NCAA 1st round notes: Don’t forget Penn State; only team to avoid upsets

Updated: March 19, 2015

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — In a tournament where many are looking past four-time defending champ Penn State, the Lions were the only team to avoid any losses — much less upsets — Thursday afternoon in the first round the 2015 NCAA Division I Championships in the Scottrade Center.

Heading into Thursday night’s second round, the Nittany Lions advanced all seven of their wrestlers and trailed only Ohio State by a 13.5-11.5 margin in the team standings.

NCAA Bracket after Round 1

Four Penn State wrestlers also garnered bonus points as Matt McCutcheon scored a 20-5 technical fall over Cal Poly’s Nick Fiegener at 184 pounds, while teammates James Gulibon (133), Zack Beitz (149) and Matt Brown (174) won by major decisions.

Nathan Tomasello (125) and Logan Stieber (141) and Bo Jordan (165) scored a pin and a pair of technical fall, respectively, to help Ohio State lead the field, but the Buckeyes saw three of their ten wrestlers lose in the first round, including two-time All-American Hunter Stieber (149) and Mark Martin (174).

Meanwhile, several other “favorites” also lost key matches, including top-ranked Missouri and No. 2 Iowa, who are currently listed in third and fifth, respectively. Among the more notable Tigers to fall were fourth-seed John Eblen, who lost to Oregon State’s Joe Lathan, 6-4, at 174. But the Tigers saw a pair of unseeded wrestlers — Mike England (165) and Willie Miklus (184) — remain perfect as England won a pigtail and first-round bout while Miklus pinned Penn’s No. 10 seed Lorenzo Thomas.

Iowa went 6-4 on the afternoon, led by Thomas Gilman (125), Brandon Sorensen (149), Sam Brooks (184) and Nathan Burak (197), who all scored major decisions. But a pair of highly-seeded wrestlers lost: No. 5 Josh Dziewa (141) lost to NC State’s Kevin Jack, 6-3, and No. 3 Bobby Telford lost his heavyweight bout to Maryland’s Spencer Myers, 7-5.

Myers, a 2011 All-American, was one of five former Top-8 performers who were not seeded in this year’s tournament.

Illinois’ two-time defending national champ Jesse Delgado edged No. 8 seed Tyler Cox of Wyoming, 3-2, and Virginia Tech’s Nick Brascetta (a 2013 AA) defeated Missouri’s Joey Lavallee. Meanwhile 2014 defending national runner-up Josh Kindig and Ohio State’s Hunter Stieber lost their bouts at 149.

Overall, 34 seeded wrestlers were defeated. Among the more notable upset victor was Davidson’s Scott Patrick, who beat Minnesota’s 11^th seed Brett Pfarr, 8-6, at 184 pounds. It was the first NCAA victory by a Davidson wrestler since 1968.

The attendance for the first round was 18,313.

The second round will start at 6 p.m. CST.

Return to WIN’s Championships Central

Top 15 Teams After Round 1

Pl.	Team	Ch-Con	Pts
1.	Ohio State	7-3	13.5
2.	Penn State	7-0	11.5
3t.	Cornell	6-3	11
3t.	Missouri	8-2	11
5t.	Iowa	6-4	10
5t.	Michigan	6-4	10
5t.	Nebraska	6-3	10
8t.	Oklahoma State	7-2	9
8t.	Virginia Tech	6-2	9
10.	Illinois	6-4	8.5
11.	Minnesota	6-2	7
12.	Wisconsin	4-3	6.5
13t	Lehigh	4-3	6
13t.	Oklahoma	3-2	6
13t.	Virginia	3-4	6

Two-time defending national champ Jesse Delgado was unseeded this tournament … and defeated Wyoming’s No. 8 seed Tyler Cox in a first-round bout at 125 pounds. (Tim Tushla photo)

Northern Colorado’s Trent Noon (top) upset Cornell’s Jace Bennett in a first-round match at 197 pounds. (Ginger Robinson photo).

Upsets by weight

125 pounds (5)

US Conor Youtsey (Michigan) dec. #16 Paul Petrov (Bucknell), 5-4

US David Terao (American) dec. #9 Dylan Peters (UNI) 12-10

US Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. #8 Tyler Cox (Wyoming), 3-2

US Josh Martinez (Air Force) dec. #14 Josh Rodriguez (No. Dakota State), 4-2

US Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) major dec. #15 Chasen Tolbert (Utah Valley), 14-6

133 pounds (3)

US Caleb Richardson (Penn) dec. #9 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro), 4-2

US Jade Rauser (Utah Valley), dec. #10 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 5-3

US Mark Grey (Cornell) pinned #15 Nick Soto (Chattanooga), 2:53

141 pounds (1)

US Kevin Jack (NC State) dec. #5 Josh Dziewa (Iowa), 6-3

149 pounds (4)

US Brandon Nelson (Purdue) dec. #16 Mike Racciato (Pitt), 10-6

US Colin Heffernan (Central Michigan) dec. #9 Gabe Moreno (Iowa State), 5-3

US Garrett Schaner (Stanford) dec. #6 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), 11-10

US Ken Theobold (Rutgers) dec. #10 Christian Pagdilao (Arizona State), 6-5

157 pounds (4)

US Spartak Chino (Ohio U.) dec. dec. #16 Aaron Walker (Citadel), 6-4

US Nick Brascetta (Va. Tech) dec. #9 Joey Lavallee (Missouri), 5-2

US Lou Mascola (Maryland) dec. #5 Cody Pack (South Dakota State), 10-9

US Noel Blanco (Drexel) dec. #13 Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers), 5-3 sv

Iowa State’s Mike Moreno, seeded No. 2 at 165, was upset by Nebraska’s Austin Wilson in the first round. Overall, the Cyclones went 2-5 on Thursday afternoon. (Tim Tushla photo).

165 pounds (3)

US Max Rohskopf (NC State) dec. #16 Harrison Hightower (Ohio U.) 3-0

US Mikey England (Missouri) dec. #11 Tristan Warner (Old Dominion), 6-2

US Austin Wilson (Stanford) dec. #2 Mike Moreno (Iowa State), 7-5

174 pounds (4)

US Chad Welch (Purdue) dec. #16 Frank Cousins, 6-0

US Dominic Kastl (Cal Poly) dec. #13 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State), 7-5

US Joe Latham (Oregon State) dec. #4 John Eblen (Missouri), 6-4

US Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State) dec. #10 Mark Martin (Ohio State), 5-3 sv

184 pounds (3)

US Scott Patrick (Davidson) dec. #11 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota), 8-6

US Kenny Courts (Ohio State) dec. #6 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State), 6-4 sv