InterMat Staff

Jimmy Gulibon recently won his fourth state title (Photo/Bill Ennis) The 38th edition of the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic will yet again showcase many of the nation's best high school seniors. In fact, four of the wrestlers from last year's event were All-American finishers at the just completed NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, including Nico Megaludis (Penn State/Franklin Regional, Pa.) -- who was runner-up at 125 pounds. With the titles won by Logan Stieber (Ohio State/Monroeville, Ohio), Kellen Russell (Michigan/Blair Academy, N.J.), and David Taylor (Penn State/St. Paris Graham, Ohio), the streak of years with at least one NCAA champion having wrestled in the Dapper Dan was extended to 36 (1977-2012). Even more amazing is the fact that at least three NCAA Division champions have wrestled in this event at every single tournament since 1995 but two (1997 and 2010), 16 of the last 18 years. This year's field features five wrestlers that are ranked first in the country -- Jarred Brooks (Warsaw, Ind.) at 113 pounds, George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio) at 120, Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.) at 126, Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.), and Jordan Rogers (Mead, Wash.) at 182. Additionally, John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa) is the highest ranked senior at 138 pounds; while Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) would have been the highest ranked senior at 285 pounds if he competed during the high school season. The event will take place on Sunday, March 25th at the Fitzgerald Field House on the camputs of the University of Pittsburgh. Wrestling will begin at 4:00 p.m. (ET) with an undercard match between senior all-stars from the state of Maryland and the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League), and the main event between the United States and Pennsylvania will follow at 6:00 p.m. First is a preview of the matches in the main event, seniors from across the United States against those from the Keystone State of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has won two of the last three Wrestling Classic dual meets, after the United States pulled off victories in eight consecutive events from 2001 through 2008. 113: No. 1 Jarred Brooks (Warsaw, Ind.) vs. No. 9 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South) Brooks, ranked first nationally, is a three-time state medalist having won his lone title this past year. Additionally, he was a Super 32 champion this year, a Junior National and FILA Junior freestyle runner-up, and placed fourth at the FloNationals. Rappo is a two-time state champion and two-time Super 32 placer, also earning a silver medal at the Disney Duals. When the two wrestlers met in Fargo this summer, Brooks won a 1-0/2-0 decision. An interesting note is that Billy's three older brothers each also competed in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic main event -- Ricky losing 4-0 at 112 pounds in 2005, Mike winning a 10-5 decision at 130 pounds in 2006, and Mark losing a 7-0 decision at 112 pounds in 2008. 120: No. 1 George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio) vs. No. 2 Nick Roberts (North Star) This match pits two of the nation's finest lightweights against one another. Both were gold medalists at the Disney Duals this past summer, and have placed four times at the state tournament combining for five championships. Twice a state champion, DiCamillo is also a three-time Walsh Ironman champion, two-time FloNationals champion, and a three-time Super 32 medalist. With three state titles to his credit, Roberts was also a FILA Junior freestyle champion last spring and has two Cadet National freestyle titles to his credit from earlier in his caeer. An interesting note is that George's father Ralph competed in the undercard event at the 1976 Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, and emerged with a 4-2 decision in the 126 pound bout. 126: No. 5 Cory Clark (Southeast Polk, Iowa) vs. No. 1 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area) The wrestlers competing in this match are both four-time state champions, and have combined for five total losses in their careers against over 300 wins. The University of Iowa bound Clark has also twice been a double All-American at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, while the Penn State bound Gulibon was a FloNationals champion in 2010 and a Disney Duals gold medalist this past summer. 132: No. 5 Zane Richards (Carbondale, Ill.) vs. Mac McGuire (Upper St. Clair) Richards is a three-time state finalist, winning state titles each of the last two years. In addition, he is one of the nation's finest wrestlers in both of the Olympic styles, with only three losses across six tournaments in Fargo over the last three summers. He has a pair of titles in Cadet Greco-Roman and one in Junior freestyle, with a pair of thirds in Cadet freestyle and a runner-up in Junior Greco-Roman. McGuire, bound for Kent State, has twice been in the Pennsylvania state finals, closing the deal with a state championship this year. He is also only the second wrestler to compete in the main event from Upper St. Clair, the previous one was Tom Bogan, who won a 7-6 decision at 160 pounds in 1995. 138: No. 2 John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa) vs. No. 6 Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell) In four years of high school, Meeks went 168-0 as he was a four-time state champion. This past summer, making a foray into freestyle competition, he finished sixth in the Junior National freestyle competition. Spearman was a three-time state medalist (twice a champion and third as a freshman), only not getting on the stand after failing to make weight during the early stages of the state series his junior year. In addition, Spearman was a 2010 Super 32 champion and FloNationals runner-up last year. 145: No. 1 Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.) vs. Zach Beitz (Juniata) Arguably the finest wrestler in America regardless of grade or weight class, Tsirtsis has not lost a match since midway through his freshman year of high school in earning four state titles. His wrestling outside the high school season has been superlative as well -- twice a FloNationals champion, twice a FILA Cadet national champion, twice a Super 32 runner-up, and four times an All-American in Fargo including a Junior National freestyle title this past summer. His opponent Beitz has four medals at the state tournament to his credit, including a state championship this year after finishing third, fifth, and second in his prior state tournament appearances. 152: No. 5 Brian Realbuto (Somers, N.Y.) vs. Cody Copeland (Greenville) Realbuto placed at state five times during his high school career, which includes state championships as a freshman, junior, and senior. In addition, he was a Junior National freestyle champion this past summer. His opponent Copleand placed three times at the Pennsylvania state tournament, winning state this year with an undefeated record after finishing second and third the prior two years. 160: No. 3 (at 170) Zach Brunson (Churchill, Ore.) vs. No. 5 Brian Brill (Central Mountain) Brunson his high school career as a four-time state champion with just two career losses, including a 4-3 loss in the finals at the Reno Tournament of Champions his junior year to fellow Dapper Dan participant Kyle Crutchmer. This past off-season, he was a Junior National freestyle champion in Fargo and a FILA Junior freestyle runner-up. His opponent Brill, headed to Lehigh in the fall, was a three-time state placer including state champion as a junior. This past year, he was undefeated prior to his state finals loss to Chance Marsteller, the top ranked wrestler nationally at the weight class; and Brill also was a Cadet freestyle runner-up in 2009. 