March 21, 2008
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will have three wrestlers in tonight's national semifinals at the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis. Each semifinalist secures the title of All-American. Senior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) was dominating his quarterfinal bout to become only the fourth four-time All-American in Penn State history while sophomores Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) each won their quarterfinal bouts to become the 161st and 162nd All-Americans in Penn State history.
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| Sophomores Bubba Jenkins (above) and Dan Vallimont became All-Americans at 149 and 157 respectively as they moved into tonight's NCAA semifinals. With three All-Americans and two other men alive in the `Round of 12', Penn State finds itself just 5.5 points out of second place with 42.0 team points. |
Jenkins did not allow a takedown in his 5-3 win over 3rd seed and returning All-American J.P. O'Connor of Harvard in a quarterfinal match-up at 149. Vallimont then scrambled his way to a convincing 7-5 win over 11th seed Tyler Sherfey of Boise State in his quarterfinal bout at 157. Davis gave up only a reversal and escapes in his dominating 7-3 win over 7th seed Hudson Taylor of Maryland. Each wrestler is now 3-0 for the tournament. Penn State now has three All-Americans for the third straight year. It also marks the first time since 1999 that Penn State has advanced three wrestlers to the semifinals.
Not only did Penn State go 3-0 in its quarterfinal bouts, but head coach Troy Sunderland's three men in consolations combined to go 5-1, with two moving to within one win of All-America status. Senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) went 2-0 with wins in the 125 wrestle-backs and has advanced to the `Round of 12' for the third time in his career. He will face 6th seed Gabe Flores of Illinois, needing a win to earn All-America status. True freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) also went 2-0 at 141, including a strong 14-6 major over Cornell's Adam Frey. Scott, also in the `Round of 12', will take on Army's Matt Kyler to become an All-American. Sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) went 1-1 this morning, concluding a solid 2-2 run with a tough loss to Arizona State's Patrick Pitsch. Rella ends his sophomore season with a 17-16 record.
The Nittany Lions posted a superb 8-1 record in today's morning session and are 17-6 overall through three sessions. Penn State has 42.0 team points and finds itself in sixth place overall, just 5.5 points out of second place. Iowa leads the team race with 67.0.
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| Dan Vallimont |
Action continues tonight with the national semifinals at 6 p.m. (Central) and will be aired live on ESPNU. The three day event runs through Saturday night's finals. This year's tournament is being held in St. Louis' Scottrade Center.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Senior 125-pounder Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) faced UC-Davis' Marcos Orozco in his first consolation bout. McKnight wasted no time in getting in on Orozco's legs, scrambling hard on the side of the mat to work his way behind the UC-Davis grappler for an early takedown. But Orozco managed to force a stalemate and a reset at the 1:48 mark. A quick double-leg by McKnight at the 1:30 mark led to another scramble on the edge of the mat. Orozco tried to work his way out of trouble, but McKnight got the takedown at the 0:26 mark and rode the Aggie grappler out to lead 2-0 after one period. Orozco chose bottom to begin the second period and was immediately wrapped up by McKnight, who worked to turn him for back points. Orozco managed to escape from the Nittany Lions' grasp, but not until McKnight had amassed a 1:22 edge in riding time. McKnight then added another takedown with :28 left in the period to up his lead to 4-1. Another strong ride-out allowed the Lion senior to carry that lead into the final period. McKnight chose down to begin the final stanza but could not escape Orozco's grasp. The Nittany Lion senior gave up one stall warning before rolling over Orozco for a reversal. The Aggie grappler managed an escape as time expired, but McKnight posted a convincing 6-2 win nonetheless. McKnight's win sent him into a second round of consolations this morning where he would face Edinboro's Eric Morrill.
In the match-up with Morrill, McKnight shot first, getting control of Morrill's left ankle. But the Scot grappler forced a quick reset with 2:38 left in the opening period. A solid high single leg by McKnight resulted in a go-ahead takedown at the 1:32 mark. McKnight then began working to turn Morrill for back points. Morrill managed to stay parallel but McKnight built up a 1:32 riding time edge while riding the Fighting Scott man out. Leading 2-0, McKnight chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead, while maintaining his riding time edge. But Morrill kept coming and slipped his hands around McKnight's ankles for a takedown with 1:32 left, cutting McKnight's lead to 4-2 after a quick escape. The Nittany Lion senior got in deep on Morrill's feet and nearly notched another takedown in the period's waning seconds, but Morrill scrambled out of trouble and McKnight led 4-2 (with 1:09 in riding time) heading into the third period. Morrill chose neutral to begin the final period. The Scot took numerous solid shots, nearly gaining an advantage each time. But McKnight was able to step away and keep his lead. He then used a sound low double to up his lead to 6-2 with 1:12 left. Morrill escaped with :50 left and began frantically looking for openings. But McKnight tied the Scot each time and went on to post a convincing 7-3 victory. McKnight's 2-0 performance in consolations moves him into the `Round of 12' for the third time in his career. Just one win shy of becoming an All-American, McKnight will meet 6th seed Gabe Flores of Illinois tonight.
