March 18, 2016
NCAA Championships Session III Roundup - VIDEO & Feature Story
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (16-0, 9-0 B1G, B1G Champions) stretched its lead at the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships in New York's Madison Square Garden with a strong third session. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad moved five individuals into the national semifinals as well.
Penn State went 5-1 in the quarterfinals, with four of those wins bringing bonus points (a pin and three majors), helping the Nittany Lions extend their lead even more. All five of Penn State's semifinalists became All-Americans as they can finish no lower than sixth. Penn State still has six wrestlers alive and leads the team race with 68.5 points.
Senior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 125, met Michigan's Conor Youtsey in the quarterfinals Friday morning. Megaludis battled the Wolverine through a scoreless first period and then dominated the bout in the second and third. An escape and a takedown in the second and a full ride-out in the third gave Megaludis a 4-0 win with 3:22 in riding time, moving the Lion senior into the semifinals. He became Penn State's ninth four-time All-American with the win as well.
Sophomore Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 149, met No. 9 Justin Oliver of Central Michigan in the quarterfinals. The Lion sophomore continued his dominance, making short work of Oliver with a first period pin. He worked Oliver to the mat with a quick takedown and then turned him for a four-point turn, reset himself, and picked up the fall at the 2:12 mark. He becomes a two-time All-American and advances to Friday night's national semifinals.
In the first of two key quarterfinal match-ups in the team race, red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 157, met No. 6 Joseph Smith of Oklahoma State. Nolf controlled the Cowboy freshman from start to finish, taking a 2-1 lead into the second period, upping that to 5-2 after two and then pouring it on in the third. Nolf picked up an escape, two takedowns and a riding time point to post the 11-3 major, become a freshman All-American, and roll into the national semifinals.
In the second of two key match-ups with Oklahoma State, red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), the No. 1 seed at 174, met No. 9 Chandler Rogers of Oklahoma State. Mirroring Nolf, Nickal dominated his Cowboy opponent and picked up key bonus points in the process. The Lion freshman hit a six-point move early in the match with a standing throw for a takedown and back points. Rogers never recovered and Nickal rolled on to a 15-4 major to become a freshman All-American and move into the national semifinals.
Senior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 1 seed at 197, took on No. 8 Aaron Studebaker of Nebraska in the quarterfinals. McIntosh made it 3-0 against Studebaker this year with a dominating performance. The Lion senior carried a 13-2 lead into the second period and walked away with a 16-4 major decision to move into the national semifinals. McIntosh notched three takedowns, two turns for near fall and a reversal in the win. The victory also makes McIntosh Penn State's 25th three-time All-American.
Senior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), the No. 5 seed at 133, took on No. 4 Cody Brewer of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. Conaway scored quickly with a takedown but was reversed seconds later, ending the first period with a 3-2 lead. Conaway continued to pressure Brewer but every time the Lion got in deep on a shot, the Sooner scrambled to his own takedown, countering his way to an 8-4 win. The loss sends Conaway into consolation action, still able to finish as high as third.
Junior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), unseeded at 141, met CSU Bakersfield's Ian Nickell in the second round of consolations Friday morning. He gave up an early takedown but countered with a reversal to tie the bout 2-2 after one period. Gulibon broke the tie with a takedown and ride-out in the third period to post the 4-2 win and move into the third round of consolations. He met South Dakota State's Seth Gross in conso round three. Gulibon led 4-2 with a reversal to start the third, but Gross quickly reversed the Lion junior then took him down late to take a 6-5 lead. Gulibon had riding time to tie it but Gross turned him for four back points to steal the 10-6 win, ending Gulibon's tournament. Gulibon went 2-2 at this year's championship and ends his junior year with a 14-11 record.
Junior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.), unseeded at 165, met Duke's Jake Faust in the second round of consolations. The DuBois native struck quickly, taking Faust down seconds into the match and rode him out to close the first period up with a 2-0 lead and nearly 3:00 in riding time. Morelli went on to post a 5-2 win and move into consolation round three where he met No. 14 David McFadden of Virginia Tech. Morelli led 2-0 after a first period takedown but McFadden countered with back points in the second and third to post the 14-3 major and end Morelli's tournament. Morelli, an at-large pick at 165, went 2-2 in his first NCAA Championship and ended his season with a 21-12 overall record.
Penn State's 68.5 points leads second place Ohio State, which checks in at 54.0. Iowa is in third with 48.5. Penn State went 7-3 in session three and is now 21-7 at the tournament's midway point. The Nittany Lions, already with five All-Americans with a six still alive, have picked up 18.5 bonus points off six majors, three technical falls and four pins. Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.) went 0-2 on day one, ending his season with a 16-8 record.
The 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships continue tonight, Friday, the national semifinals (and more consolation action) at 8 p.m. The event concludes in The Garden on Saturday with session five at 11 a.m. and session six (the Championship Finals) at 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 -- Team Standings (Top Three -- Session 3):
March 18, 2016 -- Madison Square Garden -- New York, N.Y.
