Dec. 2, 2007
STATE COLLEGE, Pa.; December 2, 2007 - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 6 nationally and led by veteran head coach Troy Sunderland, dominated the 2007 Nittany Lion Open. Penn State, which wrestled all but three starters in the non-team scoring event, claimed fully half of the champions with five and had ten total placers.
Sophomores Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) led the charge as the fifth-ranked 149-pounder and 11th-ranked 157-pounder each held serve to win at their respective weights. Jenkins posted a perfect 5-0 mark (with an extra win over a non-collegiate wrestler) and Vallimont was 7-0 on the day. Freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) blazed his way to a 6-0 mark at 141 and the title, including a win over teammate and second-ranked Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) in the semifinals.
Sophomore David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) downed teammate Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.), 6-2, in the finals at 174 to claim the title (his third open title of the year). Erwin went 6-0 and Friend went 4-1. Junior John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) beat the 15th-ranked HWT in the nation, Kent State's Jermail Porter, in the finals to claim his title. Laboranti went 5-0 on the day.
Friend's runner-up finish at 174 led Penn State's five other placers with Strayer taking fourth (he did not wrestle his third place bout and did not get a loss). No. 18 Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) advanced to the quartefinals at 184 before dropping a hard-fought decision to No. 8 and eventual champion Rocco Caponi of Virginia. Since only semifinal losers can wrestle for third place, Bomberger reeled off three straight wins in consolations to post a strong 5-1 mark and finish in fifth (he had one more win vs. a non-collegiate). Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) went 5-2 to finish in sixth place at 165 and sophomore heavyweight Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) went 6-2 overall to finish sixth in the HWT division.
No. 2 Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), Penn State's three-time All-American 197-pounder, and three-time national qualifier Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 7 at 125, did not wrestle in the event. Senior 133-pounder Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) also did not wrestle as he continues to nurse a sore knee. In addition, recently signed Nittany Lion recruit Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) claimed the tournament title at 165 pounds.
Penn State will hit the road for its first two away duals of the year this coming weekend. No. 6 Penn State will visit Lehigh on Friday night for a 7 p.m. dual and then travel to Stillwater, Okla., to face No. 3 Oklahoma State in a 3 p.m. match-up (Eastern). The Nittany Lions next home dual will be on Friday, Jan. 4, when No. 12 Cornell visits Rec Hall for a 7 p.m. dual. Tickets for all regular season duals are on sale now at the athletic department ticket office in the Bryce Jordan Center. Single-dual tickets are $5 for adults and seniors and $3 for students 18 and under. Penn State students with a proper student ID are admitted free! Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order single-dual or season tickets. All Penn State duals will be broadcast locally on WBLF 970 AM and WKVA 920 AM and streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com. All home duals will feature a live video stream as well as live scoring at www.GoPSUsports.com as well.
2007 NITTANY LION OPEN FINALS RECAP:
Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007 - Rec Hall
125: #15 Fernando Martinez ARMY dec. Pat Strizki UA, 11-7
133: #9 Eric Albright VIRGINIA dec. #12 Mike Grey CORNELL, 3-2
141: Garrett Scott PSU dec. Matt Kyler ARMY, 4-2 (sv)
149: #5 Bubba Jenkins PSU dec. Mike Roberts BOSTON, 9-3
157: #11 Dan Vallimont PSU maj. dec. Christian Snook ARMY, 13-2
165: Quentin Wright UA dec. Matt Demichael, NAVY 5-1
174: David Erwin PSU dec. Mark Friend PSU, 6-2
184: #8 Rocco Caponi VIRGINIA dec. Dustin Kilgore UA, 7-2
197: Jon Oplinger UA dec. #15 Joe Williams MICHIGAN ST., 4-2
HWT: John Laboranti PSU dec. #15 Jermail Porter KENT STATE, 5-2
Penn State's weight-by-weight summary:
* Note that UA indicates unattached wrestler - if an opponent is designated UA Non-Collegiate that result does NOT count towards individual's win/loss record.