141: True freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.), the 12th seed at 141, took on 11th seed Keith Sulzer of Northwestern in his first consolation bout of the tournament. Scott and Sulzer traded shots early, with neither man finding enough of an opening to score. With :52 left, Sulzer got the first takedown, diving through Scott's waste to take a 2-0 lead with :49 left in the opening period. Scott escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 with :30 left and trailed by one after the opening period. Sulzer chose neutral to start the middle stanza and Scott quickly got in on the Wildcat's leg but the wrestlers rolled out of bounds and a reset was called with 1:30 to wrestle. Scott forced a scramble on the edge of the mat, working to free his right leg and take a lead with a takedown. But another stalemate was called and action reset with :25 left in the period. Scott, trailing by one, chose down to begin the third period, needing a quick escape to tie the bout. Instead of just escaping, the Nittany Lion freshman worked himself around behind the Wildcat for a reversal and a 3-2 lead with 1:35 left in the bout. Scott then put together a strong ride, winding down the clock and building up a riding time edge. The Nittany Lion simply rode Sulzer out to post a hard-fought 4-2 decision, moving into the next round of consolations this morning against Cornell's Adam Frey.
In the bout with Frey, Scott found himself down early as Frey notched a quick takedown and add two back points to lead 4-1 just :40 in. Scott shot high off a reset, but Fry countered and took the Nittany Lion freshman down again to up his lead to 6-1 with 1:52 left in the bout. Frey then put together a strong ride, keeping control of Scott until just :36 remained in the period. Scott escaped to cut Frey's lead to 6-2 and then swiftly grabbed his first takedown with a quick low double-leg to cut Frey's lead to 6-4 with :28 left to wrestle. Scott rode Frey out and trailed 6-4 after one furious period. The Lion rookie chose down to begin the second period quickly escaped to a 6-5 deficit. Frey still maintained a 1:27 riding time edge. Scott then got in low on Frey's ankles again off a reset but Frey managed to force a stalemate with :48 left in the second period. Undeterred, Scott took his first lead with a solid takedown with just :20 left and proceeded to ride Frey out again. After five fast minutes, Scott led 7-6, but Frey had 1:05 in riding time. Frey chose neutral to start the final period, hoping to maintain his riding time point and keep Scott at a distance. Scott, however, had other ideas and forced a scramble on the edge of the mat with 1:30 left. He got a critical takedown with 1:10 left to up his lead to 9-6 and then added two back points, all while erasing Frey's riding time advantage. Now up 11-6, Scott worked his way into another turning position, picking up three more back points to lead 14-6 with :14 left. Scott then rode Frey out, importantly preserving a 14-6 major decision. Scott now moves into tonight's `Round of 12', just one win shy of All-America status, against Army's Matt Kyler.
149: Sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), the 6th seed at 149, was Penn State's first quarterfinalist of the day. Jenkins took on 3rd seed J.P. O'Connor of Harvard, an All-American from last season. Jenkins notched the first takedown, quickly gaining control of O'Connor's foot and taking a 2-0 lead with 2:25 left in the opening period. O'Connor escaped after just :19 seconds to cut Jenkins' lead to 2-1. Another Jenkins shot on O'Connor's right leg led to a short scramble with 1:00 left, but O'Connor managed to work his way off the mat to force a reset with :30 left. Trailing by one, O'Connor chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to knot the score at 2-2. The Nittany Lion sophomore continued to be the aggressor. But O'Connor managed to block off each Jenkins shot in the period. But Jenkins continued to work his way into O'Connor's legs and with :12 left, Jenkins took the Harvard grappler down for another takedown and led 4-2. O'Connor was injured during the move, however, and took a lengthy injury timeout. After a reset, Jenkins managed to ride O'Connor out to carry the 4-2 lead into the third period and steadily worked his way behind O'Connor, nearly getting a reversal. But action moved off the mat and Jenkins returned to the center circle, still on the bottom. O'Connor worked to turn Jenkins for back points, but the Nittany Lion sophomore was able to keep from getting turned and was eventually cut loose by O'Connor to a 5-2 lead with :30 left. Jenkins then kept O'Connor from scoring any takedowns over the last seconds and, although O'Connor got a riding time point, the Nittany Lion sophomore notched a convincing 5-3 win over the 3rd seeded wrestler. Jenkins' win earned him his first All-America honor and moves him into tonight's national semifinals against North Carolina State's Darrion Caldwell, the 7th seed.
