March 8, 2015
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VIDEO: Highlights and Interviews from Big Ten Session III - McIntosh Wins Crown
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Penn State Nittany Lion junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) capped off the 2015 Big Ten Championship on a high note, claiming the 197-pound Big Ten title in Penn State's final match of the tournament. Penn State ends the tournament with seven clinched NCAA qualifiers and will now prepare for the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships, held in St. Louis' Scottrade Center in two weeks.
McIntosh's win helped Penn State go 1-1 in the conference finals. Penn State also had senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) in the finals at 174. Brown was Penn State's first competitor in the finals, taking to the center mat at Ohio State's St. John Arena.
Brown, ranked No. 2 at 174 in the final NCAA Coaches Poll, met No. 1 Robert Kokesh of Nebraska in the Big Ten finals. The top two seeds at 174, Brown and Kokesh began the bout with plenty of tempo. Kokesh broke through with a swift takedown on the edge of the mat at the 1:32 mark, taking a 2-1 lead after a quick Brown escape. Brown nearly connected on a single leg on the edge of the mat but Kokesh was able to work out of bounds and the Husker carried the 2-1 lead into the second. Brown chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Brown continued to press the action, shooting Kokesh off the mat twice over the next minute-plus. Brown looked to take Kokesh down off a single leg, nearly stacking him for the pin. But Kokesh rolled through the move and countered as the period ended for another takedown to lead 4-2 after two. Kokesh chose down to start the third and escaped to a 5-2 lead. Kokesh shot low off the reset and connected on a third takedown to open up a 7-3 lead with :47 on the clock. The Husker would hold that score, taking the 7-3 win over Brown. Brown's second place finish sends him to NCAAs with a 24-3 record.
McIntosh, ranked No. 4 at 197, took on No. 3 Kyle Snyder of Ohio State in his Big Ten title bout. The duo battled evenly as the bout started, with action staying in the center circle with both wrestlers battling on their feet. A dead-even first period concluded with both wrestlers on their feet and in a scoreless tie. Snyder chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. McIntosh got in on a fast low single, working Snyder's leg into the air and eventually finishing off the takedown in front of the Penn State corner for a 2-1 lead at the 1:15 mark. McIntosh then maintained control over a minute, building up a 1:21 riding time edge with a strong ride out. McIntosh chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead, still with 1:12 in riding time. McIntosh continued to shoot down the stretch, forcing Snyder into defense and killing the clock. McIntosh's strong 4-1 decision with 1:12 riding time makes him the 2015 Big Ten Champion at 197 pounds. McIntosh heads to NCAAs with a 26-2 record.
Penn State ended the tournament with one champion, one runner-up, a third place finisher, a fourth place finisher and three sixth place finishers.
Junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 9 at 125, met No. 12 Conor Youtsey of Michigan in the consolation semifinals, needing one more win to clinch a spot at nationals. Conaway turned a low single into a scramble in the middle of the mat midway through the period but Youtsey forced a stalemate to keep the bout scoreless early. Tied at 0-0, Conaway chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead :28 seconds into the period, a score that carried into the third period. Youtsey countered with an escape of his own to start the third period and the bout was tied 1-1 early in the third. The bout moved into extra time tied 1-1 and then into a tie-breaker period. Conaway worked his way to an escape with :03 left to take a 2-1 lead. With Youtsey down next, Conaway was able to control Youtsey for the :30 and grabbed a 2-1 (tb) win.
The victory moved him into the consolation finals, wrestling No. 7 Jesse Delgado for third place. With Delgado battling injuries throughout the year, Conaway received an medical forfeit win over the Illini and took third place as the fifth-seed at the 2015 Big Ten Championships. Conaway heads to nationals in two weeks with a 23-6 record.
Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 20 at 184, met No. 15 T.J. Dudley of Nebraska in the consolation semifinals. The duo battled evenly for just over a minute before McCutcheon worked his way in on a low single. Dudley forced a scramble and eventually a stalemate at the 1:22 mark with no scoring. McCutcheon continued to be the aggressor as the period wound down, forcing Dudley backwards through a scoreless three minutes of wrestling. Dudley took down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. McCutcheon continued to force the Husker grappler back towards the outside circle. He connected on a third low single and Dudley once again countered but this time McCutcheon was able to finish off the shot for the takedown. The Lion bulled his way through for three near fall points as well, nearly getting the pin as the period ended. Leading 5-1, McCutcheon chose down to start the third, escaped to a 6-1 lead and then immediately got in on a single leg. He took Dudley down for an 8-1 lead and built his riding time up above 1:00 before calling for injury time. Starting neutral after the break, McCutcheon fought off a late Dudley shot and, with the riding time point, rolled to a 9-1 major decision.
The victory moved him into the third place bout where he matched up against top-seed Sammy Brooks of Iowa again. After getting dinged in his major victory over Dudley earlier in the session, and with his first trip to NCAAs already secured and in just two weeks, McCutcheon did not wrestle in the third place bout. The medical forfeit does not count as a loss on the Lions' record and McCutcheon heads to NCAAs with a 24-12 record, the Big Ten's fourth place finisher as the eighth seed.
Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 133, met No. 10 Johnni DiJulius of Ohio State in the consolation semifinals. The duo battled through a scoreless first period with neither man breaking through for a real scoring threat. DiJulius chose down to start the second period and worked his way to an escape and a 1-0 lead at the 1:42 mark. Action resumed in the center circle and Gulibon took the Buckeye down with a swift low single to take a brief lead. DiJulius escaped quickly to tie the bout and action moved to the third period tied 2-2. Gulibon took down to start the third. DiJulius took a quick five count on the leg for a stall warning and Gulibon then escaped off the reset for a 3-2 lead with 1:40 on the clock. Gulibon fought off a quick low shot at the 1:04 mark and another at the :30 mark. But the Buckeye's pressure would pay off with a fast five point move (takedown and three near fall) at the :20 mark and Gulibon dropped a 7-3 decision in the waning seconds.
The loss moved Gulibon into the fifth place match against No. 8 Zane Richards of Illinois. In the fifth place bout, Gulibon fought off a tandem of early shots from Richards, keeping the bout scoreless. Gulibon connected on a low single and finished off the takedown with :29 left in the opening period to open up a 2-0 advantage. Richards managed an escape as the period ended and Gulibon led 2-1 after one. Gulibon chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Richards answered with a takedown with :03 left to tie the bout at 3-3 after two. The Illini took down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 4-3 lead. Gulibon appeared to be on his way to a takedown with :40 left but a stalemate was called, stopping action as the Lion worked for the go-ahead points. Richards backed away for the remainder of the period, only picking up one stall, and Gulibon dropped a 4-3 decision to place sixth. Gulibon heads to NCAAs with a 22-7 record.
Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 149, took on No. 9 Alec Pantaleo of Michigan in the consolation semifinals. The duo battled evenly for the opening minutes, with Beitz fending off a solid Pantaleo single leg at the 1:40 mark. The duo entered the second period in a scoreless tie and Beitz chose down to start the middle stanza. The Lion sophomore worked his way to a near reversal but settled for an escape and a 1-0 lead :20 in. Pantaleo notched a late escape to carry a 2-1 lead into the third period. Pantaleo chose down to start the third period and Beitz was able to maintain control for :35 seconds before the Wolverine escaped to a 3-1 lead. The second period takedown proved to be the difference and Beitz dropped a 3-1 decision.
Beitz was to take on Ohio State All-American Hunter Stieber in the fifth place bout. But, much like the situation at 125, Stieber had been battling injuries during the year did not compete, giving Beitz the win by medical forfeit and fifth place as the sixth-seed at his first Big Ten Championship. Beitz heads to NCAAs with an 18-9 record.
Senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), ranked No. 7 at 285, faced off against No. 6 Adam Coon of Michigan in the consolation semifinals. Lawson wrapped Coon up in a body lock right off the buzzer and took Coon to the mat for a takedown, nearly picking up back points in the process. Coon tried to escape Lawson then called for an injury time out. After the reset, Coon took down and did escape to a 2-1 Lawson lead. Coon took a 3-2 lead with a takedown at the 1:05 mark. Lawson managed a late escape to tie the bout at 3-3 as the first period ended. Coon chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 4-3 lead. The Wolverine then dominated the second stanza to lead 8-4 with 1:40 in time after two periods. The Wolverine would control action the rest of the way and posted the 9-5 win.
Lawson was set to meet No. 15 Michael Kroells of Minnesota in the fifth place bout. Similar to McCutcheon's situation with a slight injury in his prior match, Lawson did not compete for fifth place. The medical forfeit does not count as a loss and Lawson heads to NCAAs as the Big Ten's sixth place finisher with a 15-4 overall record.
Junior Luke Frey (Montoursville, Pa.), needing a win to place ninth at 157 and get into the pool for a potential at-large bid (announced on Wednesday), met No. 15 Michael Kelly of Iowa in the ninth place bout at 157. Kelly used a first period counter takedown to open up an early 2-0 lead. A dominant third period for Kelly led to a 7-3 Hawkeye decision, ending Frey's tournament and his season at 14-8.
Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.), ranked No. at 165, already in the pool for a potential at-large bid at 165 (which will be announced on Wednesday), took on No. 11 Nick Moore of Iowa, for ninth place at 165. The duo battled through regulation tied 3-3 and then Hammond fought off two solid Moore shots to survive the sudden victory period. Hammond was not able to escape during his tie-breaker choice, then Moore did, giving the Hawkeye the 4-3 (tb) win. Hammond is in the pool for a potential at-large bid at 165. There will be eight at-large spots up for grabs and Hammond will find out his fate on Wednesday.
Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) ended his season yesterday. Moss went 0-3 at his first Big Ten Championship and ends his freshman campaign with a 17-17 overall record at 141.
Penn State went 23-19 during the tournament and picked up 13.5 bonus points off six majors, one tech fall, one pin and two forfeits. The Nittany Lions took fifth place with 96.5 points. Iowa and Ohio State share the conference title with 120.0 points each. Penn State has seven wrestlers booked through to nationals with the potential for Hammond to earn an at-large qualifier at 165, to be announced on Wednesday.
Penn State will now head to the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 19-21 in St. Louis, Mo. The three-day event will take place in the Scottrade Center and begins Thursday, March 19 at 12 p.m. Penn State has won the last four NCAA titles. 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 Big Ten Wrestling Championships Team Standings -- FINAL
Sunday, March 8, 2015 - St. John Arena, Ohio State University - Columbus, Ohio
1: Iowa - 120.0
1: Ohio State - 120.0
3: Minnesota - 108.0
4: Michigan - 101.5
5: Penn State - 96.5
6: Illinois - 96.0
7: Nebraska - 85.5
8: Wisconsin - 74.0
9: Northwestern - 72.0
10: Purdue - 37.5
11: Rutgers - 20.5
12: Indiana - 16.0
13: Michigan State - 12.5
14: Maryland - 10.5
2015 Big Ten Wrestling Championships Individual Championship Finals
Sunday, March 8, 2015 - St. John Arena, Ohio State University - Columbus, Ohio
# listed is tournament seed
125: #3 Nathan Tomasello OSU dec. #1 Thomas Gilman IOWA, 3-2
133: #1 Chris Dardanes MINN dec. #2 Ryan Taylor WIS, 7-2
141: #1 Logan Stieber OSU tech fall #6 Josh Dziewa IOWA, 16-1 (TF; 3:07)
149: #2 Jason Tsirtsis NU dec. #1 Brandon Sorensen IOWA, 2-1
157: #1 Isaiah Martinez ILL dec. #2 Dylan Ness MINN, 12-5
165: #2 Isaac Jordan WIS dec. #1 Bo Jordan OSU, 3-2
174: #1 Robert Kokesh NEB dec. #2 Matt Brown PSU, 7-3
184: #2 Dom Abounader MICH dec. #4 Brett Pfarr MINN, 7-6
197: #2 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. #1 Kyle Snyder OSU, 4-1
285: #3 Mike McMullan NU dec. #4 Bobby Telford IOWA, 4-3
The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown/agate of Penn State's tournament to date (rankings listed are Final NCAA Coaches Rankings):
125: #9 Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), Jr., -- #5 seed (23-6 overall) - NCAA qualifier - 3rd place
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: #12 Tim Lambert, Nebraska - W, 7-4 dec.
