Posted on 03/10/2013 3:47:31 PM PDT by FlJoePa
Another incredible Big Ten wrestling team title race was won by another incredible final-day finish by Penn State.
Boasting four champions and 10 NCAA qualifiers, the Nittany Lions outscored a charging Minnesota team and a sagging Iowa squad to win their third straight Big Ten crown. Penn State tallied 151 points to Minnesota’s 139 and Iowa’s 130.5.
David Taylor at 165 and Ed Ruth at 184 became three-time Big Ten champs, the third and fourth Nittany Lions ever to do so. And Penn State will take all 10 wrestlers to the NCAAs for the first time in 16 years.
Penn State led Iowa by just a half-point heading into the final and led Minnesota by eight points, and each of those teams put four wrestlers in the finals. But Penn State went 4-for-4 while Iowa came up winless (for the first time since 2006) and the Gophers finished by batting .500.
"They showed a lot of resilience just battling back,'' Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said on the Big Ten Network live broadcast.
"These two days just give you a pretty good idea of how tough you are.''
Penn State got team title assistance in the first three weights as Jesse Delgado (Illinois-125), Logan Stieber (Ohio State-133) and Hunter Stieber (Ohio State-141) all beat Iowa wrestlers to prevent the Hawkeyes from climbing in the team race.
At the same time, Penn State’s Nico Megaludis of Franklin Regional High placed third at 125, and former District 3 wrestlers Jordan Conaway (New Oxford, fifth at 133) and Bryan Pearsall (Warwick, fifth at 141) also won to earn three more team points. Conaway beat Daryl Thomas of Illinois for the second time in the tournament and Pearsall scored an overtime takedown to take down Pasquale Greco of Northwestern, 4-2.
Penn State’s Alton twins followed with twin losses, Andrew getting pinned by Purdue’s Ivan Lopouchanski at 149 to place fourth and Dylan losing 6-2 to Minnesota’s Danny Zilverberg.
That win by Gopher Zilverberg put Minnesota into a tie with Penn State until PSU’s Taylor at 165 scored a takedown with 19 seconds left against Conrad Polz of Illinois to earn a bonus-point 9-1 decision.
Taylor was the first of four straight Nittany Lion finalists. Matt Brown followed with a rematch against Mike Evans of Iowa. Evans, the former Cumberland Valley and Blair Academy athlete, nipped Brown 4-3 in a wild finish in the Feb. 1 dual meet.
This time, Evans jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when Brown hooked one of Evans’ socks with his fingers and then pulled on it and was docked a penalty point.
Brown escaped in the second period and pancaked Evans to his back for a 6-2 lead. He then went on punish Evans with a strong third-period ride and a vitally important 7-3 victory.
Against Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota, it would be realistic to think that Ruth could be in for his toughest match of the season, perhaps short of his Southern Scuffle final against Steve Bosak of Cornell (and that wasn’t all that tough).
It was indeed. The former Susquehanna Twp. athlete got the initial takedown rather easily but Steinhaus held off all other attempts in the period and the second as well. Steinhaus escaped in the third and Ruth led just 3-2 before converting a single-leg to a double-leg for a 5-2 advantage and ultimately a 5-3 win.
Ruth did not have a riding time advantage in the match, a rather rare occurrence for the redshirt junior.
“I appreciate someone who wants to dominate a match as much as I do,’’ Ruth said on the Big Ten Network about the challenge from Steinhaus. “Those are the matches you come away from so proud of it.
“And adding to our momentum made me feel even better.’’
Quentin Wright capped that momentum with two strong double-leg takedowns against Scott Schiller of Minnesota at 197 for a 5-3 win that clinched the team title for the Nittany Lions.
“It’s a lot of pressure but everybody on the team has to do their job,’’ Wright said on the BTN broadcast about Penn State’s four finalists effectively needing to win. “But that’s all part of being a team.’’
Heavyweight Jimmy Lawson placed eighth but still qualified for the NCAAs.
CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMARY
125: Jesse Delgado, Illinois d Matt McDonough, Iowa 9-4.
133: Logan Stieber, Ohio State d Tony Ramos, Iowa 3-1 OT.
141: Hunter Steiber, Ohio State d Mark Ballweg, Iowa 8-3.
