March 27, 2008
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Two Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers entered the championship finals of the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships just one win away from a prestigious individual title. Senior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) dominated Central Michigan's Wynn Michalak to claim the national crown at 197 and spur Penn State on to a superb third place finish in the team race. Penn State's other finalist; sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) dropped a hard-fought 14-8 decision in his title tilt at 149.
Despite the loss in the finals, Jenkins ends a stellar sophomore season as the 2008 National Runner-Up as the 6th seed. He went 4-1 during his first run at 149 and ends his year with a 26-6 record. Davis, with the win, punched Penn State's ticket to a superb third place finish in the team standings. Davis ends the tournament with a 5-0 mark and his senior season 26-1. He leaves Penn State with stunning 116-20 record.
Sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) was superb, entering the tournament as the third seed and finishing third at 157 to become an All-American for the first time. Vallimont's only loss was a heart-breaking 6-5 decision to second seed Mike Poeta of Illinois in the national semifinals. Vallimont went 4-1 at the tournament and ended the year with a 26-6 mark. Senior Mark McKnight had a superb 6-2 run through his final NCAA tournament, claiming the elusive All-America medal with a fourth place finish at 125. Unseeded, McKnight downed four seeded wrestlers in his run, including wins over sixth-seeded Gabe Flores of Illinois and fifth-seeded Charlie Falck of Iowa. McKnight went 19-11 as a senior at ends his collegiate career with a 107-45 mark.
True freshman Garrett Scott advanced to the `round of 12' at 141 in his first NCAA tournament, missing out on All-America laurels by just one victory. Scott went 3-2 in his first go-round at nationals and ended the year with a 21-7 record. Sophomore Dave Rella had a quality tournament as well. The surging 165-pounder posted a 2-2 mark, including a 12-10 win over 11th-seeded Kurt Gross of Kent State. Rella majored Hofstra's Ryan Patrovich as well and ended the year with a 17-16 record. Junior Phil Bomberger was Penn State's seventh competitor at nationals. While the talented junior did not pick up a win, his final bout was a hard-fought affair, falling 4-2 to fifth-seeded Josh Weitzel of Oklahoma. Bomberger ended his junior campaign with a 19-10 record.
Penn State ended the tournament with 75.0 points, good enough for third place. The Nittany Lions finished only four points behind Ohio State (79.0). Iowa claimed the team title with 117.5 points. The third place finish is the highest for Penn State since finishing in third in 1994. The 75.0 team points is the fifth most in school history. Penn State posted a superb 25-10 overall record in the tournament as well.
NITTANY LIONS TAKE THIRD PLACE TROPHY AT 2008 NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS With seven qualifiers contributing to a 75.00 team point total, the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team placed third at the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis' Scottrade Center. The third place finish is Penn State's highest since 1994, the highest for head coach Troy Sunderland and only the ninth top three finish for Penn State since it won the National Championship in 1953. Penn State's 75.0 team points is the fifth highest team total in Lion history. Penn State came home with four All-Americans, the most since 2003. Senior Phil Davis' national title at 197 was the 21st in Penn State history and Davis is the 18th Nittany Lion to win a crown. Penn State's seven qualifiers posted a 25-10 record.
Phil Davis CLAIMS 2008 NATIONAL TITLE AT 197 AND BECOMES FOUR-TIME ALL-AMERICAN Senior 197-pounder Phil Davis went 5-0 at the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships to claim the National Championship at his weight class. He won the title with a 7-2 win over No. 4 seed Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan. In the process, Davis became only the fourth four-time All-American in Penn State history. Davis' crown is the 21st individual title in Penn State history and the Harrisburg native became the 18th individual to win it all. Phil ended his season with a 26-1 record and leaves Penn State with a 116-20 career record, a 58-6 mark in dual meets, 26-4 in Big Ten duals and a 30-1 record in matches decided by a fall. Davis' 116 wins are 16th all-time at Penn State, his 30 pins are 6th, his 58 dual meet wins are 4th and his 136 matches wrestled is 20th. His 17 career wins in the NCAA tournament are just one shy of the school record of 18.
SOPHOMORE Bubba Jenkins IS 2008 NATIONAL RUNNER-UP AT 149 Sophomore Bubba Jenkins earned All-America status for the first time and became the 2008 NCAA National Runner-Up at 149 pounds (losing to Iowa's Brent Metcalf in the national finals). Jenkins posted an outstanding 4-1 record in the tournament as the 6th seed. He downed three seeded wrestlers in the process and upped his season record to 26-6. Jenkins was the second lowest seed to advance to the finals this season.
