Evanston, Ill., Dec. 30, 2004 - The 16th-ranked Penn State wrestling team collected three placers and garnered a ninth place finish in the team race at the 42nd Annual Midlands Wrestling Championship in Evanston, Ill. Senior James Woodall led the way with a runner-up finish at 149 pounds while junior Eric Bradley took third at 184 and red-shirt freshman Phil Davis fourth at 197. The Nittany Lions posted 60.5 points in the tournament that was won by No. 3 ranked Illinois with 130.5 points. Ninth-ranked Iowa (119) was second followed by No. 2 Iowa State (110.5) in the 60-team field.

Woodall continued his strong early season wrestling as the 149-pound co-captain advanced to the finals of the highly competitive tournament. Woodall, ranked No. 13 and the No. 3 seed in the tournament, improved his season record to 10-2 with four wins in the championship bracket, but fell in a very close 6-5 decision to No. 1 seeded and No. 6 ranked Ty Eustice of Iowa in the final. Woodall knocked off No. 11 seed Tyler Moran 4-2 and upset No. 2 seed Mark DiSalvo, ranked No. 15, 5-2 in the semifinals.

Bradley, ranked No. 6 and the No. 4 seed, suffered his first loss of the season when he fell 4-3 in the second tiebreaker to No. 1 seeded and No. 2 ranked Paul Bradley of Iowa in the semifinals. Bradley rebounded with a win in the consolation bracket and downed No. 2 seeded and No. 3 ranked Brian Glynn of Illinois, 3-2, for third place. Bradley is now 13-1 on the year.

Davis continued his strong run in the tournament after dropping a 3-1, tiebreaker decision to No. 10 seed Matt Delguyd in the second round. Davis, unseeded, returned with five wins in the consolation bracket, including a 6-2 upset of No. 6 seed and No. 16 ranked Tyrone Byrd, to reach the third place bout. There he dropped a close 6-4, decision to No. 3 seeded and No. 9 ranked Sean Stender of Northern Iowa. With six wins in the tournament, Davis is now 21-3 on the year.

The Nittany Lions return to action on Jan. 7 with a showdown with No. 6 Lehigh in Rec Hall. That match is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start and will be broadcast live on FOX/Sports Pittsburgh (Channel 34) and WPSX-TV (Channel 3) in the State College area. Lehigh defeated Penn State earlier this year, 24-15, in the finals of the Pennsylvania State Dual Championships in Rec Hall.