149: Dylan Ness, Minnesota pinned Jake Sueflohn, Nebraska.
157: Jason Welch, Northwestern pinned James Green, Nebraska.
165: David Taylor, Penn State md Conrad Polz, Illinois 9-1.
174: Matt Brown, Penn State d Mike Evans, Iowa 7-3.
184: Ed Ruth, Penn State d Kevin Steinhaus, Minnesota 5-3.
197: Quentin Wright, Penn State d Scott Schiller, Minnesota 5-3.
285: Tony Nelson, Minnesota d Mike McMullan, Northwestern 4-1.
Today, Matt Brown came up huge. For a 5 seed to win at that weight (174) isn't something you see very often. A little disappointed in the lower weights, but it's an incredibly competitive tournament.
Great job to all the teams and congrats to Cael for his B1G three peat. Now go do it again in Des Moines!
(Yeah, we hear Sandusky was pretty good @ wrestling males on a mat, too...’twas good to see Penn State’s basketball team limp to 2-16 today on a last second three-pointer)
Way to go Cael and his big men!
I would suggest if you are not an NCAA wrestling fan you refrain from commenting on this thread. Or did you just pop in to be the first anti-Sandusky comment? Congratulations! You win.
Now go away. Or keep on. It doesn't matter. You are free to keep commenting. But be prepared to be ignored. Though, I suspect you are used to it.
Why did you feel it was necessary to comment on this in this fashion? It was uncalled for.
And wrestling is no longer going to be an olympic sport.
There is a reason I stopped watching the olympics years ago, and that decision personifies it.
Just so you know what’s waiting in Des Moines:
Big 12 wrestling: Cowboys win Big 12 Wrestling Championship
Of the 10 championship bouts, No. 2 OSU won eight matches and placed second and third in two others. The Cowboys scored 118.5 team points, easily beating Iowa State (74), Oklahoma (58) and West Virginia (28).
STILLWATER — The format might have changed, but the results remained the same. After running through the competition Friday for the Big 12 dual title, Oklahoma State won the 2013 Big 12 Wrestling Championship at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday.
Of the 10 championship bouts, No. 2 OSU won eight matches and placed second and third in two others. The Cowboys scored 118.5 team points, easily beating Iowa State (74), Oklahoma (58) and West Virginia (28).
The top two wrestlers in each weight bracket — excluding 125, 133 and 165 — received automatic bids to the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, on March 21-23. At 125 and 133, only the champion gets the automatic bid. At 165, the top three finishers get their postseason tickets punched.
The common response among most champions on Saturday was simple: on to nationals. But there was still a great deal of pride that went along with each winner.
Twelve of the Cowboys’ 20 matches came with bonus points attached. It’s a statistic that proves OSU coach John Smith’s team was hungry to earn the title.
“They hear how important it is for us to perform in Gallagher; this is our home, this is our place,” Smith said. “We all feel it’s a privilege to be a part of this tradition.”
The Cowboys had plenty of success narratives unfold.
There was the freshman and the senior: Eddie Kilmara and Jordan Oliver. Kilmara, a 125-pound freshman, captured his first career Big 12 title with a 15-5 major-decision win against ISU’s Ryak Finch.
Oliver, a senior, took home his fourth career Big 12 crown in four years, this time at 149 pounds. The No. 1 wrestler in the nation for his class put on a clinic, pinning ISU’s Max Mayfield with 1:41 left in the first period. He finished the two-day championship with four pins and a technical fall. He was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
“It means a lot,” Oliver said. “Just to end it here in Gallagher-Iba Arena, right where it started is an awesome feeling.”
And then there are OSU’s Jon Morrison and Alan Gelogaev. Both had decorated careers before Saturday, but one thing had been missing — an individual Big 12 title. Over the past few seasons, injuries delayed that goal. But not on Saturday.
Morrison defeated OU’s Cody Brewer 6-2 at 133 pounds. Gelogaev pinned ISU’s Matt Gibson at 285 pounds in just 58 seconds.
“I had some bad luck with injuries the past couple years,” Morrison said. “The Big 12 title is a big steppingstone, but more than anything, I’m just really grateful that I’m going into nationals healthy this year.”
