Dec. 4, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
The fifth-ranked Penn State wrestling team blazed its way through the 2011 Nittany Lion Open, crowning six champions and collecting 18 place winners at the event. Penn State sent 29 wrestlers into action at the all-day event, which featured 475 grapplers from around the country.
Freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 17, went 5-0 on the day (plus a win over a non-collegiate) including an 11-1 major over North Carolina State's Coltin Fought in the finals at 125. No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) was a perfect 6-0 at 149, pinning No. 9 Donnie Vinson of Binghamton in the finals. No. 1 David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) was 4-0 on the day plus a win over former American All-American Steve Fittery in the finals at 165. Taylor majored Fittery 14-6 but the result does not count in Taylor's win/loss record.
No. 2 Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) went 6-0 at 174, downing No. 17 Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland 7-4 in the finals. No. 6 Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) went 6-0 at 184, getting a 17-0 tech fall over Kent State's Cole Baxter in the finals at 184. Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 5 at heavyweight, blazed his way to a 6-0 mark to win the title, getting a pin at the 1:26 mark over Clarion's Quintas McCorkle in the finals. Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 157, was pinned by No. 8 James Fleming of Clarion in the finals and placed second with a 4-1 record (plus a win over a non-collegiate). True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 10 at 197, was upset by No. 20 Christian Boley of Maryland in the finals, 12-9, and took second as well. No. 7 Devin Carter of Virginia Tech won the crown with a 17-7 major over Nick Arujua at 133 while Zach Neibert of Virginia Tech upset No. 19 Kevin Smith of Buffalo in the finals at 141, getting a 7-3 win.
Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) went 3-2 and placed fourth at 125 while sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) went 3-1 (plus a win over a non-collegiate) and took eighth at 133. Seth Beitz (Juniata, Pa.) was 7-1 on the day and placed fifth at 149 while red-shirt freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) was 5-1 to take third at that weight. James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) downed teammate Nick Fischer (Unionville, Pa.) in the third place bout at 157, getting an 11-2 major to take third while Fischer finished fourth. Vollrath went 4-1 (plus a win over a non-collegiate) while Fischer went 4-2.
Red-shirt freshman Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) went 5-1 at 174 to take fifth place and junior Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) went 4-2 at 197 to take eighth. Red-shirt freshman Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) went 3-2 at heavyweight, advancing to the semifinals before losing to teammate Wade as well as No. 10 Spencer Myers in the third place bout. Ruggear took fourth. Red-shirt freshman Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) went 5-1 at heavyweight and placed fifth.
Penn State got fine performances from a number of Lions who did not place as well. At 133, Nittany Lion junior Derek Reber (Lewisburg, Pa.) went 2-0 on the day (plus a win over a non-collegiate) and then took a cautionary medical forfeit, ending his tournament before the quarterfinals began in order to further rest an injury. At 141, Lion freshman Sam Sherlock (West Mifflin, Pa.) went 2-2 (plus a win over a non-collegiate), injury defaulting out in his second loss of the day. Freshman Luke Frey (Montoursville, Pa.) won his first match but an illness forced him to cut his day short, going 1-1. Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.), Kyle Moran (Oxford, Pa.), David Owens (Derry, N.H.) and Mike Waters (Advance, N.C.) each went 0-1 on the day. Rex Lutz (Easton, Pa.) went 0-1 at 165. At 174, sophomore Andrew Church (Erie, Pa.) had a nice run, going 4-2. Teammate James Frascella (Carmel, Ind.) went 1-2 and Brandon Phillips (Timonium, Md.) went 0-1.
Penn State was solid through the early going of the tournament, with 16 of Penn State's 29 wrestlers advancing to the quarterfinals. In the quarters, Penn State went 13-2 with one wrestler taking a medical forfeit which does not count as a loss. In the semifinals, Penn State went 8-5 with two of the losses coming in bouts that pitted Lion against Lion. Penn State then went 6-2 in the finals, crowning its six champions to go along with two runners-up. Penn State went 95-29 overall on the day.
Penn State returns to dual meet action on Friday, Dec. 9 at Lehigh and then in Rec Hall on Sunday, Dec. 11, vs. West Virginia at 2 p.m. Nearing sellout status, fans can purchase remaining tickets by calling 814-865-5555. Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under) and can be purchased from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day or in person at the Bryce Jordan Center box office. A maximum of four tickets may be purchased per person.
The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven's WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live, WIEZ (690 AM) in Huntingdon/Lewistown carries all Sunday events and further affiliates may be added soon. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State's All-Access package, which will also feature live video streams of many home events. Ticket information is accessed easily online at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
2011 NITTANY LION OPEN FINALS RECAP:
Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011 - Rec Hall - University Park, Pa.