VALLIMONT TAKES THIRD AT 157 TO EARN FIRST ALL-AMERICA HONOR Sophomore Dan Vallimont posted a superb 5-1 record at the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships, taking third place as the tournament's third seed. Vallimont's only loss was a heart-breaking 6-5 defeat to Illinois' Mike Poeta (Poeta was the only grappler to beat Vallimont this year). Vallimont downed three seeded wrestlers during his run, including a stellar win over defending National Champion Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro. He ends sophomore season as PSU's leader in wins with a 32-3 overall record.
McKNIGHT STORMS TO FOURTH PLACE AT 125 TO EARN ALL-AMERICA HONORS For four-time national qualifier Mark McKnight, the `fourth' time was a charm. The senior entered his final run at nationals unseeded, but rolled his way to an outstanding 6-2 mark and a fourth-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships. McKnight's fourth place finish earned him All-America honors for the first time, after narrowly missing out in prior trips (he had reached the `Round of 12' twice). McKnight beat four seeded wrestlers during his run, including wins over No. 6 seed Gabe Flores of Illinois and No. 5 seed Charlie Falck of Iowa. His win over Flores was a thrilling 5-4 (tb) decision that clinched the All-America honor. McKnight ended the season with a 19-11 mark and went 42-22 record. His career record, including two seasons at Buffalo, is 107-45.
SCOTT, RELLA AND BOMBERGER ALL CONTRIBUTE TO PSU'S 3RD PLACE FINISH True freshman Garrett Scott went 3-2 in his first go-round at the nationals, reaching the `Round of 12' at 141 and missing out on All-America laurels by just one win. Scott, the 12th seed, ends his year with a 21-7 record. He gained valuable team points for Penn State with a pin in the first round and a major over Cornell's Adam Frey. His other victory was a 4-2 decision over 11th-seed Keith Sulzer of Northwestern. Sophomore Dave Rella posted a solid 2-2 mark in his first NCAA tournament. Unseeded at 165, Rella lost a tough 3-1 decision to the 12th seed in the opening round but bounced back with a major decision over Hofstra's Ryan Patrovich and a 12-10 (sv) win over 11th seed Kurt Gross of Kent State. Rella went 17-16 this year. Junior Phil Bomberger, while going 0-2, lost both his bouts to seeded grapplers at 184. After a first round loss to 12th seed Jack Jensen of Oklahoma State, Bomberger battled No. 5 seed Josh Weitzel of Oklahoma tough, but feel 4-2 to end his year. Bomberger went 19-10 and was ranked among the nation's top 20 at 184 all season long.
DAVIS CLAIMS BIG TEN TITLE AT 197; FOURTH MULTIPLE BIG TEN TITLE WINNER AT PSU Three-time All-American Phil Davis downed Northwestern's Mike Tamillow in a 3-2 decision to claim the Big Ten crown. The win gave Davis his second Big Ten championship, making him only the fourth wrestler in Penn State's somewhat short Big Ten history to win more than one conference crown. He joins Eric Bradley, who won titles in 2004 and 2005; Kerry McCoy, who won in 1994, 1995 and 1997; and Sanshiro Abe, who won in 1993, 1994 and 1996. His victory gave Penn State its 19th Big Ten Champion among 13 different wrestlers.
VALLIMONT 2008 BIG TEN RUNNER-UP AT 157 Sophomore Dan Vallimont's superb season at 157 continued at the 2008 Big Ten Championship as the talented Lion went 3-1 to advance to the conference finals. A loss to Illinois' Mike Poeta meant a Runner-Up finish. Vallimont becomes Penn State's second conference runner-up at this weight.
McKNIGHT MAKES FOURTH TRIP TO NCAAs Mark McKnight received on of the conference's two Wild Card Qualifier spots to become a four-time NCAA qualifier. The Nittany Lion 125-pounder reached the `Round of 12' twice as a wrestler at Buffalo and went 2-2 last year as a Penn Stater.
JENKINS EARNS SECOND TRIP TO NATIONALS Sophomore Bubba Jenkins went to nationals for the second straight year, but for the first time at 149 pounds. Jenkins placed fifth at the Big Ten tournament on March 8-9. Last year, the Nittany Lion qualified for NCAAs at 157 pounds and went 1-2 as a true freshman in Auburn Hills.