170: No. 2 Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.) vs. No. 13 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic) Crutchmer finished his high school career as a three-time state finalist, with state titles in each of the last two years. He additionally was a two-time champion at the Reno ToC, a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion last spring, and has twice earned double All-American honors at the Junior Nationals in Fargo. Like Brill, Riddick is also bound for Lehigh in the fall. His career exploits include a state title this year, a fourth place finish last year, a Super 32 runner-up this past fall, and placements at both the Ironman and Beast of the East this year (third and second, both losses to Eric Morris). 182: No. 1 Jordan Rogers (Mead, Wash.) vs. No. 13 Wes Phipps (Grove City) Yet another one of the nation's star wrestlers, Rogers joins Crutchmer as an Oklahoma State bound participant. He is a three-time state champion, only not winning as a sophomore when he did not compete due to injury. Very proficient in the Olympic styles, Rogers has earned All-American honors in all six Fargo appearances (fourth in Greco-Roman and second in freestyle as a first-year Cadet in 2009, double titles as a Cadet in 2010, along with third and second place finishes as a Junior this past summer); and has three FILA Cadet championships to his credit. His opponent Phipps joins Gulibon and Beitz as Penn State bound prospects on the Keystone State squad, and is an impressive four-time state placer -- all at or above 160 pounds. Phipps earned an elusive state title this year after previous finishes in second, third, and fifth place. The off-season resume includes a third place finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and a silver medal at the Disney Duals. 195: No. 5 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.) vs. No. 7 Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) The Drexel-bound Harrah makes a foray into the Keystone State for this event, though his next visit will be about five hours east on I-76. Like Phipps before, he is a four-time state placer at or above 189 pounds, having finished third and fourth his first two years of high school before state titles the last two. The off-season resume includes Junior National freestyle All-American finishes the last two summers. On the other hand, Hills has done virtually zero off-season wrestling, as he will be attending the University of Maryland on a football scholarship to play the quarterback position. In fact, Hills missed two of his school's three major in-season tournaments during December due to football, only winning the Beast of the East on the way to an undefeated state championship season after finishing fourth at state last year. 220: No. 4 Josh Marchok (Schaumburg, Ill.) vs. No. 3 John Rizzo (Richland) Marchok is headed to Stanford with three state place medals and four state tournament appearances all at or above 189 pounds during his high school career. It also includes state championships the last two years, and a trio of All-American finishes at the Junior Nationals in Fargo (eighth and fourth in Greco-Roman the last two years, along with a fifth in freestyle this past summer). Rizzo comes into the Wrestling Classic having finished one of the most decorated careers ever for a Keystone State upper-weight -- four state placement medals, including gold the last three years (fifth at 215 as a freshman, titles at 285 as a sophomore and junior, and the title at 220 this year). This year, his lone loss was 2-1 to the nation's top-ranked wrestler at this weight class, Kyle Snyder, due to a penalty point. 285: Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) vs. No. 15 Averee Robinson (Susquehanna Township) Despite not participating in state tournaments the last two years, the Lehigh-bound Vollaro is probably the best heavyweight prospect in the Class of 2012. His resume includes a Super 32 title this past October, double third place finishes at the Junior Nationals this past summer, a FloNationals title last spring, runner-up at the 2010 Walsh Ironman to Brooks Black, and double runner-up finishes at Cadet Nationals (to Black) in 2010. His opponent Robinson is a two-time state champion (and three-time placer) despite some inconsistent results outside of the state tournament, which include a fifth place finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, a fourth place finish at the Beast of the East, and losing in the regional tournament this past year prior to state. The undercard will feature a team of Maryland seniors -- both from public schools (MPSSAA) and those that compete under the National Preps umbrella -- against a group from the WPIAL, which is the governing body for high school athletics around the Pittsburgh area. 113: Tony Farace (Oakland Mills) vs. No. 12 (at 120) Godwin Nyama (Brashear) Farace was state champion in the first three years of his high school career prior to finishing third at state this year in the 120 pound weight class. Nyama placed twice at state, including a title this year at 120 pounds, and also won the POWERade this year. 120: Eric Friedman (St. Paul's) vs. Colt Shorts (Canon McMillan) Friedman is a four-time National Prep place-winner (second, fourth, third, and fourth), including a fourth place finish this year at 126 pounds. Shorts placed twice at the state tournament, including eight this year at 126 pounds. At this year's POWERade, Friedman beat Shorts 5-1 in the consolation quarterfinal. 126: No. 8 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial) vs. Derrick Evanovich (Peters Township) Kraisser is a four-time state champion, a 2010 Super 32 champion, and was a double All-American at the Junior Nationals this summer in Fargo after earning runner-up honors in Junior Greco in 2010. Evanovich won a WPIAL championship this year, and lost consecutive matches at the state tournament by a single point to fall short of state placement. 132: Tyler Goodwin (Arundel) vs. Josh Kwasny (Charleroi) Goodwin is a three-time state finalist, winning titles each of the last two years. Kwasny has twice made the state tournament, including a sixth place finish in Class AA this year. 138: Collin Harrell (Broadneck) vs. Tanner Wiltrout (Connellsville) Harrell was unable to compete in this year's state tournament series due to an incident at the county tournament; however, he did place fifth in the state as a junior at 119 pounds. Wiltrout finished as a runner-up at the WPIAL meet in Class AAA, and went 1-2 in the state tournament. 145: Alex Rice (Chesapeke) vs. Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe) Rice finished his career as a two-time state champion, and placed sixth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals last spring. Lydic placed fifth at the state meet this year after making state but not placing the previous two years. He also placed seventh at the Super 32 in October, and is a two-time FloNationals placer. 152: Peter Galli (St. Paul's) vs. Tyler Manion (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) Galli is a four-time National Prep placer, finishing third this year after earlier career finishes of fourth, fifth, and second. In addition, he was a runner-up at the Preseason Nationals this past fall. Manion won the WPIAL meet and placed at state for the second consecutive year, this time fifth to follow up the sixth place finish from last year. The wrestlers met in the quarterfinals at the POWERade, a match won by Galli 1-0. 160: Brad Mutchnik (St. Paul's) vs. Francis Mizia (Bentworth) Mutchnik finished sixth at the National Prep tournament this past season, and is going up against Class AA state champion Mizia. Additionally, Mizia placed seventh at state as a junior, and went 1-2 in the state tournament his sophomore year. 170: Tyler Rill (Mt. St. Joseph's) vs. Jake Wisener (Ringgold) Rill is a three-time National Prep placer, runner-up this year after finishes of third and seventh the prior two years. Wisener finished fifth in the Class AAA state tournament down a weight class at 160 pounds. 