Semis: #4 Thomas Gilman, Iowa - L, 4-5 dec.
Con semis: #21 Conor Youtsey, Michigan - W, 2-1 (tb) dec.
3rd Place: #7 Jesse Delgado, Illinois - W, med. forfeit
Junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 9 in the final NCAA Coaches Poll, received a first round bye as the fifth-seed. Conaway then met No. 12 Tim Lambert of Nebraska in the quarterfinals, Lambert was the fourth-seed. Conaway notched late takedowns in both the first and second periods to bolt out to a 5-0 lead and rolled to an impressive 7-4 win.
In the semifinals, Conaway took on No. 4 Thomas Gilman of Iowa in his semifinal bout at 125. Conaway gave up an early counter takedown to fall behind 2-1 in the first period. Gilman escaped to start the second period to lead 3-1 but Conaway answered with a late takedown to tie the bout at 3-3 as the second period ended. Conaway chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to 4-3 lead. Gilman retook the lead, 5-4, with :45 left. Conaway scrambled for an escape as the clock wound down but Gilman kept control and posted the hard-fought win.
See Above Recap for Sunday's Action...
133: #4 Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), So., -- #3 seed (22-7 overall) - NCAA qualifier - 6th Place
1st Rd: Alonzo Shepherd, Indiana - W, 12-3 maj. dec.
Qtrs: #8 Zane Richards, Illinois - W, 3-1 dec.
Semis: #2 Ryan Taylor, Wisconsin - L, 5-7 (sv)
Con Semis: #10 Johnni DiJulius, Ohio State - L, 3-7 dec.
5th Place: #8 Zane Richards, Illinois - L, 3-4 dec.
Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 4 and the third seed, met Indiana's Alonzo Shepherd in the first round. Gulibon dominated Shepherd for a 12-3 major to move into the quarterfinals where he took on No. 8 Zane Richards of Illinois. Gulibon battled Richards evenly for nearly seven minutes, with each wrestler notching an escape as the only scoring through 6:50. Gulibon got in on a late single leg and with just :08 left, the Lion sophomore finished off the takedown for a thrilling 3-1 decision.
In the semifinals, Gulibon met No. 2 Ryan Taylor of Wisconsin in his semifinal bout at 133: Gulibon fought off three early shots but was hit for stalling early. Gulibon then worked his offense down the stretch and turned a low single into a takedown and a 2-0 lead after one period. Taylor chose down to start the second period and deftly reversed Gulibon to tie the bout at 2-2 with 1:36 on the clock. Gulibon escaped to a 3-2 lead and then led 4-2 after escaping to start the third period. Taylor picked up a third period takedown but cut Gulibon loose to a 5-4 Gulibon lead. Gulibon got hit for a quick stall call and the bout was tied 5-5 at the end of regulation. A late takedown was nearly notched by Taylor but was waved off and then went to review. The takedown was indeed too late and the bout moved to sudden victory. Taylor's offense paid off, however, with a quick takedown and a 7-5 (sv) win.
See Above Recap for Sunday's Action...
141: #25 Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah), Fr. -- #9 seed (17-17 overall) - season complete
1st Rd: #24 Nick Lawrence, Purdue - L, 4-6 (sv) dec.
Cns 1: bye
Cns 2: #23 Jameson Oster, Northwestern - L, 4-7 dec.