125: Nittany Lion starter Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 7 nationally, was given the weekend off by Sunderland. Penn State sent two wrestlers to the mat at 125. True freshman Desmond Moore (Easton, Pa.) wrestled unattached and went 0-1 while red-shirt freshman Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) wrestled in the Blue and White singlet and also went 0-1.
Penn State's 125 agate: Tyler Mashkow UA tech. fall Desmond Moore PSU UA, 16-0
Moore DNP, 0-1 overall
Paul Myers UA dec. Eric Caschera PSU, 2-0
Caschera DNP, 0-1 overall
133: With senior starter Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) out with an injury and reserve Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.) under the weather, Sunderland's Lions had on entry at 133 as Eagen's availability for this coming weekend's duals took precedence.
Penn State's 133 agate:
NONE
141: Nittany Lion All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 2 in the country, rolled into the semifinals with four straight wins, including two pins and a victory over No. 19 Steve Adamczik of Rutgers. But the Lion All-American was downed by teammate Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.), who made his Penn State debut in Rec Hall, in the semifinals by a 7-3 score. Strayer bowed out of this third place bout, taking a medical forfeit and not receiving a loss and ended the day with a 4-1 mark and a fourth place finish.
Scott steamrolled his way to the 141-pound title, rolling up perfect 6-0 mark with the win over Strayer, two pins, a tech fall and a major all before reaching the finals. In the finals, the Nittany Lion freshman downed Army's Matt Kyler 4-2 (sv) to grab his first open tournament crown.
In all, Penn State sent five wrestlers to the mats at 141. Joining the above duo were unattached grapplers Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.), Chad Mitchell (Lilburn, Ga.) and Colby Pisani (Ridgway, Pa.). Lynch, Mitchell and Pisani lost their first bouts and went 0-1.
Penn State's 141 agate:
#2 Jake Strayer PSU pinned Andrew Valenti PENN, WBF (0:31)
#2 Jake Strayer PSU pinned Willy Mack UA, WBF (3:31)
#2 Jake Strayer PSU dec. #19 Steve Adamcsik RUTGERS, 5-0
Qtrs: #2 Jake Strayer PSU dec. Nick Nielson VIRGINIA, 3-0
Semis: Garrett Scott PSU dec. #2 Jake Strayer PSU, 7-3
Strayer med. Forfeit in consolations, no loss recorded
Strayer 4th place, 4-1 overall
Garrett Scott PSU tech. fall Jeff Kirchick PRINCETON, 15-0 (TF 2:47)
Garrett Scott PSU pinned Matt Bradley UA, WBF (1:20)
Garrett Scott PSU pinned Casey Smith ARMY, WBF (3:44)
Qtrs: Garrett Scott PSU maj. dec. Kellon Balum VIRGINIA, 13-3
Semis: Garrett Scott PSU dec. #2 Jake Strayer PSU, 7-3
Finals: Garrett Scott PSU dec. Matt Kyler ARMY, 4-2 (sv)
Scott 1st place, 6-0 overall
Matt Kyler ARMY pinned Chad Mitchell PSU UA, WBF (1:14)
Mitchell DNP, 0-1 overall
Zach Anderson UA dec. Adam Lynch PSU UA, 8-4
Lynch DNP, 0-1 overall
Shane Valko UPJ dec. Colby Pisani PSU UA, 6-3
Pisani DNP, 0-1 overall
149: Penn State sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) put his No. 5 national ranking on the line at 149 and proceeded to reel off six straight wins to claim the title at 149 pounds. Jenkins posted four major decision on route to his title. One of his victories was against a non-collegiate wrestler so Jenkins officially gets five wins on the day. He downed Boston's 9-3 Mike Roberts in the finals. True freshman Shane Everett (Saylorsburg, Pa.) also took to the mats at 149 and went 0-1 on the day.