SCOTT, RELLA AND BOMBERGER GO TO NCAA'S FOR FIRST TIME Three talented Nittany Lion grapplers went to the NCAA Championships for the first time in their careers. True freshman Garrett Scott bounced back from a last-second loss at the Big Ten Championships to place seventh and earn his first trip to nationals at 141. Sophomore Dave Rella had an outstanding run at Big Tens and was Penn State's third-highest placer with a fourth-place finish at 165, earning his first ticket to the national show. Junior Phil Bomberger placed fifth at 184 in the Big Ten tournament and will be making his NCAA Championships debut as well. Penn State's three NCAA tournament rookies equals last year's total of three (Dan Vallimont reached the `Round of 12' as a freshman at 149, Jenkins went 1-2 at 157 and Aaron Anspach stormed his way to the Finals at HWT).
NITTANY LIONS QUALIFY HIGH NUMBER AGAIN Penn State took seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row and continue a string of seven or more qualifiers that dates back to the 2006 season. In the nation's toughest wrestling conference, Penn State continued to take a large contingent to the `Big Show' every year. In Penn State's 16 years of wrestling in the Big Ten (including this season), the Nittany Lions have only taken less than six grapplers to nationals one time. Penn State has taken 10 twice, nine twice, eight twice, seven four times (including this year) and six five times. The lone low total was a four-person group in 1995. That group, however, placed fifth nationally and crowned a champion (John Hughes at 142), a runner-up (Sanshiro Abe at 126) and a third place winner (Kerry McCoy at HWT).
LIONS END DUAL MEET SEASON 14-5; FINISH THIRD IN BIG TEN DUALS WITH 5-3 MARK Penn State's 35-8 win over Lock Haven in its dual meet finale gave the Nittany Lions a 14-5 regular season mark for the second season in a row and the third time in five years. Penn State has gone on a dual meet tear as of late, combining to go 41-14 over the last three years. The Nittany Lions also finished tied for third in the Big Ten dual meet standings for the second straight season as well.
DAVIS CLOSES OUT DUAL MEET CAREER WITH YET ANOTHER PIN Senior Phil Davis pinned Lock Haven's Ben Hepburn at the 5:25 mark, getting a fall in his final collegiate dual meet. Davis' pin was his sixth of the year and the 28th of his career. The Nittany Lion All-American is now 8th on the all-time Penn State falls list. He closes out his stellar Nittany Lion career with a 58-6 career dual meet record, 26-4 in Big Ten duals. His 58 dual meet victories is fourth all-time at Penn State as well. Davis has a 107-20 overall career record to date, with his 107 career wins placing him 14th all-time at Penn State.
MCKNIGHT GETS 100TH CAREER WIN Senior Mark McKnight received a forfeit victory in Penn State's dual meet finale at Lock Haven on 2/23. The win was the 100th of McKnight's career, including two seasons spent at the University of Buffalo. While not cracking the Penn State all-time list as two of the years were spent at Buffalo, McKnight's four-year record is a stellar 100-40. He is 35-17 as a Nittany Lion.
HAAS GETS WIN IN DUAL MEET FINALE Senior Tim Haas got a 7-3 decision over Lock Haven's BIlly Ashnault in the Nittany Lions' 35-8 win at LHU on 2/23. The victory in what could be Haas' final Penn State dual meet was the senior co-captain's fourth win in his last six bouts, including three Big Ten victories. Haas has 28-20 career record as a Nittany Lion.
LORENZO GETS FIRST COLLEGIATE DUAL MEET WIN Red-shirt freshman Michael Lorenzo, Penn State's back-up 165-pounder, moved up a weight to 174 and got his first collegiate dual meet win in Penn State's 35-8 victory at Lock Haven on 2/23. Lorenzo posted a strong 5-2 decision over LHU senior Michael Metzger, helping a Penn State line-up featuring four reserves still win eight of ten bouts in the dual.
LIONS DOMINATE MSU AND PURDUE IN FINAL HOME WEEKEND Penn State put together a dominating performance in its final home duals of the season, downing Big Ten foes Michigan State 26-13 on 2/15 and Purdue 33-6 on 2/17. The Nittany Lions won 16 of 20 bouts in the duals to outscore their Big Ten rivals 59-19.
