Taylor and Wright pin Penn State to ten-point lead after quarterfinals
By Mike Finn
DES MOINES, Iowa — Penn State actually relinquished its team lead during the quarterfinal session of the 2013 NCAA Nationals … until David Taylor, Quentin Wright and the rest of their bonus-points-producing Lions took to the mat.
team scores after quarterfinals
Session-3-Quarterfinal Brackets
And by the time Taylor pinned Illinois’ Conrad Polz in 24 seconds at 165 pounds and Wright used a headlock to pin Minnesota’s Scott Schiller at 197 pounds, the two-time defending national champion Lions not only regained the team lead but will enter Friday night’s semis with a 77.5-65.5 margin over second-place.
David Taylor needed just 24 seconds to record his third pin in the 2013 Nationals. (Ginger Robinson image)
In addition to those Penn State pins, 125-pound Nico Megaludis, 174-pound Matt Brown and 184-pound Ed Ruth added major decisions in their quarterfinal matches before another Lion — 133-pound Jordan Conaway — scored another fall in the wrestlebacks.
Like Penn State, Oklahoma State also sent five wrestlers to the semifinals, including a pair of top seeds, 149-pound Jordan Oliver and 174-pound Chris Perry. Joining them in the semis will be 157-pound Alex Dieringer, 165-pound Tyler Caldwell and heavyweight Alan Gelogaev.
Standing in third place is Minnesota with two semifinalists, including 174-pound Logan Storley, who edged Iowa’s Matt Evans, 3-2. The other quarterfinal winner for Minnesota, which also has seven wrestlers in the wrestlebacks was defending heavyweight champion Anthony Nelson.
Minnesota is ten points ahead of the Hawkeyes, who will send two men — 133-pound Tony Ramos and 157-pound Derek St. John — to the semifinals, but saw their team title hopes take a hit when two-time national champion Matt McDonough lost his 125-pound semifinal, 3-1, to Cornell’s Nahshon Garrett in sudden victory.
Sitting in fifth place is Missouri with three semifinalists: 125-pound Alan Waters, 157-pound Drake Houdashelt and heavyweight Dom Bradley. The Tigers are just a half point behind Iowa and 1.5 points ahead of Cornell, which advanced all three quarterfinalists: Garrett at 125, three-time national champion Kyle Dake at 165 and 184-pound defending national champ Steve Bosak at 184.
The following are quarterfinal highlights
125 pounds
#1 Alan Waters (Missouri) dec. #8 Matt Snyder (Virginia), 4-0 — A second takedown with 30 seconds left also helped the Tiger offset the riding time advantage that the Cavalier appeared to enjoy when Snyder rode Waters the entire second period. Waters scored his first takedown halfway through the first period.
#4 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) major dec. Dominic Parisi (Appalachian State), 12-4 — The defending national runner-up created a takedown clinic — scoring two points on five separate takedowns; two in each the first and second periods. Megaludis also added a 1:25 riding time advantage.
#6 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec. #3 Matt McDonough (Iowa), 4-2 sv — The Big Red freshman ended the Hawkeye’s chance at three national championships when Garrett scored on an inside trip on the edge of the match ten seconds into sudden victory period. McDonough used a first-period double to lead 2-0 before Garrett battled back with a pair of escapes … then rode the Hawkeye the entire third period to set up the overtime phase.
#2 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. #7 Nathan Kraisser (North Carolina), 10-7 — Moments after the Illini appeared to be in major trouble when the Tar Heel freshman caught him in a cradle to lead 7-4 with 45 seconds left, Delgado first scored a reversal, then used an arm bar to score three nearfall points for the victory. Delgado, who scored a takedown in the first and second periods to lead 4-0, also added a 2:10 riding time point.
133 pounds
#1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) won by TF over #8 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma), 17-1 (3:43) — The defending champion actually led 14-1 after the first period when Stieber scored a pair of takedowns, then caught the Sooner on his back three different times for eight nearfall points. The match ended with 1:17 left in the second period when the Buckeye added one more three-point nearfall.
#4 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) dec. #5 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) 11-7 — A strong start that allowed the Scot to lead 9-2 and eventually enjoy a 2:28 riding time advantage for the victory but he also saw the Gopher battle back with two takedowns in the final 30 seconds.
#3 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) dec. #6 Nathan McCormick (Missouri), 5-2 — The Badger scored a first-period takedown and opened the second period with a reversal, which also helped Graff build up a 2:05 riding time advantage.