Penn State's 149 agate:
#5 Bubba Jenkins PSU maj. dec. Jake Kyle KENT STATE, 15-7
#5 Bubba Jenkins PSU maj. dec. Matt Rosen VA. TECH, 13-5
#5 Bubba Jenkins PSU dec. Zach McCray LIBERTY, 7-1
Qtrs: #5 Bubba Jenkins PSU maj. dec. Anthony Priore SACRED HEART, 16-6
Semis: #5 Bubba Jenkins PSU maj. dec. Eduardo Delgado UA (non-collegiate), 15-3
Finals: #5 Bubba Jenkins PSU dec. Mike Roberts BOSTON, 9-3
Jenkins 1st place, 5-0 overall (non-collegiate results does not count)
Chris Davis UA pinned Shane Everett PSU UA, WBF (2:30)
Everett DNP, 0-1 overall
157: Sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 11 at 157, rolled to the crown at 157 with a 7-0 mark. He was the only Penn Stater wrestling at 157. The returning national qualifier posted a pin and four major decisions to get the title, including four straight majors to close out the tournament. He majored unattached Ohio State Buckeye Sean Nemec in the quarterfinals, Navy's Joe Butcher in the semifinals and rolled to a 13-2 major over Army's Christian Snook in the title bout.
Penn State's 157 agate:
#11 Dan Vallimont PSU dec. Chris Grill ARMY, 11-5
#11 Dan Vallimont PSU pinned Tom Sullivan SACRED HEART, WBF (4:06)
#11 Dan Vallimont PSU dec. Kurt Gross UA, 5-4
#11 Dan Vallimont PSU maj. dec. Adam Counterman UA, 12-4
Qtrs: #11 Dan Vallimont PSU maj. dec. Sean Nemec UA, 10-1
Semis: #11 Dan Vallimont PSU maj. dec. Joe Butcher NAVY, 10-2
Finals: #11 Dan Vallimont PSU maj. dec. Christian Snook ARMY, 13-2
Vallimont 1st place, 7-0 overall
165: Penn State sophomore starter Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) looked to bounce back from an upset loss in Penn State's last dual back on Nov. 17 with his first action since that date. Rella won his first two bouts before suffering an upset loss in the round of 16. The sophomore then went 2-1 in consolations to place sixth (the two semifinal losers automatically wrestle for third/fourth place so the highest a pre-semi loser could finish was fifth). Red-shirt freshman Michael Lorenzo (Bellefonte, Pa.) donned the blue and white singlet for the first time in Rec Hall while red-shirt freshman Matt Dodds (Leola, Pa.) wrestled unattached. Both Dodds and Lorenzo went 0-1 and were eliminated.
Future Nittany Lion Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) had an outstanding tournament as the high school senior went 6-0 to claim the individual title at 165, downing Cleveland State's Marcus Effner in the semifinals before posting a 5-1 win over Navy's Matt Demichael in the title bout.
Penn State's 165 agate:
Dave Rella PSU maj. dec. Zach Hogentogler UA, 14-3
Dave Rella PSU dec. Brandon Hatchett UA, 6-1
Kyle Keane UPJ dec. Dave Rella PSU, 7-4
Dave Rella PSU dec. John Pycraft KENT STATE, 11-6
Dave Rella PSU dec. Chad Porter LIBERTY, 10-8 (sv)
Dave Rella PSU med. Forf. Mack Lewnes CORNELL, WB med. Forf.
Dave Rella PSU default bye
5th Place Bout: Michael Chaires VIRGINIA dec. Dave Rella PSU, 5-2
Rella 6th place, 5-2 overall
Mike Gorman UA (non-collegiate) dec. Matt Dodds PSU UA, 3-2
Dodds DNP, 0-1 overall (0-0 collegiate)
Michael Chaires VIRGINIA dec. Michael Lorenzo PSU, 6-3
Lorenzo DNP, 0-1 overall
174: Nittany Lion sophomore David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), unranked by the NWCA but ranked in other national polls, competed at 174 as did Penn State junior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.). Friend downed Erwin back in early November in wrestle-offs to claim the starting spot but the duo met in the finals at Mat-Town last weekend with Erwin claiming a come-from-behind 9-8 win.
