| Junior James Yonushonis earned All-America honors with a 7-2 win over UC-Davis' Kenneth Cook in the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Yonushonis will wrestle for seventh place tomorrow morning. |
Oklahoma City, Okla. - March 17, 2006 - Nittany Lion sophomore Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) became the first ever finalist at 197 pounds with a convincing win in the national semifinals. Senior Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.) and junior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) both became All-Americans as well to keep Penn State firmly entrenched in the top ten of the team race at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla.
The Nittany Lions, under the guidance of head coach Troy Sunderland, are currently in seventh place with 53.5 points, just eight points out of fourth and two and a half points out of fifth. Oklahoma State leads the team race with 106.0 points, followed by Minnesota (72.5), Oklahoma (64.5), Iowa (61.5), Arizona State (56.0), Cornell (54.0) and Penn State (53.5).
Penn State entered the fourth session with Davis in the semis and four other Nittany Lions poised to become All-Americans in the consolation quarterfinals. The Ford Center's eight-mat layout was paired down to six for Session Four. While the middle two mats would stage the all-important semifinals, narrowing the field at each weight class down to two final participants, the four outer mats became the arenas where All-America dreams were decided. Each weight class had four conso quarterfinals bouts and the winner of each of those bouts would become an All-American, while the other competitor would go home, just one win shy of realizing a lifelong dream.
While Davis waited for his shot at the finals, four Nittany Lions took to the mats looking to become All-Americans and earn valuable team points as Penn State looked to stay in the top part of the team leader board.
First up in the consolation quarterfinals was freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), the No. 7 seed at 133. Strayer was facing No. 8 seed Matt Keller of Chattanooga. Keller got in on the first shot of the bout and eventually turned it into a two-point takedown. Strayer quickly escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 with 1:40 left in the period. Strayer gave up another late period takedown, this one with just :14 left, and this time could not escape before the period ended. Trailing 4-1 heading into the second, Strayer deferred his choice and Keller chose down to begin the middle stanza. After working out from underneath Strayer, Keller scored a reversal to go up 6-1 with 1:07 left in the second. He proceeded to ride Strayer out, leaving the Nittany Lion facing a 6-1 deficit and 1:04 in riding time with just two minutes to wrestle. Strayer chose neutral start the third. Unable to hold off Keller, Strayer was taken down again and fell behind 8-1. The Moc wrestler would control the remainder of the bout and post an impressive 9-1 win. The loss, while finishing Strayer's freshman season one win shy of All-America status, could not erase what was an outstanding freshman season for Strayer. He ends the season with a 26-6 record, placed third at the Big Ten Championship and advanced to the 'round of 12' in his first NCAA Tournament.
Yonushonis, the No. 9 seed at 174, looked to put icing on the cake of a breakout season with a bout against No. 7 seed Kenneth Cook of UC-Davis. Neither wrestler mounted a strong offensive attack until Yonushonis took his first shot at the 1:00 mark. Cook fought it off, got a reset in the center of the mat and took a shot of his own. Yonushonis held firm, however, and the first period ended scoreless. Cook chose down to begin the second period and escaped in just :07 to lead 1-0. Yonushonis scored with a headlock, taking a 2-1 lead at the 1:13 mark, before Cook escaped quickly to tie the score at 2-2. With just two seconds left, Yonushonis got in deep on a single leg and scored to take a 4-2 lead into the final period. The Nittany Lion junior, unranked at the beginning of the season, chose down to start the third period. Cook was very strong on top and rode Yonushonis for over a minute but never managed to turn him onto his back. Yonushonis escaped to a 5-2 lead with 1:04 left but Cook had build up a 1:02 riding time edge. Yonushonis countered a cook shot and deftly took him down to ice the match and become an All-American. The final was 7-2 in the Philipsburg-native's favor. Including Davis' All-America status earlier today, Yonushonis becomes the 153rd Penn State All-American (includes individuals with multiple awards). Yonushonis' win also earned him the right to wrestle in the conso semi's later in the session.
| Senior Eric Bradley earned his second All-America laurel with a 7-6 win over Iowa State's Kurt Backes at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Bradley will wrestle for seventh place tomorrow morning. |
Returning All-American Bradley, the No. 8 seed at 184, looked to make it two in a row in his consolation quartefinal bout against No. 7 seed Kurt Backes of Iowa State. Backes already owned a win over Bradley earlier in the dual meet season, posting a 10-2 major back on February 5. Bradley set the tone early with a takedown just :20 into the bout. Backes escaped only to be taken down again by Bradley. The Nittany Lion senior led 4-2 after one period. Backes chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to cut the PSU lead to 4-3. The solo escape point was the only scoring of the middle stanza and Bradley, up 4-3, chose neutral to begin the final period. After battling for nearly a minute and a half, Bradley scored what appeared to be the decisive takedown at the 0:41 mark. Up 6-3, he built up a 1:00 riding time edge before Backes escaped to a 6-4 deficit. Backes, however, nearly forced overtime in the bout's final seconds. With six seconds left, the Cyclone scored a takedown to both tie the bout at 6-6 and erase Bradley's riding time point. But in the process, Backes locked his hands and both mat referees immediately made the call. The one-point illegal hold point as time expired gave Bradley a 7-6 win. With the victory, he clinched his second All-America tag (Penn State's 154th all-time). Bradley also advanced to the conso semi's later in the session.
