March 20, 2015
NCAA Session IV Feature & Video Roundup | NCAA Session IV Photo Gallery
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) led the charge for Penn State at the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships Friday night in St. Louis. Brown, already a three-time All-American, became a two-time national finalist with a 1-0 win over Iowa's Mike Evans in the national semifinals at 174. Brown will wrestle for his first NCAA individual title tomorrow night, live on ESPN at 8 p.m.
Buoyed by Brown's win in the semifinals, Penn State upped its All-America total at this year's championships to five. Joining Brown and Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), who lost in the national semifinals and was already an All-American, were junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) and senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.).
Gulibon, the No. 7 seed at 133, met No. 3 Cory Clark of Iowa in Penn State's first national semifinal. Gulibon got in on a quick high single but Clark was able to fight off the move and keep the bout scoreless early. After a scoreless first period, Gulibon chose down to start the second period. After :30 of work, the Lion works his way to a reversal and led 2-1 after a quick Clark escape. Clark then countered a Gulibon shot to take a 3-2 lead with 1:04 in riding time into the third. Clark chose down to start the third and Gulibon controlled him long enough to kill the riding time edge before Clark escaped to a 4-2 lead. Clark notched another counter takedown on the edge of the mat to open up a 6-2 lead. Gulibon escaped to a 6-3 score with :40 left and finished off a takedown at the :06 mark. But the score was too late and Clark posted the 7-5 win, sending Gulibon to tomorrow morning's consolation semifinal action.
Brown, the No. 2 seed at 174, took on No. 3 Mike Evans of Iowa in his national semifinal. The duo, meeting for the third time this year, battled through a scoreless first period in the middle of the mat. With the score tied at 0-0, Brown chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Like the first period, once Brown escaped the wrestlers traded jabs for control on their feet with no one breaking through for a score. Trailing by one, Evans chose neutral to start the third period. Brown broke free of a slick low single by Evans, kicking out of trouble to maintain his lead at the 1:30 mark. Brown then got in on a low single and nearly got the takedown. But Evans worked out of trouble, getting out of bounds at the :20 mark. The late offensive effort was enough to kill the clock and Brown posted the 1-0 win, advancing to the National Finals tomorrow night. Brown will meet No. 8 Tyler Wilps of Pittsburgh in tomorrow night's national championship bout.
Conaway, the No. 11 seed at 125, met American's David Terao in the round of 12, needing one more win to become an All-American. Terao opened up an early 2-1 lead with a first period takedown and carried that lead into the second period. Conaway chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. He then slipped behind Terao for a takedown and a 4-2 lead at the 1:30 mark. Conaway maintained control for the rest of the period and led 4-2 with 1:24 in riding time after two. Terao chose down to start the third period and quickly reversed the Lion. Conaway escaped and led 5-4 with 1:37 in riding time with 1:30 on the clock. Conaway added one more takedown and, with riding time, rolled to the 8-5 win to stay alive for third and become an All-American.
In the consolation quarterfinals, Conaway met No. 2 Nashon Garrett of Cornell. Garrett notched a quick takedown in the first period to open up a 2-1 lead. The two-time Cornell All-American controlled action in the first and led 6-1 after one. The first period burst was too much for Conaway to overcome and the Lion junior dropped a 10-1 major decision. The loss drops Conaway into tomorrow morning's seventh place match.
Freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), the No. 14 seed at 184, took on No. 16 T.J. Dudley of Nebraska, with the winner becoming an All-American. Dudley opened up an early 2-1 lead with a takedown midway through the first period. Trailing by one, McCutcheon chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Dudley chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Dudley would add one more takedown and post the 5-2 win. McCutcheon ends his first NCAA Championship in the round of 12 with a 2-2 mark, including a technical fall.
McIntosh, the No. 2 seed at 197, met No. 13 Shane Woods of Wyoming in the round of 12, looking to become a two-time All-American with a victory. McIntosh was aggressive early in the bout and slipped down to a low double and a 2-0 lead with a takedown on the edge of the mat. Leading by one, he chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. He added another takedown in the second to lead 5-2 after two periods. Woods chose down and McIntosh dominated action in the third period and rolled to an 8-3 win. The victory made McIntosh a two-time All-American and moved him into the consolation quarters.
