March 16, 2012
VIDEO: NCAA Championships Session III Interviews
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will have five wrestlers in the national semifinals after a superb quarterfinal showing at the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The Nittany Lions went 5-2, including two pins and a major, to race out to a large lead in the team race.
Entering today's action with a slim 5.5 point lead over Minnesota, the Nittany Lions' barrage of wins and bonus points has the team with a 17.0 point lead over second-place Cornell entering tonight's session. Penn State is in first place with 78.5 while Cornell is in second with 61.5. Iowa is in third with 58.5 while Minnesota is in fourth with 56.0 and Oklahoma State fifth with 50.0.
True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) was first up for Penn State in the quarters, taking on No. 2 Zach Sanders of Minnesota. Megaludis, the No. 10 seed, sent the Scottrade Center into an early frenzy by rolling to a 7-4 win over the three-time Gopher All-American. Megaludis used three takedowns, two in the third period, to become a true freshman All-American. He is Penn State's first true freshman All-American since Quentin Wright turned the trick in 2009.
Senior Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), the top seed at 149, became Penn State's fifth four-time All-American. Molinaro broke open a close bout against No. 8 Eric Grajales with a takedown and two near fall points in the second period. He added two more takedowns, an escape and the riding time point to roll to a 10-2 major decision, picking up key bonus points in the process. Molinaro joins Nittany Lion greats Greg Elinsky, Jim Martin, Sanshiro Abe and Phil Davis as four-time All-Americans.
Red-shirt freshman
Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) took on No. 2 Derek St. John of Iowa at 157 in the quarters. Alton, the No. 7 seed, nearly pulled off Penn State's second upset in the quarters, taking St. John to sudden victory. But St. John countered a solid Alton high single and rolled through for his own takedown and a 3-1 (sv) win. The loss drops Alton into the consolation fourth round tonight, still one win from All-America status.
All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), the top seed at 165, ripped off his third straight pin of the tournament, this time decking No. 8 Robert Kokesh of Nebraska in only :29. Taylor used a low single leg to put Kokesh to the mat then finished off a cradle for the fall in just :29. Taylor, now a two-time All-American, rolls into the semifinals this evening.
All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), the top seed at 174, rolled through No. 9 Nick Heflin of Ohio State in his quarterfinal match-up. The Lion sophomore became a two-time All-American with an 11-4 decision over Heflin, including 2:45 in riding time. Ruth's win moves him into the national semifinals tonight.
Two-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), the No. 6 seed at 184, battled No. 3 Ben Bennett of Central Michigan in the quarterfinals. Wright, the defending national champion, sent the Nittany Lion faithful to their feet once again by stunning No. 3 Ben Bennett of Central Michigan with a standing cradle. Wright caught the third seed with the move early and then used nearly 1:30 to finish it off and get the pin at the 2:35 mark. The Nittany Lion junior becomes Penn State's 20th three-time All-American with the win. He sets up a rematch of last year's national title bout (won by Wright) against No. 2 Robert Hamlin of Lehigh in the semifinals tonight.
Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), the No. 6 seed at 285, met No. 3 Clayton Jack of Oregon State in Penn State's final quarterfinal match-up. Wade suffered a 7-0 setback to Jack and fell into the consolation fourth round tonight, just one win shy of All-America status.
In consolation action, sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) dropped a tough 19-9 major decision to No. 6 Devin Carter of Virginia Tech. Martellotti went 1-2 in his first trip to NCAAs. True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) met Ohio State's Andrew Campolattano once again and, after beating the Buckeye twice during the regular season, dropped a tough 8-3 decision. The loss ends the true freshman's season with a 1-2 showing in his first NCAA tournament.
The Nittany Lions' 5-2 quarterfinal mark with five bonus points was tempered by two losses in consolation action. Still, Penn State heads into session three with a superb 21-6 overall record. In addition to the stellar won/loss mark, Penn State has collected 19.5 bonus points off six pins, six majors and a tech fall.
The national semifinals take place, along with more consolation action, tonight at 6 p.m. CENTRAL/7 p.m. EASTERN, and will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The three day then continues all day Saturday, culminating with the national finals on Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. CENTRAL/7:30 p.m. EASTERN.
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 NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS - Top 5 Team Standings Session 3
Friday, March 16, 2012 - Scottrade Center - St. Louis, Mo.
1: PENN STATE - 78.5
2: Cornell - 61.5
3: Iowa - 58.5
4: Minnesota - 56.0
5: Oklahoma State - 50.0
The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown/agate of Penn State's tournament to date:
125: Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), Fr. - #10 seed - 27-7 overall - ALL-AMERICAN
1st Rd: W, 13-5 maj. dec. Michael Martinez, Wyoming
2nd Rd: W, 7-3 dec. #7 Jarrod Patterson, Oklahoma
Qtrs: W, 7-4 dec. #2 Zach Sanders, Minnesota
Semis: Tonight vs. #6 Frank Perrelli, Cornell
True freshman Nico Megaludis opened up his first NCAA Championship tournament with an impressive win over fifth-year senior Michael Martinez of Wyoming. Megaludis dominated the action from start to finish and posted the 13-5 major decision, picking up an early bonus point for Penn State.
