Dec. 15, 2012
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State wrestling team, holding the No. 1 spot on Intermat's TPI, racked up four pins on its way to a decisive win over visiting Lock Haven. The Nittany Lions won nine of ten bouts to roll to a 42-3 win in a sold out Rec Hall. The day was highlighted by by four military heroes being honored at halftime of Military Appreciation Day.
With nearly 6,300 fans once again in attendance, the Nittany Lions of head coach Cael Sanderson's team dominated the competition. All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, got things started in fast fashion by pinning LHU's Bobby Rehm at the 4:10 mark. Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) remained unbeaten in duals for Penn State, picking up a 13-3 major over Matt Bryer at 133.
Lock Haven then picked up its lone win over the dual when Dan Neff posted a 9-4 decision over Nittany Lion senior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) at 141. No. 5 Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) notched a hard-fought 10-6 win over LHU's Mac Maldarelli at 149 to put Penn State up 13-3. All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 157, then downed Lock Haven's Jake Kemerer 5-2 to send Penn State into the halftime break leading 16-3.
All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 2 at 165, got a second period pin over Lock Haven's Aaron McKinney, getting the fall at 4:41. Taylor's pin was followed up by sophomore Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah). Brown, ranked No. 3 at 174, got a pin at the 1:37 mark over Zach Heffner to up Penn State's lead to 28-3. All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 184, posted a dominating 17-2 technical fall (4:55) over Fred Garcia. Senior All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 197, pinned Phil Sprenkle at the 6:10 mark and Jimmy Lawson (Tom's River, N.J.), ranked No. 15 at 285, downed LHU's Harry Turner 5-1 to close out the dual and give Penn State the 42-3 win.
Penn State rolled up a 27-6 edge in takedowns in winning nine of ten bouts. The Lions' four pins, tech fall and major gave the team 15 bonus points. Penn State is now 4-0 on the year, 1-0 in Big Ten duals. Lock Haven falls to 1-2.
The Nittany Lions will now prep for defense of their Southern Scuffle title. Penn State will take part in the 2013 Southern Scuffle, featuring perhaps the nation's strongest field in a team-scored in-season tournament, on Jan. 1-2, 2013, at UT-Chattanooga. Penn State's next home dual is set for Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013, at 2 p.m. in Rec Hall. Penn State's full season of home duals was sold out prior to the season opener, but limited SRO tickets are available for select dual meets. For information on which duals have a limited number of SRO tickets available and to purchase tickets, fans can call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office windows from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2012-13 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
#1 Penn State 42, Lock Haven 3
December 15, 2012 - University Park, Pa. - Rec Hall
125: #2 Nico Megaludis PSU, WBF Bobby Rehm LHU (4:10) 6-0
133: Jordan Conaway PSU, 13-3 maj. dec. Matt Bryer LHU 10-0
141: Dan Neff LHU 4-9 dec. Bryan Pearsall PSU 10-3
149: #5 Andrew Alton PSU, 10-6 dec. Mac Maldarelli LHU 13-3
157: #5 Dylan Alton PSU, 5-2 dec. Jake Kemerer LHU 16-3
165: #2 David Taylor PSU, WBF Aaron McKinney LHU (4:41) 22-3
174: #3 Matt Brown PSU, WBF Zach Heffner LHU (1:37) 28-3
184: #1 Ed Ruth PSU, 17-2 tech fall Fred Garcia LHU (TF; 4:55) 33-3
197: #3 Quentin Wright PSU, WBF Phil Sprenkle LHU (6:10) 39-3
285: #15 Jimmy Lawson PSU, 5-1 dec. Harry Turner LHU 42-3
Attendance: 6,292
Records: Penn State 4-0, 1-0 Big Ten; Lock Haven 1-2
Up Next for Penn State: At 2013 Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2, 2013, Chattanooga, Tenn.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Sophomore All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, took on Lock Haven's Bobby Rehm. Rehm opened up the scoring with a takedown at the 2:15 mark, taking a 2-0 lead. Megaludis escaped quick and then immediately worked his way into a low single. Megaludis forced a scramble that led to a takedown and a 3-2 lead. Megaludis rode Rehm out and led 3-2 after one period. Megaludis chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Another quick takedown and the Lion sophomore led 6-3 after cutting Rehm loose. Megaludis added another takedown and then quickly turned Rehm to his shoulders for a pin at the 4:10 mark.