In the conso quarters, McIntosh took on No. 6 Nathan Burak of Iowa. McIntosh was all offense out of the gates, setting the tempo early and turning a low single into a scramble and a takedown for a 2-1 lead midway through the period. The Lion junior continued to dominate the period, adding a second takedown to up his lead to 4-2. McIntosh escaped to a 5-2 lead to start the second period, the only scoring of the period. Burak escaped to start the third period but McIntosh was able to build up enough riding time to move over a minute. McIntosh went on to post the strong 6-3 decision, moving into the consolation semifinals.
Lawson, the No. 8 seed at 285, faced off against No. 11 Devin Mellon of Missouri, needing a victory to earn his first All-America honor. The duo battled through a scoreless first period and Mellon took down to start the second. Lawson controlled the action long enough to build up a 1:08 riding time edge before Mellon escaped to a 1-0 lead. Lawson chose down to start the third period and escaped in just three seconds to tie the score and keep his time edge. He added a final takedown and, with the riding time, posted the 4-1 win to become an All-American and move into the consolation quarterfinals.
In the consolation quarterfinals, Lawson met No. 10 Ty Walz of Virginia Tech. The duo battled through a scoreless first period, with neither wrestler working into a chance for a takedown. Walz chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The duo continued to work in the middle of the mat, both on their feet. Trailing by one, Lawson chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Lawson fought off a late Walz shot and the bout moved to sudden victory. In extra time, Lawson scrambled his way through a low double with just :02 left to grab the win with a takedown. The 3-1 (sv) decision sends Lawson into the consolation semifinals tomorrow morning.
Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), the No.12 seed at 149, concluded his tournament this morning, dropping a tough 5-4 decision to No. 6 Alec Pantaleo of Michigan. Beitz went 1-2 at his first NCAA Championship and finished the year with a 19-11 record.
Penn State went 6-3 on Friday night and upped its record to 22-9 through two days of action. The Nittany Lions find themselves in sixth place and just 15 out of second and 8.5 out of third, testimony to the tightness of this year's team battle. Conaway, McIntosh and Lawson join Gulibon and Brown as All-Americans, giving Penn State five All-Americans at this year's tournament. Three of the five (Conaway, Gulibon, Lawson) are first timers while McIntosh is a two-time honoree and Brown a three-timer. Brown advances to his second NCAA finals bout, having dropped an overtime decision two years ago. Penn State has now earned 194 All-America honors in its long history, with 31 of them coming in Sanderson's six years at the helm of the Nittany Lions.
Penn State continues its 2015 NCAA Championship run tonight during Saturday morning's consolation rounds and conso finals in the Scottrade Center. The fifth session begins at 11 a.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Central. 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 2014-15 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships - Team Score - Top Ten
Friday, March 20, 2015 - Scottrade Center - St. Louis, Mo.
1: Ohio State - 86.5
2: Iowa - 73.0
3: Cornell - 66.5
4: Edinboro - 64.5
5: Missouri - 60.0
6: PENN STATE - 58.0
7: Oklahoma State - 55.5
8: Michigan - 51.0
9: Nebraska - 49.0
9: Minnesota - 49.0
The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown/agate of Penn State's tournament to date (rankings listed are SEEDS):
125: #11 Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), Jr. -- (27-8 overall) - All-American
1st Rd: Joaquin Martinez, The Citadel - W, 12-7 dec.
2nd Rd: #6 Thomas Gilman, Iowa - L, 1-3 (sv) dec.
Cn 2: Scott Parker, Lehigh - W, 4-3 dec.
Cn 3: Ethan Lizak, Minnesota - W, 7-3 dec.
Rd 12: David Terao, American - W, 8-5 dec.
Cn Qtr: #2 Nashon Garrett, Cornell - L, 1-10 maj. dec.
7th Place: Tomorrow morning
Junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), the No. 11 seed at 125, began Penn State's day with a solid 12-7 win over Joaquin Martinez of the Citadel. The Lion junior used two reversals and a late four-point move in the second period to break away for the win.
