March 19, 2010
OMAHA, Neb.; March 19, 2010 - Day two of the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships drew to a close Friday night and head coach Cael Sanderson's squad had plenty to celebrate. Senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) downed defending national champion Jarrod King of Edinboro in one 165-pound semifinal to advance to the national title match-up tomorrow night. Classmate Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) became Penn State's 166th All-American as well. Penn State holds ninth place in the team standings.
Sixth-seeded Vallimont nearly scored on numerous occasions during regulation of his semifinal match-up with No. 2 seed King. But each time Vallimont worked for a score, King was able to work his way out of bounds. Each wrestler picked up an escape and action moved to a sudden victory period tied 1-1. Vallimont finally picked up win by grabbling King's ankle, pulling him to the mat, and working his arm around the Scot's shoulders with :13 left to grab the 3-1 (sv) win. Vallimont will now meet No. 1 seed Andrew Howe of Wisconsin in the national finals tomorrow night. The finals will be aired live on ESPN HD at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
Penn State's other semifinalist, sophomore Frank Molinaro dropped a hard-fought 2-0 decision to No. 1 seed Lance Palmer of Ohio State as the Buckeye used a full two minute ride-out in the third period to grab the win. Molinaro, the fifth seed and a two-time All-American, continues on in the consolation semifinals tomorrow morning where he will meet No. 4 seed Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin with a shot at continuing on for third place on the line.
Senior Cyler Sanderson became Penn State's third All-American of the year, downing Michigan State's Anthony Jones 6-3 in the round of 12 to earn his second All-America honor. Sanderson then downed Northern Colorado's Justin Gaethje, posting a 9-6 decision to keep his hopes of a third place finish alive. Sanderson will face Binghamton's Justin Lister tomorrow morning in the consolation semifinals.
Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) finished just one win shy of being an All-American for the second straight year, losing in the Round of 12 to defending 125-pound national champion Troy Nickerson by a 9-5 decision. Pataky ends his year with a 28-10 record.
Iowa leads the team race with 120.5 points. The Nittany Lions are in ninth with 47.0, already surpassing last year's point total of 31.0. With three All-Americans this year, Penn State now has 166. In the last decade, Penn State has only had more than three All-Americans in a year twice (2003 and 2008, getting four each of those years). Vallimont's win tonight gives him 15 career wins in the NCAA tournament, tying him for ninth all-time in Penn State history (he is 15-5).
The tournament continues on Saturday at 10 a.m. Central/11 a.m. Eastern with all placing bouts. Penn State's action in the tourney will be aired live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) and on www.GoPSUsports.com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
BOUT-BY-BOUT RECAP AND AGATE:
TEAM STANDINGS (TOP 10):
1: Iowa - 120.5
2: Cornell - 75.0
3: Iowa State - 67.0
4: Wisconsin - 62.0
5: Oklahoma State - 60.5
6: Oklahoma - 58.0
7: Ohio State - 56.5
8: Minnesota - 55.0
9: PENN STATE - 47.0
10: Missouri - 44.0
The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown of Penn State's action in session four:
125: Brad Pataky, Jr. (Clearfield, Pa.), 28-10 overall - Season Complete
Rd. 1: W, 6-4 dec. #9 Jarrod Patterson, Oklahoma
Rd. 2: W, 3-2 dec. #8 Matt Steintrager, Central Michigan
Qtrs: L, 0-15 tech. fall #1 Angel Escobedo, Indiana (TF; 6:27)
Round of 12: L, 5-9 dec. #2 Troy Nickerson, Cornell
Unseeded junior Brad Pataky took to the mat in the Round of 12 to face No. 2 seed Troy Nickerson, defending national champion at 125. Pataky, who lost in the Round of 12 a year ago, got the bout's first points with a strong double leg that led to a takedown at the 2:38 mark and a 2-0 lead. But Nickerson promptly reversed Pataky. Pataky escaped at the 1:51 mark to take a 3-2 lead and action resumed in the center circle. Pataky used another low shot to pick up a second takedown and open up a 5-2 lead. Pataky then controlled Nickerson long enough to build up a :41 riding time edge before Nickerson escaped. Leading 5-3, Pataky chose neutral to start the second period. Pataky forced a scramble with a shot but Nickerson countered, got behind the Lion and took him down to tie the bout with a takedown at the 1:30 mark. Nickerson then turned Pataky for a three-point near fall and spent the next minute and a half working for the pin. Pataky fought off his back for :90 to stay alive and headed to the third period trailing 8-5. Nickerson chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 9-5 lead. Pataky began flurrying for takedowns, but Nickerson's defensive wrestling kept the Lion from scoring for the rest of the period. The 9-5 Nickerson win ended Pataki's season one win shy of All-American status for the second straight year. Pataky ends his junior campaign with a 28-10 record.
