March 21, 2014
VIDEO: Session III Roundup & Interviews
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team continues to hold first place at the midway point of the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Head coach Cael Sanderson and company have already garnered four All-Americans as those Nittany Lions are through to the National Semifinals tonight. Seniors David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) and Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) became Penn State's seventh and eighth four-time All-Americans with their victories. Penn State leads the team race with 61.0 points, while Minnesota (59.0) and Oklahoma State (56.0) sit in second and third.
The Nittany Lions went 4-1 in the quarterfinals, with the lone loss a heart-pounding tie-breaker defeat. In addition to the strong quarterfinal showing, seven Nittany Lions are still alive in consolation action, meaning seven of Penn State's 10 grapplers will continue on tonight.
Junior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 125, took on No. 6 Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals and rolled to a 6-0 win. Megaludis collected a first period takedown and then rode Patterson out for the entire second period. He tacked on a late takedown and a riding time point to post the win. The victory makes Megaludis a three-time All-American, the 23rd in Penn State history.
True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 141, took on No. 11 Joey Lazor of Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals and used a furious first period flurry to post the strong 5-2 decision. Retherford took Lazor down midway through the period and turned him for two back points. Lazor managed a reversal but Retherford quickly escaped and the score bolted to 5-2 in a hurry. Lazor rode Retherford out for the entire second period and the Nittany Lion freshman controlled Lazor for the entire third period. The 5-2 win moves Retherford into tonight's national semifinals and makes him Penn State's first true freshman All-American since Megaludis in 2012.
Senior David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), the No. 1 seed at 165, took on No. 8 Michael Moreno of Iowa State in the quarterfinals and continued his streak of pins. Taylor rode a first period takedown to a 2-0 lead after three minutes of wrestling. Moreno chose down to start the second period and Taylor went to work. The Lion senior worked Moreno's shoulders to the mat, adjusted once and then pushed the Cyclone flat for the pin at the 3:19 mark. The win, his third by fall of the tournament, moved him into the national semifinals and makes Taylor Penn State's seventh four-time All-American in Penn State history. He also tied Penn State's all-time career pins record with the fall. Taylor now has 53, tied atop the Lion list with former Penn Stater Josh Moore.
Senior Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), the No. 2 seed at 184, became the eighth four-time All-American in Penn State history with a dominating 10-2 major decision over No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota in the quarterfinals. Ruth used multiple takedowns in each period to roll to the win. He countered numerous Steinhaus shots, forcing short scrambles that he calmly turned into takedowns of his own, racking up 1:41 in riding time for the key point for the major decision. Ruth's victory was the 19th NCAA Championship win of his career, setting a new school record for wins in at nationals.
Junior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), the No. 5 seed at 174, scored in just :10 to take an early 2-0 lead over No. 4 Mike Evans of Iowa. But the Hawkeye countered with a late first period takedown and the duo was tied 3-3 after one period. They traded escapes and went to sudden victory knotted at 4-4. Neither man scored in extra time and Brown was unable to escape during his tie-breaker session. Evans then escaped with :09 left in his and posted the 5-4 (tb) win. The loss moved Brown into Friday evening's fourth round of consolation action.
Senior James English (York, Pa.), unseeded at 149, took down North Carolina's Christian Barber in the consolation second round. After a scoreless first period, English chose down escaped quickly to lead 1-0 after the second stanza. Barber took on and English made him pay with a two-point near fall, which would prove to be the difference in a 3-1 decision. English then faced Wisconsin's Ryan Lubeck in consolation round three and kept his All-America dreams alive with a rousing 4-3 win. English used a second period reversal to take a 4-2 lead and survived an illegal hold call in the third period as he rode Lubeck out to post the decision and move into Friday night's All-America round, the Round of 12.
Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 3 seed at 197, rebounded from a second round upset with a dominating 15-7 major over No. 13 Daniel Mitchell of American. McIntosh notched multiple takedowns throughout the match, including two in the final :20 to secure, thanks to 2:17 riding time, the major and important team bonus points. The victory moved into the third round of consolation action where he met No. 6 Richard Perry of Bloomsburg. McIntosh notched a takedown in each of the first two periods and overcame a first period reversal by Perry to post a 6-4 decision and keep his All-America dreams alive. McIntosh's win moved him into Friday night's All-American Round of 12.
