AUBURN HILLS, Mich.; March 16, 2007 ¨C Two Nittany Lion wrestlers will take part in the national semifinals of the 2007 NCAA Championships and head coach Troy Sunderland¡¯s team sits firmly in sixth place. Junior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) and senior Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) won their quarterfinal bouts in today¡¯s third session and will take part in the national semifinals tonight. In addition, sophomore Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) and freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) are live in consolations and one win shy of becoming All-Americans themselves. With a few consolation bouts still being contended, the Nittany Lions were firmly in sixth place in the team standings and second Big Ten team behind first place Minnesota. Iowa State was in second, Oklahoma in third, Missouri in fourth and Hofstra in fifth. Please note that the final team scores were awaiting conclusion of wrestle-backs. The eight-mat set up featured the national quarterfinals running on the four center mats and the next two rounds of consolations taking place on the four outer mats. Given that, the first Nittany Lion up was junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), who took on Oregon State¡¯s Eric Stevenson in the second consolation round at 125. McKnight had his first scoring chance early, completing a double leg at the 2:40 mark, but Stevenson fought through the move to force a reset. After the reset, however, McKnight got his two points with a similar move that resulted in a takedown at the 1:49 mark. McKnight rode Stevenson for :38 seconds before the Beaver escaped to a 2-1 deficit. The bout went to the second period with McKnight up 2-1. Stevenson chose down to start the middle stanza but could not break free of McKnight¡¯s strong ride before the Nittany Lion built up a one-plus riding time edge. Still, the Stevenson escape tied the score at 2-2. McKnight, however, answered with a takedown at the :50 mark to take the lead for good. Stevenson escaped to cut the lead to 4-3 at the end of the second period, but McKnight had a 1:54 riding time edge. McKnight chose down to start the final stanza and quickly escaped to a 5-3 lead. The duo would tangle for the full two minutes of the final period but no takedowns occurred and McKnight, with a riding time point, posted a strong 6-3 win. His win sent him to this morning¡¯s next round of consolations where he would face No. 10 seed Nicholas Fanthorpe of Iowa State. Penn State¡¯s first quarterfinalist was sophomore Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), who met No. 6 seed Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly in one of four match-ups at 133. After a minute of grappling, Vasquez got on the board first with a takedown at the 2:15 mark. The Nittany Lion sophomore quickly escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 and a rugged first period ensued. The duo would trade shots and counters throughout the stanza, with each man looking for a much needed opening. It was not until the waning seconds that an opening would present itself and Cal Poly¡¯s Vasquez took advantage. With only :02 left on the clock and action shifting to the edge of the mat, Vasquez was awarded a takedown in the middle of a tangled scramble. The two point award from the officials gave Vasquez a 4-1 lead after one period and seemed to break Strayer. The sophomore chose down to begin the middle stanza and quickly escaped to cut the lead to 4-2, but Vasquez had the momentum and used it to get a critical takedown in the second period. He led 6-2 with 1:15 in riding time after two periods and chose neutral to start the third. Strayer fought gallantly for any opportunity to score, but Vasquez countered and blocked every move Strayer made. The Cal Poly grappler iced the bout with a final takedown at the :30 mark. Strayer did escape, but the bout was in hand for Vasquez. Vasquez added a riding time point and posted a strong 9-3 win to earn All-America status and advance to the national semifinals. Strayer, still needing one more win to clinch All-America laurels, will seek that victory in the ¡®round of 12¡¯ tonight against No. 12 seed Robert Preston of Harvard. Red-shirt freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) took the mat against Boston¡¯s Michael Roberts in his first consolation bout at 149. Vallimont quickly got in on Roberts¡¯ left leg but after a :45 struggle, could not finish the takedown and action moved off the mat. But after the reset, Vallimont once again got in on Roberts and this time finished a solid double-leg with a takedown at the 1:25 mark of the first period. The Nittany Loin freshman then put together a very strong ride, building up a 1:25 riding time edge and riding Roberts out. Down 2-1, Roberts chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 2-1 deficit. With a minute left in the second, Vallimont used a strong move in the center of the mat to get a takedown and two-point near