This time, the twosome met in the finals once more and Erwin came away with a hard-fought 6-2 decision to claim the crown, his third tournament title of the year. Erwin improved to 15-1 on the year. Friend was also solid once again, posting a 4-1 record and earning the second place spot in the tournament. Friend is now 8-2.
Penn State's 174 agate:
David Erwin PSU maj. dec. Corey Blake UA, 13-5
David Erwin PSU dec. Derek Coffey UA, 7-0
David Erwin PSU dec. Brock Wittmeyer UA, 7-3
Qtrs: David Erwin PSU dec. John Murphy MSU, 10-7
Semis: David Erwin PSU dec. Chris Barrick UA, 4-3
Finals: David Erwin PSU dec. Mark Friend PSU, 6-2
Erwin 1st place, 6-0 overall
Mark Friend PSU dec. Justin Zeerip UA, 1-0
Mark Friend PSU pinned Jarrel Miller CLEVE. ST., WBF (4:50)
Qtrs: Mark Friend PSU maj. dec. Brad Clark UA, 9-0
Semis: Mark Friend PSU dec. Albert Miles UPJ, 6-1
Finals: David Erwin PSU dec. Mark Friend PSU, 6-2
Friend 2nd place, 4-1 overall
184: Junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.), ranked No. 18 nationally at 184, had a solid tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals with three straight wins before dropping a hard-fought 9-1 decision to No. 8 Rocco Caponi of Virginia. Bomberger was undaunted after the loss, however, and wrestled back to take fifth place as only semifinal losers can finish third or fourth. Bomberger ended his quality tournament run with 5-1 record that included a hard-fought 5-2 win over teammate Jack Decker in consolations and an 8-2 win over unattached Edinboro grappler Chris Honeycutt in the fifth place bout.
Penn State sent a total of five wrestlers into action at this weight, including sophomore Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) and junior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.), both of whom donned their varsity singlets. Red-shirt freshman Nathan Andrews (Spring Mills, Pa.) did as well and true freshman Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.) wrestled unattached. Only Andrews went 0-1 in the tournament, the rest of the 184-pounders grabbed victories. Steadman and Ward both went 1-2 before being eliminated. Decker won his first two bouts before falling and getting sent to consolations where he won two more bouts. His consolation loss to teammate Bomberger ended a fine tournament run with a 4-2 record.
Penn State's 184 agate:
#18 Phil Bomberger PSU tech. fall Ryan Johnson UA (non-collegiate), 15-0 (TF, 3:58)
#18 Phil Bomberger PSU tech. Fall Jon Rothman HOFSTRA, 17-1 (TF 4:59)
#18 Phil Bomberger PSU dec. Matt Ryan UA, 15-9
Qtrs: #8 Rocco Caponi VIRGINIA maj. dec. #18 Phil Bomberger PSU, 9-1
#18 Phil Bomberger PSU dec. Jack Decker PSU, 5-2
#18 Phil Bomberger PSU dec. Michael Moore, CORNELL, 10-3
5th Place: #18 Phil Bomberger PSU dec. Chris Honeycutt UA, 8-2
Bomberger 5th place, 5-1 overall
Jack Decker PSU maj. dec. Nick Knowles UA, 8-0
Jack Decker PSU dec. Abe Cross MSU, 2-1
Nate Holley CORNELL dec. Jack Decker PSU, 4-3
Jack Decker PSU pinned Travis Stem LOCK HAVEN, WBF (5:41)
Jack Decker PSU dec. Eddie Broderick WAGNER, 4-0
#18 Phil Bomberger PSU dec. Jack Decker PSU, 5-2
Decker DNP, 4-2 overall
Mike Ward PSU maj. dec. Joe Delisle CITADEL, 16-2
Chris Honeycutt UA dec. Mike Ward PSU, 3-1 (sv)
Keith Dobish RUTGERS dec. Mike Ward PSU, 5-1
Ward DNP, 1-2 overall
Clay Steadman PSU UA dec. Matt Darnell PITT, 2-1
Eric Chine KENT STATE dec. Clay Steadman PSU UA, 9-4
Ben Balogh CLEVE. ST. dec. Clay Steadman PSU UA, 2-1
Steadman DNP, 1-2 overall
Michael Moore CORNELL maj. dec. Nathan Andrews PSU, 11-1
Andrews DNP, 0-1 overall
197: Three-time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 197, was also not in action this weekend, meaning Penn State did not enter a wrestler at this weight.
