Jan. 8, 2010
HAMPTON, Va.; January 8, 2010 - Senior Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.) picked up a critical pin at 141 to lead the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers, ranked No. 14 in the nation, to a 22-13 win over No. 13 Kent State in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Virginia Duals. Lynch's victory was one of six for Penn State as the Nittany Lions moved into tomorrow's semifinals. Penn State will meet No. 4 Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.
Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 125, put Penn State up 3-0 early with a solid 9-4 win at 125 before Kent State's Danny Mitcheff, ranked No. 5 at 133, got a major decision at 133 before Lynch's heroics at 141 gave the Nittany Lions a 9-4 lead. Lynch trailed by one late in the bout, reversed Kent State's Chase Skonieczny and then got the pin at the 6:36 mark. All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) added a solid 8-2 win at 149 to put Penn State up 12-4 and All-American Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) got a 19-7 major at 157. The Nittany Lions held a 16-4 lead at the dual's midway point.
All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) added a 6-2 win at 165 before Kent State posted a decision at 174, giving the Nittany Lions a 19-7 lead. Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), ranked No. 14 at 184, was beaten 11-5 by No. 4 Dustin Kilgore, cutting the Nittany Lion lead to 19-10 with two bouts remaining. Kent State got a tie-breaker win at 197 to cut the Lion lead to 19-13 but sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) clinched the dual victory with a 3-1 (sv) win over No. 17 Brendan Barlow at heavyweight. The final decision gave Penn State an impressive 22-13 win.
In winning six of ten bouts, Penn State won the takedown battle 17-11 and won the battle of bonus four to one. In two duals today, Penn State won 13 of 20 bouts and had 33 takedowns to only 18 for its two foes. The Nittany Lions also dealt Kent State its first loss of the year.
Penn State moves to 8-1-1 on the year while Kent State 6-1. Penn State will meet No. 4 Oklahoma State in the tournament semifinals tomorrow at 2 p.m. Penn State's next home dual is set for Jan. 22 when it hosts Illinois at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. Single event tickets will cost $8 for adults and $6 for youth. Group sales are available once again for groups of 15 people or more. Group prices are $4 in advance and $5 walk-up. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1.800.NITTANY between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC?(1390 AM) or 3WZ (95.3 FM) and on www.GoPSUsports.com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
#14 Penn State 22, #13 Kent State 13
Hampton, Va. - Virginia Duals - January 8, 2010
| 125: #12 Brad Pataky PSU dec. Troy Opfer KSU, 9-4 | 3-0 |
| 133: #5 Danny Mitcheff KSU maj. dec. Bryan Pearsall PSU, 12-3 | 3-4 |
| 141: Adam Lynch PSU pinned Chase Skonieczny KSU, WBF (6:36) | 9-4 |
| 149: #5 Frank Molinaro PSU dec. Tommy Sasfy KSU, 8-2 | 12-4 |
| 157: #2 Cyler Sanderson PSU maj. dec. Mallie Shuster KSU, 19-7 | 16-4 |
| 165: #8 Dan Vallimont PSU dec. Ross Tice KSU, 6-2 | 19-4 |
| 174: Kevin Witt KSU dec. Justin Ortega PSU, 3-1 | 19-7 |
| 184: #4 Dustin Kilgore KSU dec. #14 David Erwin PSU, 11-5 | 19-10 |
| 197: Adam Cogar KSU dec. Clay Steadman PSU, 2-1 (TB) | 19-13 |
| 285: #18 Cameron Wade PSU dec. #17 Brendan Barlow KSU, 3-1 (SV) | 22-13 |
Records: Penn State 8-1-1, Kent State 6-1
Up Next for Penn State: Va. Duals semifinals vs. #4 Oklahoma State, tomorrow at 2 p.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Nittany Lion Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), ranked No. 12 nationally, met Kent State's Troy Opfer at 125. Pataky scored immediately off the handshake, taking Opfer down for a quick 2-0 lead just seconds into the bout. The Nittany Lion junior then put together a strong ride, building up 1:29 in riding time before cutting Opfer loose to a 2-1 lead. Leading 2-1 with 1:29 in riding time, Pataky chose down to start the second period and quickly rolled through an Opfer tilt effort for a reversal and a 4-1 lead. Pataky then maintained control from the top until cutting Opfer loose at the :40 mark. The Nittany Lion added a second takedown with just :20 left and, after a ride out, led 6-2 with over two minutes of riding time, after two periods. Opfer chose down to start the third period, giving Pataky a chance to secure the riding time point before he cut Opfer loose to a 6-3 lead. Pataky added another takedown to up his lead to 8-3 and cut Opfer loose one more time. Pataky walked away with a strong 9-4 win, putting the Lions up 3-0 early.
