March 3, 2012
Photo Gallery 
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -
B10BracketsSess1 
VIDEO: Big Ten Championships Session I Interviews
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, led by head coach Cael Sanderson, sits in first place after the opening session of the 2012 Big Ten Championships at Purdue University. Penn State had 78.5 points with Iowa at 69.0 and Minnesota at 59.0. The Nittany Lions posted a superb 13-2 overall record in the first session and have eight wrestlers in the conference semifinals, slated to begin tonight at 5 p.m.
Advancing to tonight's Big Ten semifinals are No. 8 Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) at 125, three-time All-American and top-seeded Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) at 149, No. 2 seed Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) at 157, All-American and top seeded David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) at 165, All-American and top seeded Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) at 174, two-time All-American and second-seed Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) at 184, No. 3 seed Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) at 197 and No. 2 seed Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) at heavyweight.
Penn State had five first round match-ups leading into the quarterfinals and took full advantage of each one, going 5-0 and picking up 6.5 important bonus points right out of the gates. Megaludis, junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.), Alton, Taylor and Wright all grabbed wins. Megaludis got a major, Pearsall picked up a pin, Taylor a tech fall and Wright a pin.
In the second round, Megaludis, the No. 3 seed at 125, downed No. 6 seed Johnni DeJulius of Ohio State 6-2. Sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) made his Big Ten tournament debut against top-seeded Logan Stieber of Ohio State and fell 13-3. Pearsall dropped a tough 6-0 decision to defending national champion Kellen Russell of Michigan. Molinaro picked up Penn State's third pin with a 2:18 fall over Northwestern's Kaleb Friedley before Alton majored Purdue's tommy Churchard 15-6 at 157. Taylor posted Penn State's fourth pin, getting a fall over NU's Pierce Harger at the 1:40 mark. Ruth posted a 14-2 major over Illinois' Jordan Blanton in his first bout at 174 and Wright notched a tough 7-2 (sv) win over Tony Dallago at 18Sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) made his Big Ten tournament debut against top-seeded Logan Stieber of Ohio State and fell 13-3.
Pearsall dropped a tough 6-0 decision to defending national champion Kellen Russell of Michigan. Molinaro picked up Penn State's third pin with a 2:18 fall over Northwestern's Kaleb Friedley before Alton majored Purdue's tommy Churchard 15-6 at 157. Taylor posted Penn State's fourth pin, getting a fall over NU's Pierce Harger at the 1:40 mark. Ruth posted a 14-2 major over Illinois' Jordan Blanton in his first bout at 174 and Wright notched a tough 7-2 (sv) win over Tony Dallago at 184. McIntosh used nearly all of sudden victory, using a takedown with :01 left to notch a 3-1 (sv) win over sixth-seed Andrew Campolattano of Ohio State. Wade closed out Penn State's superb quarterfinal round with a 10-0 major over Michigan State's Steve Andrus.
Penn State picked up another 7.0 bonus points in the quarterfinals, giving them 13.5 bonus points in the opening session to go along with a 13-2 record.
The 2012 Big Ten Championship Tournament is being contested at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., on March 3-4. Session two is set for tonight, Saturday, at 5 p.m. Tomorrow's first session begins at 1 p.m. with the championship finals starting at 3 p.m. The finals will air live on the Big Ten Network.
The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven's WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live, WIEZ (670 AM) in Huntingdon/Lewistown carries all Sunday events. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State's All-Access package. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
2012 Big Ten Wrestling Championships - Team Standings After Session 1
Saturday, March 3, 2012 - Mackey Arena - West Lafayette, Ind.
1: PENN STATE - 78.5
2: Iowa - 69.0
3: Minnesota - 59.0
4: Illinois - 40.5
5: Ohio State - 36.0
6: Purdue - 30.0
7: Northwestern - 25.5
8: Nebraska - 25.0
9: Michigan - 20-0
10: Indiana - 11.0
11: Michigan State - 10.0
12: Wisconsin - 1.0
The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown/agate of Penn State's tournament to date:
125: #8 Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), Fr. - 3rd seed - 23-5 overall
1st Rd: W, 12-3 maj. Dec. Grant Pizzo, Michigan
Qtrs: W, 6-2 dec. #17 Johnni DeJulius, Ohio State
Semis: Tonight
True freshman Nico Megaludis opened up his first Big Ten Championship bout with a dominating 12-3 major over Michigan's Grant Pizzo. Megaludis notched a bevy of takedowns and built up 4:45 in riding time in the win. In the quarterfinals, Megaludis dominated No. 17 Johnni DeJulius of Ohio State, the 6th-seed, with a 6-2 decision, sending him to the semifinals.