Penn State's 197 agate:
NONE
HWT: Sophomore Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) and junior John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) both took to the mats at heavyweight for Penn State. Laboranti got the upper hand this time by posting a perfect 5-0 record and claiming the HWT crown. The Nittany Lion junior downed No. 15 Jermail Porter of Kent State, 5-2, in the finals and improved his season record to 10-0. Tighe won his first two bouts before suffering a sudden victory loss in the quarterfinals and bowing out of the tournament.
Also wrestling at 285 in the Nittany Lion blue and white was sophomore Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) while true freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) wrestled unattached. Herlihy won his first two bouts before suffering a tough 6-3 loss to No. 15 Jermail Porter of Kent State in the round of 16. Herlihy then wonfour straight in consolations before falling in the fifth palce bout. His 5-2 mark earned him sixth place. Wade had a solid tournament as well, going 4-2 but not placing.
Penn State's HWT agate:
Stefan Tighe PSU forf. Zeb Davis DELAWARE ST., WB forf.
Stefan Tighe PSU maj. dec. Aaron Brown CITADEL, 10-2
Qtrs: #18 Rashard Goff UA dec. Stefan Tighe PSU, 4-2 (sv)
Tighe medical forfeit in consolations, no loss record
Tighe DNP, 2-1 overall
John Laboranti PSU dec. Jack Danilkowicz VIRGINIA, 6-4
John Laboranti PSU dec. Nate Thobaben ARMY, 5-2
Qtrs: John Laboranti PSU dec. Joe Sheffield UA, 9-2
Semis: John Laboranti PSU dec. #18 Rashard Goff UA, 4-3
Finals: John Laboranti PSU dec. #15 Jermail Porter KENT STATE, 5-2
Laboranti 1st place, 5-0 overall
Brendan Herlihy PSU pinned Chris Desanctis UA (non-collegiate), WBF (1:55)
Brendan Herlihy PSU dec. Ivan Muller UA, 3-2
#15 Jermail Porter KENT STATE dec. Brendan Herlihy PSU, 6-3
Brendan Herlihy PSU dec. Mike Landis NAVY, 12-7
Brendan Herlihy PSU dec. Jack Danilkowicz VIRGINIA, 5-2
Brendan Herlihy PSU WB med. Forfeit (receives win)
Brendan Herlihy PSU dec. Joe Sheffield UA, 8-2
Dan Craig LOCK HAVEN pinned Brendan Herlihy PSU, WBF (2:16)
Herlihy 6th place, 5-2 overall
Cameron Wade PSU UA dec. Michael Sprigg ARMY, 6-3
Maciej Jochym CORNELL dec. Cameron Wade PSU UA, 4-0
Cameron Wade PSU UA tech. fall Joseph Breaux NAVY, 17-0
Cameron Wade PSU UA dec. Aaron Brown CITADEL, 10-5
Cameron Wade PSU UA dec. Sam Ritter PRINCETON, 4-0
Dan Craig LOCK HAVEN dec. Cameron Wade PSU, 4-2
Wade DNP, 4-2 overall