DAVIS CLOSES OUT HOME CAREER IN STYLE Three-time All-American Phil Davis closed out his Penn State home dual meet career in fine style. Davis dominated two more Big Ten opponents this past weekend and closed out his stellar Penn State home dual career in fine fashion. Davis whitewashed No. 16 Joe Williams 7-0, breaking through the defensive style of Williams to notch the win and spur Penn State on to a 26-13 victory. Davis then dominated Purdue's Logan Brown, racking up a 16-5 major decision in Penn State's 33-6 win over the Boilermakers. Davis never lost a dual match in Rec Hall, going 24-0 in Rec Hall duals. His home PSU dual meet record is 24-1, with the lone loss coming as a freshman in a dual wrestled at Rec Hall. Davis finished the Big Ten dual season 7-1 and ends his career with a stunning 27-4 record in Big 10 duals.
McKNIGHT AND HAAS GRAB WINS IN FINAL REC HALL DUAL MEETS Seniors Mark McKnight and Tim Haas each grabbed wins on Senior Day vs. Purdue on 2/17. McKnight posted a 15-5 major over Purdue's Akif Erin and Haas downed Sean Schmaltz 6-2 to help spur Penn State on to a 33-6 win over the Boilermakers.
JENKINS AND ERWIN POST WINS OVER RANKED PURDUE GRAPPLERS Two talented Penn State sophomores took down ranked wrestlers in Penn State's 33-6 win over Purdue on 2/17. No. 5 Bubba Jenkins handled No. 14 Jake Patacsil at 149, posting a convincing 6-1 decision. Erwin, ranked No. 16, took down No. 17 Nick Corpe 8-4 at 174 as well.
LABORANTI'S LAST SECOND TAKEDOWN SECURES WIN OVER NO. 6 MICHIGAN Senior John Laboranti got a takedown in the last second of his 6-4 (SV) win over Michigan's Chad Bleske, securing Penn State's 20-14 win over No. 6 Michigan on 2/8.
SCOTT DOWNS #4 RUSSELL IN PENN STATE'S WIN OVER NO. 6 MICHIGAN; NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK True freshman Garrett Scott used a reversal and two escapes to post a thrilling 4-3 win over No. 4 Kellen Russell of Michigan on 2/8. The decision sent over 4,000 Penn State fans to their feet and helped the Nittany Lions down No. 6 Michigan 20-14. Scott was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (2/13) for his performance. It is the first such honor for the young Nittany Lion.
DAVIS HAMMERS #14 BIONDO Three-time All-American Phil Davis hammered Michigan's Anthony Biondo 15-0 on 2/8, getting the technical fall in 5:58 and helping Penn State beat No. 6 Michigan 20-14 in the process.
SCOTT GETS FIRST BIG TEN WIN BY PINNING #11 PRATER OF ILLINOIS True freshman Garrett Scott got his first career dual match win in a big way. The Nittany Lion 141-pounder pinned No. 11 Ryan Prater of Illinois in the first period (2:21). The win was one of four in the dual for Penn State.
VALLIMONT LOSES CLOSE BATTLE WITH NO. 1 POETA Sophomore 157-pounder Dan Vallimont had his stunning string of 21 straight wins to start the season snapped in a hard-fought 6-3 loss to No. 1 Mike Poeta of Illinois. Vallimont entered the dual as the No. 2 ranked wrestler.
HAAS' PIN AT 133 PROPELS LIONS TO WIN AT #10 NORTHWESTERN Senior co-captain Tim Haas pinned Northwestern's Eric Metzler at the 3:25 mark in the 133-pound bout in Penn State's come-from-behind win against the Wildcats. The pin was Haas first Big Ten dual win of the year and helped his team come back from an early 9-0 deficit to post the victory on 2/1/08.
JENKINS DOWNS #4 LANG Sophomore Bubba Jenkins posted a thrilling 11-8 win over No. 4 Ryan Lang of Northwestern, helping the Nittany Lions post an 18-15 win at No. 10 Northwestern on 2/1/08.
DAVIS' BIG TEN WIN STREAK SNAPPED IN UPSET LOSS TO #3 TAMILLOW Three-time All-American Phil Davis had this unblemished season and string of 18 straight Big Ten dual meet wins snapped in a 6-1 upset loss to No. 3 Mike Tamillow on 2/1/08. Davis had defeated Tamillow 6-2 earlier in the year in an exhibition bout at the NWCA All-Star Classic.