182: Judd Ziegler (Middletown) vs. Jarred Lux (North Allegheny) Ziegler was a state champion this year, after finishing second in the state two years ago. Lux made his state tournament debut this year, going 1-2 but losing by a single point in his match to place. However, he has twice placed eighth at the Super 32 Challenge. 195: Dylan Devine (Dematha) vs. Jordan Kitta (Southmoreland) Devine placed twice at the National Prep tournament, including a runner-up finish this year to follow up the third place finish from last year. Kitta has twice won a WPIAL title in Class AA and placed in the state tournament on each occasion, eighth last year and sixth this year. 220: Kevin Marvel (McDonogh) vs. Greg Krumer (Fort Cherry) Despite finishing as a runner-up to Devine, losing 3-1 in the state prep final, Marvel did not compete in the National Prep tournament at 195 pounds. However, he still brings an excellent resume that includes a sixth place finish at National Preps last year, a sixth place finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, and placements at both the Ironman and Beast of the East this year. Kumer placed eight at the state tournament this year in Class AA in his lone state tournament appearance 285: Jason Johnson (River Hill) vs. No. 18 Cody Klempay (Canon McMillan) Johnson earned a state championship this year, while Klempay is a two-time state placer. After a third place finish at state last year, Klempay was a state semifinalist this year but had to default out of his semifinal match against eventual state champion Robinson despite scoring the match's first takedown. Earlier in the second, Klempay beat three-time Ohio state champion Nick Tavanello in the finals at North Canton, and lost 2-1 in the POWERade final to best in the nation Brooks Black.

Related Link: The MMA Outsider Podcast Archives So we're sure that Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos are going to finally settle the Bellator Fighting Championships tournament finals? Positive? Just in case the fight actually happens and ends in something other than a no-contest, Richard and John break down the match-up one more time. Spoiler alert: Santos is still going to win. As for the less lopsided action going down this Friday, the boys also break down the opening round of the lightweight tournament, which features Patricky "Pitbull" Freire, Ricardo Tirloni, and some other talented individuals. This week's guest is flyweight contender Darrell Montague. The former Tachi Palace Fights champion won the belt with a resounding victory over the highly touted Ulysses Gomez. However, he fell short in his first title defense against Ian McCall, now a top 125-pounder in the UFC. With Zuffa's flyweight division open for business, Montague talks about his future fight plans, what he's done with his time off, and the opening round of the UFC flyweight tourney.

The Octagon is empty in March (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Maybe I can't overstate my disdain for March Madness, but I will try. The actual game of basketball doesn't bother me. I think it's a fine game and when played in playgrounds and backyards is an excellent way to get children exercising. College basketball, in principle, isn't that offensive, a game can be a fantastic place to bring alumni and locals together in a moment of camaraderie. However, March Madness is not about physical exertion or happy-happy joy-joy feelings of community, it's about money. What bothers me as much as the gross over-commercialization of an amateur contest and the irrational grip these have on the psyche of the American sports fan. It's laughable to hear courtside announcers and grown men cackling about this tournament's "Cinderella!" Grow up, kids. The entire month is a spectacle if it wasn't already unpalatable for its awkward and predatory components the domination of the sports calendar by the round ball enthusiasts has meant a hiatus for the largest mixed martial arts promotions. The Ultimate Fighter is on, but reality television fighting isn't the level of competition fans are use to seeing every other weekend from the sport's largest promotion. If the UFC were available in March I could at least turn off the television for the week and hold out hope for the weekend PPV. But there is no respite -- no oasis of big fights to keep me intrigued on Thursday night. Instead like the protagonist of an Orwellian novel, I'm forced into hours of propaganda by walls filled with talking heads discussing the virtue, class, heart, integrity and general greatness of a sporting event I thoroughly challenge. The next televised UFC fight is April 14, a free card from Sweden, which marks the return of the organization after a five-week break. As I wait, the NCAA will be splashing our eyeballs with the imaginary values of their student-athletes. It's not hyperbolic imagery to contrast big wig college presidents and athletic directors sitting in luxury suites and flying home on private jets to the athletes receive critiques for their performances by overpaid bloviating commentators before taking a bus back to their shared dorm room. Maybe their most prominent value is "sacrifice." (This is probably tangential but consider the amount of money the NCAA and colleges will be making off their free and largely disenfranchised labor force -- while also jacking up the cost of tuition for every student on campus.) Inundation of corporate bullshit and institutional self-righteousness don't make for viewing pleasure, even if Jim Nance uses the words "heroic" and "courageous" to describe a blocked shot or 15-foot jumper. No, Nance-y Boy, those words are reserved for warriors like Frankie Edgar and the Korean Zombie, who are able to withstand facial fractures and body-battering muti-round soirees with a man trying to put them to sleep. Maybe the best way to make it through this atrocious stretch of UFC-less action is to bet point spreads, but that would only feed the gambling that is the supporting culture of this tournament. If you don't think betting drives the majority of attention for this weekend then you need to conduct a survey of NON-sports fans and ask how many of them filled out a bracket. Your numbers will be higher than fifty-percent. Then ask those sports fans you know if they, or any of their friends, are making trips to Las Vegas, or tournament cities. The answer will be "Yes." Analyze the reality of this month and the odor of the impropriety becomes too pungent to ignore: The NCAA tournament is just weaving slivers of athletic achievement between commercial space. The free labor force working for crusty old white guys. Contrast that lack of individual representation that with self-determination and profit possibilities of MMA and the frustrations of having to deal with basketball becomes almost too brutal. Of course the fight world isn't without its own troubles, but at least the premise and the operators conduct much of their business at a level above "pond scum." Yes, there are shady dealings and underpaid fighters, but they're professionals and unlike their college basketball counterparts aren't being induced by the bait-and-switch of a free education. Fighting is in-your-face and unapologetic, March Madness is a spectacle where the fewer questions asked means more money for the have's, even as the have-not's do all the work. I'll pass the ball on watching and leave my only updates to unavoidable big screens at gastro pubs and sports bars. In the meantime I'll brush up on my knowledge of the upcoming fights and watch replays of the NCAA wrestling tournament. Hell, I might even watch old Pride fights. Watching someone get soccer-kicked in the face seems more fair than watching the indentured servitudes perform for the masses.