Junior All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), the No. 13 seed at 157, picked up a key victory in consolation round two over Duke's Immanuel Kerr-Brown. Alton used a four point move in the first period with a takedown and two near fall points to bolt out to a 5-0 lead. Kerr-Brown would answer with two escapes but it would not be enough and Alton moved into the third round of consolation action. He met No. 12 Luke Smith of Central Michigan in the next consolation round and dropped a heart-breaking 4-2 (sv) decision, ending his NCAA tournament run. Alton posted a 2-2 mark at NCAAs, picking up a first round win and a consolation victory as well.
Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), unseeded at 133, dropped a tough 4-3 decision to No. 14 Zane Richards of Illinois in the consolation second round. Gulibon notched second period takedown to take the lead heading into the third but needed to hold Richards down for just one more second to start the final period. Richards escaped to a 3-3 tie with 1:00 of riding time and used that bonus point to grab the win. Gulibon went 1-2 with a major decision in his first run through the NCAA Championships, picking up key bonus points for Penn State.
Junior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.), the No. 14 seed at 285, gave up a first period pin to unseeded Oklahoma Sooner Ross Larson. Larson notched two early takedowns and then locked up Gingrich at the 2:03 mark for the fall. Gingrich went 1-2 at his first NCAA Championship, picking up a major for key team bonus points.
Taylor and Ruth are making their final runs through the NCAA Championships, looking to cap off historic collegiate careers with NCAA titles. Taylor is now 132-3 for his career. He has 53 pins (tying Penn State's all-time record), 42 techs and 29 majors, meaning 124 of his 132 wins are for bonus. Taylor is 32-0 with 16 pins, eight techs and seven majors this year. He also has 16 career wins in the NCAA tournament and 11 career pins at nationals. Ruth is now 134-3 all-time at Penn State. He has 46 pins, 25 techs and 33 majors, giving him 104 bonus victories in his 134 wins. The Lion senior now has 19 career NCAA tourney wins, tops at Penn State and is 32-1 this year with 11 pins, nine techs and 10 majors.
Taylor and Ruth also became Penn State's seventh and eighth four-time All-Americans with their victories, joining Lion four timers Quentin Wright, Frank Molinaro, Phil Davis, Sanshiro Abe, Jim Martin and Greg Elinsky. Megaludis became a three-time All-American with his win, the 23rd all-time at Penn State.
The Nittany Lions went 9-4 in session three and are now 24-9 overall. Penn State has collected 20.0 bonus points off five majors, two tech falls and four pins. Penn State is looking to win its fourth straight NCAA title after claiming the crown in 2011 in Philadelphia, 2012 in St. Louis and the 2013 title last year in Des Moines.
The event continues tonight with the NCAA semifinals and consolation action at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central) in Chesapeake Energy Arena. The semis will be televised live on ESPN. The three-day concludes Saturday night with the championship finals and the crowning of the team champion. All six sessions will air/have aired live on ESPNU and/or ESPN, with ESPN3 offering full tournament multi-mat coverage online.
Penn State 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 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships - Team Standings After Session 3 -- TOP FIVE
Friday, March 21, 2014 - Chesapeake Energy Arena - Oklahoma City, Okla.
1: PENN STATE - 61.0
2: Minnesota - 59.0
3: Oklahoma State - 56.0
4: Iowa - 42.5
5: Cornell - 39.5
The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown/agate of Penn State's tournament to date (rankings listed are NCAA Championship Seed):
125: #3 Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), Jr. - 29-3 overall
1st Rd: Darian Cruz, Lehigh - W, 18-3 (TF; 7:00)
2nd Rd: #14 Eddie Klimara, Oklahoma State - W, 6-0 dec.
Qtrs: #6 Jarrod Patterson, Oklahoma - W, 6-0 dec.
Semis: #2 Nahshon Garrett, Cornell - tonight
Two-time All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 125, opened up Penn State's tournament with bonus points, rolling over Lehigh's Darian Cruz to the tune of an 18-3 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. Megaludis overcame an early Cruz takedown to dominate the action and roll into round two. Megaludis then became Penn State's first quarterfinalist at the tournament with a dominating 6-0 win over No. 4 Eddie Klimara of Oklahoma State. The win, key in the team race as well, came via two takedowns, an escape and 1:28 in riding time. Megaludis punched his ticket to Friday morning's quarterfinals with the win. He took on No. 6 Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals and rolled to a 6-0 win. Megaludis collected a first period takedown and then rode Patterson out for the entire second period. He tacked on a late takedown and a riding time point to post the win. The victory makes Megaludis a three-time All-American, the 23rd in Penn State history.