RELLA DOWNS #9 COUGHLIN TO SPARK PENN STATE TO 25-9 WIN OVER #17 INDIANA Sophomore Dave Rella posted a thrilling 2-1 (tb) decision over No. 9 Matt Coughlin of Indiana in the final bout of Penn State's 25-9 win over No. 17 Indiana on Sunday, Jan. 27. The victory capped off a dual in which the Nittany Lions won seven of ten bouts in front of over 4,000 fans in Rec Hall.
VALLIMONT TAKES DOWN #9 BECKER; STARTS SEASON 21-0 Sophomore Dan Vallimont continued his unbeaten run to start the year with two more wins on the weekend of Jan. 25-27. The No. 4 157-pounder in the country beat Ohio State's Jason Johnstone 5-3 on 1/25 in Columbus. He then thrilled over 4,000 fans in Rec Hall on 1/27 with a convincing 8-5 victory over #9 Brandon Becker of Indiana. Vallimont then posted an 8-4 win at Northwestern on 2/1 to begin the season 21-0.
LABORANTI GETS FIRST BIG TEN DUAL WIN Junior heavyweight John Laboranti downed Indiana's Nathan Everhart, 7-3, in Penn State's victory over the Hoosiers on 1/27. The decision was Laboranti's first in a Big Ten dual meet and helped spark Penn State to a 25-9 win over the 17th-ranked Hoosiers.
DAVIS MAJOR'S OHIO STATE'S WEAKLEY FOR 18TH STRAIGHT BIG TEN DUAL MEET WIN Three-time All-American Phil Davis majored Ohio State's John Weakley 11-0 in Penn State's dual at Ohio State on 1/25. The win was Davis' 18th straight Big Ten conference dual match victory, dating back to a loss against Ohio State's J.D. Bergman in the final dual of his freshman year. He had his win streak stopped at 18 with an upset loss to No. 3 Mike Tamillow of Northwestern on 2/1.
DAVIS CEMENTS SPOT ON CAREER LISTS! Senior Phil Davis cracked the 100 win mark early this year, becoming the 24th member of Penn State's 100-win club. Davis' victory over John Weakley of Ohio State on Jan. 13 was his 100th. * He leaves Penn State 116-20 overall, 9th all-time. * Davis' 58 dual wins is fourth all-time. * The Harrisburg native's 30 pins (Davis is 30-1 in matches decided by a fall) is sixth all-time at PSU. * The Nittany Lion competed in 136 career matches, 20th all-time at Penn State. * Davis went 26-4 all-time in Big Ten duals. * Of his 26 wins this year, eight were pins, six were majors and three were technical falls. Only nine were by a regular decision.
WADE, MOLINARO & DARLING WIN KENT STATE OPEN CROWNS - A trio of Penn State true freshmen claimed individual titles at the Kent State Open this past weekend. Wrestling unattached, freshmen Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.) and Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) each finished first in their respective weight classes at the event on Saturday and combined to go 14-0 with three pins, a technical fall and a major. All Penn State entrants in the tournament were unattached. Molinaro went 5-0 with a pin at 141 to claim the title. Molinaro beat Clarion's Greg Lewis 6-4 in the finals for first place. Darling went 5-0 with a pin and a technical fall to win the 149 pound crown. Darling posted a 7-2 win over Central Michigan's Ryan Cubberly for his championship. Wade went 4-0 with a pin and a major to grab the heavyweight crown. Wade defeated Pittsburgh's Ryan Tomei 7-5 in the finals.
DAVIS AND VALLIMONT GO 5-0 AT NATIONAL DUALS Senior 197-pounder Phil Davis and sophomore 157-pounder Dan Vallimont each posted perfect 5-0 records at the 2008 National Duals on 1/12-13. Davis moved to 10-0 on the season with wins over #13 Matt Koz of Chattanooga (4-2), #4 Craig Brester of Nebraska (8-0 major), Matt Panasevich of COrnell (pinned in 4:10), #17 David Bertolino of Iowa State (pinned in 3:50) and John Weakley of Ohio State (a 10-2 major). Vallimont remained unbeaten to start the year as well, moving to 17-0. The sophomore grabbed wins over #20 Seth Garvin of Chattanooga (15-7 major), #18 Chris Oliver of Nebraska (11-6), Drake Hovis of Cornell (13-1 major), #5 Cyler Sanderson of Iowa State (7-4) and Jason Johnstone of Ohio State (4-1). The only other Nittany Lion to go undefeated at the event was freshman 141-pounder Garrett Scott, who beat Cornell's Eric McGill (16-0 technical fall in only 3:35) and #18 Nick Gallick of Iowa State (an 8-0 major).