Dan Gable and Jim Miller will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, March 21. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail kklingman@nwhof.org with questions for any of the guests. Gable coached the University of Iowa to 15 NCAA team titles from 1977 through 1997. He is also the namesake of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. Gable will provide a recap of this year’s NCAA tournament and a preview of the Olympic Trials in Iowa City on April 21-22. Miller is the current head wrestling coach at Wartburg College. He recently coached his team to its ninth NCAA Division III championship. Miller was a two-time NCAA Division II champion and a two-time Division I All-American for Northern Iowa.

RALEIGH, NC -- Carter Jordan will not return as head coach of the Wolfpack wrestling program in 2012-13. Jordan served in the position for the past eight seasons. "We would like to thank Carter for his contributions to the Wolfpack program and wish him well in the future," said Associate Director of Athletics Sherard Clinkscales, who supervises the wrestling program. Jordan's teams posted a 69-77-3 overall record during his eight years as head coach, including a 16-26-1 mark in ACC competition. A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately. Assistant coaches Steve Anceravage and Lee Pritts will remain on staff and continue to manage the program during the search.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- After three years on the wrestling staff, assistant coach Matt Pell has declared that he will relinquish his position, as announced by head coach Brian Smith on Tuesday afternoon. Pell is stepping down to spend more time with his family, as he and his wife Melissa had their first child last summer. “I just want to thank Coach Smith, the administration and my athletes for affording me the opportunity to be a part of a program that has accomplished so much over the last three years,” said Pell. “The memories I have made as a coach at the University of Missouri will be held dear to my heart for the rest of my life.” A four year starter on Missouri's wrestling squad, Pell first earned All-American honors as a sophomore in 2005 while competing at 184 pounds. The Tiger team captain became just the third Missouri wrestler in program history to earn All-American accolades in more than one weight class, managing a third place finish at the 2007 Championships in the 165 pound weight class. In addition to his second top-eight NCAA finish, Pell was presented with the Gorarrian Award after recording the most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA Championships held in St. Louis. Pell's third place finish helped Missouri to its best squad showing in program history, third. The four-time NCAA qualifier completed his career with 122 wins, good enough for sixth best in program history. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Mizzou in May of 2007, Pell left the Midwest and worked as an assistant coach for the University of Virginia (UVA) wrestling squad. In his two years on staff, Pell helped coach five Cavaliers to Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship titles, and one grappler, Chris Henrich, to UVA's first All-America honor in five years. “Matt has been a part of this program for a long time, and he’ll continue to be a Tiger even after he leaves,” said Smith. “He was an All-American here, a captain here, an assistant coach here. He’s left a big mark on our program. He’s a great friend and I appreciate everything he’s done for Missouri wrestling.”

Every wrestling fan at this year's NCAA wrestling tournament has a moment, or thought they've been sharing with friends and coworkers. It might have been the dominance of David Taylor and Penn State, the stumbling of Iowa State or the surprise three NCAA championships by Cornell. There were hundreds of matches over three days by 330 wrestlers from 70 schools. That type of volume and variety made way for everyone to have their own weekend of emotional ups and downs while following their chosen favorites. Most of our best moments come from the teams and individuals we support without rational thought -- the teams for which we have biases. Being in the media means I have to be objective about how I portray what I see, but I'm no different than any other fan. I rooted for the wrestlers I once recruited or coached, or for the teams in which close friends were at the helm. I cheered my ass off for U.Va. The NCAA wrestling tournament is special like that. There is no limit to stories, or way to quantify for others the emotions you can feel in supporting your favorite wrestlers and teams. The editor of InterMat teases me because my favorite wrestler was 157-pounder Anthony Jones of Michigan State, a mild obsession that dated back to his performance at the 2010 Big Ten tournament. Why I held onto it, I don't know, but I even put him as an All-American in my pool. When he wrestled I couldn't focus on anything else. He wasn't a front-runner or world beater, just a kid I saw display a lot of heart two years ago in Michigan. Penn State's Frank Molinaro hugs his coach Cael Sanderson (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)I also like Penn State and Cael Sanderson. They've challenged the Midwestern dominance of the sport and brought a hybrid style of funk and aggression that has propelled the sport forward. All the credit for that style can't be left in Happy Valley, though. Cornell head wrestling coach Rob Koll, who I first met in my first year of college, has been at the front of the technique curve, promoting a similar aggressive and fluid style of wrestling. Neither of these assertions means that I look at these programs through rose-tinted glasses. I read the complaints by fans and coaches about Penn State's lack of participation and nod along. I agree it would be nice to have everyone available for a dual team tournament in 2013. The level of technique and competitiveness at this year's NCAAs was among the best I've ever seen. There was domination by several individuals, but if you look at historical data, it wasn't that much more than in years past. Only one wrestlers outside of the top three seeds won the tournament, and that was No. 4 seed Steve Bosak of Cornell. That result hints that while there is developing team parity in wrestling, the individual wrestlers at the top three of the weight class are typically just that much better than the rest. Seeding was abysmal (bad enough to deserve its own article), but played little in the results of the tourney. What was most compelling was how clearly dominant wrestlers like Frank Molinaro and David Taylor were able to clear out their weight classes of top-level challengers. Looking at the final placewinners supports that assertion with the seeds to placing in those weights suffering the most upheaval. On the contrary, 141 pounds proved to be the toughest weight of the tourney, and the most predictable in terms of All-Americans. In my offline pool of 10 players, it was the most accurately predicted weight class. 