133: Freshman Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) took to the mat at 133 to face No. 5 Danny Mitcheff of Kent State. The Flash grappler was coming off an upset loss in his first action earlier this morning and quickly took Pearsall down to lead 2-0 just :20 into the bout. A Pearsall escape briefly cut the lead to 2-1, but Mitcheff added another takedown with 1:00 left to up his lead to 4-1. A ride-out also allowed the ranked Flash grappler to carry 2:04 in riding time into the second period. Pearsall chose neutral to begin the second period and quickly took the Nittany Lion down again for a 6-2 lead after a Pearsall escape. A fourth takedown for Mitcheff at the :55 mark gave him an 8-2 lead. The Kent State grappler then rode Pearsall out to carry that lead and 3:18 in riding time (securing the bonus point) into the third period. Mitcheff chose down to begin the third period and quickly escaped to a 9-2 lead with 1:43 left. Mitcheff added another takedown with just over a minute to wrestle to up his lead to 11-3 after a Pearsall escape. Mitcheff would post the 12-3 major decision and give Kent State a 4-3 lead.
141: Senior Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.) met KSU's Chase Skonieczny in a key battle at 141. Lynch, coming off a solid loss to a top-ranked foe against Virginia Tech, nearly got the first takedown of the bout, but Skonieczny was able to fight off the low double to force a stalemate at the 1:10 mark. Lynch continued to be the aggressor, taking shots low on the Flash wrestler, forcing Skonieczny into a stall warning. But the Kent State wrestler was able to counter a Lynch shot with :20 left to take a 2-0 lead into the second period. Lynch chose neutral to start the second period and quickly shot in on Skonieczny. But once again, Skonieczny was able to counter the Lion senior and notched a takedown to lead 4-1 after a Lynch escape with 1:20 left in the second period. Lynch, not backing down, picked up one point on a second Skonieczny stall warning. He followed through with his first takedown, to tie the bout at 4-4 with :40 left in the period. Lynch entered the third period tied 4-4 with riding time not a factor. The Nittany Lion senior then chose down to start the third period. But Skonieczny was able to control the Lion senior for over a minute, building up a riding time bonus point. But Lynch was undaunted, moving out from underneath the Kent State grappler, first getting the reversal and then working on top of Skonieczny to get a crucial pin at the 6:36 mark. The stunning fall put Penn State up 9-4 after three bouts.
149: Sophomore Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 5 at 149, met Kent State's Tommy Sasfy. Molinaro was steady out of the gates, taking a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 1:52 mark. The All-American then dominated Sasfy on top, building up sizeable riding time edge with a ride out. Leading 2-0, Molinaro chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. The duo battled evenly for the next minute until Molinaro finished off a high single, gaining control of Sasfy's other foot for a takedown with :12 left. Molinaro picked up a first stall warning while riding Sasfy out and led 5-0 with 2:01 in riding time after two periods. Sasfy chose down to begin the third period and escaped to a 5-1 lead with 1:20 left. With the riding time point secured, Molinaro went on the offensive, looking for bonus points. Molinaro took a 7-2 lead with a takedown and cut at the :30 mark but could not get a final takedown for the major. Still, the 8-2 win put Penn State up 12-4.
157: All-American Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah), ranked No. 2 at 157 but coming off an upset loss earlier in the day, met Mallie Shuster. Sanderson was relentless early, picking up two takedowns in the first :30 to lead 4-2 after cutting Shuster loose each time. A third takedown gave Sanderson a 6-2 lead with 1:55 left. Chase escaped to a 6-3 deficit, only to give up a fourth takedown with 1:02 left to wrestle. Chase escaped one more time, giving Sanderson an 8-4 lead after one period. The Penn State senior chose down to begin the second period and quickly reversed Shuster to up his lead to 10-5 after another cut. Sanderson exploded through Shuster for another takedown and led 12-5 after cutting the Flash grappler loose again. Sanderson added a sixth takedown and picked up a point for stalling to lead 15-6 with :20 left in the second stanza. Trailing 15-6, Shuster chose top to start the third period. Sanderson, however, reversed Shuster once again and lead 17-7 after a Shuster escape. Another stall point gave Sanderson another point and the riding time point gave the senior a 19-7 major, putting Penn State up 16-4.
