Nittany Lions in first place after day one of NCAA Championships
Sophomore Dylan Alton laid claim to one of the top freshman seasons in the nation last year, rolling to 30 wins and rebounding from a sudden victory loss in the national quarterfinals to claim third place at his first NCAA Championship at 157. Alton will roll into his sophomore campaign as one of the top 157 pounders in the nation with a national title as the ultimate goal.
Lion Career 2011-12: Downed Dirk Cowburn 5-3 in Intrasquad on 11/3...made collegiate dual debut with 10-8 win over #14 Frank Hickman of Bloomsburg on 11/13...advanced to the finals of the 2011 Nittany Lion Open, taking second with a 4-1 record (plus an NC victory)...went 4-1 at Southern Scuffle on 1/1-2 to take second place, losing in finals by close 3-0 dec. to #1 Kyle Dake of Cornell, had two pins and a major...beat #14 Anthony Jones of Michigan State 1-0 on 1/8...lost tough 2-1 decision on riding time to #3 Jason Welch of Northwestern on 1/13...dominated #20 Josh Demas of Ohio State 4-0 with nearly 2:00 RT on 1/29...downed #7 James Green of Nebraska 2-1 (tb) on 2/3...his 30 wins as a freshman ties brother Andrew and Josh Moore for 10th on PSU's all-time freshman wins list.
Big Ten Championships (4-1, 3rd, NCAA Qualifier): Alton went 3-1 at his first Big Ten Championship, taking third and qualifying for NCAAs as a freshman...beat Minnesota's Danny Zilverberg and majored Purdue's Tommy Churchard before a 3-1 sudden victory loss to Derek St. John in the semifinals...rebounded with 3-2 win over Ohio State's Josh Demas and Michigan State's Anthony Jones to take third.
NCAA Championships (6-1, 3rd, All-American): Blazed to 6-1 record in first run at NCAA Championships to earn All-America status...only loss a 3-1 sudden victory decision to #2 Derek St. John of Iowa in national quarterfinals...beat Jake O'Hara of Columbia to the tune of a 12-4 major...downed #10 Anthony Jones of MSU 2-1...beat Air Force's Josh Kreimeir in first conso bout...4-3 win over #11 James Green of Nebraska followed by 7-5 (sv2) win over #5 Ganbayar Sanjaa of American...downed #3 Jason Welch of Northwestern in third place bout 6-2.
2010-11: Alton posted a superb 17-2 record as an unattached wrestler at 149 and 157 last season...notched five pins and three majors...won East Stroudsburg Open title in November and the National Collegiate Open at Clarion in February.
2009-10: First year collegiate action.
High School/Personal
Dylan was ranked No. 1 at 152 by Intermat and was the No. 5 ranked overall recruit in the country (at any weight). Dylan was a three-time PIAA state champion, having claimed the 152 pound title last year with a 47-0 record. He won the 145 pound crown his junior year after a 47-0 campaign. The year before, he went 45-1 at 135 and claimed the state title as a sophomore. As a high school freshman, Dylan posted a 39-4 mark and took seventh at states. He ended his career with a 178-5 record at nearby Central Mountain High School. The Mill Hall native is, like his twin, an outstanding freestyle wrestler as well. Dylan won the 2008 and 2009 Junior National crowns, took the 2008 Junior National championship in Greco Roman, won the 2008 Walsh Ironman title and took third at the 2008 Super 32 Challenge. Dylan is the son of Neil and Donna Alton of Mill Hall, Pa., and the twin brother of fellow signee Andrew.