149 and 184 were the least accurately predicted. NCAAs is also a place to meet old friends and tell stories, something made easier by the prodigious amount of alcohol consumed in the city that brought us Budweiser. That wrestling fans like to booze is something I already knew, but it was nice to see so many fans alternatively enjoying the St. Patrick's Day festivities outside and the wrestling inside. We might be prohibitionists during the season, especially for those competing, but as the stress comes undone the familiarity with a pint of Guinness and cups of single malt whiskey seem to reestablish themselves, and the potent potable fall down our gullets with considerable ease. Of course boozing promotes dancing, something that I found 94.8 percent of the wrestling public was incapable of doing in an inoffensive manner. I watched middle-aged men in team shirts waddle onto the floors they should have left to regulars. There was no harm in their lack of rhythm, and let's face it, wrestlers aren't meant to win Dancing with the Stars. Appalachian State's Austin Trotman placed third at 184 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Booze-filled dance halls aside, the best moments of the weekend happened on the mat. Austin Trotman engaged with 17k fans after his upset of No. 1 seed Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming. The Appalachian State wrestler was no fluke and had an overtime match in the semifinals with NCAA champion Steve Bosak. Trotman finished third and his teammate Kyle Blevins fourth, the first All-Americans for Appalachian State since Mark Fee in 2003. Hats should be tipped to JohnMark Bentley, the former UNC stud who has shown himself to be an excellent head coach, and one I think will be mentioned for larger head jobs this offseason. One of my favorite moments came watching Matt McDonough win the NCAA title. Wrestling is unforgiving, and McDonough has had to endure a year of promotions for Anthony Robles, who defeated him in the 2011 finals. McDonough is likely a four-time NCAA finalist and odds-on favorite to win a third NCAA title, but he may only be remembered popularly for that very publicized loss to Robles. I don't feel bad for him. Plenty of people work hard and never achieve their goals. I just liked to see him be dominant again and hopefully fans will see that work ethic and change the tenor of his wrestling legacy. Minnesota's Zach Sanders' NCAA championship dreams were crushed when he fell to Penn State's Nico Medaludis (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)The NCAA tournament is filled with highly-emotional moments. It was hard to watch Zach Sanders of Minnesota lose to Nico Megaludis of Penn State in the 125-pound semifinals. The Gopher senior walked off with his hands over his head, but only made it to the aisle behind the scorer's table before collapsing into tears. It was a reminder of just how hard these kids are working towards a goal, and that while beautiful, wrestling can take from you every ounce of your energy and never return to you what you think you deserve. There are no guarantees in this sport, and nobody to blame but yourself if things go pear-shaped. Still, I'd have liked to see him finish his career in the NCAA finals. Speaking of blame, the worst call of the tournament was made during the overtime match between Nic Bedelyon of Kent State and Jesse Delgado of Illinois. Referees have bad days, too, but the series of calls in this match were inexplicably awful. For those needing a quick reminder, Bedelyon had Delgado in a leg turk with a crossface, earning what looked to be an easy set of back points. However, instead of looking for the fall, the referee simply stopped the match and gave the two-point takedown and win to Bedelyon. The call was then referred to the assistant referee who made mention that Bedelyon's other leg was trapped, and maybe, just maybe, it wasn't actually two points. They waived off the win and restarted the match in neutral. Of course, they shouldn't have, and the right call at the time was to just call back points and let the period run out. Giving two should have been dependent on Bedelyon's ability to keep Delgado in danger, not how his knee was being captured. From there the referee lost some confidence and gave a series of bad calls to both wrestlers, with the final coming in the form of a makeup two point takedown for Bedelyon. The right wrestler won, but man, it was ugly. Jordan Oliver was close to securing a takedown in the closing seconds (Photo/Kevin Schlosser, BuckeyeWrestling.com)So, what about that Logan Stieber-Jordan Oliver takedown? I don't want to cause trouble, and I don't have time to answer 347 emails from fans in Stillwater, so I'll just say, that there has been less called a takedown, and nobody would have complained were it called. However, that position for the defensive wrestler has become more popular as a means of transitioning a hip out from danger, particularly when only one leg is wrapped up above the knee (as it was with Stieber's leg). Someone made a valid point that it could only be two if Oliver is trying to get his head out of Stieber's crotch and does so. If he doesn't, then it's tough to say he's in control. Either way, it's a difficult call to make, but certainly not the worst no-call in NCAA finals history. St. Louis was once again a great host. I'll never understand their regional obsession with toasted ravioli, but I can appreciate their hospitality. The city has the right type of layout for a wrestling tournament, and like many lamented over the weekend, we'd all like to see the event stay in one place, a sentiment I agree with, if for no other reason than we can all grow familiar with hotel and dining options. The NCAA should investigate trying to establish something like NCAA baseball has with its College World Series in Omaha, instead of delaying the release of the wild cards and brackets for five hours (... jerks). For any of your friends wondering what it feels like to watch a wrestler that you love take the mat, have them watch the two videos below. Not only do they speak to the emotional torture of watching those matches, but also how much the coaching staffs of wrestling teams care for their wrestlers. This isn't a loose assemblage of talent, or a sad media-generated attempt to make for-profit sports look like they instill values, this is just two coaches, not knowing that they're being taped, showing why wrestling is the greatest sport in the world.