Conaway took on No. 6 Thomas Gilman of Iowa in the second round. After a scoreless first period, Conaway notched an escape to start the second period and led 1-0 heading into the third. Gilman tied the score with an escape of his own to send the bout to sudden victory where the Hawkeye clinched the win with a takedown. The 3-1 (sv) loss, Penn State's first of the tournament, moved Conaway into consolation action.
He then met Lehigh's Scott Parker in his first consolation match Friday morning. Parker used a first period takedown to take an early lead that Conaway erased with a second period escape. With the bout tied 2-2 heading to the third, Parker chose down to begin the final stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Conaway forced Parker into a stall warning and then finished off a scramble in the middle of the mat for a takedown at the :55 mark to take a 4-3 lead. The Lion then held on for a ride out to post the 4-3 win and move into consolation round three.
In the next consolation round, Conaway took on Minnesota's Ethan Lizak. Conaway was the aggressor from the start, forcing Lizak back to the outside circle for the opening two minutes before finishing off a takedown for a 2-0 lead. The Lion junior then controlled the action from the top position, working up a 1:22 riding time edge with a ride out. The second started neutral and Conaway upped his lead to 4-0 with another takedown. Leading 4-1, Conaway chose down to start the third period and reversed Lizak to take a 6-1 lead. Lizak would add a last second reversal but Conaway rolled to a 7-3 win with 2:26 in riding time.
For today's fourth round info, see story above agate...
133: #7 Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), So. -- (25-8 overall) - All-American
1st Rd: Scott Delvecchio, Rutgers - W, 11-3 maj. dec.
2nd Rd: Jade Rauser, Utah Valley - W, 8-4 dec.
Qtrs: #2 Bradley Taylor, Wisconsin - W, 9-4 dec.
Semis: #3 Cory Clark, Iowa - L, 5-7 dec.
Cn Semi: Tomorrow morning
Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), the No. 7 seed at 133, dominated Rutgers' Scott Delvecchio, using a last second takedown to secure Penn State's first bonus points and rolling to an 11-3 major decision with nearly 2:00 of riding time.
Gulibon met Utah Valley's Jade Rauser in round two. Gulibon gave up a first period takedown and trailed 2-1 early. Rauser escaped to a 3-1 lead to start the second period but Gulibon quickly tied the match with a takedown. Rauser escaped to lead 4-3 after two and Gulibon quickly tied the match at 4-4 with an escape to start the third period. He then clinched the match with a takedown and two near fall points in the final :30 to post the 8-4 win and move into the quarterfinals.
The Lion sophomore was Penn State's first national quarterfinalist of the day, taking on No. 2 Bradley Taylor of Wisconsin. Gulibon was the aggressor out of the gates, turning his third low single into a takedown and a 2-0 lead at the 1:19 mark. He turned Taylor for two near fall and led 4-0 after one. Taylor came on strong in the second with two quick takedowns to cut Gulibon's lead to 7-4. Leading by three, Gulibon chose neutral to start the third period. Staying on offense, the Lion sophomore continued to work and finished off the match with a late takedown for a 9-4 victory. The decision makes Gulibon an All-American for the first time and moved him into the national semifinals.
For today's fourth round info, see story above agate...
149: #12 Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), So. -- (19-11 overall)
1st Rd: Shawn Greevy, Chattanooga - W, 10-1 maj. dec.
2nd Rd: #5 Chris Villalonga, Cornell - L, 4-6 (sv) dec.
Cn 2: #6 Alec Pantaleo, Michigan - L, 4-5 dec.
Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), the No. 12 seed at 149, was equally dominant in his NCAA Championship debut, rolling to a 10-1 major over Shawn Greevy of Chattanooga. Beitz used multiple takedowns and a three point near fall in the second and added 3:35 riding time.
Beitz met No. 5 Chris Villalonga of Cornell in round two. Villalonga chose down to start the second period after a scoreless opening stanza and escaped to a 1-0 lead. Beitz answered quickly, however, using a fast low shot to take a 2-1 lead with a takedown on the edge of the mat. Another escape tied the bout at 2-2 after two periods. Beitz chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. A Villalonga takedown and Beitz escape knotted the bout at 4-4 with :40 left to wrestle, sending the bout to sudden victory. Villalonga countered a Beitz shot in extra time for a takedown and a 6-4 (sv) win.