In the second round, Megaludis roared back from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to score seven unanswered points to post a 7-3 win over No. 7 Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma. Megaludis used an escape, a takedown, three back points and 1:37 in riding time to roll to the win.
Megaludis exacted sweet revenge on No. 2 seed Zach Sanders of Minnesota in the national quarterfinals. The true freshman rolled to a 7-4 win thanks to three takedowns and an escape. Sanders downed Megaludis twice during the regular season by identical 6-2 scores. Megaludis bolted out to a 3-1 lead after two periods with an escape and takedown. In the third period, the Lion freshman dominated the action, taking Sanders down twice and picking up the win to become a true freshman All-American.
133: Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.), So. - 9-11 overall - Season Complete
1st Rd: LBF #1 Jordan Oliver, Oklahoma State (2:06)
Cns 1: W, 2-1 dec. Frank Lomas, CS-Bakersfield
Cns 2: L, 9-19 maj. dec. #6 Devin Carter, Virginia Tech
Sophomore Frank Martellotti made his NCAA Championship debut against the tournament's No. 1 seed, Oklahoma State's Jordan Oliver. Martellotti got taken down early by the top seed and then pinned at the 2:06 mark.
The true sophomore rebounded in the first round of wrestle backs, getting a reversal in the third period to post an important 2-1 decision over UC-Bakersfield's Frank Lomas. The win kept Martellotti alive and moved him into the second round of wrestle backs.
Martellotti was then eliminated in the second round of consolations, suffering a 19-9 major decision to No. 6 Devin Carter of Virginia Tech. Martellotti went 1-2 in his first trip to NCAAs but picked up a key team point in the first round of consolations.
149: Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), Sr. - #1 seed - 31-0 overall - ALL-AMERICAN
1st Rd: W, 9-0 maj. dec. Chris Villalonga, Cornell
2nd Rd: W, 6-5 dec. Scott Sakaguchi, Oregon State
Qtrs: W, 10-2 maj. dec. #8 Eric Grajales, Michigan
Semis: Tonight vs. Justin Accordino, Hofstra
Top seed Frank Molinaro began his quest for an NCAA title and his fourth All-America honor with a dominating 9-0 major over Cornell's Chris Villalonga at 149. Molinaro recorded three takedowns, an escape, a stall point and a riding time point off 4:07 in time to coast to the win.
In the second round, Molinaro battled through a tough match-up with Oregon State's Scott Sakaguchi. The Nittany Lion senior used a solid 2:27 riding time edge for the decisive point in a 6-5 win to more into the quarterfinals.
Molinaro became Penn State's fifth four-time All-American with a dominating 10-2 major decision over No. 8 Eric Grajales of Michigan. The Nittany Lion senior broke open a close match with a takedown and two near fall points in the second and then two more takedowns, an escape and riding time in the third. Molinaro heads to the national semifinals and joins Nittany Lion greats Greg Elinsky, Jim Martin, Sanshiro Abe and Phil Davis as a four-time All-American.
157: Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), Fr. - #7 seed - 26-6 overall
1st Rd: W, 12-4 maj. dec. Jake O'Hara, Columbia
2nd Rd: W, 2-1 dec. #10 Anthony Jones, Michigan State
Qtrs: L, 1-3 (sv) #2 Derek St. John, Iowa
Cns 4: Tonight
Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton made his NCAA Championship debut in fine fashion with a dominating 12-4 major over Columbia's Jake O'Hara. Alton rolled up 3:01 in riding time for the important team bonus point.
In the second round, Alton used a strong third period ride to build up a riding time edge and grab an important 2-1 win over No. 10 Anthony Jones of Michigan State. Each wrestler had an escape and Alton's 1:14 in riding time provided the difference as the Lion freshman moved into the quarterfinals.
Alton battled No. 2 Derek St. John into sudden victory once again in the quarters. In the extra period, the Lion freshman got in on a single against the Hawkeye but St. John countered, rolled through and picked up the 3-1 sudden victory decision. Alton, still one win from All-America status, moved into the consolation fourth round.
165: David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), So. - #1 seed - 30-0 overall - ALL-AMERICAN
1st Rd: WBF over Corey Lear, Bucknell (1:40)
2nd Rd: WBF over Brandon Wright, UT-Chattanooga (1:51)
Qtrs: WBF over #8 Robert Kokesh, Nebraska (0:29)
Semis: Tonight vs. #4 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov, Clarion
Top-seed David Taylor opened up his run towards NCAA glory with a quick pin of Bucknell's Corey Lear. Taylor notched an early takedown and the turned the Bison to his shoulders for a quick first period fall at the 1:40 mark.