149: Frank Molinaro, So. (Barnegat, N.J.), #5 seed, 32-6 overall
ALL-AMERICAN
Rd. 1: W, 9-4 dec. Donald Vinson, Binghamton
Rd. 2: W, 8-0 maj. dec. Eric Albright, Pittsburgh
Qtrs: W, 8-0 maj. dec. Torsten Gillespie, Edinboro
Semis: L, 0-2 dec. Lance Palmer, Ohio State
Cans Semis: Tomorrow vs. TBA
Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro, the No. 5 seed at 149, took on top-seeded Lance Palmer of Ohio State in one national semifinal. Molinaro and Palmer battled evenly for the first minute-plus, with each man looking for an opening to score. Molinaro was unable to connect on an early high single and was immediately countered by Palmer, who gained control of the Lion and work for a takedown of his own. But Molinaro was able to get his body off the mat and force a reset at the :40 mark with the bout still scoreless. With the bout scoreless, Palmer chose down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 1-0 lead. Molinaro worked for a go-ahead takedown, but each time the Lion shot, Palmer was able to slide back and maintain his 1-0 lead. Trailing by one, Molinaro chose down to start the third period, needing an escape to tie the bout. Molinaro could not work himself free of a strong Palmer ride as the Buckeye was able to break the Lion sophomore down and build up a minute-plus in riding time. Not done with his ride, Palmer then continued to work Molinaro from the top and finished off a two-minute ride out to post the 2-0 win. The loss sends Molinaro into tomorrow morning's consolation semifinals.
157: Cyler Sanderson, Sr. (Heber City, Utah), #4 seed, 32-5 overall
ALL-AMERICAN
Rd. 1: W, 16-12 dec. Bryan Deutsch, Northern Illinois
Rd. 2: W, 4-2 dec. Dan Gonsor, Virginia
Qtrs: L, 4-9 dec. #5 Steve Fittery, American
Rd. of 12: W, 6-3 dec. Anthony Jones, Michigan State
Cans Tars: W, 9-6 dec. Justin Gaethje, Northern Colorado
Cans Semis: vs. Justin Lister, Binghamton, and tomorrow
No. 4 seed Cyler Sanderson met Michigan State's Anthony Jones in the Round of 12 at 157, needing one more win to become a two-time All-American. Jones quickly broke out to a 2-0 lead with a takedown just :09 into the bout. A quick Sanderson escape cut the lead in half and action resumed in the center circle. Jones' early shot was the only real offensive spark in the opening period and Sanderson trailed by one after the opening period. Jones chose neutral to start the second period. Sanderson began pressing the issue, forcing Jones backwards towards the outer circle. The senior then used a high single to lift Jones off the mat and take him down for a 3-2 lead at the :27 mark. Jones, out of breath, took a lengthy injury time out and action resumed with a reset. Sanderson was able to maintain control of the Spartan to ride him out and lead 3-2 with :29 in riding time after the opening period. Sanderson chose down to start the final period and was cut loose to a 4-2 lead. Sanderson iced the bout with a solid single leg at the :22 mark and, after a late Jones escape, posted the 6-3 win.
