March 17, 2016
NCAA Championships Session I Roundup Feature, VIDEO & More
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (16-0, 9-0 B1G, B1G Champions) was near-perfect in session one of the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships in New York's Madison Square Garden. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad was led by its only two unseeded wrestlers to an 8-1 opening session that included six wins with bonus points.
Juniors Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.) and Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.), Penn State's only unseeded wrestlers, broke their weight class' brackets early with resounding wins over seeded opponents. The duo's performances helped Penn State to the near-perfect session and 16.0 total team points.
Senior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 125, took on Utah Valley's Chase Tolbert in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. Megaludis put on a takedown clinch racking up six takedowns and a reversal to roll to an 18-5 major decision and move into the second round.
Senior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), the No. 5 seed at 133, met Central Michigan's Corey Keener in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. Conaway opened up an early lead and then held off a late Keener flurry to post a 6-5 win and move into the second round.
Gulibon, unseeded at 141, met No. 5 Matt Manley of Missouri in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. Gulibon, returning All-American at 133, put on a clinic, using a takedown and four back points to open up an early lead. The Lion junior never looked back, rolling to a 17-2 technical fall (7:00) with 4:33 in riding time to move into the second round.
Sophomore Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 149, took on Coleman Hammond of CSU Bakersfield in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. The top-seeded Lion made short work of Hammond, totaling eight takedowns and a reversal on his way to a 21-6 technical fall at the 5:46 mark to move into the second round.
Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 157, met Chattanooga's Kamaal Shakur in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Nolf dominated the match from the onset, notching four takedowns in the first period to open up a big lead. He then ended the bout with a cradle in the second period, locking up Penn State's first fall of the tournament at the 3:34 mark to move into the second round.
Morelli, unseeded at 165, met No. 11 John Staudenmayer of North Carolina in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. Morelli, who dropped a 2-1 (TB) decision to Staudenmayer earlier in the year, avenged the defeat on the biggest stage. The Lion junior used a four-point throw in the first period to open up an early lead and then held on for a thrilling 5-3 win to advance to the second round.
Red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), the No. 1 seed at 174, met Harvard's Josef Johnson in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. The Lion freshman gave up an early takedown but responded calmly to dominate the rest of the match. Nickal used three takedowns and 3:44 in riding time to post the major decision, pick up key bonus points for the team, and move into the second round.
Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), the No. 16 seed at 184, met Tom Sleigh of Bucknell in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. McCutcheon took a 3-0 lead early in the second period but gave up four straight points, including 1:08 in decisive riding time, to lose 4-3 and drop into consolation action.
Senior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 1 seed at 197, faced off against Rider's Ryan Wolfe in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. McIntosh was steady, dominating Wolfe from start to finish. The Lion senior led 5-0 after two periods then poured it on in the third with two takedowns to post an important 11-3 major to advance to the second round.
Penn State went 8-1 with three majors (Megaludis, Nickal, McIntosh), two tech falls (Gulibon, Retherford) and one pin (Nolf). The six bonus point victories tacked eight points on to Penn State's team total of 16.0.
The 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships continue tonight, Thursday, with session two at 7 p.m. The three-day event continues on Friday, March 18, at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. and on Saturday, March 19 at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The 2015-16 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships
March 17, 2016 -- Madison Square Garden -- New York, N.Y.
Weight-by-weight agate (rankings listed are tournament seeds)
* indicates unattached wrestler, not eligible for team scoring
125: #3 Nico Megaludis, Sr., Murrysville, Pa.
Rd 1: Chase Tolbert, Utah Valley -- W, 18-5 maj. dec.
Rd 2: #14 Josh Rodriguez, North Dakota State --
Senior Nico Megaludis, the No. 3 seed at 125, took on Utah Valley's Chase Tolbert in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. Megaludis put on a takedown clinch racking up six takedowns and a reversal to roll to an 18-5 major decision and move into the second round.
133: #5 Jordan Conaway, Sr., Abbottstown, Pa.