133: Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), Fr. - 18-15 overall - Season Complete
1st Rd: #4 Jon Morrison, Oklahoma State - L, 0-4 dec.
Cn. 1: Vincent Pizzuto, Eastern Michigan - W, 10-2 maj. dec.
Cn. 2: #14 Zane Richards, Illinois - L, 3-4 dec.
Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), unseeded at 133, dropped a hard fought 4-0 decision to No. 4 Jon Morrison of Oklahoma State in his first-ever match at the NCAA Championships. The loss moved Gulibon into Thursday night's consolation action. Gulibon was outstanding in his first consolation bout, picking up key bonus points and rolling to a 10-2 major over Eastern Michigan's Vincent Pizzuto. Gulibon came back from an early 2-0 deficit to notch three takedowns and a three-point turn to post the victory and move into the second round of consolation action Friday morning. He took on No. 14 Zane Richards of Illinois in the second consi round. Gulibon notched second period takedown to take the lead heading into the third but needed to hold Richards down for just one more second to start the final period. Richards escaped to a 3-3 tie with 1:00 of riding time and used that bonus point to grab the win. Gulibon went 1-2 with a major decision in his first run through the NCAA Championships, picking up key bonus points for Penn State.
141: #3 Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), Fr. - 32-1 overall
1st Rd: Undrakhbayar Khishignyam, The Citadel - W, 5-0 dec.
2nd Rd: #14 Edgar Bright, Pittsburgh - W, 3-0 dec.
Qtrs: #11 Joey Lazor, Northern Iowa - W, 5-2 dec.
Semis: #2 Logan Stieber, Ohio State - tonight
True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 141, made his NCAA Championship debut with a dominating 5-0 win over All-American Undrakhbayar Khishignyam of the Citadel. Retherford used takedowns late in the first and in the third to roll to the win and move into round two. He then became in his first run at nationals with a strong 3-0 win over No. 14 Edgar Bright of Pittsburgh. Retherford used an escape and a third period takedown to post the win and move into Friday morning's quarterfinals. He took on No. 11 Joey Lazor of Northern Iowa in the quarters and used a furious first period flurry to post the strong 5-2 decision. Retherford took Lazor down midway through the period and turned him for two back points. Lazor managed a reversal but Retherford quickly escaped and the score bolted to 5-2 in a hurry. Lazor rode Retherford out for the entire second period and the Nittany Lion freshman controlled Lazor for the entire third period. The 5-2 win moves Retherford into tonight's national semifinals and makes him Penn State's first true freshman All-American since Megaludis in 2012.
149: James English (York, Pa.), Sr. - 14-6 overall
1st Rd: #12 Dyllan Cottrell, Appalachian State - W, 5-4 (TB) dec.
2nd Rd: #5 Jason Tsirtsis, Northwestern - L, 3-4 dec.
Con 2: Christian Barber, North Carolina - W, 3-1 dec.
Con 3: Ryan Lubeck, Wisconsin - W, 4-3 dec.
Rd 12: #10 Zach Niebert, Virginia Tech - Tonight
Senior James English (York, Pa.), unseeded at 149, made the most of his first match at the NCAA Championships. The Nittany Lion senior posted a thrilling 5-4 (TB) decision over No. 12 Dyllan Cottrell of Appalachian State, using a ride out and an escape to post the tie-breaker decision and move into the second round. English nearly notched his second straight win over a seeded foe in round two. He led late into the third period against No. 5 Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern. But the Wildcat notched a late takedown and ride out to sneak away with a 4-3 win, sending English into consolation action Friday morning. English took on North Carolina's Christian Barber in the consolation second round. After a scoreless first period, English chose down escaped quickly to lead 1-0 after the second stanza. Barber took down and English made him pay with a two-point near fall, which would prove to be the difference in a 3-1 decision. English then faced Ryan Lubeck of Wisconsin in consolation round three and kept his All-America dreams alive with a rousing 4-3 win. English used a second period reversal to take a 4-2 lead and survived an illegal hold call in the third period as he rode Lubeck out to post the decision and move into Friday night's All-America round, the Round of 12.
