March 20, 2009
ST. LOUIS, Mo.; March 20, 2009 - The core of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling program remained strong during the morning session of the 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships as four Nittany Lions are just one win shy of becoming All-Americans. While two Nittany Lion underdogs were defeated in the national quarterfinals, they, along with two of their three teammates wrestling in consolations, remain alive.
Senior All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), the #10 seed at 133, was downed by #2 seed Reece Humphrey of Ohio State in his quarterfinal match while true freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), the #11 seed at 174, was beaten by #3 seed Brandon Browne of Nebraska (a fifth-year senior). Each man will wrestle in tonight's `round of 12'.
While its quarterfinalists could not pull off upset wins, Penn State's three wrestlers already in the consolation bracket were outstanding, bolting out to a 3-0 combined record and moving on to a third round of consolations. Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) at 133, freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) at 141 and All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) at 165 each won their first consolation bouts, moving them into the third round of wrestle-backs.
In the third round, however, Pataky had his season ended with a 9-3 loss to Kent State's Nicholas Bedelyon. Pataky went 3-2 in his first trip to NCAAs and ended his the year with a 31-11 record. Molinaro and Vallimont each won again, moving on to tonight's `round of 12'. Molinaro posted a 4-0 win over Lehigh's Seth Ciasulli at 141 while Vallimont dominated Kent State's Seth Garvin, 10-5, to win at 165.
Penn State went 5-3 in the morning session and has a solid 13-8 record at the tournament's midway point. The Nittany Lions have 20.5 points with four wrestlers looking to pick up valuable placing points with just one more win, in addition to becoming All-Americans.
The tournament continues tonight at 7 p.m. with more consolation bouts and the national semifinals. ESPN2 HD, ESPNU HD and ESPN 360 will broadcast the semifinals live. The three-day tournament continues on Saturday with sessions at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
BOUT BY BOUT:
125: Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) began his morning of wrestle backs with a battle against Illinois B.J. Futrell. Pataky caught Futrell in an early mixer, taking him to the mat for a five point lead and nearly pinning the Illini a minute in. But Futrell was able to fight off his back and score a reversal and with 1:40 left, Pataky led 5-2. Pataky escaped at the 1:15 mark and led 6-2. Pataky countered a Futrell shot, controlled the Illini's shoulders and added another takedown to lead 8-2 with :30 left in the opening period. The sophomore then rode Futrell out to carry that lead into the second period. Pataky chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 9-2 lead. He then wasted no time in taking Futrell down again, upping his lead to 11-2 :30 into the second stanza. Another strong ride led to a first Futrell stall warning as Pataky worked the Illini's arms to try and roll him for more near fall points. While not managing to pick up any more back points, Pataky was able to ride Futrell out to lead 11-2 with 1:13 in riding time heading into the final period. Futrell chose neutral to begin the final period and notched his first takedown at the 1:50 mark, then turned Pataky for two near fall points, cutting his lead to 12-6 after letting him loose. Pataky tied Futrell up trying to notch a final takedown as the bout ended and, while not picking up the final points, his 12-6 win moved him into a second bout this morning against Kent State's Nicholas Bedelyon.
The bout against Bedelyon began with Pataky forcing a scramble that nearly resulted in two Bedelyon back points. But the situation ended in a stalemate. Pataky nearly scored again by pulling Bedelyon down to the mat twice, and each time the Flash grappler was able to fight his way out of trouble and keep the bout scoreless at the midway point. After a reset with :50 left, Pataky used a low single to gain control of Bedelyon's right leg, but the Kent State grappler was able to force yet another stalemate and the bout ended the first period scoreless. Bedelyon chose down to start the second stanza and quickly worked himself into a position to get a reversal, taking a 2-0 lead at the 1:10 mark. He then turned the Lion sophomore for three back points and a 5-0 lead. A ride out gave Bedelyon a 5-0 lead after two periods. Pataky chose down to start the third period but could not break free of Bedelyon's ride until the 1:03 mark. Down 5-1, Pataky pressured the Flash grappler and took him down, cutting the lead to 5-3. He then cut Bedelyon loose and immediately worked in on a mixer. But his arms slipped and Bedelyon moved on top of Pataky for a final takedown and a 9-3 win. The loss ends Pataky's tournament after a 3-2 run. The Clearfield native ends the 2008-09 campaign with a 31-11 record.