When Chris Chionuma, a 184-pound senior, got the 5-3 upset win against ISU’s Boaz Beard for a Big 12 title, he tore off his headgear and let out a roar. It was the former NAIA national champion’s first appearance in the Big 12 Tournament finals, an experience he won’t soon forget.
“A huge one for me,” Chionuma said. “My last match here at Gallagher, my mom and brother are here … everything just built up to that.”
Oklahoma notched a title at 141 pounds, with Kendric Maple earning a major decision victory against ISU’s Luke Goettl, 13-3. It was bittersweet for Maple, being the only Sooner champion at the event, but he understands the nature of collegiate wrestling.
“It’s an individual sport,” Maple said. “You’ve got to go out there and do what you can for your team, but you’ve got to worry about yourself most of all; because (an NCAA Championship) is the final goal.”
Now it’s time for the wrestlers to focus on the ultimate goal — especially for Oliver.
After coming up short in last year’s NCAA final, he had distinct parting words.
“I’ve got some unfinished business to take care of,” Oliver said.
IS OSU sending all 10? Didn’t see it in the article. PSU is sending all 10 for the first time in a long time. Should be quite a showdown. IA and MN could also easily win this thing. Good tournament teams. PSU still has to be the favorite though w/ Taylor, Ruth, and Wright. The Taylor/Dake (Cornell) battle - if it takes place - will be epic.
From CBS Sports, June 23rd, 2012:
A former wrestling coach in another victim's hometown, Joe Miller, testified that he once walked in on the boy and Sandusky lying face to face in a weight room. Surprised, Sandusky reportedly said he was demonstrating a wrestling move, and Miller left. "I thought it was peculiar at first," Miller said, especially considering a much larger room usually used for wrestling was right next door. "But then I thought, 'Well, it's Jerry Sandusky. He's a saint, and what he's doing with these kids is fantastic.' So I didn't think anything more of it."
PSU Bump class of 83
Penn State is gonna rise again. Pretty much already started.
Bingo.
"Wrestling" as a Sandusky "cover" for being abusive.
And the above was yet ANOTHER indicator that seems like the ENTIRE realm of Penn State & its environs -- at least among those who had some inkling that either something was "peculiar" or something was criminally abusive...turned their head and walked away.
Ya know we rarely hear of the names of murder victims up to 50 YEARS after they were attacked...but there are a few...And the reason we do sometimes has to do with what the neighbors FAILED to do...vs. what the perpetrator DID do...the case of Brooklyn murder victim Kitty Genovese, for example.
"Rise" is a relative term...
The University of Indiana has supposedly "risen" again in LOTS of ways since Alfred C. Kinsey darkened its doors (with the university still sanctioning his "research")...
But it has NEVER been able to shed its image as THE LEADING pedophile promoting university in the Big Ten:
* How a Kinsey victim lives with molestation trauma: 'Esther White' interview exposes 'evil' scientific research: Part 2
* Youtube: children of table 34 pt 1.wmv
NOW, the Hoosiers have "competition" for that image from Penn State.
Between Indiana and Penn State, these two schools have forever "locked in" the reputation of the Big 10 Conference being THE "pedophile conference."
Indiana has forever exalted "Dr." Kinsey...and Penn State still sanctions those involved in the cover-up...from Paterno to the reality that two of the cover-up perps ... one of them under indictment...are STILL on the payroll of Penn State...and have been going back to the Fall of 2011.
[Penn State has refused to fire its athletic director Tim Curley, who is on paid leave as the last year of his contract won't run out till later this year...And ex-Prez Spanier resigned as prez but was not -- to my knowledge -- ushered out as a tenured prof there]
Contestant: I’ll take nicknames for $400.00 Alex.
Alex: If you call a woman who likes younger men a cougar, what do you call men who like young boys?
Contestant: What are nittany lions!
Correct!
Why are you being a jerk? Start a separate sandusky thread. Don’t be such a small person.
Reading an OSU fan forum, they say it’s 9 wrestlers to Nationals. I didn’t find which weight is not going.
It’s our 141 pounder that didn’t make it.
If you want to go around attacking other posters, please feel free to start your own separate ad hominem thread!
Don’t bother.
It isn’t new behavior on the part of the poster. You see it in other forums, regardless of the subject.
You are better off ignoring him like everyone else on the thread appears to be doing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.