Extra 1: George Fisher, Michigan - L, 1-4 dec.
Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah), ranked No. 25 at 141 and the ninth seed, made his Big Ten Championship debut against No. 24 Nick Lawrence of Purdue, the eighth-seed. Moss took a 4-3 lead with a late takedown but gave up a last second escape to send the bout to sudden victory where Lawrence notched a quick takedown to win 6-4 (sv).
Moss took on No. 23 Jameson Oster in his first consolation bout with a trip to NCAAs on the line for the winner. Moss gave up an early counter takedown in the first period and another counter takedown midway through the second to fall behind 4-2 midway through the bout. Moss mounted a comeback late but the damage was done and the Lion freshman dropped a tough 7-4 decision. Moss then lost his extra bout 4-1 to Michigan's George Fisher.
149: #14 Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), So. -- #6 seed (18-9 overall) - NCAA qualifier - 5th Place
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: Hunter Stieber, Ohio State - L, 4-5 dec.
Con 2: Trevor Moody, Indiana - W, 18-3 TF (6:29)
Con 3: Nick Trimble, Michigan State - W, 6-0 dec.
Con Semis: #9 Alec Pantaleo, Michigan - L, 1-3 dec.
5th Place: Hunter Stieber, Ohio State - W, med. forf.
Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), ranked No. 14, made his Big Ten tourney debut at 149 as the sixth seed and had a first round bye. He took on Ohio State All-American Hunter Stieber in the quarters, the tournament's third seed. Beitz took a late 4-3 lead with a solid takedown with just :30 left in the bout. Beitz looked to ride Stieber out but the Buckeye All-American forced a hard scramble at the end, steadily working his way to a reversal with just :04 on the clock to steal a 5-4 win.
Beitz rebounded from a last second loss to Ohio State All-American Hunter Stieber in his first match earlier today by dominating Indiana's Trevor Moody. Beitz nearly pinned the Hoosier out of the gates with a quick cradle and rolled to an 18-3 technical fall at the 6:29 mark. Beitz then moved on to the third round of consolations where he took on Michigan State's Nick Trimble. Beitz wrestled through a scoreless first period and then dominated the second stanza, posting an escape and a takedown to lead 3-0 with over 1:00 riding time after two periods. He tacked on another takedown and a riding time point to roll to a 6-0 win and clinch his first trip to the NCAA Championships.
See Above Recap for Sunday's Action...
157: Luke Frey (Montoursville, Pa.), Jr. -- #9 seed (14-8 overall) - season complete
1st Rd: #17 Anthony Perrotti, Rutgers - W, 7-5 (tb)
Qtrs: #1 Isaiah Martinez, Illinois - L, 9-24 TF (6:30)
Con 2: Lou Mascola, Maryland - L, 2-5 dec.
Extra 1: T.J. Ruschell, Wisconsin - W, 9-0 maj. dec.
9th Place: #15 Michael Kelly, Iowa - L, 3-7 dec.
Junior Luke Frey (Montoursville, Pa.) made his conference championship debut at 157 as the ninth seed and met No. 17 Anthony Perrotti of Rutgers, the eighth seed and an All-American for RU last year. Frey used a third period reversal and a riding time point to send the bout to sudden victory then fought off a late takedown attempt by Perrotti to force the tie-breaker. In the :30 sessions, Frey rode Perrotti out and then notched a reversal on his defensive turn to post a thrilling 7-5 (tb) win. Frey's victory moved him into the quarterfinals where he met the nation's top seed, unbeaten Isaiah Martinez of Illinois. Frey scored off the opening whistle to take a brief 2-0 lead. But Martinez remained unbeaten with a strong performance, posting the 24-9 technical fall over Frey.
Frey followed up a 1-1 morning by taking on Maryland's Lou Mascola in the second round of consolation action. Frey gave up an early takedown and never recovered as Mascola was able to grind out a tough 5-2 win. Frey then majored Wisconsin's T.J. Ruschell 8-0 in the extra placing bouts and moved into the ninth place bout.