1: PENN STATE -- 68.5
2: Ohio State -- 54.0
3: Iowa -- 48.5
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 -- W, 4-2 dec.
Qtrs: Conor Youtsey, Michigan -- W, 4-0 dec.
Semis: #15 David Terao, American --
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.
Megaludis took on No. 14 Josh Rodriguez of North Dakota State in the second round. Megaludis gave up an early takedown but responded to score the bout's final four points to post a strong 4-2 win and move into the national quarterfinals.
Megaludis met Michigan's Conor Youtsey in the quarterfinals Friday morning. Megaludis battled the Wolverine through a scoreless first period and then dominated the bout in the second and third. An escape and a takedown in the second and a full ride-out in the third gave Megaludis a 4-0 win with 3:22 in riding time, moving the Lion senior into the semifinals. He became Penn State's ninth four-time All-American with the win as well.
133: #5 Jordan Conaway, Sr., Abbottstown, Pa.
Rd 1: Corey Keener, Central Michigan -- W, 6-5 dec.
Rd 2: #12 Ryan Taylor, Wisconsin -- W, 8-5 dec.
Qtrs: #4 Cody Brewer, Oklahoma -- L, 4-8 dec.
Cn 4: Mason Beckman, Lehigh --
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.
Conaway met returning All-American, No. 12 Ryan Taylor of Wisconsin in round two. Conway gave up the bout's first takedown and then dominated the action from there. The Lion junior notched a takedown in the second and two in the third to roll to an 8-5 win, avenging two losses in the Big Ten tournament, and moving into the quarterfinals.
Conaway took on No. 4 Cody Brewer of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. Conaway scored quickly with a takedown but was reversed seconds later, ending the first period with a 3-2 lead. Conaway continued to pressure Brewer but every time the Lion got in deep on a shot, the Sooner scrambled to his own takedown, countering his way to an 8-4 win. The loss sends Conaway into consolation action, still able to finish as high as third.
141: Jimmy Gulibon, Jr., Benton, Pa. // 2-2, DNP
Rd. 1: #5 Matt Manley, Missouri -- W, 17-2 (TF; 7:00)
Rd. 2: #12 Chris Mecate, Old Dominion -- L, 0-6 dec.
Cn 2: Ian Nickell, CSU Bakersfield -- W, 4-2 dec.
Cn 3: Seth Gross, South Dakota State -- L, 6-10 dec.
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.
Gulibon met No. 12 Chris Mecate of Old Dominion in the second round. Mecate, a returning All-American, hit Gulibon for a quick takedown and then turned him for four near fall points to take a 6-0 lead that would be the bout's final score. The loss dropped Gulibon into consolation action.
Gulibon met CSU Bakersfield's Ian Nickell in the second round of consolations Friday morning. He gave up an early takedown but countered with a reversal to tie the bout 2-2 after one period. Gulibon broke the tie with a takedown and ride-out in the third period to post the 4-2 win and move into the third round of consolations. He met South Dakota State's Seth Gross in conso round three. Gulibon led 4-2 with a reversal to start the third, but Gross quickly reversed the Lion junior then took him down late to take a 6-5 lead. Gulibon had riding time to tie it but Gross turned him for four back points to steal the 10-6 win, ending Gulibon's tournament. Gulibon went 2-2 at this year's championship and ends his junior year with a 14-11 record.
149: #1 Zain Retherford, So., Benton, Pa.
Rd. 1: Coleman Hammond, CSU Bakersfield -- W, 21-6 (TF; 5:46)
Rd. 2: #16 Patricio Lugo, Edinboro -- WBF (6:37)
Qtrs: #9 Justin Oliver, Central Michigan -- WBF (2:12)
Semis: #5 Alec Pantaleo, Michigan --
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.
Retherford took on No. 16 Patricio Lugo of Edinboro in round two. Lugo notched the bout's first takedown and then Retherford took over from there. The Lion sophomore led 3-2 after one and 11-4 after two periods. In the third, with Lugo starting down, Retherford steadily worked him over for a four-count and then picked up the fall at the 6:37 mark to move into the quarterfinals and pick up key bonus points for the Nittany Lions.
Retherford met No. 9 Justin Oliver of Central Michigan in the quarterfinals. The Lion sophomore continued his dominance, making short work of Oliver with a first period pin. He worked Oliver to the mat with a quick takedown and then turned him for a four-point turn, reset himself, and picked up the fall at the 2:12 mark. He becomes a two-time All-American and advances to Friday night's national semifinals.
157: #3 Jason Nolf, Fr., Yatesboro, Pa.
Rd. 1: Kamaal Shakur, Chattanooga -- WBF (3:34)
Rd. 2: May Bethea, Penn -- W, 25-10 (TF; 6:35)
Qtrs: #6 Joseph Smith, Oklahoma State -- W, 11-3 maj. dec.