165: Senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 8 at 165, took on Kent State's Ross Tice. Vallimont battled Tice evenly early and then took a 2-0 lead with a nice takedown in front of the Flash bench. Tice quickly escaped to a 2-1 deficit and action resumed in the center circle with 1:20 left. A second Vallimont takedown put the Nittany Lion All-American up 4-1 with just under a minute to wrestle. A ride-out gave Vallimont that three point lead with over a minute of riding time heading into the second period. Vallimont chose down to start the middle stanza and worked his way to an escape and a 5-1 lead at the 1:32 mark. The remainder of the period was uneventful and Tice, trailing by four, chose down to begin the third period. Vallimont maintained control of Tice long enough to build up a riding time edge before an escape cut his lead to 5-2. With the bonus point, Vallimont was able to post a 6-2 win and put Penn State up 19-4.
174: Freshman Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) battled Kent State's Keith Witt at 174. The duo battled evenly for the first minute-plus before Witt got in deep on Ortega's right ankle and looked to score. But Ortega was able to force a stalemate and keep things scoreless a the midway point. The rest of the period was scoreless as well and action moved to the middle period tied 0-0. Ortega chose neutral to start the second stanza. But Witt was able to gain control of Ortega's shoulders and turn the Lion to the mat for a takedown. Witt worked to get back points, but Ortega spent nearly a minute fighting off his back and actually got an escape without giving up near fall points. Trailing 2-1 with :22 left, Ortega looked for a takedown in the waning seconds but Witt was able to back out of trouble and end the period with the slim lead. Witt chose down to begin the third period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 3-1 lead with 1:33 left to wrestle. Ortega continued to shoot, looking for a chance to tie the bout, but the Flash grappler was able to back out of trouble consistently and kill the clock. The hard-fought 3-1 win by Witt cut Penn State's lead to 19-7.
184: David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), ranked No. 14 at 184, faced No. 4 Dustin Kilgore of Kent State in one of the bout's marquee match-ups. Kilgore wasted no time in building up a 5-0 lead with a swift takedown and three back points. Erwin escaped to a 5-1 deficit with 1:49 left, only to get taken down again to trail 7-1 with 1:35 remaining in the opening period. An Erwin escape made the score 7-2 after a furious opening period. Kilgore chose neutral to begin the third period. Erwin tried to score early, but a short scramble led to a stalemate at the 1:35 mark. Erwin then countered a Kilgore shot to get his first takedown at the 1:20 mark, cutting the KSU lead to 7-4. Kilgore escaped to up his lead to 8-4 with just under a minute left to wrestle. Erwin, trailing 8-4 and giving up 1:51 in riding time, chose down to begin the third period. The Lion senior steadily worked his way free to cut the lead to 8-5, but Kilgore was able to counter with another quick takedown and a 10-5 lead with 1:10 left. Kilgore then rode Erwin out to post the 11-5 win and cut Penn State's lead to 19-10.
197: Sophomore Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.) faced off at 197 against KSU's Adam Cogar. Neither wrestler mounted a serious offensive threat throughout the entire opening period and the bout was scoreless after three minutes of action. Steadman chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Cogar got in deep on a high single and looked to finish off the takedown in front of the Penn state bench, but Steadman was able to tie up the Flash grappler and force a reset with 1:12 to wrestle in the period. The Cogar shot was the lone scoring opportunity of the second period, allowing Steadman to carry the 1-0 lead into the third period. Cogar chose down to begin the final period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. With a takedown looking to be the decider, neither wrestler found an opening in regulation, sending the bout to a sudden victory period tied 1-1. Steadman nearly got the win with a quick counter move as the period wound down, but Cogar was able to fight off the move to force a first tie-breaker period. Steadman was down first but was immediately wrapped up by Cogar and could not break free for the point. Needing to keep Cogar down to force another sudden victory period, Cogar quickly escaped to a 2-1 lead. Steadman nearly stole the win with a late takedown, but Cogar fought his way to a 2-1 (TB) victory, cutting Penn State's lead to 19-13.
HWT: Nittany Lion sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 18 nationally, met No. 17 Brendan Barlow of Kent State in the final bout of the dual. Wade nearly got the bout's first takedown, working his way around behind Barlow at the edge of the mat. But the Flash big man was able to get out of bounds and keep things scoreless early. The Wade flurry was the only scoring chance of the first period and the opening session ended in a 0-0 tie. Barlow chose down to begin the second period, only to get broken down by Wade as the Nittany Lion sophomore built up :53 of riding time before Barlow escaped. Wade chose down to begin the final period and quickly escaped to tie the bout at 1-1. As was the case at 197, neither man could find an opening to score and the bout moved into a sudden victory period tied 1-1. Barlow shot low on Wade's right foot, but Wade was able to counter the move, move around behind the Flash grappler and get the 3-1 win with a takedown. The victory gave Penn State a thrilling 22-13 win.