#2 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. #7 Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State), 6-1 — After a scoreless first period, the Hawkeye finally scored a takedown with 50 seconds left, then rode out the Cowboy nearly the complete third frame. Ramos closed out the scoring when the junior scored a second takedown with one second left.
141 pounds
#1 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) dec. #9 Richard Durso (Franklin & Marshall), 9-8 — The Buckeye scored two of his four takedowns in the final 42 seconds after Durso battled back from a 4-1 deficit to actually take a pair of third-period leads. Durso’s near-rally started with 1:10 left when he reversed the Buckeye to take a 7-5 lead. Stieber’s first two takedowns came in the first period.
#4 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) major dec. #5 Evan Henderson (North Carolina), 13-5 — The Tar Heel actually scored the match’s first takedown and led 3-2 after one period, before Port first rode out Henderson the entire second period and put Henderson on his back for a two-point nearfall, then added a takedown, reversal and another two-point nearfall. Port’s final point came from a 1:51 riding time advantage.
#6 Undrakhbayar Khishignyam (Citadel) dec. #3 Mike Mangrum (Oregon State), 3-2 tb — Just when it appeared that Mangrum would advance by first riding the Citadel freshman for 30 seconds and adding an escape point in the tiebreaker phase, the native of Mongolia score a takedown at the buzzer in overtime.
#2 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) major dec. #7 Mark Ballweg (Iowa), 12-3 — The Sooner did not score any points until a late takedown and two-point nearfall in the final 12 seconds of the first period; then completely dominated the Hawkeye, riding out Ballweg for the entire second period and adding three more takedowns in the third frame.
149 pounds
#1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) major dec. #9 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska), 11-3 — The Cowboy built up over three minutes of riding time as Oliver scored four takedowns; two in the first period. The final takedown came with 23 seconds left.
#5 Steve Santos (Columbia) dec. #4 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force), 5-4 — A 1:56 riding time advantage gave the Lion his first All-American honor. Santos appeared headed for an easy victory on first- and second-period takedowns before VonOhlen battled back to tie the match 4-4 on a takedown with 18 seconds left.
US Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) dec. Kevin Tao (American U.), 3-2 tb — The Tiger first benefitted from a video review that indicated that Tao did not escape during the first-half of the tiebreaker phase in overtime, the scored the deciding point on an escape with 22 seconds left in overtime. The Tiger appeared to win in regulation when he led 1-0 with a 1:42 riding time advantage, before Tao forced overtime on a reversal with three seconds left.
#2 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State) dec. #7 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State), 2-1 tb — The Bronco advanced to the semifinals when he rode his Pac-12 rival the full 30 seconds of his tiebreaker advantage. Both men scored escapes to force overtime and Chamberlain added another escape three second into the tiebreaker phase.
157 pounds
#1 Jason Welch (Northwestern) dec. #8 Dylan Alton (Penn State), 8-3 — The Wildcat trailed 3-1 heading into the third period when he scored two takedowns; the second coming out of a wild scramble that turned into a cradle and three more nearfall points for Welch. That hold also gave the Cat a 1:20 riding time advantage. Alton first jumped on top with a takedown in the first period before the two Big Ten rivals swapped escapes.
US David Bonin (Northern Iowa) dec. #12 Jedd Moore (Virginia), 3-0 — The Panther became his school’s first All-American since 2009 when scored a takedown with eight seconds left in the second period. No points were scored in the final frame when Moore chose neutral.
#6 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) dec. US George Ivanov (Boise State), 6-4 — The Cowboy freshman clinched his first All-American honor when Dieringer scored a takedown with 11 seconds left. Ivanov scored first 35 seconds into the match with a takedown before Dieringer battled back with a takedown of his own. Both wrestlers swapped escapes in the second and third periods before Dieringer’s clinching takedown.
#2 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. US Josh Demas (Ohio State), 4-0 — The Hawkeye did not score a takedown until 30 seconds left in the second period, then benefitted from a 2:19 riding time advantage by not allowing the Buckeye to escape in the third period.
165 pounds
#1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) major dec. Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 13-0 — The three-time national champion still has not allowed a point after three bouts when Dake scored two first-period takedowns, added a second-period reversal and three-point nearfall (with two seconds left), then closed out the scored with a final takedown. The 13th point came from a 4:16 riding time advantage.
#4 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State) dec. #12 Taylor Massa (Michigan), 3-1 — The Cowboy scored his takedown with 38 seconds left in the first period, then kept the Wolverine in the down position for nearly the rest of the match. By the time Massa finally escaped with 14 seconds left, Caldwell — who chose up in the third period — had built up a 4:24 riding time advantage.