Rd 1: Corey Keener, Central Michigan -- W, 6-5
Rd 2: #12 Ryan Taylor, Wisconsin --
Senior Jordan Conaway, the No. 5 seed at 133, met Central Michigan's Corey Keener in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. Conaway opened up an early lead and then held off a late Keener flurry to post a 6-5 win and move into the second round.
141: Jimmy Gulibon, Jr., Benton, Pa.
Rd. 1: #5 Matt Manley, Missouri -- W, 17-2 (TF; 7:00)
Rd. 2: #12 Chris Mecate, Old Dominion --
Junior Jimmy Gulibon, unseeded at 141, met No. 5 Matt Manley of Missouri in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. Gulibon, returning All-American at 133, put on a clinic, using a takedown and four back points to open up an early lead. The Lion junior never looked back, rolling to a 17-2 technical fall (7:00) with 4:33 in riding time to move into the second round.
149: #1 Zain Retherford, So., Benton, Pa.
Rd. 1: Coleman Hammond, CSU Bakersfield -- W, 21-6 (TF; 5:46)
Rd. 2: Patricio Lugo, Edinboro --
Sophomore Zain Retherford, the No. 1 seed at 149, took on Coleman Hammond of CSU Bakersfield in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. The top-seeded Lion made short work of Hammond, totaling eight takedowns and a reversal on his way to a 21-6 technical fall at the 5:46 mark to move into the second round.
157: #3 Jason Nolf, Fr., Yatesboro, Pa.
Rd. 1: Kamaal Shakur, Chattanooga -- WBF (3:34)
Rd. 2: May Bethea, Penn --
Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf, the No. 3 seed at 157, met Chattanooga's Kamaal Shakur in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Nolf dominated the match from the onset, notching four takedowns in the first period to open up a big lead. He then ended the bout with a cradle in the second period, locking up Penn State's first fall of the tournament at the 3:34 mark to move into the second round.
165: Geno Morelli, Jr., DuBois, Pa.
Rd. 1: #11 John Staudenmayer, North Carolina -- W, 5-3 dec.
Rd. 2: #6 Steven Rodriguez, Illinois --
Junior Geno Morelli, unseeded at 165, met No. 11 John Staudenmayer of North Carolina in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. Morelli, who dropped a 2-1 (TB) decision to Staudenmayer earlier in the year, avenged the defeat on the biggest stage. The Lion junior used a four-point throw in the first period to open up an early lead and then held on for a thrilling 5-3 win to advance to the second round.
174: #1 Bo Nickal, Fr., Allen, Texas
Rd. 1: Josef Johnson, Harvard -- W, 10-2 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #16 Micah Barnes, Nebraska --
Red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal, the No. 1 seed at 174, met Harvard's Josef Johnson in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. The Lion freshman gave up an early takedown but responded calmly to dominate the rest of the match. Nickal used three takedowns and 3:44 in riding time to post the major decision, pick up key bonus points for the team, and move into the second round.
184: #16 Matt McCutcheon, So., Apollo, Pa.
Rd. 1: Tom Sleigh, Bucknell -- L, 3-4 dec.
Cn. 1: Jack Dechow, Old Dominion --
Sophomore Matt McCutcheon, the No. 16 seed at 184, met Tom Sleigh of Bucknell in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. McCutcheon took a 3-0 lead early in the second period but gave up four straight points, including 1:08 in decisive riding time, to lose 4-3 and drop into consolation action.
197: #1 Morgan McIntosh, Sr., Santa Ana, Calif.
Rd. 1: Ryan Wolfe, Rider -- W, 11-3 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #16 Kyle Conel, Kent State --
Senior Morgan McIntosh, the No. 1 seed at 197, faced off against Rider's Ryan Wolfe in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Championships. McIntosh was steady, dominating Wolfe from start to finish. The Lion senior led 5-0 after two periods then poured it on in the third with two takedowns to post an important 11-3 major to advance to the second round.