fall. The four-point maneuver upped his lead to 6-1 with 2:36 in riding time after two periods. Vallimont chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. Needing one more takedown to earn a major and a bonus point in the team race, Vallimont once again bulled his way through Roberts¡¯ midsection to get a takedown with :40 left. His 9-1 lead was set until Roberts quickly turned the tables on the Nittany Lion freshman. A reversal led to a three-point near fall and Vallimont had to fight through the third period¡¯s final seconds to avoid a pin and a loss. He did just that and walked away with a 10-6 win. His next opponent in the consolations this morning would be Missouri¡¯s Joshua Wagner. True freshman Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), 1-1 on day one, met No. 8 seed Seth Martin of Lock Haven in his first consolation bout at 157. Needing to beat the seeded Bald Eagle to stay alive, countered an early Martin headlock to get in deep on Martin¡¯s left leg and nabbed the bout¡¯s first takedown at the 1:42 mark to take an early 2-0 lead. Martin quickly escaped to a 2-1 deficit and once again began working Jenkins¡¯ shoulders. But the Nittany Lion freshman fought off the effort once more, keeping his slim lead and forcing a reset with :46 to wrestle in the first period. But Martin ended the bout, and Jenkins¡¯ tournament, with a flurry. Martin used a diving takedown to send Jenkins to his back with :35 left in the period and then finished off the pin at the 2:44 mark. Jenkins, a true freshman wrestling up a weight at 157, ends an outstanding rookie campaign with a 23-12 record. Senior All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), coming off an upset loss last night as the No. 4 seed at 174, found himself in the top portion of the 174 consolation bracket, a section that looked more like the championship bracket than anything else. Four ranked wrestler and two other Big Ten grapplers dotted the eight man section and Yonushonis took on No. 7 seed Brandon Sinnott of Central Michigan with hopes of keeping his repeat All-America dreams alive. Yonushonis tried to open up the scoring early, getting a hold of Sinnott¡¯s ankle in the first period. But the Chippewa wrestlers slipped out of the Lion senior¡¯s grip and the bout went to the second period scoreless at 0-0. Sinnott chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead. The two seeded wrestlers traded shots for much of the middle stanza, but it was Sinnott who got the first takedown, tripping Yonushonis to the mat with :20 left. A short ride out later and Sinnott led 3-0 with just 2:00 to wrestle. Yonushonis chose down to start the third and escaped to a 3-1 deficit. But Sinnott had the answer and iced the bout with a takedown at the 1:20 mark to lead 5-1. Yonushonis did escape, and Sinnott gave up a stall point, but the third period takedown was enough to secure the 5-3 win for Sinnott. The improbable 1-2 run at nationals ends Yonushonis¡¯ season and Penn State career. An All-American last year, Yonushonis ends his senior campaign with a 30-6 mark. He leaves Penn State with an 83-50 record. Penn State¡¯s final two grapplers to take to the mats were both semifinalists. First up was two-time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.). Davis, the No. 4 seed at 197, battled No. 5 seed Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell in a rematch of last year¡¯s national semifinal (won by Davis). Rinaldi took the first shot, but Davis countered and forced a reset with 2:00 left in the opening stanza. Davis took his first real shot with :45 left, getting Rinaldi¡¯s right ankle. But this time, the Big Red grappler countered and the bout went to the second period scoreless. Rinaldi chose neutral to begin the second period. Rinaldi took a shot early on in the period that forced a mad scramble right in front of the scorers table. After over a minute¡¯s worth of work, Davis methodically pulled Rinaldi back onto the mat and nabbed his first takedown with :19 left. The short ride-out put Davis up 2-0 with just 2:00 to wrestle. Davis chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. But Rinaldi was not down. The Big Red All-American got his first takedown at the 1:15 mark, cut Davis loose, and trailed 4-2 with 1:10 left in the bout. But Davis was relentless, getting a clinching takedown with :30 left to ice the bout. Rinaldi escaped before the bout ended, but Davis became a three-time All-American with the 6-3 decision. He will face Iowa State¡¯s Kurt Backes, the No. 9 seed, in the national semifinals tonight at 7 p.m. Senior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.), the No. 2 seed, met Sacred Heart¡¯s Payam Zarrinpour, who downed the No. 7 seed to meet Anspach. Anspach continued his aggressive style, forcing the tempo of the bout and keeping the bigger Zarrinpour on his heels. But Zarrinpour drew first blood. Nearly taking Anspach to the mat, the Nittany Lion slipped outside the circle and, while not giving up a takedown, was called for