Senior Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.), unseeded at heavyweight, was coming off a morning session that saw him knock off two seeded wrestlers. Now, one win away from becoming an All-American, Edwards took the mat against No. 8 seed Michael Faust of Virginia Tech. Facing his fourth seeded wrestler of the tournament, Edwards wrestled Faust tough throughout the first period, which ended in a scoreless tie. Edwards chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Neither wrestler could gain an offensive edge in the second either, and Edwards carried the 1-0 lead to the final period. Faust chose down to begin the final stanza and escaped to tie the score at 1-1 with 1:45 to wrestle. Again, no takedown was scored in the third and the match went to the first 1:00 sudden victory period. Each wrestler had a slight chance to score on a shot to the legs, but no mores scoring took place. It was on to the first of two :30 tie breaker periods. Edwards was down to start and escaped to a 2-1 lead with :14 left. Faust was now down, with Edwards needing to hold him down for :30 to win the bout. A Faust escape would send the match to another sudden victory session. Faust quickly escaped to tie the score at 2-2. The second sudden victory period was also scoreless setting up two more :30 tie breaker periods. This time, Faust was down first. Edwards had a quick chance to turn him, but could not finish the move and Faust escaped to a 3-2 lead. It was now Edwards' turn to be down and within seconds he escaped to tie the score at 3-3, but with an :11-second riding time deficit, he needed to take Faust down to avoid defeat. It was not in the cards and Faust won the bout 3-3, getting the win on the riding time criteria. Edwards went 3-2 in the tournament, closing out his season with a 20-8 record. He leaves Penn State as a two-time national qualifier, having advanced to the 'Round of 12' this year, and with a 75-40 career record.
Davis, the No. 6 seed at 197 and a returning All-American after placing seventh last year, met No. 7 seed Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell in one of the national semifinals at 197. Davis got the first takedown to take a two point lead at the same time that the partisan Oklahoma State crowd went crazy as No. 4 seed Jacob Rosholt of OSU pinned his way to the finals, awaiting the winner of the Davis/Rinaldi bout. Davis rode Rinaldi for :52 seconds before the Cornell wrestler escaped to a 2-1 deficit. The first period ended with Davis leading 2-1 and the sophomore from Harrisburg chose down to begin the second. Within seconds, Davis reversed Rinaldi to lead 4-1. Davis maintained his top position for the duration of the period, building up a 4-1 lead with 2:12 in riding time. Davis chose neutral to begin third period and added to his lead with a takedown at the 1:05 mark. Up 6-1 with a guaranteed riding time point, Davis allowed Rinaldi to escape. The Cornell wrestler scored a takedown to cut the lead to 6-4 with 0:28 left, but Davis was never in danger and the Penn State sophomore advanced to tomorrow's championship bout with a 7-4 win. Davis and OSU's Rosholt will meet in the finals tomorrow night, which begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and will be broadcast live on ESPN.
It was back to wrestle-backs and junior James Yonushonis in the consolation semifinals. Yonushonis, the No. 9 seed, was matched up with No. 12 seed Matthew Harrington of Penn. Harrington stunned Yonushonis with an early takedown that he turned into an upset win by fall at the 0:49 mark. Yonushonis will now wrestle for seventh place tomorrow morning. The Philipsburg-native went 1-1 in the second session and is 4-2 in the tournament.
Eric Bradley then got his shot in the consolation semifinals, facing off with No. 4 seed Joseph Mazzurco of Cornell. Bradley, the No. 8 seed, could not hold off Mazzurco's offensive pressure and quickly fell behind 6-2 after the first period. Mazzurco added two more takedown to lead 10-3 after two and went on to defeat Bradley 11-4. The loss sends Bradley, who is 3-2 in the tourney, wrestles for seventh place tomorrow.
Penn State went 3-4 in this evening's Session 4. Combined that with a 9-3 mark in the early session today and Penn State had a super 12-7 Friday. Through four sessions, Penn State is 22-14 overall (12-7 today and 10-7 Thursday). Penn State's three All-Americans is the most for the school since it had four in 2003.
