March 7, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa.; March 7, 2009 - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team had a solid first session of the 2009 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, hosted by Penn State in the Bryce Jordan Center. Four Nittany Lions earned trips to the Big Ten semifinals tonight, four clinched trips to the 2009 NCAA Championships, and all ten are still alive in the tournament.
rue freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) capped off a thrilling first session for Penn State with a last-second takedown to earn a trip to both the semifinals tonight and nationals in two weeks. Wright, who went 2-0, will be joined in the semifinals by sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), who went 2-0 at 125; All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), who went 1-0 at 133; and All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) all earned spots in the semifinals. Pataky and Strayer are set to join Wright at nationals while Jenkins still needs one more win (only five men qualify at 149 for the Big Ten this year).
All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) has also earned a spot at nationals after going 1-1 in the opening session. He can finish no worse than eighth at 165 and the conference will receive eight qualifiers at that weight. Vallimont was 1-1 on the day. Red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) went 0-1 at 141 and will continue action in consolations tonight; classmate Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.) went 0-1 at 157 and is alive as well. Senior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) went 0-1 at 184, red-shirt freshman Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.) went 0-1 at 197 and classmate Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) went 0-1 at HWT. All three men will continue their quest for an NCAA bid tonight.
The Nittany Lions' strong showing on Saturday morning has the team sitting in fourth place in the team standings with 38.0 points. Iowa leads the team race with 81.0, Illinois is in second with 53.5 and Wisconsin is in third with 47.0. The Nittany Lions went 6-6 in the first session.
Tonight's second session begins at 6 p.m. with consolation bouts and concludes with the Big Ten semifinals. Sunday's single session starts at 12 p.m. with the finals set for 2 p.m. The 2009 Big Ten Championship Finals will air live on the Big Ten Network.
BOUT BY BOUT:
125: Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) had a first round by and faced Zach Sanders of Minnesota in the quarterfinals at 125. Pataky was the No. 4 seed in the tournament while Sanders was the 5th seed. Pataky got out to an early 2-0 lead, taking Sanders down less than a minute into the opening round. The Nittany Lion sophomore then proceeded to ride Sanders out to carry that lead, with 2:15 in riding time, into the second period. Pataky chose down to start the middle period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He then turned into Sanders and began pressing for another takedown. Pataky nearly mixered Sanders at the 1:20 mark, but Sanders managed to roll through. Undaunted, Pataky added another takedown to up his lead to 5-1 with :30 left in the second period. Sanders chose neutral to start the third period. The talented Gopher got his first takedown with 1:20 left to lead 6-3 (after a Pataky escape). With a riding time point secured, Pataky worked to maintain his lead but Sanders quickly posted another takedown to cut the lead to 7-5. Pataky managed to hold off the late Sanders flurry and notch a hard-fought 8-5 win. The victory moves the Nittany Lion into tonight's semifinals, where he will meet top-seeded Brandon Precin of Northwestern. It also earned Pataky his first trip to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.
133: All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) had a first round by as the No. 6 seed and met No. 3 seed Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois in the quarterfinals. Kennedy forced a scramble early in the first period, looking to take the lead. But Strayer was able to roll through, fight his way out of trouble and force a stalemate at the 1:35 mark with the bout still scoreless. Strayer took a high shot with 1:20 left that Kennedy countered, forcing yet another scramble that Strayer was able to once again work out of. But Kennedy's aggression paid off with :41 left as the Illini took Strayer down to lead 2-0 into the second period. Strayer chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 2-1 deficit. Strayer began pressuring Kennedy himself, and with :14 left in the second period, took the Illini down to take a 3-2 lead into the third period. Kennedy, with 1:12 in riding time to his advantage, chose down to start the third period. Strayer, however, was able to ride Kennedy long enough to erase the riding time edge. After a reset, Strayer then gained control of the Illini grappler and managed to work the clock down to full zeros. The stunning ride-out sent the Bryce Jordan Center fans into a frenzy as Strayer got the 3-2 win to move into tonight's semifinals, where he will take on No. 2 seed Franklin Gomez of Michigan State. The win also punched Strayer's ticket to nationals.