SAINT LOUIS -- Pitt wrapped up competition at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday, finishing 15th with two All-Americans in front of a record-breaking crowd of 18,919. Matt Wilps closed out his season with a fourth-place finish at 197 pounds, while Tyler Nauman ended his illustrious career with the Panthers with a fifth-place showing at 149. Wilps, a junior, was close to being in the championship finals, but dropped an overtime decision to No. 2 Chris Honeycutt in the semifinals. He bounced back with a 3-2 decision over No. 9 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) before losing a close 3-2 decision to No. 5 Cale Byers (Oklahoma State) in the consolation finals. It was the first All-American honor for Wilps in his second appearance at the national tournament. Both wrestlers who finished ahead of him - Honeycutt and Cam Simaz (Cornell) - are seniors. Wilps finishes the season 34-5, and recently notched the 100th win in his career with his victory over Honeycutt in the finals of the Eastern Wrestling League Tournament. The 34 wins are the fifth most all-time by a Pitt junior in one season. Nauman finished the season 30-6 and became a two-time All-American for the Panthers, ending one of the best careers in Pitt wrestling history. With his career record of 140-31, he is third all-time at Pitt in wins. Thirty-nine of those wins came by fall, which is also third all-time. Like Wilps, Nauman came up just short of earning a spot in the national finals. In his 8-5 loss to Minnesota's Dylan Ness in the semifinals, the score was tied 5-5 late, but knowing Ness had a point for riding time locked up, Nauman had to go for the score. He gave up a late takedown in an 8-5 loss. Following a loss to No. 4 Donald Vinson in the consolation semifinals, Nauman got the chance to end his great career with a victory, something only a handful of wrestlers are able to do. He took advantage of the opportunity with a 4-3 decision over Hofstra's Justin Accordino. The 15th-place showing as a team was Pitt's best finish since the Panthers took 13th in 1989. It was the first time the team had two All-Americans since 2007 (Keith Gavin and Matt Kocher). Penn State easily won the team title, clinching first-place before the finals had even started. It was the second straight national championship for the Nittany Lions. The three-day attendance total was also a new record for the event. The six sessions combined for 112,393 fans.

ST. LOUIS -- The Illini wrapped up competition at the 2012 NCAA Championships with four Illini placing in the top eight of the tournament. Jordan Blanton (174) took fourth, B.J. Futrell (133) took sixth, Jesse Delgado (125) placed seventh and Conrad Polz(165) finished eighth. The Illini finished in seventh place with 62 points, the fourth most points scored at the national tournament in school history. Blanton finished the highest of all the Illini as he wrestled above his No. 7 seed, took fourth and notched his second All-American honor. In Blanton's consolation semifinals match against No. 4 seed Logan Storley (Minnesota), the Illini grappler and the Gopher were scoreless after the first. Blanton started on bottom for the second and scored the only point of the match with his escape. The redshirt-junior rode out the Gopher for the remainder of the bout and moved on to face No. 2 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State), a rematch of the championship quarterfinals. Blanton dropped his match to Perry 4-1, but finished a career-best fourth place at the three-day contest. Futrell finished the highest of his career, taking sixth at his third national tournament. In his first match against No. 10 Chris Dardannes, Futrell was in control throughout the first period, with a near pin just seconds into the bout and lead the Gopher 5-1 after the first and 8-4 after the second. Dardannes scored two escapes and a takedown before putting Futrell on his back and getting the pin in 6:29. The Park Forest, Ill., native then fell to No. 6 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) by a pin in 1:44 to take sixth. In just his first national tournament, freshman Delgado earned All-American honors and placed seventh after he defeated No. 12 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 3-1. Delgado and Bonanno put up zero points in the first period, however the Illini grappler notched the escape to go ahead 1-0 after the second. Bonanno escaped early in the third, but Delgado scored the winning takedown, 3-1 and ended his rookie year with a 34-8 record. Polz faced Wisconsin's Ben Jordan in his final match of the national tournament. The Illini gave up a takedown and trailed Jordan 2-0 after the first. Polz started down for the second period and escaped to inch the score closer, 2-1. In the final period, Jordan scored an escape and the riding time point to win 4-1. Polz ended the season as the eighth best wrestler in the country with a 24-8 record, a career-best.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Chris Honeycutt’s quest for a national championship came up one victory short on Saturday night in St. Louis, as top-seeded Cam Simaz of Cornell won a 7-5 decision over the Edinboro standout. The bout was part of the NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships at the Scottrade Center. Edinboro would finish 17th for its sixth straight finish in the top 25 at Nationals. Penn State made it back-to-back national championships, with Minnesota finishing second, Iowa third, Cornell fourth and Ohio State fifth. The 197 lb. championship was a matchup between the top two seeds, with each wrestler losing just once all year. Honeycutt, the second seed, had lost just once previously and he had avenged that loss yesterday with a 6-3 decision over Pittsburgh’s Matt Wilps, the third seed. He was looking to become just the fifth Division I national champion at Edinboro. Honeycutt would open the scoring with 27 seconds left in the first period with a takedown for a 2-0 lead. Simaz opened the action with a single leg attempt, but Honeycutt defended it well and won out in a scramble for the takedown. Simaz would escape with 11 seconds remaining to make it 2-1 after one period. Honeycutt began the second period on the bottom, and just as he did twice against Wilps on Friday, he reversed Simaz to grab a 4-1 lead with 1:41 remaining. Simaz would escape at 1:30 to make it 4-2. The match would change with just over a minute remaining in the period when Simaz converted an ankle pick into a takedown with 1:07 to go. That knotted the score at 4-4, and the Cornell senior would ride out Honeycutt. Simaz started the third period on the bottom, and would escape at 1:46, although Honeycutt was able to wipe out riding time. Leading 5-4, Simaz would answer a Honeycutt short with a reshot, and would record his second takedown at the edge of the mat with 1:24 remaining. Honeycutt escaped at 1:14 to make it 7-5, but he was unable to finish several takedown attempts in the final minute. A shot with 30 seconds to go ended in a stalemate. Another shot at the edge of the mat failed with four seconds to go. Simaz, a four-time All-American, would end the year at 31-1. Honeycutt ends the year at 40-2, just the 12th time an Edinboro wrestler has reached the 40-win plateau. His brilliant career ends with two All-American certificates, just the 14th multiple All-American at Edinboro, and a 130-22 career record. That is good for seventh in career victories. Honeycutt finished fifth at 184 lbs. a year ago. Unfortunately for Honeycutt, instead of becoming the fifth Division I All-American at Edinboro, he now joins the impressive list of Fighting Scots who finished as runners-up. That list now numbers eight. The last Boro wrestler to finish second was Paul Donahoe at 125 lbs. in 2009. Honeycutt was recognized by the NCAA at the end of the night as the Division I leader in technical falls with 11, tying Buffalo's Mark Lewandowski.