Taylor needed just :11 more seconds in his second round match-up. Taylor turned another first period takedown into a pin, getting the fall at the 1:51 mark over UT-Chattanooga's Brandon Wright. Taylor's second straight pin moved him into the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Taylor needed less than a half a minute to become a two-time All-American. The Nittany Lion sophomore used a low single against No. 8 Robert Kokesh of Nebraska to take the Husker to the mat. He then quickly locked up a cradle and decked the Husker for a pin at the :29 mark, moving into the national semifinals.
174: Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), So. - #1 seed - 29-0 overall - ALL-AMERICAN
1st Rd: WBF over Jim Resnick, Rider (1:43)
2nd Rd: WBF over Dorian Henderson, Missouri (1:25)
Qtrs: W, 11-4 dec. #9 Nick Heflin, Ohio State
Semis: Tonight vs. #4 Logan Storley, Minnesota
Top-seed Ed Ruth began his quest for an NCAA crown with a quick pin over Rider's Jim Resnick. Ruth turned his second takedown of the first period into a cradle and got the fall at the 1:42 mark.
Ruth needed even less time in his second round match-up with Missouri's Dorian Henderson. The Lion sophomore turned a first period takedown into a quick cradle and got the fall at the 1:25 mark, moving into the quarterfinals.
Ruth joined Taylor as a two-time All-American with a dominating 11-4 win over Ohio State's Nick Heflin, the No. 9 seed. The Lion used three takedowns, stall points and 2:45 of riding time to roll to the win and into the national semifinals.
184: Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), Jr. - #6 seed - 29-3 overall - ALL-AMERICAN
1st Rd: W, 11-0 maj. dec. Thomas Ferguson, North Carolina
2nd Rd: W, 10-2 maj. dec. #11 Ben Clymer, Hofstra
Qtrs: WBF #3 Ben Bennett, Central Michigan (2:35)
Semis: Tonight vs. #2 Robert Hamlin, Lehigh
Defending National Champion Quentin Wright began the defense of his NCAA title with a resounding 11-0 major decision over North Carolina's Thomas Ferguson. Wright used a late takedown and three near fall points to collect the bonus point.
Wright then hammered No. 11 Ben Clymer of Hofstra in the second round, using a late takedown and 2:28 in riding time to post a 10-2 major decision and move into the quarterfinals. The major also added important bonus points to the Lions' tally.
The Nittany Lion junior then thrilled the Scottrade Center in the quarterfinals, hitting a standing cradle against No. 3 Ben Bennett of Central Michigan and working nearly 1:30 to get the sizzling first period pin at the 2:35 mark. The pin makes Wright Penn State's 20th three-time All-American and moved him into the national semifinals.
197: Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), Fr. - 18-10 overall - Season Complete
1st Rd: W, 9-3 dec. Taylor Meeks, Oregon State
2nd Rd: L, 7-22 tech fall #1 Cam Simaz, Cornell (TF; 7:00)
Cons Rd 2: L, 3-8 dec. Andrew Campolattano, Ohio State
True freshman Morgan McIntosh made his first NCAA Championship appearance against Oregon State's Taylor Meeks. McIntosh turned the Beaver to his back twice in the third period for three-point near falls and rolled to a 9-3 win in his NCAA tournament debut.
In the second round, the true freshman ran into top seeded Cornell senior Cam Simaz and suffered a 22-7 tech fall defeat at the 7:00 mark on riding time. The loss sent McIntosh into the consolation second round.
McIntosh met Ohio State's Andrew Campolattano for the third time this season in the second round of consolations. After defeating the Buckeye twice during the year, the Nittany Lion true freshman suffered an 8-3 setback and ended his tournament with a 1-2 record, picking up key team points with a first round win.
285: Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio.), Sr. - #6 seed - 28-5 overall
1st Rd: W, 17-2 tech fall over Quintas McCorkle, Clarion (TF; 7:00)
2nd Rd: W, 8-2 dec. Maciej Jochym, Cornell
Qtrs: L, 0-7 dec. #3 Clayton Jack, Oregon State
Con 4: Tonight
Senior Cameron Wade, the No. 6 seed at heavyweight, began the 2012 NCAA Championships with a superb 17-2 technical fall over Clarion's Quintas McCorkle. Wade picked up a last second takedown and, with the riding time point, picked up the tech fall at the 7:00 mark for 1.5 team bonus points.
In the second round, Wade used a six point first period to roll to an 8-2 win over Cornell's Maciej Jochym. The Lion senior notched a takedown, two back points and a reversal in the first period and then a reversal in the third to roll into the quarterfinals.
Wade then fell to No. 3 Clayton Jack of Oregon State in the quarterfinals. The Lion senior fell victim to two takedowns and a reversal and shifted down to the consolation rounds still one win from All-America stats.
