Penn State Goes 7-2 in NCAA Openers; Lions in Third Place

CLEVELAND – The Penn State Nittany Lions (14-0, 9-0 B1G) reeled off seven straight bonus point wins, after an 0-2 start, to close out the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Championships. Penn State has nine NCAA qualifiers in Cleveland as head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad is looking to win its seventh NCAA title in the last eight years.

With the first round of the championship bracket complete, Penn State is in the thick of the team race with 16.0 points. Iowa (18.5) and Ohio State (17.0) are also poised atop the leader-board. All five of Penn State’s returning NCAA Champions from last year grabbed victories as part of a seven bout win streak.
Senior Corey Keener (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.), unseeded at 133, took on No. 11 Dom Forys of Pittsburgh in Penn State’s first bout of the tournament. The Lion senior, now a four-time NCAA qualifier, took an early 2-0 lead with a takedown but Forys answered with an escape and a takedown to take a 3-2 lead. Keener tied the bout in the second period and was trying to work a cradle when Forys countered and picked up the fall on his own at the 4:57 mark. Keener will wrestle in the consolation round tonight.

True freshman Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), the No. 8 seed at 141, faced off against Ryan Diehl of Maryland in the opening round of his first NCAA tournament. Lee opened up an early lead with two quick takedowns but Diehl answered with a takedown and quickly turned the Lion freshman to his back, picking up the fall at the 2:12 mark. Lee, like Keener, will wrestle in consolation action tonight.

Senior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 149, began his quest for a third straight NCAA individual title against Kyle Springer of Eastern Michigan. After watching two teammates see early leads turned into losses by fall, Retherford turned a 2-1 first period lead into a 5-1 edge after two periods. Retherford poured on the offense in the final stanza and walked away with a 16-1 technical fall with 4:05 in riding time. Retherford’s win, Penn State’s first of the tourney, moves the Lion into tonight’s second round.

Junior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 157 and seeking a second straight NCAA individual crown, took on Central Michigan’s Colin Heffernan in the opening round. Nolf led 4-1 after one period and extended that lead to 12-3 within the first minute of the second period. The Lion junior led 14-5 after two and rolled to a 22-7 technical fall on the riding time point. Nolf’s rousing win moves the Lion into tonight’s second round.

Sophomore Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 165, began his battle for a second NCAA individual title against Jonathan Schleifer of Princeton. Joseph opened up 4-1 lead after one, improved it to 9-2 after two periods and closed out a strong performance with a 15-4 major decision with 3:21 in riding time. His win moves him into the second round in session two later tonight.

Sophomore Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Utah), the No. 2 seed at 174 and looking for a second straight NCAA individual title, faced off against Austin Rose of Drexel in the first round. Hall used a first period takedown to lead 2-0 after one stanza and improved it to 7-0 in the second period. The Lion sophomore quickly tacked on a flurry of third period takedowns and rolled to a 12-2 major with 3:38 in riding time. His win moves him into tonight’s second round.

Junior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), the No. 1 seed at 184, began his quest for a second straight NCAA individual crown against South Dakota State’s Martin Mueller. Nickal opened up a 6-0 lead with a takedown and four-point turn in the first period. He dominated the second stanza as well, leading 10-2 after two. Nickal rolled to a 16-4 major decision with 4:34 in riding time. His victory moves him into tonight’s second round.

Junior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), the No. 5 seed at 197, took on The Citadel’s Sawyer Root in the first round of his first NCAA Championship tournament. Rasheed led 4-1 after the opening period thanks to two takedowns. Root rebounded to tie the bout 4-4 after two periods but Rasheed rebounded with a reversal and then a cradle for four back points and a 10-4 lead. He stretched his lead to 12-5 with another takedown and rode Root out. A 2:15 riding time edge gave Rasheed a 13-5 major and his first victory in the NCAA tournament. Rasheed’s win moves him into tonight’s second round.

Junior Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), the No. 3 seed at 285, opened up his second NCAA Championship tournament with a first round match-up against Kent State’s Stephen Suglio. Nevills opened up a 2-0 lead with a late first period takedown and then upped it to 8-0 after two with another takedown and four back points. Nevills ended the bout early in the third, turning Suglio to his back for Penn State’s first pin at the 5:24 mark. The fall moves Nevills into tonight’s second round.

Penn State went 7-2 in the opening session, with all the wins bringing bonus points with them. The Lions picked up nine bonus points off a pin (Nevills), two techs (Retherford and Nolf) and four majors (Joseph, Hall, Nickal and Rasheed).

All nine Lions continue the event tonight as session two begins at 7 p.m. in Quicken Loans Arena. The second session features championship bracket round two as well as the opening round of wrestle-backs.
2018 NCAA Championships – Individual Agate after session 1:
March 15, 2018 – Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, Ohio

Weight-by-weight agate (rankings listed indicate official tournament seed)

133: Corey Keener, Sr. – unseeded
Rd. 1: #11 Dom Forys, Pittsburgh – LBF (4:57)
Cn. 1: Cam Sykora, North Dakota State – tonight
141: Nick Lee, Fr. – #8 seed
Rd. 1: Ryan Diehl, Maryland – LBF (2:12)
Cn. 1: #9 Josh Alber, Northern Iowa – tonight
149: Zain Retherford, Sr. – #1 seed
Rd. 1: Kyle Springer, Eastern Michigan – W, 16-1 TF (7:00)
Rd. 2: #16 Alfred Bannister, Maryland – tonight
157: Jason Nolf, Jr. – #3 seed
Rd. 1: Colin Heffernan, Central Michigan – W, 22-7 TF (7:00)
Rd. 2: #14 Andrew Crone, Wisconsin – tonight
165: Vincenzo Joseph, So. – #3 seed
Rd. 1: Jonathan Schleiffer, Princeton – W, 15-4 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #14 Branson Ashworth, Wyoming – tonight
174: Mark Hall, So. – #2 seed
Rd. 1: Austin Rose, Drexel – W, 12-2 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #15 Dylan Lydy, Purdue — tonight
184: Bo Nickal, Jr. – #1 seed
Rd. 1: Martin Mueller, South Dakota State – W, 16-4 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #16 Jordan Ellingwood, Central Michigan – tonight
197: Shakur Rasheed, Jr. – #5 seed
Rd. 1: Sawyer Root, The Citadel – W, 13-5 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: Daniel Chaid, North Carolina – tonight
285: Nick Nevills, Jr. – #3 seed
Rd. 1: Stephen Suglio, Kent State – WBF (5:24)
Rd. 2: #14 Michael Boykin, North Carolina State – tonight