141: Red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), one of five freshmen in the Penn State line-up, took on No. 2 seed Kellen Russell of Michigan in the opening round. Neither wrestler managed a score in the first period and Russell chose down to start the second stanza. The Wolverine sophomore quickly reversed Molinaro to take a 2-0 lead :20 into the second period. He then turned Molinaro for three back points and a 5-0 lead. A strong ride out by Russell allowed the Wolverine to carry that 5-0 lead, with 1:32 in riding time, into the third period. Molinaro chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 5-1 deficit. Molinaro forced Russell into a first stall warning with 1:15 left to wrestle. Russell, however, countered a Molinaro shot with :40 left to ice the bout with another takedown and go up 7-2 with :30 left. The Wolverine added another takedown and the riding time point to notch the 10-2 major decision. Molinaro's loss sent him to the first round of consolations tonight where he will face No. 8 seed Andrae Hernandez of Indiana.
149: All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), the No. 2 seed at 149, had an opening round bye and took on Indiana's Nick Walpole in the quarterfinals. The duo battled evenly for the first minute before Jenkins forced Walpole into a stall warning and then got in deep on his right ankle. Walpole managed to force a stalemate, however, and the bout was tied with :40. Jenkins could not break through Walpole's defense and the bout went to the second period scoreless. Jenkins chose down to start the second stanza and quickly reversed the Hoosier to lead 2-0 at the 1:40 mark. Walpole escaped to cut the lead to 2-1, only to give up another takedown on a nifty inside move by Jenkins, who grabbed Walpole's ankle and tripped him to the mat for a 4-1 lead with :40 left. Jenkins then rode Walpole out carry that lead, with :45 in riding time, into the third period. Walpole chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 4-2 deficit with 1:46 left in the bout. Jenkins then iced the bout with a takedown at the :18 mark to push out to a 6-2 lead. A Walpole escape and a Jenkins riding time point gave the Nittany Lion All-American a 7-3 win and a date in the semifinals against No. 6 seed Andrew Nadhir of Northwestern. Jenkins' win, however, does not clinch a spot at nationals yet as the Big Ten received only five qualifiers at 149 this year.
157: Red-shirt freshman Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.) took on 2nd-seed Jason Welch of Northwestern in his first round match. After a scoreless first period, Welch chose down to start the second stanza, only to nearly get turned by Darling, who caught the Wildcat in a cradle but could not quite get the back points he was looking for. Welch finally escaped to a 1-0 lead, but Darling had built up 1:12 in riding time. Darling nearly took Welch down as the second period ended, but the Wildcat countered the move and took the Nittany Lion freshman down himself to go up 3-0. Welch was awarded two back points as the period ended and led 5-0 after two periods. Darling escaped to a 5-1 deficit with 1:30 left and began pushing the Wildcat for a scoring chance. But the second-seeded Wildcat would add one more takedown to post a hard-fought 7-1 decision. The loss sent Darling to this evening's consolation round, where he will face No. 8 seed Ben Jordan of Wisconsin.
165: All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), the No. 6 seed at 165, faced Northwestern's Dominic Marella in his first round battle. Vallimont took a 2-0 lead just 1:39 into the opening period and then put together a strong ride, keeping Marella on his stomach for the entire period. Leading 2-0, Vallimont chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. The Nittany Lion senior added another takedown in the second period to carry a 5-1 lead (with 1:35 in riding time), into the final period. Marella chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead. Northwestern got hit with a penalty point at the end of the bout and, with the riding time point, posted the 7-2 win. The victory moved Vallimont into the quarterfinals where he met No. 3 seed Ryan Morningstar of Iowa.
In the quarterfinal match-up, Morningstar got the first takedown of the bout, tripping Vallimont up with 1:48 left in the opening period to lead 2-0 early. Vallimont escaped at the :51 mark to cut into Morningstar's lead with just under a minute to wrestle. Neither wrestler scored for the rest of the period and Morningstar chose down to start the second stanza. A quick escaped gave the Hawkeye a 3-1 lead and Vallimont began pressuring Morningstar, looking for an opening. Morningstar was able to play defense, however, and wind out the clock in the second period with Vallimont at arm's length. Trailing 3-1, Vallimont chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 deficit (he escaped in time to keep Morningstar from building up a riding time edge as well. Vallimont fought off a Morningstar shot with 1:30 left, forcing a stalemate at the 1:17 mark. Needing a late takedown, Vallimont kept shooting and Morningstar kept backing up. The Hawkeye got hit with one stall warning and then Vallimont shot low. But Morningstar was able to stall his way out of the match and get out with a 3-2 win. The loss sent Vallimont into tonight's consolations round. Vallimont will receive a bye in the first consolation round and, with the Big Ten receiving eight qualifiers at 165, has earned a trip to the NCAA Championships. He will meet the winner of the Scott Glasser (Minnesota)/Paul Young (Indiana) bout.