#3 Peter Yates (Virginia Tech) dec. Cody Yohn (Minnesota), 5-3 sv — A official’s video review gave the Hokie the deciding points on a takedown in the closing seconds of the sudden victory period. At first, the referee did not allow the takedown. Yates led 2-0 off a first-period takedown before Yohn battled back with a two-point nearfall 30 seconds into the second period. A 1:19 riding time advantage by Yohn also forced overtime after Yates escaped to lead 3-2.
#2 David Taylor (Penn State) dec. #7 Conrad Polz (Illinois), 0:24 — The Nittany Lion countered a shot by the Illini and turned the move into a cradle … and eventually a third-straight fall for Taylor.
174 pounds
#1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. #8 Nick Heflin (Ohio State), 3-2 tb — Moments after riding the Buckeye for 30 seconds in half of the tiebreaker phase, the Cowboy scored an escape by bucking off a high-riding Heflin with 16 seconds left in overtime. After a scoreless first period, Heflin jumped on the board first with a second-period reversal before giving up a pair of escapes to Perry.
#4 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) major dec. #5 Josh Asper (Maryland), 11-3 — The Husker scored two of his four takedowns in the first period before adding a late reversal and riding time point.
#6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) dec. #3 Mike Evans (Iowa), 3-2 — The Gopher scored the match’s only takedown with 1:17 left in the first frame, then held off a late attack by Evans, who nearly caught Storley in a cradle with 30 seconds left.
#2 Matt Brown (Penn State) major dec. US Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State), 13-5 — A second takedown by the Lion in the first period also led to back points and a 6-1 lead for Brown, who eventually added two more takedowns and over three minutes of riding time. The unseeded Cyclone did score a second period takedown off a double to cut the margin to 7-3.
184 pounds
#1 Ed Ruth (Iowa) major dec. Max Thomusseit (Pittsburgh), 11-1 — The Nittany Lion built up over five minutes of riding time and led 7-1 in the first period by twice putting the Panther on his back for nearfall points.
#4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec. #12 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa), 4-1 — Last year’s national champion did not score a takedown until there were 54 seconds into the match, then used his dominating second-period ride for a 2:39 riding time advantage.
#3 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. #6 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa), 2-1 — The match’s deciding point came when the Panther was penalized with 48 seconds left. The first stall warning against Loder came in the second period.
#2 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) dec. #7 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland), 1-0 — The only point came when Bennett escaped 15 seconds into the second period. The Terp then chose neutral in the third period, rather than get off the bottom, but could not score a takedown.
197 pounds
#1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) dec. #8 Micah Burak (Penn), 7-0 — Almost all the action came in the first period, when Kilgore’s short dump for a takedown also led to a three-point nearfall and eventually a 1:31 riding time advantage for the 2011 champion.
#4 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) pinned #4 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming), 4:54 — The Beaver was trailing 5-2 in the second period before scoring a takedown, then twice putting the Cowboy on his back; the second time leading to a fall with six seconds left in the frame.
#3 Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh) dec. #11 Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma State), 7-1 — A first-period takedown and second period escape gave the Panther a 3-1 lead before he closed out the scoring on a three-point nearfall as the final buzzer sounded. Wilps also added a 2:41 riding time advantage.
#2 Quentin Wright (Penn State) pinned #10 Scott Schiller (Minnesota), 2:49 — The match was scoreless until the Lion caught the Gopher in a headlock and pinned Schiller.
Heavyweight
#1 Dom Bradley (Missouri) dec. #9 Zac Thomusseit (Pittsburgh), 2-1 tb — The Tiger clinched the match when he refused the Panther an escape during the second half of the tiebreaker phase. Bradley escape in overtime came 15 seconds into the tiebreaker.
#5 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. #4 Chad Hanke (Oregon State), 5-3 —The Wildcat did not score a takedown until there were 25 seconds left in the first period, then added a second-period reversal and a 1:34 riding time advantage.
#3 Alan Gelogaev (Oklahoma State) dec. #11 J.T. Felix (Boise State), 10-5 — The Cowboy — who needed just 52 seconds to pin his first two foes — finally had to wrestle a complete match in which Gelogaev scored two first period takedowns and a third takedown in the final frame that also led to back points.
#2 Anthony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. #10 Jarod Trice (Central Michigan), 1-0 — The only point came when the Gopher escaped in the second period. Trice chose neutral, rather than try to escape in the third period.