PENN STATE TOPPLES THREE RANKED FOES AT NATIONAL DUALS The Nittany Lion wrestlers went 3-2 at the 2008, getting three wins over nationally ranked foes. Penn State beat No. 16 Chattanooga (37-2), No. 19 Cornell (31-9) and No. 4 Iowa State (22-16). In those three bouts, Penn State won 22 of 30 bouts.
DAVIS WINS 100TH CAREER MATCH Senior Phil Davis' 10-2 win over Ohio State's John Weakley on Jan. 13 at the National Duals was the 100th of his career.
SUNDERLAND REACHES 100 WIN MILESTONE Penn State mentor Troy Sunderland's 31-9 win over No. 19 Cornell on Jan. 12 at the National Duals was the 100th of his coaching career. Sunderland now stands at 107-78.
ERWIN KNOCKS OFF #8 ANCERAVAGE IN WIN OVER CORNELL; NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK Sophomore 174-pounder David Erwin notched a thrilling 6-4 win over No. 8 Steve Anceravage of Cornell in Penn State's resounding 35-10 win over the 17th-ranked Big Red on Jan. 4. Erwin scored six points in the closing seconds of the second period to post the victory, the signature win in Penn State's fifth-straight win to open the season. For his efforts, Erwin was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Jan. 6. The honor was Erwin's first and the second of the season for Penn State (Jake Strayer won the award on Nov. 21).
THREE FALLS SPARK PENN STATE'S 35-10 WIN OVER #17 CORNELL Penn State used three falls to build up a 14-1 edge in bonus points, plus won seven of ten bouts, to coast to a 35-10 win over visiting Cornell on Jan. 4. The bout was wrestled in front of over 3,200 fans in Rec Hall. Jake Strayer (141), Phil Davis (197) and Mark McKnight (125) each got pins, marking the first time the Lions had three falls in one dual since its 39-3 victory over North Dakota State on Jan. 12 last year (at the Virginia Duals). Penn State also got bonus points from Garrett Scott (getting a forfeit at 149), Dan Vallimont (a major at 157) and Phil Bomberger (a major at 184).
DARLING'S RUNNER-UP SHOWING AT HITCHCOCK OPEN LEADS SIX PSU PLACERS A solid group of Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers performed well on Saturday at the Floyd `Shorty' Hitchcock Open hosted by Millersville University. True freshman Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.) led six Penn State place winners with a runner-up showing at 149 pounds. Darling and most of his teammates were wrestling unattached. Darling went 3-0 with two major decisions to advance to the finals before falling to North Carolina's Mike Rappo 5-2 in the title bout. Junior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.), continuing to perform well at 174, went 5-0 overall, but a semifinal loss to a non-collegiate wrestler moved him to the consolation bracket where he continued his prowess to place third. Friend had three pins and a technical fall during his run. Junior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) also had a solid tournament, going 5-1 with a major decision to also finish third at 184 pounds. Sophomore heavyweight Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) posted a 4-1 record at HWT to place third as well. Three of Herlihy's four wins came in overtime. True freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.) actually led Penn State in victories at the tournament, racking up a 7-1 record to finish a strong third at 165 pounds. Red-shirt freshman Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.) was solid at 133 pounds as well, going 3-2 and placing fourth. Eagen had two pins and a major decision.
DECKER CLAIMS WILKES OPEN TITLE Penn State Nittany Lion junior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) stormed his way to the 184-pound title at the 2007 Wilkes Open on Friday, claiming the crown in action that finished Friday evening. Decker's performance led a strong contingent of unattached Penn State grapplers as four Nittany Lions placed at the event. Decker went 5-0 on the day including two pins in his first two bouts and added two decisions and a medical forfeit to win the title. Olympic red-shirt Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) also had a strong day, going 4-1 (3-1 vs. collegiate wrestlers) with two technical falls. Pataky lost a close 4-3 decision in the finals to No. 20 Steve Mytych, unattached from Drexel. Penn State also garnered two other place-winners. True freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) had a solid 4-2 day to finish fourth, including a pin. Sophomore Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) went 3-2 (2-2 vs. collegiate wrestlers) to finish fourth at 184. Starting 133-pounder Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) returned to action, getting his feet wet after missing the last six-plus weeks with an injury. Haas went 2-1, 1-1 vs. collegiate wrestlers, at 133. He did not wrestle in consolations as the senior looks to prepare for Penn State's bout with No. 17 Cornell on Jan. 4. His lone loss was a tough 7-5 decision to Brandon Reasy of Pitt-Johnstown in the semifinals. Reasy was ranked No. 2 in the nation at the Division II level.