Through four sessions, Penn State has picked up a tremendous amount of bonus points. Penn State has seven pins (worth two bonus points each) and three majors (worth one bonus point each) for a whopping 17 team bonus points. Bradley and Davis became the fifth and sixth repeat All-Americans under Sunderland. The veteran Nittany Lion mentor has now coached 18 All-Americans (including multiple winners).
The tournament will continue tomorrow at 10 a.m. Central (11 a.m. Eastern) with the placing bouts, three through eight. The championship finals, which will air live on ESPN, take place as Session Six tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. The entire early session Saturday will also be aired by WBLF 970 AM and streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com.
2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships Top Ten Teams Through Session 4 1: Oklahoma State 106.0 2: Minnesota 72.5 3: Oklahoma 64.5 4: Iowa 61.5 5: Arizona State 56.0 6: Cornell 54.0 7: PENN STATE 53.5 8: Michigan 52.0 9: Hofstra 47.0 10: Lehigh 46.0
Penn State Individual Results Through Session 4: 133: Jake Strayer, Fr., South Fork, Pa. - 7 seed (3-2 - eliminated in round of 12) Rd 1: W, 4-0 dec. Tommy Vargas, Cal State-Bakersfield Rd 2: L, 4-7 dec. Jason Borrelli, Central Michigan Cons Rd 2: W, 7-0 dec. Mark Budd, Buffalo Cons Rd 3: W, 7-1 dec. Gabriel Flores, Illinois Cons Qtr: L, 1-9 maj. dec. No. 8 Matt Keller, Chattanooga 141: DeWitt Driscoll, Sr., Connellsville, Pa. (3-2 -- eliminated) PT: L, 3-5 dec. Michael Keefe, Chattanooga Cons PT: W, 13-4 maj. dec. Cesar Grajales, Penn Cons Rd 1: WBF Brandon Carter, Central Michigan (3:54) Cons Rd 2: WBF Sal Tirico, Columbia (0:41) Cons Rd 3: L, 2-13 dec. David Hoffman, Virginia Tech 149: James Woodall, Sr., Dupont, Pa. (0-2 - eliminated) Rd 1: L, 2-9 dec. No. 4 Matthew Storniolo, Oklahoma Cons Rd 1: L, 5-12 dec. David Jauregui, West Virginia 157: Nathan Galloway, Jr., State College, Pa. (2-2 -- eliminated) Rd 1: WBF Aric Fuhrman, Bloomsburg (0:26) Rd 2: L, 0-2 dec. No. 1 Trent Paulson, Iowa State Cons Rd 2: WBF James Strouse, Hofstra (0:34) Cons Rd 3: L, 3-9 dec. No. 8 Craig Henning, Wisconsin 174: James Yonushonis, Jr., Philipsburg, Pa. - 9 seed (4-2 to date - All-American - Wrestling for 7th place tomorrow) Rd 1: W, 8-4 dec. Brian Bernal, Wyoming Rd 2: L, 4-6 dec. No. 8 Travis Frick, Lehigh Cons Rd 2: WBF Donald Reynolds, Illinois (3:16) Cons Rd 3: W, 6-3 dec. Wes Roberts, Oklahoma Cons Qtr: W, 7-2 dec. No. 8 Kenneth Cook, UC-Davis Cons Semi: LBF No. 12 Matthew Herrington, Penn (0:41) 184: Eric Bradley, Sr., Plaistow, N.H. - 8 seed (3-2 to date - All-American - Wrestling for 7th place tomorrow) Rd 1: W, 10-2 maj. dec. Greg Perz, Eastern Illinois Rd 2: W, 7-4 dec. Paul Bradley, Iowa Quarterfinals: LBF No. 1 Joshua Glenn, American (6:30) Cons Qtr: W, 7-6 dec. No. 7 Kurt Backes, Iowa State Cons Semi: L, 4-11, No. 4 Joseph Mazzurco, Cornell 197: Phil Davis, So. Harrisburg, Pa. - 6 seed (4-0 to date - All-American - Wrestling for National Title tomorrow night) Rd 1: W, 11-0 maj. dec. Jon Oplinger, Drexel Rd 2: W, 6-2 dec. No. 11 Ryan Goodman, North Carolina State Quarterfinals: W, 6-5 dec. No. 3 B.J. Padden, Nebraska Semifinals: W, 7-4 dec. No. 7 Jerry Rinaldi, Cornell HWT: Joel Edwards, Sr., Upper Darby, Pa. (3-2 - eliminated in Round of 12) Rd 1: LBF No. 4 Cain Velasquez, Arizona State (1:06) Cons Rd 1: WBF Tyler Rhodes, Northern Iowa (1:55) Cons Rd 2: W, 3-2 dec. No. 10 Dustin Fox, Northwestern Cons Rd 3: WBF No. 12 Adam LoPiccolo, American (3:38) Cons Qtr: L, 3-3 RT Criteria No. 8 Michael Faust, Virginia Tech