133: Senior All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), the #10 seed at 133, took on #2 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State in the national quarterfinals. Humphrey caught Strayer early, locking his shoulders and tossing him to his back for a near fall just over a minute into the bout. The five point move gave Humphrey an early 5-0 lead. Strayer escaped to a 5-1 deficit with 1:20 left in the opening period and began pressuring Humphrey, looking to score and get back in the match. Strayer gained control of Humphrey's shoulders and took him down to cut the lead to 5-3, but Humphrey was able to reverse the Nittany Lion before the period ended. Trailing 7-3, Strayer chose down to start the second period. A quick escape cut Humphrey's lead to 7-4 and the Nittany Lion All-American began forcing the offense. Humphrey was able to counter a Strayer shot and take him down for a 9-4 lead. Strayer managed to escape before the period ended and trailed 9-5 heading into the final period. Humphrey chose down and escaped to a 10-5 lead to start the third period. The Buckeye added another takedown at the :50 mark and led 12-6 after a Strayer escape. But Humphrey kept pouring on the offense, adding one more takedown to roll on to the 15-6 major decision (with the bonus point). The loss moves Strayer, still one win from All-America status, into the `round of 12' tonight against #8 seed Joe Baker of Navy.
141: Red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) faced Pitt's Tyler Nauman in the second round of consolations at 141. The first minute of the bout passed with each man looking for an opening with low shots, but no one connecting. Molinaro got the first points of the bout with a driving double leg to take a 2-0 lead. But Nauman was able to roll out from Molinaro's ride and reversed the Nittany Lion at the 1:09 mark to tie the score. Molinaro quickly escaped to lead 3-2 with 1:00 left. Leading 3-2, Molinaro chose down to start the middle period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Molinaro and Nauman battled for a minute, with Nauman nearly rolling Molinaro but the Lion freshman managing to roll out of trouble and force a reset with :55 left in the period. Trailing 4-2, Nauman chose down to begin the third period but could not break out of a strong Molinaro ride. The Nittany Lion freshman stayed in position on top, breaking Nauman down and working the Panther's head to the mat until a reset was called with :34 left. With a riding time point secured, Molinaro worked to maintain control of Nauman and wind out the clock. Nauman managed to reverse Molinaro and nearly turned him to his back for near fall points to steal a victory. But time ran out before the near fall points could be awarded and, with the riding time point, Molinaro was set to get the 5-4 win. But Pittsburgh quickly protested the result and the bout hung in limbo as the protest committee took up the protest. Roughly 30 minutes later, Molinaro's win was upheld, sending him into the third round of wrestle-backs.
Molinaro took on Lehigh's Seth Ciasulli in his next consolation bout, with the Mountain Hawk forcing an early scramble that Molinaro was able to fight off, forcing a reset with 2:12 left in the opening stanza. Molinaro got in on a high single briefly, but Ciasulli was able to work his way out of bounds. Ciasulli countered a Molinaro shot and nearly turned it into a takedown, but Molinaro forced a stalemate with :12 left and the first period ended in a scoreless tie. Molinaro chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Another Ciasulli shot led to another Molinaro attempt to force a stalemate. This scramble lasted for :30 and Molinaro was able to work his way out from underneath the Mountain Hawk and get the takedown with just :08 left to lead 3-0. Down by three, Ciasulli chose down to start the third period. Molinaro was then able to gain control of the Lehigh grappler and break him down for the entire period. The impressive ride-out allowed the Nittany Lion to post a 4-0 win with the riding time point and move on to tonight's `round of 12', needing just one more win to become an All-American. He will take on #12 Drew Lashaway of Kent State.
165: Junior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), unseeded at 165, met West Virginia's Donald Jones in the second round of consolations. Vallimont broke open an early lead with a single leg takedown to lead 2-0 at the 2:32 mark. Vallimont gave up a reversal however and led only 3-2 after an escape at the 1:41 mark. Vallimont added another takedown to lead 5-2 but Jones was able to escape just before the period ended to cut the Lion's lead to 5-3. Trailing 5-3, Jones chose down to start the second period. But Vallimont was able to maintain control of the Mountaineer grappler long enough to build up a 2:08 riding time edge before an escape cut the lead to 5-4 with 1:30 left to wrestle. Vallimont and Jones battled evenly for the rest of the period and the Nittany Lion led 5-4 heading into the final period. Vallimont chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-4 lead. Jones was able to gain control of Vallimont's ankles and notch a takedown with 1:30 left to tie the bout at 6-6. He then cut Vallimont loose to a 7-6 PSU lead and action returned to the center circle. With a riding time point secured, Vallimont was able to tangle with the Mountaineer for the rest of the match and post a hard-fought 8-6 win.
