| Senior heavyweight Joel Edwards got to wins in Friday's early session, both over seeded wrestlers, to move to within one win of All-America status. |
Oklahoma City, Okla. - March 17, 2006 - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Troy Sunderland, has already secured one All-American with Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) advancing to the national semifinals tonight at 197. Four other Nittany Lions are alive in the consolation, each one win away from All-America status. Penn State's solid third session, combined with a flurry of pins, has the Nittany Lions in fifth place in the team race.
Penn State began the session winning six of seven and ended up winning nine of its 12 wrestled bouts. The Nittany Lions also upped their tournament pin total to seven. The combination of individual excellence and bonus points has Penn State in the hunt for a top five finish with 39.5 points. Oklahoma State leads the team race with 76.0, followed by Iowa (47.5), Oklahoma (47.), Minnesota (44.5) and Penn State (39.5).
With the quarterfinals starting in the middle four of the Ford Center's eight-mat layout, the second round of consolations began on the outside four mats. Leading off the Nittany Lion charge in wrestle-backs and first to see action on Friday was freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), the No. 7 seed at 133. Strayer took on Buffalo's Mark Budd. Strayer opened up an early lead with a takedown at the 0:21 mark of the first period and rode Budd out to carry a 2-0 lead into the second stanza. Strayer chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He then added a second takedown, this one with just 0:30 left in the period, to carry a 5-0 lead into the third. In the third, Strayer would add one more takedown to coast to an impressive 7-0 win. Strayer's victory earned him the right to advance to third round of consolations later in this session, matching up with Illinois' Gabriel Flores.
| Nathan Galloway went 1-1 today, including a win by fall, but bowed out of the tournament at 157. Galloway was 2-2 at nationals with two pins. |
Senior DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.) looked to continue his hot streak in consolations with a second round match-up against Columbia's Sal Tirico. Wasting no time, Driscoll worked in deep on a single-leg. Tirico tried to counter and had his legs up on Driscoll's shoulders, giving the Nittany Lion senior all the chance he needed. Driscoll used his leg strength to push Tirico back onto his shoulders, pinning him from a sitting position at the 0:41 mark. It was his second pin of the tournament. Driscoll's win, his third straight in wrestle-backs, moved him into the third round of consolations and a match-up with Virginia Tech's David Hoffman later this session.
Junior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.), who was coming off a hard-fought 2-0 loss to No. 1 seed Trent Paulson of Iowa State in the championship bracket, took on Hofstra's James Strouse in wrestle-backs. Mirroring Driscoll before him and his own pin yesterday, Galloway quickly turned Strouse onto his shoulders, head down, and planted him with a pin at the 0:36 mark. Galloway had an even quicker pin yesterday, getting a first round pin in just 0:26. He moved into the third round of consolations later this session with a bout against No. 8 seed Craig Henning of Wisconsin.
First up for Penn State in the quarterfinals was senior All-American Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.). Bradley, who placed fourth at nationals last year and is this year's No. 8 seed, took on tournament favorite and No. 1 seed Joshua Glenn of American in the first quarterfinal at 184. Glenn got off to a quick start, getting a takedown seconds into the match. Bradley quickly reversed him to tie the score, but Glenn escaped to a 3-2 lead. Bradley was working towards what would have been a critical go-ahead takedown as the first period ended, but no points were awarded and Glenn led 3-2 heading into the second. Glenn chose down to begin the second period and escaped. Down 4-2, Bradley once again worked towards a takedown as the period ended, but once again time ran out before any points were awarded. Trailing 4-2 heading into the third, Bradley chose neutral in order to work for a tying takedown. But Glenn got a quick takedown and turned it into back points and an eventual pin at the 6:30 mark. The loss sends Bradley into tonight's consolation bracket. He still needs one win to earn All-America status and could still finish as high as third.
Nittany Lion James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), the No. 9 seed at 174, was matched up against Big Ten rival Donald Reynolds of Illinois in consolations. Yonushonis got an early takedown, just :14 in, and rode Reynolds for 1:59 before the Illini could escape. Up 2-1 heading into the second, Yonushonis chose down and in a flurry, quickly reversed Reynolds, turned him to his back and picked up Penn State's third pin of the session at the 3:16 mark (only :16 into the period). Yonushonis' win set up a tussle with Wes Roberts of Oklahoma in the third round of consolations later in the session
| Freshman Jake Strayer picked up two wins at 133 to advance to the consolation quarterfinals and needs just one more win to become an All-American. |
Sophomore Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), the No. 6 seed who was looking to become a two-time All-American after placing seventh as a freshman last year, met No. 3 seed B.J. Padden of Nebraska in a 197-pound quarterfinal. After fighting off Padden's first takedown attempt, Davis was taken to the mat for two points on Padden's second shot. Davis escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 after just :31 of riding time. Padden added a second takedown with six seconds left and led 4-1 heading into the second period. Penn State won the toss, deferred, and Padden chose neutral to begin the period. Davis countered a Padden shot for his first takedown with less than ten seconds left in the period. After riding him out, Davis still found himself down 4-3 with two minutes to wrestle. Davis, understanding his strength, chose the top position to begin the final period. Making the strategy pay off, Davis picked up three back points to take a 6-4 lead. Padden escaped, but Davis was now up 6-5 with a minute to wrestle. Padden continued to get in on ankle picks, but each time Davis fought him off. One last Padden attempt was turned away as time expired and Davis moved into the national semifinals tonight with a 6-5 win. The victory earned Davis All-America status (his second in two years) and moves him into a semifinal bout with No. 7 seed Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell. Davis and Rinaldi have met once before this season, with Davis grabbing a close, hard-fought 3-0 win.
