Dec. 20, 2014
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUSports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Jimmy Lawson kneeled on the mat, trying to catch his breath, the words of head coach Cael Sanderson ringing in his ears.
The Penn State senior heavyweight had just come seconds away from handing the Penn State wrestling team a victory over No. 9 Virginia Tech. With the Lions clinging to a 17-15 lead, Lawson saw a 3-1 third period lead over Ty Walz get erased when the Hokie sophomore scored a takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining to send the match to overtime.
"Coach Cael said it after that whistle blew, `If you want it, you need to go out there and do it,'" Lawson said. "You're not always gonna finish the match in regulation...regardless of what happened my mindset was still the same, to win the match."
With the outcome of the dual riding on which heavyweight could score first, Lawson wasted little time, using a single leg to bring Walz to the mat less than a minute into overtime for a 5-3 win and a 20-15 Nittany Lions victory.
The Penn State fans, no strangers to exciting wrestling, went into an uproar as the takedown occurred. As the crowd of over 6,300 cheered in delight, Lawson ran around the center of the mat in a circle, his arms raised and a broad smile on his face.
"[Haven't had a match] like that in a long time," Lawson said. "You've got the greatest fans in the world. When they're behind me and the coaches and your teammates believe in you, you can do great things."
While Lawson entered Friday with 45 career wins and NCAA Tournament appearance under his belt, never before had he faced the pressure of having the fate of the team rest squarely on his shoulders.
Throw in the fact that he was facing the sixth-ranked heavyweight in the country and it was his first time wrestling in a dual at Rec Hall in 11 months, it would have been natural for the Toms River, New Jersey, native to be feeling nervous.
But the fifth-year senior came out tough, trading shots with Walz throughout a scoreless first period. In the second, Walz got on the board with an early escape before Lawson scored an emphatic takedown at the end of the period for a 2-1 lead that set up the match's exciting conclusion.
"I knew the dual meet was on the line but I was excited just to see how he would react," Sanderson said. "Because that's a big moment and we need some points at heavyweight in these big matches. That's a big win for Jimmy, no question."
The win did more than just keep Penn State undefeated at 5-0 on the season. It also gave Lawson the opportunity to establish some confidence and momentum a year after going through the biggest challenge of his career.
The last time the heavyweight competed in Rec Hall, he endured a match that he would rather forget. On Jan. 19 of last season, he suffered a season ending left knee injury against Northwestern that cut short a promising 16-4 campaign.
Now, with his knee healed and having won his first two dual meets of the season, Lawson is looking to complete the goals he set for himself last year, becoming an All-American and winning a national title.
As far as he is concerned, a dual-clinching win over a top-10 opponent is a great place to start.
"My goal is to win a national championship and for me this is the first step," Lawson said. "It's been a while since I had a rush like that, a feeling like that. Up until this point, I was kind of doubting myself. This summer I had a chance to reflect and think about what I really wanted and that match was definitely what I needed to make my dream come to realization."
Although Lawson's win was the night's biggest highlight, junior 125-pounder Jordan Conaway and freshman 165-pounder Garett Hammond also gave huge performances.
Conaway opened the match with a 7-5 win over fifth-ranked Joey Dance, and Hammond dominated Chris Moon with a 17-2 tech fall that gave the Nittany Lions a 14-9 lead after being tied 9-9 at the half.
In a tight-knit match that went down to the wire, every point mattered for Penn State. While close meets are somewhat new for this squad, it is an experience that will benefit the Lions moving forward.
"Obviously, we had some great performances from these three (Conaway, Hammond and Lawson)," Sanderson said. "Virginia Tech came in and they were shooting right away and they came to win. That's a solid team right there."