157: #13 Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), Jr. - 20-7 overall - Season Complete
1st Rd: Brian Murphy, Michigan - W, 5-1 dec.
2nd Rd: #4 Ian Miller, Kent State - L, 1-4 dec.
Con 2: Immanuel Kerr-Brown, Duke - W, 5-2 dec.
Con 3: #12 Luke Smith, Central Michigan - L, 2-4 (sv) dec.
Junior All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), the No. 13 seed at 157, was strong in his first round match-up. He used two third period takedowns to walk away with an impressive 5-1 win over Michigan's Brian Murphy, moving into Thursday night's second round. In round two, Alton battled No. 4 Ian Miller of Kent State tough before dropping a 4-1 decision in round two. Alton's loss dropped him into Friday morning's consolation second round. Alton then picked up a key victory in consolation round two over Duke's Immanuel Kerr-Brown. Alton used a four point move in the first period with a takedown and two near fall points to bolt out to a 5-0 lead. Kerr-Brown would answer with two escapes but it would not be enough and Alton moved into the third round of consolation action. He met No. 12 Luke Smith of Central Michigan in the next consolation round and dropped a heart-breaking 4-2 (sv) decision, ending his NCAA tournament run. Alton posted a 2-2 mark at NCAAs, picking up a first round win and a consolation victory as well.
165: #1 David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), Sr. - 32-0 overall
1st Rd: Joseph Brewster, South Dakota State - WBF (2:58)
2nd Rd: #16 Jim Wilson, Stanford - WBF (6:55)
Qtrs: #8 Michael Moreno, Iowa State - WBF (3:19)
Semis: #4 Steven Monk, North Dakota State - tonight
Three-time All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), the No. 1 seed at 165, moved one step closer to Penn State's all-time pin record with a first period fall over South Dakota State's Joe Brewster. Taylor pinned Brewster with just two seconds left in the opening period, stepping over the Jackrabbit, adjusting from the top and getting the fall. It was the 51st of his career (the Penn State record is 53). In round two, Taylor continued to thrill the sellout crowd in Chesapeake Energy Arena. Taylor rolled up a 14-2 lead on No. 16 Jim Wilson of Stanford, took him down once more in the final :30 and then stepped over the Cardinal grappler, turned his shoulders to the mat and got his second pin in as many bouts at the 6:55 mark. The fall with just :05 on the clock was the 52nd of Taylor's career and moves him to within one of Penn State's all-time record. It also sent Taylor into Friday morning's quarterfinals, where he met Michael Moreno of Iowa State. The Lion leader continued his streak of pins against Moreno. Taylor rode a first period takedown to a 2-0 lead after three minutes of wrestling. Moreno chose down to start the second period and Taylor went to work. The Lion senior worked Moreno's shoulders to the mat, adjusted once and then pushed the Cyclone flat for the pin at the 3:19 mark. The win, his third by fall of the tournament, moved him into the national semifinals and makes Taylor Penn State's seventh four-time All-American in Penn State history. He also tied Penn State's all-time career pins record with the fall. Taylor now has 53, tied atop the Lion list with former Penn Stater Josh Moore.
174: #5 Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), Jr. - 30-5 overall
1st Rd: Kyle Meyer, Stanford - W, 17-3 maj. dec.
2nd Rd: #12 Tanner Weatherman, Iowa State - W, 6-1 dec.
Qtrs: #4 Mike Evans, Iowa - L, 4-5 (tb) dec.
Rd 12: #16 Matt Miller, Navy - Tonight
Junior All-American Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), the No. 5 seed at 174, took care of Stanford's Kyle Meyer in the first round, storming his way to a 17-3 major. Brown used multiple takedowns and a three point near fall in the third to rack up 3:07 in riding time as well, moving into the second round. In round two, Brown controlled the action in a strong 6-1 win over No. 12 Tanner Weatherman of Iowa State. Brown notched two takedowns, an escape and riding time in the 6-1 victory and moved into Friday morning's quarterfinals. Brown scored in just :10 to take an early 2-0 lead over No. 4 Mike Evans of Iowa. But the Hawkeye countered with a late first period takedown and the duo was tied 3-3 after one period. They traded escapes and went to sudden victory knotted at 4-4. Neither man scored in extra time and Brown was unable to escape during his tie-breaker session. Evans then escaped with :09 left in his and posted the 5-4 (tb) win. The loss moved Brown into Friday evening's fourth round of consolation action.