fleeing the mat, putting Zarrinpour up 1-0 with 1:03 left in the first. The move seemed to energize the Nittany Lion, who then got his first takedown at the :55 mark. After a Zarrinpour escape, the bout was tied 2-2. Anspach chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. With riding time not an issue, the Nittany Lion senior battled Zarrinpour evenly for the rest of the period. Down 3-2, Zarrinpour chose down to begin the third period and escaped to a 3-3 tie with 1:37 left in the bout. Anspach began the period with a strong drive, sending Zarrinpour to the head table, but action moved out of bounds and the score stayed tied. But after a reset, Anspach quickly worked his way through Zarrinpour¡¯s midsection, getting a critical takedown at the :47 mark. Zarrinpour escaped to a 5-4 deficit. Anspach held his lead for the bout¡¯s final seconds and became an All-American, Penn State¡¯s second of the day, with the 5-4 win. Anspach, a fifth year senior who is petitioning for a sixth year after missing two seasons due to injury, will meet No. 3 seed Bubba Gritter of Central Michigan in tonight¡¯s national semifinals. With quarterfinals done, the consolation rounds filled in all eight mats. Penn State had three wrestlers still alive in wrestle-backs, two of whom had one more match in the morning session. First up was McKnight at 125, where he met Iowa State¡¯s Nicholas Manthorpe, the No. 10 seed. McKnight scored first, getting a takedown to lead 2-1 for much of the first period. But as the opening stanza ended, the Nittany Lion junior got caught and was taken down with just seconds left. The Manthorpe takedown gave the Cyclone grappler a 3-2 lead heading into the second period. McKnight chose down to begin the second period and escaped to tie the score. But Manthorpe broke the match open with a solid two-point takedown and three-point near fall to up his lead to 8-3 with :45 left in the middle period. Up by six with 1:11 in riding time, Manthorpe chose neutral to start the third. McKnight shot, but the Cyclone quickly countered to get a takedown of his own and push his lead to 11-3. He added two back points and was up 13-3 with under a minute to wrestle. Manthorpe added two more back points and the riding time point to post a 16-3 major decision and end McKnight¡¯s season. McKnight went 2-2 at the tournament this year and ends his first season as a Nittany Lion with a 23-11 record. At 149, freshman Vallimont took on Missouri¡¯s Joshua Wagner. Vallimont was the early aggressor, but Wagner turned each shot the Nittany Lion rookie took into a takedown of his own. Wagner¡¯s first takedown was at the 2:07 mark, nearly getting a quick pin before action moved out of the circle. Given an escape on the scramble out of play, Vallimont trailed 2-1 and shot quickly off the reset. Once again, however, Wagner countered and took Vallimont down for a 4-1 lead. Vallimont worked through to an escape and then got his first takedown with just :30 left. The short ride-out sent the bout to the second period tied 4-4. Wagner chose down to begin the second period and Vallimont made him pay. The Nittany Lion freshman turned the Tiger wrestlers to his back for a three-point near fall, almost getting the pin call but taking the three-points nonetheless. Vallimont maintained strong control of Wagner for the entire period with a dominating ride. The superb two minute period gave Vallimont a 7-4 lead with 1:31 in riding time heading into the third period. Vallimont chose down to begin the third period and escaped to an 8-4 lead. Wagner then got a quick takedown to cut the Lion lead to 8-6 with 1:20 left in the bout. Wagner worked long enough on top to erase Vallimont¡¯s riding time edge while trying to turn the Nittany Lion to his back for near fall points. Wagner worked for the near fall to no avail as Vallimont added a reversal as time expired and posted an impressive 10-6 decision. Vallimont will face Indiana¡¯s Matt Coughlin in the ¡®round of 12¡¯ tonight, with the winner becoming an All-American. Action will continue tonight with the national semifinals and more consolation action beginning at 7 p.m. PENN STATE INDIVIDUAL AGATE (# indicates tournament seed) 125: Mark McKnight, Jr., McDonald, Pa./South Fayette (Record: 2-2 NCAA/23-11 overall) 133: Jake Strayer, So., South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills (Record: 2-1 NCAA/25-7 overall) 149: #12 Dan Vallimont, Fr., Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. (3-1 NCAA/22-11 overall) 157: Bubba Jenkins, Fr., Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial (Record: 1-2 NCAA/23-12 overall) 174: #4 James Yonushonis, Sr., Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola (Record: 1-2 NCAA/30-6 overall) 197: #4 Phil Davis, Jr., Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg ¨C 2007 All-American (Record: 3-0 NCAA/27-3 overall) HWT: #2 Aaron Anspach, Sr., Columbia, Pa./Columbia ¨C 2007 All-American (Record: 3-0 NCAA/21-3 overall)
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