125: #17 Nico Megaludis PSU maj. dec. Coltin Fought NC State, 11-1
133: #7 Devin Carter VATECH maj. dec. Nick Arujua UANR, 17-7
141: Zach Neibert VATECH dec. #19 Kevin Smith BUF, 7-3
149: #1 Frank Molinaro PSU pinned #9 Donnie Vinson BING, WBF (1:23)
157: #8 James Flemming CLAR pinned #11 Dylan Alton PSU, WBF (1:58)
165: #1 David Taylor PSU maj. dec. Steve Fittery UANR, 14-6
174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU dec. #17 Jimmy Sheptock MD, 7-4
184: #6 Quentin Wright PSU tech fall Cole Baxter UA-KSU, 17-0 (TF; 6:43)
197: #20 Christian Boley MD dec. #11 Morgan McIntosh PSU, 12-9
285: #5 Cameron Wade pinned Quintas McCorkle CLAR, WBF (1:26)
Penn State's weight-by-weight summary:
UA - Note that UA indicates unattached collegiate wrestler
UANR - Note that UANR indicates a Non-Collegiate opponent and that result does NOT count towards individual's win/loss record.
* - Note that an (*) by a Penn State name indicates a PSU wrestler who is competing unattached.
Penn State's 125 agate:
#18 Nico Megaludis
Rd. 1: W, 2-1 dec. Caleb Richardson, UANR
Rd. 2: W, 17-3 maj. dec. Ryan Dowd, Boston
Rd. 3: W, 10-1 maj. dec. Conor Youtsey, UA-Army (Army Prep)
Qtrs: W, 12-3 maj. dec. Max Soria, Buffalo
Semis: W, 3-2 dec. Erik Spjut, Virginia Tech
Finals: W, 11-1 maj. dec. Coltin Fought, North Carolina State
1st place; 5-0 overall
*Jordan Conaway
Rd. 1: Bye
Rd. 2: W, 12-6 dec. Derrick Nelson, UA Pittsburgh
Rd. 3: W, 9-2 dec. Desmond Moore, Kutztown
Qtrs: W, 5-2 dec. Austin Miller, Bucknell
Semis: L, 5-10 dec. Colton Fought, North Carolina State
3rd: L, 0-4 dec. Erik Spjut, Virginia Tech
4th place; 3-2 overall
Penn State's 133 agate:
Derek Reber
Rd. 1: W, 13-0 maj. dec. Mike Savastone, UANR
Rd. 2: W, 4-1 dec. Taylor Golba, Buffalo
Rd. 3: W, 3-2 dec. Joseph Gosinski, Hofstra
Qtrs: Medical Forfeit (precautionary)
DNP; 2-0 overall
*Frank Martellotti
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: W, 8-7 dec. Justis Flamio, UANR
Rd. 3: L, 0-3 dec. Geoffrey Alexander, Navy
Cn. 2: W, 12-0 maj. dec. Taylor Golba, Buffalo
Cn. 3: W, 6-0 dec. Joe Waltko, Clarion
Cn. 4: W, 6-0 dec. Erik Galloway, UA-Pitt
Cn. Semis: Med. Forfeit
8th place, 3-1 overall
Penn State's 141 agate:
Sam Sherlock
Rd. 1: WBF over Alex Scheinert, UANR
Rd. 2: L, 3-10 dec. Elijah Sullivan, Columbia
Cn. 1: W, 8-5 dec. Tanner Hough, UA-Duke
Cn. 2: W, 6-2 dec. Louis Mascola, Maryland
Cn. 4: L, inj. def. vs. Anthony Perrotti, Rutgers
DNP; 2-2 overall
Bryan Pearsall
Rd. 1: L, 0-2 dec. Derek Heyman, UA-Binghamton
DNP; 0-1 overall
Kyle Moran
Rd. 1: L, 2-4 dec. Michael Depalma, UA-Edinboro
DNP; 0-1 overall
*Luke Frey
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: W, 11-0 maj. dec. Alex Johnson, Navy
Rd. 3: L, forf. Chris Conti, Buffalo (illness)
Cn. 2: L, med. forfeit
DNP; 1-1 overall
*David Owens
Rd. 1: L, 2-12 maj. dec. Jordan Dix, The Citadel
DNP; 0-1 overall
*Mike Waters
Rd. 1: L, 2-5 dec. Casey Smith, Army