184: #2 Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), Sr. - 32-1 overall
1st Rd: Jackson Hein, Wisconsin - WBF (1:59) 2nd Rd: Nikko Reyes, Illinois - W, 15-0 (TF; 7:00) Qtrs: #7 Kevin Steinhaus, Minnesota - W, 10-2 maj. dec. Semis: #3 Gabe Dean, Cornell - tonight
Three-time American and two-time defending NCAA Champion Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), the No. 2 seed at 184, equaled teammate Taylor with a first period pin. Ruth worked his second takedown into a near side cradle, then adjusted his hold one time and got the pin at the 1:59 mark. The pin was 46th of his career, placing him third on the all-time list at Penn State and moving him into the second round. In the second round, Ruth dominated Illinois' Nikko Reyes for seven minutes. The Lion senior controlled the action from start to finish on his way to a 15-0 technical fall with 5:36 in riding time at the 7:00 mark. Picking up key bonus points, Ruth moved into tomorrow morning's quarterfinals with the win as well. Ruth became the eighth four-time All-American in Penn State history with a dominating 10-2 major decision over No. 7 Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota in the quarterfinals. Ruth used multiple takedowns in each period to roll to the win. He countered numerous Steinhaus shots, forcing short scrambles that he calmly turned into takedowns of his own, racking up 1:41 in riding time for the key point for the major decision. Ruth's victory was the 19th NCAA Championship win of his career, setting a new school record for wins in at nationals.
197: #3 Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), So. - 30-4 overall
1st Rd: John Bolich, Lehigh - W, 5-0 dec.
2nd Rd: #14 Chris Penny, Virginia Tech - L, 2-3 dec.
Con 2: #13 Daniel Mitchell, American - W, 15-7 maj. dec.
Con 3: #6 Richard Perry, Bloomsburg - W, 6-4 dec.
Rd. 12: Cody Reed, Binghamton - tonight
Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 3 seed at 197, was dominating as well in his first bout at nationals. McIntosh posted a strong 5-0 win over Lehigh's John Bolich, rolling up 2:29 riding time in the process and moving into round two. He then suffered a tough 3-2 upset loss to No. 14 Chris Penny of Virginia Tech in the second round. McIntosh had a takedown late in the first period overturned by the officials then gave up a second period takedown in the loss. McIntosh dropped down to Friday morning's consolation action with the loss. The Nittany Lion sophomore rebounded from the upset with a dominating 15-7 major over No. 13 Daniel Mitchell of American. McIntosh notched multiple takedowns throughout the match, including two in the final :20 to secure, thanks to 2:17 riding time, the major and important team bonus points. The victory moved McIntosh into the third round of consolation action where he met action where he met No. 6 Richard Perry of Bloomsburg. McIntosh notched a takedown in each of the first two periods and overcame a first period reversal by Perry to post a 6-4 decision and keep his All-America dreams alive. McIntosh's win moved him into Friday night's All-American Round of 12.
285: #14 Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.), Jr. - 23-10 overall - Season Complete
1st Rd: David Devine, SIU-Edwardsville - W, 12-4 maj. dec.
2nd Rd: #3 Adam Chalfant, Indiana - L, 2-5 dec.
Con 2: Ross Larson, Oklahoma - LBF (2:03)
Junior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.), the No. 14 seed at 285, dominated his opponent in his NCAA Championship debut. Gingrich rolled up 2:26 in riding time and posted two late takedowns to post an important 12-4 major over SIU-Edwardsville's David Devine, picking up key bonus points and moving into the second round. In the second round, Gingrich battled No. 3 Adam Chalfant of Indiana tough before dropping a 5-2 decision to the third seed. Chalfant used two takedowns and an escape to grab the victory, pushing Gingrich into Friday morning's consolation action. In the second round of consolation action, Gingrich gave up a first period pin to unseeded Oklahoma Sooner Ross Larson. Larson notched two early takedowns and then locked up Gingrich at the 2:03 mark for the fall. Gingrich went 1-2 at his first NCAA Championship, picking up a major for key team bonus points.