked up five takedowns during the match. The Lion sophomore added two escapes and the riding time point to post the important 13-4 major decision. The win made McIntosh an All-American for the first time. In the consolation quarters, McIntosh faced No. 5 seed Kyle Gadsen of Iowa State and dropped a tough 5-3 decision. Gadsen used a first period takedown as the difference maker. McIntosh wrestled No. 11 seed Nathan Burak of Iowa in the seventh place match as well. McIntosh controlled the bout from the start. The Lion sophomore scored a first period takedown at the buzzer to lead 2-0 after the opening stanza. He added a third period escape and posted the 3-1 decision to finish seventh. McIntosh ends his sophomore campaign as a first-time All-American with a 32-5 overall record.
285: #14 Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.), Jr. – 23-10 overall – Season Complete
1st Rd: David Devine, SIU-Edwardsville – W, 12-4 maj. dec.
2nd Rd: #3 Adam Chalfant, Indiana – L, 2-5 dec.
Con 2: Ross Larson, Oklahoma – LBF (2:03)
Junior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.), the No. 14 seed at 285, dominated his opponent in his NCAA Championship debut. Gingrich rolled up 2:26 in riding time and posted two late takedowns to post an important 12-4 major over SIU-Edwardsville’s David Devine, picking up key bonus points and moving into the second round. In the second round, Gingrich battled No. 3 Adam Chalfant of Indiana tough before dropping a 5-2 decision to the third seed. Chalfant used two takedowns and an escape to grab the victory, pushing Gingrich into Friday morning’s consolation action. In the second round of consolation action, Gingrich gave up a first period pin to unseeded Oklahoma Sooner Ross Larson. Larson notched two early takedowns and then locked up Gingrich at the 2:03 mark for the fall. Gingrich went 1-2 at his first NCAA Championship, picking up a major for key team bonus points.
