Feb. 9, 2015
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It was the type of atmosphere that Penn State wrestler Garett Hammond had never experienced before.
In front of 15,967 fans and under the bright lights of the Bryce Jordan Center, the redshirt freshman came out after halftime of the team's dual against Iowa hoping to give his team a spark. With the Lions trailing 12-3, Hammond's bout at 165 against seventh ranked Nick Moore was a chance to for Penn State to regain some momentum.
In a match that came down to the wire, Hammond delivered, taking Moore to the mat with six seconds left to give himself a 4-2 win that produced one of the loudest ovations of the afternoon, which ended in a close 18-12 loss for the Lions.
"I was hoping to give us a chance to win the dual and we were in a position to make it happen against a team that's pretty talented," Hammond said. "I like that big environment. It gives you a little extra push. It's exciting wrestling in front of all these fans."
In a dual stocked with 17 ranked wrestlers, Hammond came in as a clear underdog. Still, he started out tough, trading shots with the Hawkeye senior during a scoreless first period.
Despite falling behind 2-0 following a Moore reversal in the second, Hammond escaped to set up a vital third period showdown. After another escape, the first-year wrestler won the match with a dominant move, lifting Moore over his head before finishing off the takedown on the mat.
"I was just focusing on finishing hard," Hammond said. "I knew that might be my last opportunity to get a takedown and I just used all my strength. Fans are pretty loud helping you out and I just finished off on a double. I just wanted to make sure when I returned [shots], I returned them hard and I was able to finish it."
The win improved Hammond to 20-8 on the season and 8-5 in duals. More importantly, though, it gave him his first dual win over a ranked wrestler.
With the Big Ten Championships a month away, the victory gives the Chambersville, Pennsylvania, native confidence that he can succeed in pressure filled situations.
"I've been close against some of these top guys, I was just focused on winning and not being happy because no one cares if you lose close, you want to go out there and win," Hammond said. "I'm only [from] about two hours away from here so I know a lot of people back home are watching."
Although the Nittany Lions weren't able to pull out a victory against the No. 1 team in the country, Hammond's win did start a second half rally that led to the dual not being decided until the heavyweight bout.
Both senior 174-pounder Matt Brown and junior 197-pounder Morgan McIntosh followed Hammond and both brought their A-game. Brown used a dominant 1:52 of riding time to beat second ranked Mike Evans 2-0 (the pair's seventh career matchup), and McIntosh used a first period reversal and near fall to beat No. 6 Nathan Burak 7-1.
Still, the focus of both captains afterwards was on what the team needs to do to continue improving. At the same time, Brown praised Hammond for his performance.
"I think we're all happy for him, we see that he works hard and he's a great wrestler," Brown said. "A lot of the atmosphere and how fun it is, is seeing your teammates go out and do well."
Gulibon Scores Victory With Big Finish For a wrestler who's never been about the spotlight, Jimmy Gulibon certainly thrived under it on Sunday.
The sophomore 133-pounder and seventh ranked wrestler at his weight produced Penn State's biggest highlight of the first half, beating No. 3 Cory Clark 8-5.
Similar to Hammond's match, the second bout of the afternoon wasn't decided until the final moments. Tied 4-4 but without the edge in riding time, Gulibon brought Clark to his back for a four-point move with under 10 seconds remaining to secure the win.
"He stopped my shot earlier in the match," Gulibon said. "It was more of a mental thing there, that I was going to get in on that shot and get the takedown."
The win continued what has been an impressive season for the second year wrestler. After going 18-15 and just 5-8 in duals as a redshirt freshman last season, Gulibon is now 18-4 and 11-2 in duals.
Impressive as his record is, the real change with Gulibon has been the confidence and determination he has developed. If the Lions are going to be contenders in the postseason, they will need him to continue to beat ranked opponents.
"I think Jimmy has always been very committed," head coach Cael Sanderson said. "He's a guy we have to say, `hey. you've got to go home,' in the summer. Otherwise he wants to stay and train the whole time.
"I still think the sky's the limit with him. We're seeing some great things there. You saw at the end of that match if he's determined to score a point, he's going to score a point. He's just got the ability and the speed and the strength, and I think he's just getting started."