DNP; 0-1 overall
Penn State's 149 agate:
#1 Frank Molinaro
Rd. 1: W, 16-0 TF over Jake Kazimir, Columbia
Rd. 2: W, 11-0 maj. dec. Peyton Walsh, Navy
Rd. 3: W, 17-0 TF over Leonard Drummond, Kutztown (4:08)
Qtrs: WBF over Cameron Moran, Clarion
Semis: W, 8-0 maj. dec. #20 Steve Santos, Columbia
Finals: WBF over #9 Donnie Vinson, Binghamton (1:23)
1st place; 6-0 overall
Seth Beitz
Rd. 1: W, 8-1 dec. Derek Leiby, Penn College
Rd. 2: W, inj. def. Gregory Flournoy, George Mason
Rd. 3: L, 2-6 dec. Steve Santos, Columbia
Cn. 2: W, 9-7 dec. Peter Ferrara, UA-Virginia
Cn. 3: W, 2-0 dec. Eric Filipowicz, Navy
Cn. 4: W. 2-1 dec. John Bellanger, Army
Cn. Semis: W, 11-3 maj. dec. Matthew Nereim, North Carolina State
5th: W, 7-6 dec. Malcolm Martin, Central Michigan
5th place; 7-1 overall
*Andrew Alton
Rd. 1: WBF over Josh Micek, Buffalo (0:55)
Rd. 2: W, 11-6 dec. Eric Filipowicz, Navy
Rd. 3: W, 12-3 maj. dec. Malcolm Martin, Central Michigan
Qtrs: W, 9-4 dec. Owen Wilkinson, Lock Haven
Semis: L, 6-8 dec. #8 Donnie Vinson, Binghamton
3rd: W, 9-5 dec. #20 Steve Santos, Columbia
3rd place; 5-1 overall
Penn State's 157 agate:
#11 Dylan Alton
Rd. 1: WBF over Hector Santana, UANR (0:35)
Rd. 2: W, 16-5 maj. dec. Aaron Fry, Lock Haven
Rd. 3: W, 12-3 maj. dec. Jake O'Hara, Columbia
Qtrs: W, 13-4 maj. dec. Eric Hess, UA-Lehigh
Semis: W, 9-1 maj. dec. Nick Fischer, Penn State
Finals: LBF vs. #8 James Fleming, Clarion (1:58)
2nd place; 4-1 overall
Nick Fischer
Rd. 1: W, 16-0 TF over Nick Terdick, UA-Hofstra
Rd. 2: W, 5-2 dec. Jaaziah Bethea, George Mason
Rd. 3: W, 6-2 dec. Jacob Salazar, UA-Michigan
Qtrs: W, 4-2 dec. #16 Kyle John Maryland
Semis: L, 1-9 maj. dec. #11 Dylan Alton, Penn State
3rd : L, 2-11 maj. dec. James Vollrath, UA-Penn State
4th place; 4-2 overall
James Vollrath
Rd. 1: WBF over James Shields, Millersville (1:39)
Rd. 2: W, 13-4 maj. dec. Owen Scott, UANR
Rd. 3: WBF over Matt Spataro, Hofstra (1:08)
Qtrs: W, 3-2 dec. Joey Napoli, Lehigh
Semis: L, 0-1 dec. #8 James Fleming, Clarion
3rd: W, 11-2 maj. dec. Nick Fischer, Penn State
3rd place; 4-1 overall
Penn State's 165 agate:
#1 David Taylor
Rd. 1: Bye
Rd. 2: WBF over Ross Renzi, UA-West Virginia (3:12)
Rd. 3: WBF over Kyle Czarnecki, Boston (2:33)
Qtrs: WBF over Joseph Favia, Stevens Tech (1:48)
Semis: WBF over #14 Peter Yates, Virginia Tech (4:40)
Finals: W, 14-6 maj. dec. Steve Fittery UANR
1st place; 4-0 overall (the Fittery result does NOT count in his record)
*Rex Lutz
Rd. 1: L, 0-4 dec. Adam Fondale, Columbia
DNP; 0-1 overall
Penn State's 174 agate:
#2 Ed Ruth
Rd. 1: W, 17-0 TF over Collin Zeerip, UA-Michigan
Rd. 2: WBF over Stephen West, Columbia (2:49)
Rd. 3: W, 24-9 TF over Stephen Doty, Virginia (7:00)
Qtrs: WBF over James Mannier, Navy (1:38)
Semis: W, 11-3 maj. dec. John Martin Cannon, UA-Buffalo
Finals: W, 7-4 dec. #17 Jimmy Sheptock, Maryland
1st place; 6-0 overall
Matt Brown