157: Big Ten Runner-Up Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), the 3rd seed at 157, 11th seed Tyler Sherfey of Boise State in Penn State's second quarterfinal of the morning. Vallimont took just :15 to break out to a 2-1 lead with a quick takedown and Sherfey escape. But the Bronco grappler returned the favor, swiftly moving behind Vallimont to take a 3-2 lead with a takedown of his own. But Vallimont did not panic, summarily reversing Sherfey to lead 4-3 with less than a minute gone by in the opening period. Sherfey escaped to tie the b out at 4-4 and action continued from neutral with 1:45 left in the bout. Vallimont quickly dove low at Sherfey's right ankle and gained control of his left foot for a go-ahead takedown with :45 left in the opening period. This time Vallimont maintained control of the upstart Bronco to ride him out. Down 6-4, Sherfey chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to cut Vallimont's lead to 6-5. Unlike the first period, neither wrestler could find any openings in the second stanza and Vallimont carried the one point lead into a decisive third period. The Penn State sophomore chose down to start the last period and found the going tough. Sherfey quickly lifted the Lions off the mat and forced him down, erasing Vallimont's riding time edge. With :59 left, Sherfey allowed the Lion sophomore up, giving Vallimont a 7-5 lead. Vallimont was hit for a stall warning, then dove low at Sherfey's right leg. The Bronco countered the move and began an effort to get a winning takedown in the final seconds. But Vallimont managed to force a scramble and kill the clock, posting a 7-5 win and earning his first All-America laurel. The win moves Vallimont into tonight's national semifinals against Illinois' Mike Poeta, the No. 2 seed.
165: Sophomore 165-pounder Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) hoped to continue a solid run at nationals with his second consolation bout. This time, Rella took to the mat against 11th seed Kurt Gross of Kent State. Rella wasted no time in building up a lead, taking Gross down at the 2:38 mark to take an early lead. Gross escaped after a reset and action resumed from neutral with 2:28 to wrestle. Rella used a strong single leg and trip to get a second takedown with 1:44 left and then Gross escaped to a 4-2 deficit. The Nittany Lion continued to pressure Gross for the rest of the period and led by two heading into the second stanza. Rella chose down and quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead. The energized sophomore then used another low ankle pick on the edge of the mat, then reached up and forced Gross down to get his third takedown and lead 7-3 after the KSU grappler escaped. Gross was unable to connect on any of his offensive efforts as Rella maintained the 7-3 lead heading into the final period. Gross chose down to start the final period and escaped with 1:32 to wrestle, cutting Rella's lead to 7-4. Gross began to shoot furiously at Rella's ankles, but each time, Rella was able to step back and out of trouble. The Lion then countered a soft Gross shot on the edge of the mat and gained control of both his feet for a bout clinching takedown with just :42 left. Gross escaped with just :18 left and then stunned Rella with a two point toss and three back points. Luckily for Rella, the Nittany Lion had build up a riding time edge and the bout went to overtime tied at 10-10. Looking to avoid giving away a win, Rella summarily got in on Gross' legs and steadily worked his way to a winning takedown with :31 left in the first sudden victory period. The 12-10 victory moves Rella into this morning's next round of consolations against Arizona State's Patrick Pitsch.
In the bout against Pitsch, the Nittany Lion sophomore found himself down early as Pitsch got an early takedown and tow back points. Rella managed to escape, but the Sun Devil wrestler added a second takedown to up his lead to 6-2 after a Rella escape. Rella and Pitsch battled evenly over the last minute of the period, but the Nittany Lion sophomore, fighting to stay alive in the tournament, found himself down 6-2 after one period. Rella chose down to begin the final stanza but Pitsch was equal to the task on top, keeping Rella in the bottom position for the entire period. Rella managed two near defensive pins, but Pitsch fought off his back each time and kept his 6-2 lead into the final period. Up by four with a bonus point in hand, Pitsch chose down to begin the third period and was allowed up by Rella to a 7-2 lead. Rella then began furiously working for a takedown, but each time, Pitsch was able to step back out of any danger and went on to post a convincing 9-2 win over the Penn State sophomore. Rella's loss ends a solid tournament run for the Penn Stater. He went 2-2 overall and picked up a bonus point for the Lions as well with a major decision. Rella ends the season with a 17-16 record.