Semis: #15 Chad Walsh, Rider --
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.
Nolf met Penn's May Bethea in the next round. The Lion freshman put on an offensive show, totaling 12 takedowns on his way to a lopsided 25-10 technical fall at the 6:35 mark of the third period. Nolf led 6-2 after one, 15-5 after two and picked up five third period takedowns to end the bout and advance to the quarterfinals.
In the first of two key quarterfinals in the team title race, Nolf met No. 6 Joseph Smith of Oklahoma State. Nolf controlled the Cowboy freshman from start to finish, taking a 2-1 lead into the second period, upping that to 5-2 after two and then pouring it on in the third. Nolf picked up an escape, two takedowns and a riding time point to post the 11-3 major, become a freshman All-American, and roll into the national semifinals.
165: Geno Morelli, Jr., DuBois, Pa. // 2-2, DNP
Rd. 1: #11 John Staudenmayer, North Carolina -- W, 5-3 dec.
Rd. 2: #6 Steven Rodriguez, Illinois -- L, 1-3 (SV2)
Cn 2: Jake Faust, Duke -- W, 5-2 dec.
Cn 3: #14 David McFadden, Virginia Tech -- L, 3-14 maj. dec.
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.
Morelli moved on and faced No. 6 Steven Rodriguez of Illinois in the next round. The Lion junior battled the sixth-seed tough for over nine minutes before dropping a hard-fought 3-1 (SV2) decision. Tied 1-1 after one sudden victory period, Morelli rode Rodriguez out in the first tie-breaker period, nearly turning him for two back points. Morelli almost escaped twice but could not in his tie-breaker and Rodriguez notched a quick takedown in the second sudden victory period to post the win and drop Morelli into consolation action.
Morelli met Duke's Jake Faust in the second round of consolations. The DuBois native struck quickly, taking Faust down seconds into the match and rode him out to close the first period up with a 2-0 lead and nearly 3:00 in riding time. Morelli went on to post a 5-2 win and move into consolation round three where he met No. 14 David McFadden of Virginia Tech. Morelli led 2-0 after a first period takedown but McFadden countered with back points in the second and third to post the 14-3 major and end Morelli's tournament. Morelli, an at-large pick at 165, went 2-2 in his first NCAA Championship and ended his season with a 21-12 overall record.
174: #1 Bo Nickal, Fr., Allen, Texas
Rd. 1: Josef Johnson, Harvard -- W, 10-2 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #16 Micah Barnes, Nebraska -- W, 7-2 dec.
Qtrs: #9 Chandler Rogers, Oklahoma State -- W, 15-4 maj. dec.
Semis: #12 Nathan Jackson, Indiana --
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.
Nickal moved on to face No. 16 Micah Barnes of Nebraska in the next round. Like his first round match, Nickal gave up the opening takedown but rebounded to dominate the action. The Lion freshman picked up takedowns in the first and second periods and rode Barnes out in the third to post the 7-2 win and move into the quarterfinals.
In another key quarterfinal match-up in the team race, Nickal met No. 9 Chandler Rogers of Oklahoma State. Mirroring Nolf, Nickal dominated his Cowboy opponent and picked up key bonus points in the process. The Lion freshman hit a six-point move early in the match with a standing throw for a takedown and back points. Rogers never recovered and Nickal rolled on to a 15-4 major to become a freshman All-American and move into the national semifinals.
184: #16 Matt McCutcheon, So., Apollo, Pa. // 0-2 overall, DNP
Rd. 1: Tom Sleigh, Bucknell -- L, 3-4 dec.
Cn. 1: Jack Dechow, Old Dominion -- L, 1-6 dec.
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.
McCutcheon met Jack Dechow, returning All-American, in the first round of consolation action Thursday night. The Lion sophomore gave up takedowns in the first and third periods and dropped a 6-1 decision, ending his tournament run with a 0-2 mark and the season at 16-8.
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 -- WBF (6:01)
Qtrs: #8 Aaron Studebaker, Nebraska -- W, 15-4 maj. dec.
Semis: #4 Nathan Burak, Iowa --
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.
McIntosh took on No. 16 Kyle Conel of Kent State in the second round. McIntosh found himself behind 4-2 early, giving up two first period takedowns. But the top-seeded Lion controlled the rest of the match, opening up a 13-5 lead before turning Conel for a pin at the 6:01 mark to move into the quarterfinals while picking up key bonus points for the team.
McIntosh took on No. 8 Aaron Studebaker of Nebraska in the quarterfinals. McIntosh made it 3-0 against Studebaker this year with a dominating performance. The Lion senior carried a 13-2 lead into the second period and walked away with a 16-4 major decision to move into the national semifinals. McIntosh notched three takedowns, two turns for near fall and a reversal in the win. The victory also makes McIntosh Penn State's 25th three-time All-American.