See Above Recap for Sunday's Action...
165: #19 Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) Fr. -- #6 seed (23-12 overall)
1st Rd: Nick Visicaro, Rutgers - W, 8-2 dec.
Qtrs: #6 Taylor Walsh, Indiana - LBF (0:38)
Con 2: Garrett Sutton, Michigan - L, 3-5 dec.
Extra 1: Alexander Justin, Maryland - W, 8-1 dec.
9th: #11 Nick Moore, Iowa - L, 3-4 (tb) dec.
Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.), ranked No. 19 at 165 and the sixth seed, also wrestled in his first Big Ten tournament and faced Rutgers' Nick Visicaro in the first round. Hammond dominated the bout from start to finish, rolling to an 8-2 win with over 4:00 in riding time. The victory sent him to the quarterfinals, where he met No. 6 Taylor Walsh of Indiana, the third seed. Hammond was working his way out from an early Walsh shot. As the Lion rolled through the move, Walsh caught the Lion freshman and was awarded a pin at the :38 mark of the first period.
Hammond took on Michigan's Garrett Sutton in his first consolation bout. The Lion freshman fought off two strong Sutton scoring attempts in the opening stanza to keep the bout scoreless. Sutton chose down to start the second period and Hammond controlled the action from the top position for 1:30, then gave up a quick reversal and trailed 3-1 after two. The Lion never recovered from the last flurry and dropped a tough 5-3 decision to the 12th-seeded Wolverine. Hammond then downed Maryland's Alexander Justin 8-1 in his extra placing bout and moved into the 9th place bout.
See Above Recap for Sunday's Action...
174: #2 Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) Sr. -- #2 seed (24-3 overall) - NCAA qualifier - 2nd Place
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: #16 Nathan Jackson, Indiana - W, 15-7 maj. dec.
Semis: #3 Mike Evans, Iowa - W, 2-0 dec.
Finals: #1 Robert Kokesh, Nebraska - L, 3-7 dec.
Senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 2 at 174 and the second seed, had a first round bye and took on No. 16 Nathan Jackson of Indiana in the quarterfinals. Brown dominated the action from start to finish, rolling up takedowns on his way to a 15-7 major decision with over 3:00 in riding time.
In the semfinals, Brown met No. 3 Mike Evans of Iowa in his semifinal bout. Brown was the aggressor throughout a scoreless first period, forcing the Hawkeye backwards for the bulk of the opening stanza. Brown took a 1-0 lead with a quick escape to start the second period and then continued to force the Hawkeye backwards. Brown took a shot and nearly scored as the period ended but Evans fought off the move and Brown led by one after two periods. Just like in the dual meet in the Bryce Jordan Center back in February, won by Brown, the Nittany Lion senior maintained control long enough to build up over 1:00 in riding time. The Lion All-American then completed the ride out one more time and posted another 2-0 win over Evans.
See Above Recap for Sunday's Action...
184: #20 Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), Fr. -- #8 seed (24-12 overall) - NCAA qualifier - 4th Place
1st Rd: #23 John Rizqallah, Michigan State - W, 6-1 dec.
Qtrs: #9 Sammy Brooks, Iowa - W, 6-4 (sv)
Semis: #14 Brett Pfarr, Minnesota - L, 2-4 dec.
Con Semis: #15 T.J. Dudley, Nebraska - W, 9-1 maj. dec.
3rd Place: #9 Sammy Brooks, Iowa - did not compete (medical forfeit)
Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 20 and the eighth seed, made his Big Ten tourney debut at 184 against ninth-seed John Rizqallah of Michigan State, who was ranked No. 23 nationally. McCutcheon turned a late scramble into a takedown and three back points to roll to a 6-1 win over Rizqallah, moving into the quarterfinals. The Lion freshman took on top-seeded Sammy Brooks of Iowa, ranked No. 9 nationally, in the quarterfinals. McCutcheon battled back from giving up an early takedown and stayed tight with the top-seed. Trailing 3-2 (and essentially 4-2 as Brooks had a clinched riding time point), McCutcheon worked in on a low double leg and with just :04 left, sent the bout to sudden victory with a takedown. Energized, the Lion freshman remained aggressive and slid down on another low double. After just seconds of work, McCutcheon stunned the crowd and the top-seeded Hawkeye with a takedown and a 6-4 (sv) win.