ST. LOUIS – Two Western Wrestling Conference grapplers earned All-America honors Saturday at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo. Both wrestlers to place in the top-eight were from the University of Wyoming as redshirt junior Alfonso Hernandez (197 pounds) led the way by placing sixth and Joe LeBlanc became the league's first four-time All-American by finishing seventh at 184 pounds. LeBlanc stepped on the podium for his fourth consecutive time after he placed fifth in 2009, fourth in 2010 and sixth in 2011. The honor for Hernandez was his first. The two All-American additions now give the WWC 11 All-Americans in its six-year history. Both Cowboy wrestlers entered the tournament seeded. LeBlanc entered as the No. 1 seed and Hernandez came in at No. 9. On the way to his first placement at nationals, Hernandez knocked off the higher-seeded Mario Gonzalez from Illinois (seventh-seed), 7-6, the No. 8 seed from Indiana Matt Prowless, 7-6, and the No. 11 seed Micah Burak from Penn, 2-1. In the fifth/sixth-place contest Hernandez then fell to the No. 10 seed from Minnesota Sonny Yohn, 4-1. LeBlanc's finish might not have been the one he was hoping for entering the tournament, as he was upset in the quarterfinals by the No. 9 seed from Appalachian State Austin Trotman, 12-9, but he wrapped up a tremendous career at Wyoming by becoming the program's first-ever four-time All-American none the less with his seventh-place finish. LeBlanc earned seventh place after his opponent in the seventh/eighth-place bout, No. 7 Josh Ihnen from Nebraska, didn't compete due to injury so LeBlanc won the contest by medical forfeit. In all 18 wrestlers competed for the WWC at the NCAA Championships this weekend, and 15 of them made it to day two of the three-day event.. In the team race, Wyoming led the conference as the Cowboys finished tied for 19th place with 31 points. Northern Iowa was next by coming in 34th place with 12 points and North Dakota State and Air Force finished 36th (10.5) and 37th (10) respectively. Overall there were 70 teams that competed at this year’s championships. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

ST. LOUIS -- A strong overall NCAA tournament for Lehigh ended on a bittersweet note as seniors Brandon Hatchett and Zach Rey were denied national championships after losing in the national finals Saturday night at Scottrade Center. Hatchett lost by technical fall to David Taylor of Penn State, while Rey gave up a late takedown to drop a 4-1 decision to Tony Nelson of Minnesota. “I didn’t have them ready,” said a disappointed Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro after the finals. “We had an opportunity to win a national championship with two guys and we let it slip. It’s unfortunate. They wrestled their hearts out. It was a great tournament for both of them. Everybody wrestled hard. It’s just a tough way to finish the season.” The Mountain Hawks did post their second straight top ten team finish, coming in eighth with 61 points. Lehigh also crowned a total of four All-Americans with Hatchett and Rey placing second at 165 and heavyweight respectively, junior Robert Hamlin finishing fourth at 184 and senior Joe Kennedy taking eighth place at 197. The four All-Americans are the most for Lehigh since crowning five in 2004. Hatchett had the unenviable task of facing 31-0 David Taylor of Penn State in the finals. Taylor scored bonus points in 29 of his 31 matches entering the finals and the championship bout proved to be no different as he scored early and often en route to a 22-7 technical fall in in 5:50. After holding Taylor to an 8-5 decision in December at Stabler Arena, Hatchett was not able to replicate the feat second time around. Taylor scored three first period takedowns to lead 6-2 after one period and added a reversal, a takedown and a two-point near fall in the second period. He closed out the match with four more takedowns in the third period to sew up his first title. Hatchett ends his career as a two-time All-American (7th, 2nd) with a 74-29 career record. In the final bout of the night, Rey looked to repeat his championship performance from last season, but came up short against the Golden Gopher sophomore. After a scoreless first period, Rey chose down in the second was ridden for over a minute before finally escaping with a Granby roll. In the third period, Rey rode Nelson long enough to erase the Gopher’s riding time advantage, but late in the period, Nelson gained control of Rey’s legs at the edge of the mat. He was awarded the go-ahead takedown with seven seconds left, and rode out the remainder of the bout to regain riding time in a 4-1 win. Rey’s Lehigh career comes to an end as a three-time All-American (3rd, 1st, 2nd) and a two-time finalist. With a 116-14 career record Rey ranks third on Lehigh’s career wins list. He became Lehigh’s 15th three-time All-American and its first three-time heavyweight All-American. “Guys come here to win national championships and when they fall short it’s disappointing for the program,” Santoro said. “They (Hatchett and Rey) did everything they were supposed to do. My hat goes off to them. They overcame a lot of adversity. They had great careers and should hold their heads up high. They’re great people and I was fortunate to coach them. I just wish we could have gotten a couple more titles.” Penn State pulled away with its second straight team title scoring 143 points, 25.5 more than second place Minnesota. Iowa and Cornell also eclipsed the 100 point mark and finished third and fourth respectively. Taylor capped a stellar 32-0 season by winning the Gorriaran Award for most falls and the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler Award. With four All-Americans, Lehigh ties Michigan State for eighth in most all-time All-Americans with 135. The Mountain Hawks will lose four NCAA qualifiers including three of their All-Americans to graduation.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- University of Michigan fifth-year senior wrestler Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) used an overtime takedown to beat Iowa's Montell Marion, 6-4, on Saturday evening (March 17) -- his second win over the Hawkeye in two weeks -- to capture his second straight 141-pound title at the NCAA Championships inside Scottrade Center. As a team, U-M tied for 11th with Virginia Tech, the Wolverines' highest finish since 2008-09, also 11th. After trading one takedown and two escapes apiece through the match's first seven minutes, Russell countered a Marion shot midway through the sudden-victory frame, stuffing the head before spinning around behind to wrap up the Hawkeye and bring him to the mat and end the bout with 23 seconds on the clock. Russell had gained the initial advantage on a single leg late in the first period, getting the leg high and pulling Marion back onto the mat to finish. Marion escaped after 28 seconds and Russell followed suit early in the second to preserve his two-point advantage until Marion struck deep on a single leg, finishing on the edge to even the score. Russell escaped quickly and, taking advantage of several hard returns, rode Marion for the first half of the third period before the Hawkeye wrestler escaped with Russell's holding only 59 seconds of riding-time advantage. The escape evened the score again and ultimately sent the match to overtime. It was his third overtime win against Marion in four career meetings. The Wolverine captain becomes the sixth U-M wrestler to capture multiple NCAA titles, upping the Michigan program's total to 22 trophies and five under current head coach Joe McFarland, joining Ryan Bertin (2003, '05) and Steve Luke (2009). Russell completed his collegiate career with a 134-12 record, earning a share of the eighth position among Michigan's all-time winningest wrestlers. His career win percentage of .918 ranks second in program history. Senior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) won his final collegiate match in the morning session, rallying to a 13-11 decision over Harvard's Steven Keith in a wild seventh-place match at 133 pounds. Keith jumped out to an early four-point advantage, scoring on a single leg and subsequent two-point tilt in the first minute of the match. The Wolverine senior narrowed the gap with an ankle pick at the buzzer then surged ahead with a busy second period, earning a quick reversal and catching Keith in a scramble to tack on two back points late. Stevens used a splits to earn another two-point near fall early in the third before the wrestlers traded reversals; Stevens locked up a cradle out of the latter to score two more back points, and the points made the difference when Keith reversed him to his back in the waning seconds to narrow the final score.