In the third consolation round, Vallimont took on Chattanooga's Seth Garvin and dominated the bout in the early going, notching two takedowns in the first half of the period to lead 4-2 with :41 in riding time. Vallimont went for a third takedown, using a high single. But this time, Garvin was able to scramble out of trouble and keep the bout close with a reset at the :30 mark. Leading 4-2, Vallimont chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 5-2 lead with 1:40 left in the period. The Lion All-American got in on another high single, but Garvin countered the move and rolled over Vallimont for a takedown, cutting his lead to 5-4. Garvin was able to ride Vallimont until the :28 mark when a PSU escape gave the Nittany Lion a 6-4 lead. Vallimont was then able to scramble his way to a late takedown, getting two more points with just :02 left to lead 8-4. Down by four, Garvin chose down to start the last period and quickly escaped to an 8-5 deficit. Riding time at this point was not a factor. Garvin got in on Vallimont's right leg with a high single at the :40 mark, but the Nittany Lion All-American was able to force a scramble that ended with a reset with just :19 left in the bout. Vallimont added one final takedown and went on to post a strong 10-5 win. The victory moves Vallimont into tonight's `round of 12', one win from All-America status, where he will face Bucknell's Andrew Rendos.
174: True freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), the #11 seed at 174, met #3 seed Brandon Browne of Nebraska in the national quarterfinals. The Penn State true freshman battled the 30-win senior evenly for the entire period, fighting off one solid Browne move and heading to the second period tied 0-0. Browne chose down to start the second period and Wright was able to maintain control of the Husker for over a minute, but when trying to turn the Husker for back points, got reversed and fell behind 2-0 with :45 left in the period. Wright struggled to escape and Browne was called for a first stall warning, but the Husker was able to ride the young Lion out to carry the 2-0 lead into the third period. Wright chose down to start the final stanza but could not break free from a strong Browne ride. Browne turned Vallimont for two back points before the Lion freshman escaped to a 4-1 deficit with :30 left in the bout. Wright ran out of time in his attempt at upsetting the #3 seed and Browne notched a hard-fought 4-1 win. The loss sends Wright into tonight's `round of 12' where he will face Indiana's Trevor Perry.
2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Team Top Ten - End Session 3
1: Ohio State - 61.5
2: Iowa State - 55.0
3: Nebraska - 54.0
4: Iowa - 53.0
5: Edinboro - 46.5
6: Missouri - 39.5
7: Cornell - 38.0
8: Boise State - 38.5
9: Illinois - 30.0
10: Michigan - 26.1
T18: PENN STATE -- 20.5
Attendance session 3: 15,632
Penn State's record overall through session two: 13-8
Penn State Agate (# indicates tournament seed)
125 - Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield HS), So.
Tournament Record: 3-2 - Overall record now 31-11
Pigtail: WBF (1:40) Ian Moser, Bloomsburg
Rd 1: L, 6-11 dec. #6 James Nicholson, Old Dominion
Cns 1: W, 12-2 maj. dec. Jay Ivanco, Clarion
Cns 2: W, 12-6 dec. B.J. Futrell, Illinois
Cns 3: L, 3-9 dec. Nicholas Bedelyon, Kent State
133 - #10 Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills HS), Sr.
Tournament Record: 2-1 - Overall record now 18-9
Rd. 1: W, 7-2 dec. Ricky Deubel, Edinboro
Rd. 2: W, 7-3 (TB3) dec. #7 Nick Fanthorpe, Iowa State
Qtrs: L, 6-15 maj. dec. #2 Reece Humphrey, Ohio State
Rd. 12: Tonight vs. #8 Joe Baker, Navy
141 - Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional HS), Fr.
Tournament Record: 3-1 - Overall record now 22-17
Rd. 1: L, 1-7 dec. #8 Ryan Williams, Old Dominion
Cns 1: W, med. forf. #9 Corey Jantzen, Harvard
Cns 2: W, 5-4 dec. Tyler Nauman, Pittsburgh
Cns 3: W, 4-0 dec. Seth Ciasulli, Lehigh
Rd. of 12: Tonight vs. #12 Drew Lashaway, Kent State
149 - #2 Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS), Jr.
Tournament Record: 0-2 - Overall record now 24-3 - Season Complete
Rd. 1: L, 6-12 dec. Matt Fittery, Lock Haven
Cns 1: L, 1-10 maj. dec. David Jauregui, West Virginia
165 - Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. HS), Jr.
Tournament Record: 3-1 - Overall record now 24-11
Rd. 1: W, 8-6 (sv) #9 Brandon Mason, Oklahoma State
Rd. 2: L, 3-11 maj. dec. #8 Jonathan Reader, Iowa State
Cns 2: W, 8-6 dec. Donald Jones, West Virginia
Cns 3: W, 10-5 dec. Seth Garvin, Chattanooga
Rd. of 12: Tonight vs. Andrew Rendos, Bucknell
174 - #11 Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area HS), Fr.
Tournament Record: 2-1 - Overall record now 31-11
Rd. 1: WBF (1:17) Byron Sigmon, UNC-Greensboro
Rd. 2: W, 8-6 dec. #6 Steve Anceravage, Cornell
Qtrs: L, 1-4 dec. #3 Brandon Browne, Nebraska
Round of 12: Tonight vs. Trevor Perry, Indiana