In the consolation quarters, Sanderson met Northern Colorado's Justin Gaethje, looking to move on and continue a quest for third place. Sanderson got an early takedown, gaining control of Gaethje at the 2:46 mark. Gaethje escaped seconds later and action resumed in the center circle. Sanderson continued to pressure Gaethje, forcing him into an early stall warning. With :53 left, Gaethje tripped Sanderson to the mat on the outer circle for a takedown and a 3-2 lead. Sanderson escaped at the :35 mark to tie the bout at 3-3. With :20 left, Sanderson forced a late scramble but could not finish off the move and the bout moved to the second period tied. Gaethje chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly escaped to a 4-3 lead. Sanderson used a high single with :55 left to notch a go-ahead takedown. A Sanderson ride-out allowed the Nittany Loin to carry the 5-4 lead with 1:01 in riding time into the third period. Sanderson chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 6-4 lead. Gaethje upped the offensive pressure, forcing Sanderson back towards the outer circle. But the Lion senior steadily countered each move and then used a swift high double to lift Gaethje off the mat and take him down for an 8-4 lead with :58 left. Gaethje scrambled for a late reversal but time ran out. With the riding time point, Sanderson posted the 9-6 win and is still alive for a third place finish.
165: Dan Vallimont, Sr. (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), #6 seed, 30-7 overall
Rd. 1: W, 8-3 dec. Matt Epperly, Virginia Tech
Rd. 2: W, 9-0 maj. dec. #11 Rick Schmelyun, Bloomsburg
Qtrs: W, 5-2 dec. Nick Amuchastegui, Stanford
Semis: W, 3-1 (sv) #2 Jarrod King, Edinboro
Two-time All-American Dan Vallimont faced off with defending National Champion and second-seeded Jarrod King of Edinboro in one national semifinal at 165. Vallimont got in deep on King's right ankle and began scrambling for a go-ahead takedown. King struggled to get out of bounds and Vallimont began working to pull the Scot grappler back into the circle. King was able to scramble out of trouble and keep the bout scoreless at the 1:11 mark. The duo traded late shots with no one scoring and the first period ended in a scoreless tie. King chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Vallimont then got in on a high single and lifted King off the mat. The Lion senior then worked into a scramble, looking to finish off the move. But King was once again able to defense his way out of trouble and keep his lead. The Loin senior once again gained control of King's leg and once again King forced a reset. With Vallimont applying all the offensive pressure, King was forced into playing defense for the remainder of the period. Trailing by one, Vallimont chose down to start the third period. A quick escape tied the bout at 1-1 and Vallimont once again turned into the defending champ, looking for an opening to score. The Lion continued to shoot and King continued to dodge the shots to keep things tied. With :45 on the clock, Vallimont got in low on a single leg and steadily lifted King's foot to his chest. But King was able to fight off the move and send the bout to sudden victory. King countered a Vallimont shot and nearly ended the bout, but Vallimont worked his way out of bounds to keep action going with :45 on the clock. King got called for his first stall warning and Vallimont got in deep on King's foot once again. This time, Vallimont pulled King down, got his arm over the Scot's shoulder and got the two point takedown with :13 left to get the 3-1 win. Vallimont's victory moves him into the national finals tomorrow night.
184: David Erwin, Sr. (Urbana, Ohio), #11 seed, 31-10 overall -- Season Complete
Rd. 1: W, 4-0 dec. Erich Schmidtke, Oklahoma
Rd. 2: LBF #6 Max Askren, Missouri (3:51)
Cn Rd. 3: W, 8-3 dec. Jerome Ward, Iowa State
Cn Rd. 4: L, 2-6 dec. #10 Mike Pucillo, Ohio State
Season Complete
HWT: Cameron Wade, So. (Twinsburg, Ohio) 22-11 overall - Season Complete
Rd. 1: L, 1-3 (SV) #3 Zach Rey, Lehigh
Cns. Rd. 2: W, 1-0 dec. David Wade, Eastern Michigan
Cns. Rd. 3: W, 8-3 dec. #8 Ryan Tomei, Pittsburgh
Cns. Rd. 4: L, 0-7 dec. #11 Mitchell Montiero, CS-Bakersfield
Season Complete