Senior heavyweight Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.) got a rematch with Northwestern's Dustin Fox in the second round of consolations. Fox, the No. 10 seed, downed Edwards 4-2 in the Big Ten Tournament. The duo wrestled to a scoreless tie after one period. Fox chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to lead 1-0. Neither wrestler could get in on a good shot during the middle period, sending the bout to the third with Fox holding a 1-0 lead. Edwards chose down to start the final period and escaped to tie the score at 1-1. With just :50 left, Edwards got in on a single leg and ten seconds later finished off the move to go up 3-2. Fox escaped before the match ended, but Edwards held on for the impressive 3-2 win. The victory moved Edwards into yet another consolation bout later in this session against American's Adam LoPiccolo.
Friday's first session concluded with another round in the consolation bracket and freshman 133-pounder Jake Strayer once again took to the mat. Strayer wasted no time in getting up on Illinois' Gabriel Flores, scoring a takedown with 0:43 left in the opening period and riding him out for a 2-0 lead after one. Strayer chose down to begin the middle stanza and eventually reversed Flores to lead 4-0. Flores escaped before the period ended, but Strayer led 4-1 and had 1:25 in riding time heading into the final period. Strayer added one more takedown and a riding time point to post an impressive 7-1 win and move into tonight's consolation quarterfinals against No. 8 seed Matt Keller of Chattanooga. A win in the conso quarters for any wrestlers guarantees them All-America status as they can finish no lower than eighth.
| James Yonushonis picked up two wins at 174 to advance to the consolation quarterfinals and needs just one more win to become an All-American. |
Penn State, up to this point, was 6-1 in the first session, but the run of good fortune ended at 141 where Senior DeWitt Driscoll suffered a tough 13-2 loss to Virginia Tech's David Hoffman. The duo was scoreless after one. But Hoffman, who chose down to start the second, reversed Driscoll and added three back points to lead 5-0 after one. Hoffman would go on to post the 13-2 victory, ending Driscoll's tournament and his Penn State career. Driscoll went 3-2 in the tournament with a major and two pins. He ends the season with a 19-11 record and his career with a solid 67-43 mark.
Junior Nathan Galloway was next up for Penn State with a third round consolation bout at 157. Galloway was matched up with No. 8 seed Craig Henning of Wisconsin. Galloway got the first takedown of the match and led 2-1 after one. Henning chose down to begin the second and tied the score at 2-2, which is how the middle stanza ended. But the third period was all Henning. With Galloway choosing down, Henning turned the Nittany Lion junior to get three back points and, after giving up a point on an illegal hold, turned him one more time to post a 9-3 win and end Galloway's season. Galloway had a solid tournament, going 2-2 with two pins. He ends the 2005-06 season with a 15-16 record.
At 174, junior No. 9 seed James Yonushonis took on Oklahoma's Wes Roberts. After a scoreless first period, Yonushonis opened up and dominated the second period with two takedowns, including the last with just :01 left. The late takedown allowed Yonushonis to carry a 4-2 lead into the final period. The Nittany Lion junior took down to start the third and eventually reversed Roberts to ice the victory. Roberts did escape before the period ended, but it was not enough as Yonushonis went on to win 6-3 and earn a spot in tonight's consolation quarterfinals against No. 7 seed Kenneth Cook of UC-Davis.
| Senior DeWitt Driscoll closed out his Penn State career with a 1-1 day in session three of the 2006 NCAA Championships, but bowed out of the tournament at 141. Driscoll went 3-2 in the tourney with a major and two pins. |
Penn State's last bout of the afternoon belonged to heavyweight Joel Edwards, who took on No. 12 seed Adam LoPiccolo of American. Edwards notched a critical takedown with just 0:14 left in the first period and led 2-0 after one. The Nittany Lion senior chose down to begin the second. LoPiccolo turned Edwards and picked up three back points to take the lead, but within seconds, Edwards reversed out and planted the American grappler to pick up yet another Penn State pin, this one at the 3:38 mark. Edwards win, his second of the day over a seeded wrestler, moved him into tonight's consolation quarterfinals against No. 8 seed Michael Faust of Virginia Tech.
Penn State was an outstanding 9-3 in the early session today. Combined with yesterday's 10-7 mark, the Nittany Lions are 19-10. Through three 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.
The tournament will continue tonight with the national semifinals and more consolations beginning at 6 p.m. Central (7 p.m. Eastern). The semifinals will be broadcast live by ESPNU and can be seen locally on Fox Sports Pittsburgh. The entire session will also be aired by WBLF 970 AM and streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com.
2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships Top Ten Teams Through Session 3 1: Oklahoma State 76.0 2: Iowa 47.5 3: Oklahoma 47.0 4: Minnesota 44.5 5: PENN STATE 39.5 6: Lehigh 39.0 7: Hofstra 38.5 7: Arizona State 38.5 9: Michigan 38.0 10: Cornell 33.0 Penn State Individual Results Through Session 3: 133: Jake Strayer, Fr., South Fork, Pa. - 7 seed (3-1 to date - still alive) 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 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 (3-1 to date - still alive) 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 184: Eric Bradley, Sr., Plaistow, N.H. - 8 seed (2-1 to date - still alive) 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) 197: Phil Davis, So. Harrisburg, Pa. - 6 seed (3-0 to date - in national semifinals) 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 HWT: Joel Edwards, Sr., Upper Darby, Pa. (3-1 to date - still alive) 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)