He then took on No. 6 Alec Pantaleo of Michigan in his first consolation match Friday morning. After a scoreless first period, Beitz took a 1-0 lead with a quick escape to start the second stanza. Pantaleo worked his way for a takedown to lead 2-1 with 1:15 left in the period and Beitz notched an escape to send the bout to the third tied 2-2. Pantaleo escaped to a 3-2 lead quickly in the third. Pantaleo countered a slight Beitz throw attempt for another takedown and a 5-3 lead. Beitz appeared to have a takedown with :06 left but the officials called the action out of bounds and instead gave Pantaleo another stall, cutting the lead to 5-4. Beitz was unable to connect in the last seconds and dropped a 5-4 decision. The loss ended the Lion sophomore's season at 19-11, having gone 1-2 with a major at his first NCAA Championships.
174: #2 Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) Sr. -- (28-3 overall) - All-American
1st Rd: Pete Renda, North Carolina State - W, 12-4 maj. dec.
2nd Rd: #15 Santiago Martinez, Lehigh - W, 10-2 maj. dec.
Qtrs: #7 Zach Epperly, Virginia Tech - W, 2-1 dec.
Semis: #3 Mike Evans, Iowa - W, 1-0 dec.
Finals: #8 Tyler Wilps, Pittsburgh - tomorrow night
Senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), the No. 2 seed at 174, made it three straight majors for Penn State with a strong 12-4 major over Pete Renda of North Carolina State. Brown secured the bonus point with a late takedown and 2:55 riding time.
Brown met No. 15 Santiago Martinez of Lehigh in the second round. Brown dominated the action in the first period, connecting on one of numerous shots to lead 2-0 after the opening stanza. He added a quick escape to start the period and another takedown and ride out to lead 5-0 with over 1:00 in riding time after two. Martinez chose down to start the third period and Brown cut him loose to begin working towards a major. The Lion senior added two more takedowns and rolled to a 10-2 major with 2:57 in riding time. The win moved Brown into the quarterfinals.
The Lion senior then faced off against No. 7 Matt Epperly of Virginia Tech in his quarterfinal match-up. After a scoreless first period, Brown took down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The Lion pressed the tempo, forcing Epperly backwards throughout the second period but could not connect for a takedown. Epperly chose down to start the third period and Brown made him pay for the decision. The Lion rode Epperly for all but :15 of the period and used the 1:45 riding time to post a 2-1 win. The made him Penn State's 24th three-time All-American.
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184: #14 Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), Fr. -- (26-14 overall)
1st Rd: Nick Fiegener, Cal Poly - W, 20-5 (TF; 7:00)
2nd Rd: #3 Blake Stauffer, Arizona State - W, 3-1 (sv) dec.
Qtrs: Kenny Courts, Ohio State - L, 5-7 (sv) dec.
Rd 12: #16 T.J. Dudley, Nebraska - L, 2-5 dec.
Freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), the No. 14 seed at 184, made it yet another bonus point win with a furious 20-5 technical fall over Cal Poly's Nick Fiegener. McCutcheon, in his NCAA Championship debut, tallied numerous takedowns and turns and picked up the tech fall off 1:41 in riding time at the 7:00 mark.
McCutcheon took on No. 3 Blake Stauffer of Arizona State in round two. McCutcheon worked in on two solid low singles but Stauffer was able to fight of the Lion's efforts and send the bout to the second period tied 0-0. Stauffer escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the middle stanza. McCutcheon, down by one after two periods, then took down to start the third period and worked his way to an escape and a 1-1 tie at the 1:05 mark with Stauffer owning :52 of riding time. The bout moved to sudden victory where each man traded early scoring chances. McCutcheon broke through with a scrambling takedown with just :23 left to post the thrilling 3-1 (sv) win over the third-seeded Sun Devil. The win moved the Lion freshman into the national quarterfinals.