MOLINARO CLAIMS CSU OPEN TITLE Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) stormed the field at the Cleveland State Open to claim the 141-pound weight class title. The unseeded true freshman, wrestling unattached, went 5-0 at the event to win his second open tournament crown.Molinaro began the tournament with a 7-6 win over Bucknell's Luke Chohany. A pin and a decision followed. Molinaro then got a medical forfeit win in the semifinals before posting an impressive 6-1 win over top-seeded Mike Hurley of Cleveland State in the finals.
THREE DAYS IN DECEMBER LOOKED A LOT LIKE `93! A 72 hour span, bookended by some interesting travel, looked a lot like 1993 for the Penn State wrestling team. On Friday, Dec. 7, Penn State shut-out Lehigh 33-0 in LU's Stabler Arena. The shutout was the first Nittany Lion shutout of Lehigh since a 39-0 whitewash of the then-Engineers on Feb. 13, 1993. Two days later, on Dec. 9, Penn State made an appearance in Oklahoma State's Gallagher-Iba Arena and came away with a thrilling 21-18 win at No. 3 Oklahoma State. The win was Penn State's first over Oklahoma State since a 38-7 win at OSU on Jan. 30, 1993.
DAVIS' PIN CLINCHES 21-18 WIN AT OKLAHOMA STATE Senior All-American Phil Davis picked up his first pin of the year, getting a fall over Oklahoma State's Clayton Foster (5:50) to clinch the Nittany Lions' 21-18 win at OSU on Dec. 9. The victory was Davis' fourth straight to start the 2007-08 campaign.
VALLIMONT TAKES DOWN #20 McSPADDEN AS LIONS DOWN COWBOYS IN GALLAGHER-IBA ARENA While over ten ranked grapplers were set to battle when then No. 5 Penn State visited then No. 3 Oklahoma State on Dec. 9, only one of the dual's ten bouts featured two ranked wrestlers facing each other. Penn State sophomore Dan Vallimont, ranked No. 10 nationally at 157, downed No. 20 Newly McSpadden of Oklahoma State 5-4 to help Penn State secure a 21-18 win in OSU's Gallagher-Iba Arena.
SCOTT MAKES PSU DUAL MATCH DEBUT Penn State true freshman Garrett Scott made his Penn State dual match debut on 12/9 by taking on Oklahoma State senior Nathan Morgan, who was ranked No. 6 at 141 pounds. Scott, filling in for starter Jake Strayer, battled the returning All-American tough but came away with a 6-3 loss to the veteran Cowboy.
BOMBERGER TAKES DOWN #17 CRAIG TO LEAD PENN STATE TO 33-0 SHUT-OUT OF LEHIGH Junior Phil Bomberger, ranked No. 19 in the nation at 184 at the time, downed then No. 17 David Craig 9-5 to help Penn State post a 33-0 shut-out of Lehigh in the Mountain Hawks' Stabler Arena on 12/7. The victory was Bomberger's first over a ranked opponent this year.
LABORANTI MAKES DUAL MATCH DEBUT AT LEHIGH Junior HWT John Laboranti made his Penn State dual match debut in fine fashion with a solid 12-5 win over Lehigh's Justin Allen on 12/7. The win helped Penn State post a 33-0 shut-out win at Lehigh.
EAGEN GETS FIRST DUAL MATCH WIN AT LEHIGH Red-shirt freshman Mike Eagen, filling in for starting 133-pounder Tim Haas, got his first Penn State dual match debut at Lehigh on 12/7. Eagen posted a 4-3 victory over the Mountain Hawks' Kevin Vinh to help PSU secure a 33-0 shut-out at LU.
FIVE NITTANY LIONS WIN TITLES AT 2007 NITTANY LION OPEN Sophomores Bubba Jenkins and Dan Vallimont 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 blazed his way to a 6-0 mark at 141 and the title, including a win over teammate and second-ranked Jake Strayer in the semifinals. Sophomore David Erwin downed teammate Mark Friend, 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 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 advanced to the quarterfinals 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 6-1 mark and finish in fifth. Dave Rella went 5-2 to finish in sixth place at 165 and sophomore heavyweight Brendan Herlihy went 6-2 overall to finish sixth in the HWT division. In addition, recently signed Nittany Lion recruit Quentin Wright claimed the tournament title at 165 pounds.