197: Three-time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), the second seed at 197, needed a win in his quarterfinal match-up with 7th seed Hudson Taylor of Maryland to become only the fourth four-time All-American in Penn State's prestigious 100 year history. Davis worked early to get control of Taylor, nearly getting an initial takedown at the 1:33 mark. The Nittany Lion senior then got his takedown with a strong drive through Taylor's waste at the 1:07 mark, taking a 2-0 lead. After action moved outside the circle, Davis and Taylor reset in the middle of the mat and the Lion senior began looking for an opening to turn Taylor to his back for near fall points. Davis nearly turned Taylor, but the scrappy Terrapin escaped to cut Davis' lead to 2-1 after one period. Taylor chose down to start the middle stanza, Davis rode Taylor until he build up a 2:30 riding time edge. He then turned Taylor for two back points but Taylor stunned the Lion senior with a reversal and trailed only 4-3 after two periods. Up 4-3 with over 2:00 of riding time, Davis chose down to start the period and summarily reversed Taylor to take a 6-3 lead and keep his time edge. The Nittany Lion senior then dominated Taylor from up top and rode Taylor out for a dominating 7-3 victory. Davis becomes only the fourth four-time All-American in Penn State history and will move on to tonight's national semifinals where he will face 6th seeded Dallas Herbst of Wisconsin.
2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Team Standings - After Session 3
1: Iowa - 67.0
2: Nebraska - 47.5
2: Oklahoma State - 47.5
4: Ohio State - 45.5
5: Central Michigan - 43.0
6: Penn State - 42.0
7: Missouri - 38.5
8: Cornell - 34.5
8: Minnesota - 34.5
10: Iowa State - 33.0
10: Michigan - 33.0
Penn State's record overall: 17-6
Penn State Agate (All # are tournament seeds)
125 -- Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette), Sr.
Tournament Record: 3-1 - Overall Record now: 16-10
Rd. 1: W, 5-1 dec. #12 Tyler Shinn, Oklahoma State
Rd. 2: L, 2-5 dec. #5 Charlie Falck, Iowa
Cn. Rd. 2: W, 6-2 dec. Marcos Orozco, UC-Davis
Cn. Rd. 3: W, 7-3 dec. Eric Morrill, Edinboro
Rd. of 12: vs. #6 Gabe Flores, Illinois
141 - Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley), #12 seed, Fr.
Tournament Record: 3-1 - Overall Record now: 21-6
Rd. 1: WBF over Carter Downing, Wyoming (3:32)
Rd. 2: L, 5-8 dec. #5 Manuel Rivera, Minnesota
Cn. Rd. 2: W, 4-2 dec.. #11 Keith Sulzer, Northwestern
Cn. Rd. 3: W, 14-6 maj. dec. Adam Frey, Cornell
Rd. of 12: vs. Matt Kyler, Army, tonight
149 - Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial), #6 seed, So. - ALL-AMERICAN
Tournament Record: 3-0 - Overall Record now: 25-5
Rd. 1: W, 15-5 maj. dec. Bryce Saddoris, Navy
Rd. 2: W, 4-3 dec. #11 Ryan Lang, Northwestern
Qtrs: W, 5-3 dec. #3 J.P. O'Connor, Harvard, tomorrow morning
Semis: vs. #7 Darrion Caldwell, North Carolina State, tonight
157 - Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp.), #3 seed, So. - ALL-AMERICAN
Tournament Record: 3-0 - Overall Record now: 30-2
Rd. 1: W, 8-6 (sv) dec. Seth Garvin, Chattanooga
Rd. 2: W, 10-7 dec. Steven Brown, Central Michigan
Qtrs: W, 7-5 dec. #11 Tyler Sherfey, Boise State
Semis: vs. #2 Mike Poeta, Illinois, tonight
165 - Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit), So. - SEASON COMPLETE
Tournament Record: 2-2 - Overall Record now: 17-16
Rd. 1: L, 1-3 dec. #12 Jarrod King, Edinboro
Cn. Rd. 1: W, 14-5 maj. dec. Ryan Patrovich, Hofstra
Cn. Rd. 2: W, 12-0 (sv) dec. #11 Kurt Gross, Kent State
Cn. Rd. 3: L, 2-9 dec. Patrick Pitsch, Arizona State
184 - Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa./Juniata), Jr. - SEASON COMPLETE
Tournament Record: 0-2 - Overall Record now: 19-10
Rd. 1: LBF vs. #12 Jack Jensen, Oklahoma State
Cn. Rd. 1: L, 2-4 dec. #5 seed Josh Weitzel, Oklahoma
197 - Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg), #2 seed, Sr.
Tournament Record: 3-0 - Overall Record now: 24-1
Rd. 1: WBF over Riley Orozco, Cal-State Bakersfield (1:47)
Rd. 2: W, 9-2 dec. Logan Brown, Purdue
Qtrs: W, 7-3 dec. #7 Hudson Taylor, Maryland, tomorrow morning
Semis: vs. #6 Dallas Herbst, Wisconsin, tonight