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: W, 14-4 maj. dec. Chris Moon, Virginia Tech
Rd. 3: W, 19-5 maj. dec. Stephen McPeek, Bucknell
Qtrs: L, 5-8 dec. #17 Jimmy Sheptock, Maryland
Cn. 4: W, 15-6 maj. dec. Vinny Waldhauser, Virginia
Cn. Semis: W, 3-2 dec. Quinton Godley, North Carolina State
5th: W, def. Stephen West, Columbia
5th place; 5-1 overall
Andrew Church
Rd. 1: W, 11-6 dec. Julio Arredondo, Kutztown
Rd. 2: W, 5-4 dec. Aaron McKinney, Lock Haven
Rd. 3: L, 5-10 dec. #12 Tortogtokh Luvsandorj, The Citadel
Cn. 2: W, 3-1 dec. James Frascella, UA-Penn State
Cn. 3: W, 5-2 dec. Owen Smith, Maryland
Cn. 4: L, 6-12 dec. James Mannier, Navy
DNP; 4-2 overall
Brandon Phillips
Rd. 1: L, 3-11 maj. dec. Quinton Godley, North Carolina State
DNP; 0-1 overall
*James Frascella
Rd. 1: Bye
Rd. 2: L, 3-9 dec. John-Martin Cannon, Buffalo
Cn. 1: WBF over Zach Marlatt, Kutztown (2:29)
Cn. 2: L, 1-3 dec. Andrew Church, Penn State
DNP; l-2 overall
Penn State's 184 agate:
#6 Quentin Wright
Rd. 1: Bye
Rd. 2: WBF over Giovanni Ortiz, Kutztown (4:58)
Rd. 3: W, 25-10 TF over Luke Johnson, The Citadel (7:00)
Qtrs: W, 15-0 TF over Alex Najjar, Boston (6:01)
Semis: W, 15-1 maj. dec. John Dickson, Virginia Tech
Finals: W, 17-0 TF (6:23) Cole Baxter, UA-Kent State
1st place; 5-0 overall
Penn State's 197 agate:
#10 Morgan McIntosh
Rd. 1: Bye
Rd. 2: W, 14-4 maj. dec. Kelby Smith, The Citadel
Rd. 3: WBF over Austin Akins, Columbia (4:40)
Qtrs: W, 15-1 maj. dec. Tim Murphy, UA-Hofstra
Semis: W, 8-1 dec. Kadeem Samuels, Lehigh
Finals: L, 9-12 dec. #20 Christian Boley, Maryland
2nd place; 4-1 overall
Justin Ortega
Rd. 1: Bye
Rd. 2: L, 3-5 dec. #20 Christian Boley, Maryland
Cn. 1: W, 12-0 maj. dec. Mike McKeever, Bucknell
Cn. 2: W, 8-2 dec. Zack Nye, Virginia
Cn. 3: W, 9-3 dec. Bryce Barnes, UA-Army (Army Prep)
Cn. 4: W, 6-3 dec. Ryan Malo, Virginia
Cn. Semis: LBF vs. Alex Thomas, Clarion (3:27)
7th: took med forfeit, does not count as loss
8th place; 4-2 overall
Penn State's 285 agate:
#5 Cameron Wade
Rd. 1: W, 17-1 TF Austin Schaler, UA Army (Army Prep)
Rd. 2: WBF over Brandon Clark, Kutztown (2:50)
Rd. 3: WBF over Cody Mason, Lock Haven (2:36)
Qtrs: WBF over Jack Delia, UA-Lehigh (2:03)
Semis: W, 9-2 dec. Nick Ruggear, UA-Penn State
Finals: WBF over Quintas McCorkle, Clarion (1:26)
1st place; 6-0 overall
Jon Gingrich
Rd. 1: Bye
Rd. 2: W, 4-0 dec. Michael Horton, UA-Edinboro
Rd. 3: W, 11-2 maj. dec. Bobby LaVelle, Virginia Tech
Qtrs: L, 3-5 dec. #10 Spencer Myers, Maryland
Cn. 4: W, 3-1 dec. William Smith, UA-Rutgers
Cn. Semis: W, 8-4 dec. Henry Turner, Lock Haven
5th: W, 2-0 dec. Kevin Lester, Columbia
5th place; 5-1 overall
*Nick Ruggear
Rd. 1: Bye
Rd. 2: W, 5-1, Daniel Ortiz, Thaddeus Stevens
Rd. 3: W, 17-2 TF over Stephen Snyder, Army (6:03)
Qtrs: W, 7-4 dec. Chris Penny, Virginia Tech
Semis: L, 2-9 dec. #5 Cameron Wade, Penn State
3rd: L, 2-8 dec. #10 Spencer Myers, Maryland
4th place; 3-2 overall