In the semifinals, McCutcheon took on No. 14 Brett Pfarr of Minnesota in his semifinal match at 184. The Lion freshman, fresh off knocking off the weight's top seed, gave up an early takedown in the first period to fall behind 2-0 early. Pfarr added a quick second period escape to up his lead to 3-0 and the Gopher was able to carry that lead into the third period with solid defense. McCutcheon chose neutral to start the third period and upped his offense. The Lion freshman cut into the Gopher lead with a late takedown and cut, cutting the lead to 4-2. McCutcheon was not able to complete the comeback and Pfarr was able to hold on for the 4-2 win.
See Above Recap for Sunday's Action...
197: #4 Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), Jr. -- #2 seed (26-2 overall) - NCAA qualifier -- CHAMPION
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: Nick McDiarmid, Michigan State - W, 13-3 maj. dec.
Semis: #5 Scott Schiller, Minnesota - W, 5-4 dec.
Finals: #3 Kyle Snyder, Ohio State - W, 4-1 dec.
Junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 4 at 197 and the second seed, had a first round bye and battled Michigan State's Nick McDiarmid. McIntosh handled the Spartan from the opening whistle, nearly getting a first period pin off a standing throw. While McDiarmid was able to roll out of trouble, McIntosh was never challenged and rolled to a 13-3 major decision.
In the semis, McIntosh took on No. 5 Scott Schiller in the semifinals. The Lion junior was steady from the get go and his offensive pressure paid off with a strong takedown on the edge of the mat with :59 left in the opening period. McIntosh then picked up another point when Schiller was called for a penalty for kicking McIntosh in the head. A Schiller escape sent the bout to the second period with McIntosh leading 3-1. McIntosh chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-1 lead. Schiller would cut into that lead with an escape of his own to start the third period and action resumed in the center of the mat. Schiller upped his tempo and broke through for a tying takedown late in the bout but McIntosh secured the win with an escape at the :14 mark to post the 5-4 win and move into the finals.
See Above Recap for Sunday's Action...
285: #7 Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), Sr. -- #5 seed (15-3 overall) - NCAA qualifier - 6th place
1st Rd: Chris Nash, Michigan State - WBF (4:36)
Qtrs: #4 Bobby Telford, Iowa - L, 1-2 dec.
Con 2: #25 Collin Jensen, Nebraska - W, 8-0 maj. dec.
Con 3: #14 Spencer Myers, Maryland - W, 3-1 (sv)
Con Semis: #6 Adam Coon, Michigan - L, 5-9 dec.
5th Place: #15 Michael Kroells, Minnesota - did not compete (med. forf.)
Senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), ranked No. 7 at 285 and the fifth seed, took on Michigan State's Chris Nash in the opening round. Lawson dominated the bout from the start, leading 8-0 after one period. The Lion senior chose top to start the second and turned Nash for a pin at the 4:36 mark, moving into the quarters. Lawson met No. 4 Bobby Telford of Iowa in the quarterfinals and dropped a tough 2-1 decision on riding time.
Lawson met No. 25 Collin Jensen in his first consolation bout. The Nittany Lion senior punched his ticket to the NCAA tournament with a dominant 8-0 major decision, using a couple takedowns and over 3:00 in riding time to roll to victory. In the next consolation round, Lawson took on No. 14 Spencer Myers of Maryland. The duo battled through a scoreless first period and Lawson took a 1-0 lead on an early escape in the second stanza. Myers answered with his own escape in the third period and the match moved to sudden victory. Lawson made short work of the extra stanza, however, rolling through a fast high double to post the 3-1 (sv) win.
See Above Recap for Sunday's Action...