ERWIN AND LABORANTI CLAIM MAT-TOWN TITLES Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) and John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) claimed titles at the 2007 Mat-Town U.S.A. Open Saturday evening with three other Penn Staters (and Lion-to-be) placing as well. Erwin won the crown at 174 while Laboranti nabbed the heavyweight title. Erwin went 4-0 at 174, winning the title bout over Nittany Lion teammate Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) by a 9-8 score. Friend earned runner-up status with a 3-1 showing. Laboranti posted a 4-0 mark as well, beating Cornell's Maciej Jochem 5-3 (sv) in the finals to claim the title at HWT. He downed teammate Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) with a sudden victory decision in the semifinals. Wade, wrestling unattached, went 3-2 and took home fourth place. True freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.), also wrestling unattached, took second at 165. He lost a 7-3 decision to Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) a high school senior who recently signed on to become a Nittany Lion next fall. Wright went a perfect 4-0 in the tourney to claim the title while Bollinger also posted a 4-0 mark.
STRAYER NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending on Nov. 18. Strayer, a junior 141-pounder, shares the honor with Wisconsin's Dallas Herbst. Strayer, who entered last Saturday's dual with Hofstra ranked No. 7 nationally at 141, nearly pinned No. 2 Charles Griffin before coasting to a convincing 6-1 win over the returning national semifinalist. The win helped spur No. 10 Penn State on to a 28-11 win over No. 12 Hofstra. The three-time Academic All-Big Ten pick was an All-American for Penn State last year at 133 but has moved up to 141 and has fared well so far this year, sporting a 2-0 record. Strayer is also a co-captain on this year's Nittany Lion squad for head coach Troy Sunderland. The weekly honor is Penn State's first of the year and the first since Aaron Anspach garnered the award on Feb. 7 of last year.
NITTANY LIONS CRUSH #12 HOFSTRA Getting three wins in match-ups of top ten wrestlers, Penn State won seven of ten bouts on its way to a thorough 28-11 dismantling of visiting Hofstra in a key Eastern wrestling dual. No. 2 Phil Davis majored No. 6 Joe Rovelli at 197 (12-1), No. 7 Jake Strayer nearly pinned No. 2 Charles Griffin on his way to a 6-1 win and No. 10 Mark McKnight beat No. 7 Dave Tomasette 3-2. Pins from Stefan Tighe at HWT and No. 20 Phil Bomberger at 184, plus decisions from No. 7 Bubba Jenkins (149) and No. 12 Dan Vallimont (157) aided in the victory.
DAVIS, STRAYER, McKNIGHT GET KEY WINS IN VICTORY OVER #12 HOFSTRA Already in top form, three-time All-American Phil Davis posted his second straight big win over a top ranked opponent. No. 2 Davis beat No. 6 Joe Rovelli of Hofstra 12-1 on 11/17, posting a major just a week after a 17-2 tech. fall over the No. 8 ranked 197-pounder from Maryland. No. 7 Jake Strayer nearly pinned No. 2 Charles Griffin, turning the defending national semifinalist to his back for a near fall and walking away with a convincing 6-1 win. Senior Mark McKnight was sound in his 3-2 win over No. 7 Dave Tomasette. The Lion 125-pounder, ranked No. 10 heading into the bout, scored the match-ups only takedown and did not allow Tomasette any openings. The three wins helped spur Penn State on to a 28-11 win.
DAVIS HANDLES TAMILLOW AT NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC EXHIBITION Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 in the nation at 197 pounds, posted a 6-2 decision over No. 3 Mike Tamillow of Northwestern in the 2007 NWCA All-Star Classic, held at the University of Oregon. Davis and head coach Troy Sunderland attended the exhibition event in Eugene, Ore. The victory, being in an exhibition, does not count towards Davis' season record. However, in the span of nine days, Davis began his 2007-08 season with wins over the eighth, sixth and third ranked wrestlers in the country by a combined score of 35-5.
MOLINARO CLAIMS ESU OPEN TITLE Penn State freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) made his debut at the collegiate level count, claiming the 141-pound title at the 2007 East Stroudsburg` Open on Saturday. Wrestling unattached, Molinaro blazed to a 6-0 record with two pins. Freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.), junior Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) and sophomore Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) were all solid as well, advancing to the quarterf