He then took on Ohio State's Kenny Courts of Ohio State in the quarters. McCutcheon continued his wide open wrestling, taking the action to Courts from the start. A quick low single turned into a scramble and a McCutcheon takedown at the 1:13 mark. The Lion freshman then rode Courts out to lead 3-0 after one. McCutcheon escaped to a 3-0 lead to start the second but McCutcheon answered with a takedown to cut the lead to 3-2. McCutcheon worked free for an escape before his riding time edge dipped below 1:00 and led 4-2 with 1:04 in time after two. Courts escaped quickly to start the third and then took McCutcheon down to take a 5-4 lead at the 1:21 mark. The Lion freshman, trailing by one, escaped to a 5-5 tie but his riding time edge was gone. The bout moved to sudden victory tied 5-5 where Courts finished off the comeback with a takedown for the 7-5 win. McCutcheon's 7-5 (sv) loss, Penn State's third extra time loss of the tournament, moved the Lion freshman into consolation action.
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197: #2 Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), Jr. -- (30-3 overall) -- All-American
1st Rd: Zach Nye, Virginia - W, 3-0 dec.
2nd Rd: #15 Adam Studebaker, Nebraska - W, 14-5 maj. dec.
Qtrs: #10 Conner Hartmann, Duke - L, 2-3 dec.
Rd 12: #13 Shane Woods, Wyoming - W, 8-3 dec.
Cn Qtrs: #6 Nathan Burak, Iowa - W, 6-3 dec.
Cn Semis: Tomorrow
Junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 2 seed at 197, built up nearly 4:00 of riding time and used a second period reversal to roll to a first round win over Virginia's Zach Nye. McIntosh amassed 3:55 in time on his way to a 3-0 victory to move into the second round.
McIntosh met No. 15 Aaron Studebaker of Nebraska in the second round. McIntosh dominated the first period, notching two takedowns to lead 4-2 after the opening stanza. He took down to start the second, quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead, and blew through another high double to take a 7-2 lead. He added one more score in the middle period and led 9-3 after two. McIntosh would add two more takedowns, including one with just two seconds left, to secure important bonus points with a 14-5 major decision (with 1:44 in riding time). The victory moved McIntosh into the quarterfinals.
The junior met no. 10 Conner Hartmann of Duke in the quarterfinals. McIntosh nearly connected on a low single midway through the first period but Hartmann scrambled to a stalemate and the bout moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. McIntosh took a lead with a quick escape to start the second period and then worked his way in on a single. But Hartmann countered the move to open up a 2-1 lead with 1:20 on the clock and McIntosh tied the bout at 2-2 with an escape late in the second. Hartmann retook the lead with an escape at the 1:30 mark of the third period. McIntosh scrambled for a late takedown, appearing to complete the move in the final seconds, but the officials did not award the points and the Penn State corner challenged the call, sending it to video review. The no call stood, however, and McIntosh dropped the 3-2 decision.
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285: #8 Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), Sr. -- (19-4 overall) -- All-American
1st Rd: Jacob Aiken-Phillips, Cornell - W, 9-3 dec.
2nd Rd: #9 Michael Kroells, Minnesota - W, 5-2 dec.
Qtrs: #1 Nick Gwiazdowski, North Carolina St. - L, 3-11 maj. dec.
Rd 12: #11 Devin Mellon, Missouri - W, 4-1 dec.
Cn Qtrs: #10 Ty Walz, Virginia Tech - W, 3-1 (sv)
Cn Semis: Tomorrow
Senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), the No. 8 seed at 285, controlled Cornell's Jacob Aiken-Phillips from start to finish in his 9-3 first round win. Lawson rolled up three takedowns, a reversal and 3:43 in riding time to move into round two and cap off the perfect Penn State morning.
Lawson met No. 9 Michael Kroells of Minnesota in round two. The duo battled through a scoreless first three minutes. Kroells chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Trailing by one after two periods, Lawson chose down to start the third and escaped to a 1-1 tie. Maintaining contact, the Lion senior worked for control high, then slid low quickly for a takedown on the edge of the mat and a 3-1 lead. Kroells quickly escaped to a 3-2 score with 1:20 left in the match. Lawson continued to push the action and added one more takedown to post the 5-2 win. The victory moved Lawson into the quarterfinals.
He then met No. 1 seed and defending National Champion Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State in the quarters. The top-seeded Gwiazdowski took an early lead with a takedown midway through the first period and then turned Lawson for two back points to lead 4-0. Gwiazdowski added an escape and a takedown before Lawson got on the board with a reversal. But the defending NCAA Champion was able to control the action from that point on and went on to post an 11-3 major over Lawson.
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