133: Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) looked to stay undefeated in duals for Penn State, taking on Lock Haven's Matt Bryer at 133. Conaway scored first with a takedown nearly a minute into the bout and led 2-1 early. Conaway continued to press Bryer and grabbed a second takedown midway through the period to lead 4-1. The Lion freshman maintained control long enough to build up a 1:04 riding time edge before Bryer escaped. Conaway added a third takedown and then turned Bryer to his back for two near fall points as the period ended to lead 8-2. Bryer chose down to start the second and Conaway added to his riding time edge. Bryer escaped to an 8-3 deficit after giving up a stall warning. Conaway gained control of Bryer's shoulders low on the mat and scrambled around for a late takedown to lead 10-3 after two periods. Conaway chose neutral to start the third period. Conaway exploded through a high double off a reset and upped his lead to 12-3 with 1:00 left in the bout. Having clinched the riding time point, Conaway then put together a strong ride, working all the time off the clock on his way to a 13-3 major with 3:54 in riding time.
141: Senior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) took to the mat against LHU freshman Dan Neff at 141. Neff got the bout's firs takedown to lead 2-1 at the 1:20 mark. The Lion senior fought off another solid Neff shot to stay within a point after the opening period. The duo battled evenly for the next minute with neither wrestler managing a scoring opportunity. Pearsall fought off another Neff shot and was then called for stalling. After a scoreless second period and trailing 2-1, Pearsall chose down to start the third stanza. He steadily worked his way to an escape and a 2-2 tie, but Neff shot low and added another takedown to lead 4-2 at the 1:25 mark. Pearsall escaped and trailed 4-3 with 1:07 on the clock. The Nittany Lion senior worked for a tying takedown, but Neff countered for a late-takedown and, with the riding time point posted the 9-4 win.
149: Sophomore Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 149, faced off against junior Mac Maldarelli. Alton scored early, taking Maldarelli down and lead 2-1 within the first minute. Maldarelli picked up a takedown of his own and took a brief lead, but Alton quickly escaped and then took t he Bald Eagle junior down again. Two near fall points gave Alton a 7-3 lead. Maldarelli escaped before the period ended and Alton led 7-4 after one period. Maldarelli chose down to start the second period and Alton quickly cut him to neutral, looking for another takedown. But Maldarelli was able to fight off Alton for the bulk of the period, keeping the bout close. Alton used a low single at the :20 mark to force a late scramble and pick up a last second takedown and led 9-5 heading into the third. Alton chose down to start the third period and Maldarelli controlled the action for the first minute-plus of the period. Alton was hit with a stall warning while Maldarelli built up over a minute's worth of riding time. Alton escaped to a 10-5 lead and then wound out the clock. Maldarelli picked up riding time but Alton walked away with the 10-6 decision.
157: All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 157, took on Bald Eagle Jake Kemerer. Alton and Kemerer battled evenly for the first minute-plus but Alton finally broke through Kemerer's defense. The Lion sophomore used a shoulder throw to turn Kemerer to his back on the edge of the mat, picking up the takedown at the 1:05 mark. Action moved out of bounds before back points could be called and Alton led 2-1 after a Kemerer escape. Leading 2-1, Alton chose down to start the second period. A quick escape gave the Lion a 3-1 lead. The duo traded shots for the remainder of the period with neither wrestler scoring. With Alton leading 3-1, Kemerer chose down to start the third period. He quickly escaped to cut the lead to 3-2 and then began pressuring Alton on the edge of the mat. Alton got called for stalling and then gained control of Kemerer's shoulders, forcing a scramble that ended in a stalemate at the :40 mark. The Lion sophomore countered a Kemerer shot for a clinching takedown at the :20 mark and posted the 5-2 win.
