PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Welcome back to Wells Fargo Center for the final day of action at the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Take a look back at session five in the Wells Fargo Center and Ed Ruth's clinching match.  Hear from Andrew Long and Ruth after claiming third.  Also watch head coach Cael Sanderson talk about Ruth's national title clinching victory.

Session Five:
The Nittany Lions enter session five with 92.5 points.  Cornell is second with 75.0, while three-time defending champion Iowa is third with 74.0.  Andrew Long (133) and Ed Ruth (174) will be in action during session five.  Both Nittany Lion wrestlers will be seeking a spot in the third place bout, which will also take place during this session.

Stay tuned to the GoPSUsports.com blog throughout the day for continuous updates from press row in Philadelphia.

First up on the mats for the Nittany Lions was sophomore and No. 2 seed Long who took on No. 8 seed Mike Grey of Cornell in the semifinal wrestlebacks.

Long and Grey sized each other up at the start of the bout and Long made the first move with a high takedown just a minute into the first period. The two battled their way off of the mat and returned to center-mat where Grey chose down. Long was unable to put his opponent in a good position, so he let Grey loose for the escape point. Long continued to drive and after a hard and low shot at Grey's leg, delivered a second takedown at the end of the opening period.

Long tallied a 4-1 lead heading into the second period, and chose down to begin. The Nittany Lion was able to wrestle to his feet and escape quickly. Grey and Long went toe-to-toe for the next minute before Long shot in on Grey again and was able to get around him for a third takedown. Just seconds after, Long put Grey on his back and up on his shoulders and pushed for a last second fall right before the buzzer.

The last second victory puts Long into the consolation finals and gives him a chance to compete for third place against No. 11 seed Scotti Sentes of Central Michigan at 133. Long and Sentes met on Friday morning in the championship quarterfinals where Long pulled out a win by fall.

The victory also increased Penn State's team score to 98.0 tournament points, which is a new school record, surpassing the team's previous best of 97.75 team points.

After the match, Long said that he was disappointed that he won't be able to join his teammates in the championship finals, but happy to still be competing.

"I'm excited you know," said Long. "There's a lot more honor in taking third then, well I mean this is a tough tournament and everything but, it just hurts to drop those matches that you shouldn't and you know I'm trying to do the best I can so I'm going for the backside gold here. Unfortunately it's not the same color but bronze will make me a lot happier."

174 [Wrestleback Semifinals] - No. 2 Ed Ruth v. No. 5 Christopher Henrich (Univ. of Virginia)
Ruth followed Long in the final day of wrestlebacks and also picked up a his first consolation win to advance to the third-place battle at the end of this fifth session.

Ruth and Henrich got into a hand battle to begin the bout and Ruth shot low on his opponent but Henrich rolled him back. Ruth then worked his way around Henrich's legs for an opening takedown with 42 seconds left in the first period. The Nittany Lion led 2-0 going into the second period and Henrich chose down to start. Ruth stayed dominant on top of Henrich for the majority of the middle period, but Henrich was able to escape at the 35 second mark.

With a score of 2-1 going into the final period, Ruth chose down and quickly worked to a reversal of Henrich near the edge of the mat. Henrich fought his way off the mat and the two returned to center-mat where Henrich chose down and quickly escaped but only for a short time as Ruth fired back for a final takedown with 20 seconds left to go in the match. Leading 6-2, Ruth rode out Henrich and secured riding time for a final match-winning decision of 7-2.

The win puts Ruth alongside of Long in the consolation finals later this session where he will meet No. 3 seed Mack Lewnes of Cornell for the third-place battle at 174. Ruth's decision puts Penn State even further ahead on the leader board with a team score of 101.5 points. The next closest team is Cornell with 88.5 points.

At the end of his match Ruth also expressed how happy he was to still be competing for a spot on the podium, but said that he still thinks he has room for improvement.

"Move faster, keep pushing the pace, don't give him any time to rest, even those breathers in between," said Ruth. "Those short periods when we stop after you have a good go, I really think they can be shorter."

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133 [Wrestleback Finals] - No. 2 Andrew Long v. No. 11 Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan)
Long and Sentes squared off for the second time this weekend as the two began the consolation finals bout in a battle for a third-place finish.

Sentes struck first, handing Long a takedown half way through the opening period. Long escaped after a flailing struggle, but Sentes pounded back with another takedown before the period was over. A few seconds before the buzzer, Long was able to cut Sentes loose. Leading 4-2, Sentes chose down to begin the second period and earned a quick escape point off the bat. The two sparred for first half of the period, but Long shot in on Sentes with just 31 seconds to go and delivered his first takedown.

With a score of 5-4 in favor of Sentes to start the third, Long chose down and instead of escaping Sentes' grip Long turned the familiar foe to his stomach and circled around for another takedown with 1:26 to go. Long pushed Sentes up on his shoulders for what could have been a few near fall points, but Sentes resisted and stayed alive. Long secured riding time with a minute left in the final period and controlled Sentes to win by decision 7-5.

Long finished the national tournament with All-American honors and a bronze medal to take back to State College. His performance was crucial for the Nittany Lions as a team and one to remember as he finished 5-1 in the NCAA Tournament.

The Nittany Lion sophomore said that he is proud of his third-place finish and attributed his hard-fought matches to his passion for wrestling.

"I've always considered myself the a guy who likes to fight out there and enjoys the battle and has a lot of heart so I try to use that to my advantage and just kind of overwhelm guys until the end of the match," said Long."

Long also commented on the fact that winning always seems to be a little bit more exciting when it becomes contagious for a team.

"There's a lot more enjoyment when your whole team is having success as opposed to just individuals," said Long. "I feel good just to get that win. It's a few extra points and like we saw, as an example, in the Big Ten in comes down to every match so it just feels good to get a win for the team and just for my self-satisfaction as well."

174 [Wrestleback Finals] - No. 2 Ed Ruth v. No. 3 Mack Lewnes (Cornell)
Ruth came out firing in the consolation finals and shot low at Lewnes, trying to get an opening takedown. He finally succeeded about halfway through the opening period after Lewnes shot in on his legs and Ruth countered to spin around for the takedown. The two wrestlers found themselves off the mat and were returned to center-mat where Lewnes chose bottom, and was able to garner one escape point before the opening period had ended.

With a 2-1 lead going into the second period, Ruth chose down to start and jumped to a quick escape. Ruth then got low on Lewnes and turned his opponent for another takedown. Ruth led 5-2 heading into the final period, and WE ARE chants started to fill The Wells Fargo Center. Lewnes chose down to start in hopes of escaping the Nittany Lion's grip but Ruth handled Lewnes dominantly and never let up. Ruth secured riding time and finished the bout winning 6-2.

Ed Ruth didn't know it before he started his final NCAA tournament match, but by capturing a third-place win over Cornell's Lewnes, the Nittany Lion clinched the national title for Penn State.

After Long's third-place individual finish this morning, the only way that second-place Cornell could have topped Penn State in the team standings was by winning by fall in all of their remaining matches both in the fifth and sixth sessions.

As long as the Nittany Lions avoid any kind of disqualification or loss of points, there's no need for Cornell to worry about getting those pins anymore. Ruth defeated Cornell's Lewnes in a 6-2 decision to put the Nittany Lions far enough ahead of Cornell to secure what will be the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championship.

When he found out that he had clinched the team's championship title, Ruth said that he was just grateful to be able to be a part of such a special group.

"It's a big honor to be able to do something like that," said Ruth. "I feel good. I feel really good. I feel proud of myself, I feel proud of my team. I just can't wait to see what happens in the finals."