174: True freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) entered his first Big Ten tournament as the No. 3 seed at 174, where he faced Purdue's Nick Corpe in the first round. A scoreless first period led to Wright taking down to start the second stanza. The Lion freshman quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The Bald Eagle Area graduate battled the Boilermaker evenly throughout the rest of the period and led 1-0 after one period. Corpe chose down to start the third period and would regret the decision. Wright quickly gained control of Corpe's shoulders and turned him to his back for a quick pin, getting the fall at the 5:18 mark. The win pushed Wright into the quarterfinals tonight where faced No. 6 seed Trevor Perry of Indiana.
Perry had the first real scoring chance of the bout, tripping Wright up :30 into the opening period and forcing a scramble that lasted until the 1:59 mark. Wright managed to force a reset and action moved to the center circle. Neither man managed a solid scoring chance through the rest of the opening period and the bout moved to the second tied 0-0. Perry chose down to start the second stanza and quickly reversed Wright to take a 2-0 lead. Wright escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 and then spent the next minute working to counter a Perry shot that nearly led to a takedown. But Wright was able to force a reset with :33 left. Down 2-1, Wright chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie, with riding time a non-factor. The duo continued to work the upper bodies, but neither man would give and the bout stayed tied at 2-2. Perry scrambled his way to a go-ahead takedown with :18 left, taking a 4-2 lead. Wright escaped to a 4-3 deficit with just :12 left and, with Perry scrambling to leave the mat and wind out the clock, Wright's dogged determination paid off. Wright leapt at Perry's feet and tripped the Hoosier down with a stunning takedown as time expired, giving the Lion a 5-4 win and earning him a trip to the NCAA Championships. The win also pushed Wright into tonight's semifinals, where he will face No. 2 seed Jay Borshcel of Iowa.
184: Senior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) took on No. 3 seed Philip Keddy of Iowa in his first round match up at 184. Keddy got out early on Decker, notching two takedowns in the first half of the opening period to take a 4-2 lead. The third-seeded Hawkeye would tack on another takedown to lead 6-2 with 2:01 in riding time heading into the second period. Decker chose top to begin the second period, hoping to catch Keddy, but the Hawkeye quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead. Keddy would build up a 13-4 lead heading into the third period. Keddy chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 14-4 lead. A strong third period allowed Keddy to get a 19-5 decision. The loss sent Decker into the consolation round tonight where he will face Minnesota's Sonny Yohn.
197: Red-shirt freshman Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.) faced No. 6 seed Matt Powless of Indiana in his opening round bout at 197. Powless got the first takedown a minute into the bout to lead 2-0 early. Steadman escaped to cut the lead to 2-1, but not before Powless had built up a 1:10 riding time edge. Powless would tack on two more takedowns to lead 7-1 after the first period. Powless chose down to star the second period and quickly escaped to an 8-2 lead. The talented Hoosier would then power through the remainder of the match and post a 10-2 major. The loss sent Steadman to a consolation meeting with #4 Gordon Bierschenk of Minnesota tonight.