165: Two-time All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 2 at 165, met Lock Haven's Aaron McKinney. Taylor came out fast, notching a quick takedown to lead 2-0 at the 2:42 mark. Taylor then put together a strong ride and built up :43 in riding time before McKinney escaped to a 2-1 score. Taylor exploded off a reset through a double leg to up his lead to 4-2 lead after cutting McKinney loose. This time, a high single leg led to a third Taylor takedown and this time Taylor maintained control long enough to build up over a minute in riding time. Taylor cut McKinney loose at the :30 mark and within seconds added a fourth takedown to lead 8-3 at the :20 mark. This time, Taylor rode McKinney out to carry that lead, with 2:01 in riding time, into the second stanza. McKinney chose down to start the second period and Taylor made him pay for the choice. He turned the Bald Eagle to his back for three near fall points. After resetting himself, Taylor adjusted, turned McKinney's shoulders to the mat and picked up the pin at the 4:41 mark.
174: Sophomore Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, battled Zach Heffner. Brown, like Taylor, scored quickly, getting a takedown less than :20 into the bout. Heffner escaped to a 2-1 deficit but Brown was relentless offensively, using a high double for a second takedown and a 4-1 lead. After allowing Heffner out, Brown gained control of the Bald Eagle's shoulders, quickly turned him to his back and picked up a quick pin (1:37).
184: Two-time All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 184, met LHU junior Fred Garcia. Ruth scored quickly, cut Garcia loose and led 2-1 early. The Nittany Lion junior fought off a low Garcia shot and used the ensuing scramble to get his second takedown and lead 4-1 with 1:30 on the clock. Ruth put together a strong ride, building up over a minute's worth of riding time before turning Garcia to his back for two near fall and a 6-1 lead. Ruth turned him one more time before the period ended, this time for three, and led 9-1 after one period. Ruth chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 10-1 lead. Ruth used a low single to pick up another takedown and then added three back points to lead 15-1 with :40 on the clock. Garcia escaped and tried to score a takedown of his own, but Ruth countered late, rolled the Bald Eagle over and ended the bout with takedown, getting a 17-2 technical fall (4:55).
197: Three-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 197, battled LHU freshman Phil Sprenkle. Wright used an early shoulder throw to try and end the match early, nearly getting a quick pin. But Sprenkle was able to roll out of trouble without even giving up a takedown and the bout remained scoreless. Wright and Sprenkle then wrestled evenly for the entire period and action moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. Wright chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The Lion senior steadily worked himself into control of Sprenkle's upper body then tripped him to the mat for at 3-0 lead with 1:10 on the clock. Wright then rode Sprenkle out to lead 3-0 with 1:16 riding time after two periods. Sprenkle chose neutral to start the third period but Wright had the answer. Wright used a low single to take Sprenkle down and then turned him to his back. After resetting himself, Wright got the fall at 6:10 mark to put Penn State up 39-3.
285: Sophomore Jimmy Lawson (Tom's River, N.J.), ranked No. 15 at 285, met LHU senior Harry Turner in a rematch of this year's Mat-Town Open title bout (won by Lawson in early December). Lawson almost picked up the first points of the match, lifting Turner off the mat and working for a takedown. But momentum took both wrestlers off the mat and onto the floor and the bout remained scoreless two minutes in. The duo traded shots over the last minute and action moved to the second tied 0-0. Turner chose down to start the second period and Lawson was able to control the action for :46 before Turner escaped to a 1-0 lead. Lawson used his quickness to work his way behind Turner on their feet and then pulled the Bald Eagle down for a takedown to lead 2-1 with :15 on the clock. A short ride-out later allowed Lawson to carry that lead into the third period. Lawson chose down to start the third and worked his way to an escaped and a 3-1 lead at the 1:35 mark. Lawson stepped away from one low Turner shot and then countered another for a final takedown and a 5-1 win.