133: Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.), So. - 8th seed - 6-8
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: L, 3-13 maj. dec. #2 Logan Stieber, Ohio State
Cons: Tonight
Sophomore Frank Martellotti had a first round bye and then met top seed and second-ranked Logan Stieber of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Stieber posted a strong 13-3 major decision, sending Martellotti into the consolation rounds.
141: Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.), Jr. - 8th seed - 13-11
1st Rd: WBF over Thomas Glenn, Wisconsin (1:39)
Qtrs: L, 0-6 #1 Kellen Russell, Michigan
Cons: Tonight
Junior Bryan Pearsall recorded Penn State's first pin of the tournament with a quick first period decking of Wisconsin's Thomas Glenn. Pearsall took Glenn down early then turned him to his back for a fall at the 1:39 mark. He moved on to face defending national champion and top seeded Kellen Russell of Michigan in the quarters. Pearsall battled Russell tough before dropping a 6-0 decision and moving into the consolation bracket.
149: #1 Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), Sr. - 1st seed - 26-0 overall
1st Rd: Bye
Qtrs: WBF over Kaleb Friedley, Northwestern (2:18)
Semis: Tonight
Top seed Frank Molinaro opened up defense of his Big Ten title with a swift and decisive pin of 8th-seeded Kaleb Friedley of Northwestern. Molinaro took Friedley down early, worked a tilt and then got the pin at the 2:18 mark. The win moved him into the semifinals.
157: #5 Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), Fr. - 2nd seed - 22-4 overall
1st Rd: W, 4-2 dec. Danny Zilverberg, Minnesota
Qtrs: W, 15-6 maj. dec. Tommy Churchard, Purdue
Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton took down Minnesota's Danny Zilverberg in tough first round match-up. Alton had two first period takedowns and rolled to a 4-2 win over the Gopher. He then moved on to the quarterfinals where he posted a 15-6 major decision over Purdue's Tommy Churchard to move into the semis.
165: #1 David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), So. - 1st seed - 25-0 overall
1st Rd: W, 20-5 tech fall over Derek Garcia, Ohio State (TF; 7:00)
Qtrs: WBF over Pierce Harger, Northwestern (1:40)
Top-seed David Taylor dominated Ohio State's Derek Garcia from the opening whistle, putting on a takedown clinic on his way to a 20-5 technical fall with over 4:00 riding time. The riding time point gave Taylor the 1.5 bonus points at the 7:00 mark. In the quarterfinals, Taylor made short work of 8th-seed Pierce Harger of Northwestern, getting a quick pin at the 1:40 mark for two more Lion bonus points. The 2-0 morning moved him into the semifinals.
174: #2 Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), So. - 1st seed - 24-0 overall
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: W, 14-2 maj. dec. #9 Jordan Blanton, Illinois
Top-seed Ed Ruth hammered No. 9 Jordan Blanton of Illinois, posting a 14-2 major with nearly 5:00 riding time. Blanton's only two points were via escapes and Ruth posted four takedowns and two near falls. The decisive victory moved the No. 1 seed into the semifinals.
184: #2 Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), Jr. - 2nd seed - 24-2 overall
1st Rd: WBF over Luke Sheridan, Indiana (2:17)
Qtrs: W, 7-2 (sv) dec. Tony Dallago, Illinois
Semis: Tonight
Defending National Champion Quentin Wright hopped on the bonus point train early, getting a first period pin over Indiana's Luke Sheridan. Wright got the fall at the 2:17 mark. He followed that up with a hard fought 7-2 (sv) win over Illinois' Tony Dallago, moving into the semifinals.
197: #12 Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), Fr. - 3rd seed - 16-6 overall
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: 3-1 (sv) dec. Andrew Campolattano, Ohio State
Semis: Tonight
True freshman Morgan McIntosh, the third-seed at 197, received a first round bye and then took on sixth-seed Andrew Campolattano of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. McIntosh finished off the bout's only takedown with just :01 left in sudden victory to post a 3-1 (sv) win and move into the semis.
285: #5 Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio.), Sr. - 2nd seed - 23-3 overall
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: W, 10-1 maj. dec. Steve Andrus, Michigan State
Semis: Tonight
Senior Cameron Wade, the No. 2 seed at heavyweight, received a first round bye. In the quarterfinals, Wade dominated Michigan State's Steve Andrus, posting a 10-0 major with nearly 5:00 riding time. The victory, good for a bonus point as well, moved Wade into the semifinals.