HWT: Red-shirt freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), unseeded at heavyweight, met 4th-seeded John Wise of Illinois in the opening round. Wade quickly bolted out to a 2-0 lead, taking Wise down early and building up a 1:12 riding time edge before the Illini grappler escaped. Wade held onto his lead for the remainder of the period and led 2-1 heading into the second stanza. Wise chose down to start the middle period, but Wade managed to wrap the Illini's shoulders and nearly turn the senior for back points. Wise fought through Wade's move and kept from giving up any points. He then escaped with :58 left in the period to tie the bout at 2-2, with Wade holding a 2:08 edge in riding time. A strong high double by Wise gave the Illini a 4-2 lead with :25 left in the second period. Trailing 4-2, Wade chose down to begin the final stanza, looking to escape in the first :41 seconds to keep his rind time edge. But Wise was able to tie the freshman up and erase the time advantage. The Illini veteran then turned Wade to his back with just :15 left and got a pin at the 6:57 mark. The loss sent Wade into tonight's consolation round, where he will meet No. 6 Corey Morrison of Ohio State.
2009 Big Ten Championships
Team Standings - End Session One
1: Iowa, 81.0
2: Illinois, 53.5
3: Wisconsin, 47.0
4: PENN STATE, 38.0
5: Ohio State, 37.0
6: Northwestern, 36.0
7: Indiana, 33.0
7: Michigan, 33.0
9: Minnesota, 20.0
10: Michigan State, 18.5
11: Purdue, 15.0
Penn State's record overall through session one: 6-6
Penn State Agate (seed/Intermat/Coaches/RPI)
125 - Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield HS), So., Skjk/14/13/13
Tournament Record: 1-0 - Overall record now 27-7 - NCAA QUALIFIER
Rd 1: Bye
Qtr: W, 7-5 dec. #5 Zach Sanders, Minnesota
Semi: Tonight vs. #1 Brandon Precin, Northwestern
133 - Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills HS), Sr., Skjk/9/9/6
Tournament Record: 1-0 - Overall record now 16-5 - NCAA QUALIFIER
Rd. 1: Bye
Qtr: W, 3-2 dec. #3 Jimmy Kennedy, Illinois
Semi: Tonight vs. #2 Franklin Gomez, Michigan State
141 - Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional HS), Fr., NS/NR/25/26
Tournament Record: 0-1 - Overall record now 18-14
Rd. 1: L, 10-2 maj. dec. #2 Kellen Russell, MICH
Cons Rd. 1: Tonight vs. #8 Andrae Hernandez, Indiana
149 - Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS), Jr., S2/2/2/6
Tournament Record: 1-0 - Overall record now 23-0
Rd. 1: Bye
Qtr: W, 7-3 dec. #7 Nick Walpole, Indiana
Semifinals: Tonight vs. #6 Andrew Nadhir, Northwestern
157 - Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth HS), Fr., NS/NR/NR/NR
Tournament Record: 0-1 - Overall record now 14-9
Rd. 1: L, 1-7 dec. #2 Jason Welch, Northwestern
Cons Rd. 1: vs. #8 Ben Jordan, Wisconsin
165 - Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. HS), Jr., Skj/NR/20/NR
Tournament Record: 1-1 - Overall record now 18-10 - NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Rd. 1: W, 7-2 dec. Dominica Marella, Northwestern
Qtr: L, 2-3 dec. #3 Ryan Morningstar, Iowa
Cons Rd. 1: BYE
Cons Rd. 2: vs. winner Glasser/Young
174 - Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area HS), Fr., Skjk/16/14/11
Tournament Record: 2-0 - Overall record now 28-9
Rd. 1: WBF vs. Nick Corpe, Purdue (5:18)
Qtr: W, 5-4 dec. #6 Trevor Perry, Indiana
Semifinals: Tonight vs. #2 seed Jay Borschel, Iowa
184 - Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J./Seton Hall Prep), Sr., NS/NR/NR/NR
Tournament Record: 0-1 - Overall record now 8-14
Rd. 1: L, 19-5 maj. dec. #3 Philip Keddy, Iowa
Cons Rd. 1: Tonight vs. Sonny Yohn, Minnesota
197 - Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa./General McLane HS) NS/NR/NR/NR
Tournament Record: 0-1 - Overall record now 5-15
Rd. 1: L, 10-2 maj. dec. #6 Matt Powless, Indiana
Cons Rd. 1: Tonight vs. #4 Gordon Bierschenk, Minnesota
HWT - Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel HS) NS/NR/NR/NR
Tournament Record: 0-1 - Overall record now 13-12
Rd. 1: LBF, #4 John Wise (6:57)
Cons Rd. 1: Tonight vs. #6 Corey Morrison, Ohio State