ST. LOUIS, Mo.-- Northwestern is coming back to Evanston with two All-Americans and a top-10 finish after three days of competition at the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Redshirt freshman Mike McMullan finished third at heavyweight while redshirt junior Jason Welch was a fourth-place finisher at 157, giving NU at least two All-Americans in six of the last seven years. The two, along with the other four NU qualifiers who each won at least one match, helped the Wildcats place ninth, finishing with 42.5 points. NU has placed within the top 15 at NCAA's in seven of the last eight years, with the lone exception coming in 2009-10 when one Wildcat qualified for NCAA's. The 'Cats have two top-10 finishes in that span as this year's ninth-place finish is Northwestern's best since placing fourth during the 2006-07 campaign. NU was one of six Big Ten teams to finish in the top 10 of this year's standings. As a 10 seed, Mike McMullan made his way to the third-place match after top-seeded Ryan Flores of American medically forfeited out of the tournament. His third-place match was a key one in terms of team standings as he faced No. 3 seed Clayton Jack of Oregon State. The Beavers were one point behind Northwestern in the team standings heading into the match but McMullan kept the 'Cats ahead with a dominating 10-5 victory. McMullan almost ended the match early as his first takedown took Jack to his back and the Wildcat picked up two nearfall points to lead 4-0. Jack started the second period down and McMullan turned him, which again almost resulted in a pin, giving McMullan the 6-1 advantage and over a minute of riding time (1:02) before Jack escaped. Jack scored his lone takedown in the third, coming within two at 6-4. McMullan added an escape and the decisive takedown with 39 seconds left. Jack would escape once more and McMullan tacked on a point for riding time (1:17), to win, 10-5. McMullan's third-place finish at NCAA's is the best of any NU redshirt freshman since Jake Herbert took third at 174 lbs. during the 2005 championships. He capped his first season of competition with a 29-11 record, going 6-1 at the 2012 NCAA Championships. No. 3 seed Jason Welch assured his spot in the 157 third-place match, defeating Clarion's No. 6 James Fleming in the consolation semifinals. Welch jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the end of the second, scoring off two takedowns. The third period was an exciting one with two lead changes. Fleming chose top to start the third, turned Welch for two nearfall points and then again for three more backpoints, taking the 5-4 lead. Fleming's lead did not last long though as Welch re-gained control, scoring a reversal (6-5) and then two backpoints of his own (8-5). Welch tacked on another point for 1:59 of riding time as he advanced to the third-place match against Penn State's No. 7 Dylan Alton. After a scoreless first, Welch trailed 3-1 at the end of the second and came within one point (3-2) with 1:22 left in the third. Alton scored the decisive takedown though and added a point for riding time, giving Welch a fourth-place finish with the 6-2 decision. Welch is NU's 15th two-time All-American as he finished sixth as a redshirt sophomore in 2011. He also concludes his junior year with the best record of his career at 27-3. Northwestern's ninth-place finish at the 2012 NCAA Championships concludes the 2011-12 season where the 'Cats went 11-4 in dual action, finished a program-best second at Midlands and added two more All-America honors to the list.

ST. LOUIS -- Kyle Dake, Steve Bosak and Cam Simaz went a perfect three-for-three in the NCAA finals to crown a school record three NCAA wrestling champions on Saturday night at the Scottrade Center. Dake became the first wrestler to ever earn three NCAA titles at all different weight classes. The Big Red finished in fourth place as a team. At 157 pounds, Dake notched a double leg takedown 50 seconds into the bout and rode Derek St. John of Iowa out for the remainder of the first period. The Big Red junior chose to start the second down and escaped after 32 seconds. Dake nearly had a takedown at the end of the period, but time had run out. St. John chose to start the third at neutral. Dake was hit with his second stall warning with 22 seconds to give St. John a point. The penalty point was the only point against Dake for the entire tournament. With 1:39 in riding time, Dake won a 4-1 decision. He ends his junior season with a 35-0 record. He was the first non-Big 10 Conference champion of the night. At 184 pounds, Bosak took on Quentin Wright of Penn State. After a scoreless first period, Wright chose to start the second down. Wright reversed the Big Red wrestler to take a 2-0 lead. Bosak escaped to come within a point. Bosak tied the bout with an escape to start the third period. Neither wrestler scored again sending the bout into overtime. Bosak scored a takedown in sudden victory to win his first NCAA title. Simaz faced No. 2 Chris Honeycutt at 197 pounds. Honeycutt won a scramble to get a 2-0 lead with a takedown. Simaz quickly escaped. Honeycutt reversed Simaz from his starting down position to start the second, but the Big Red senior quickly escaped. Simaz notched a takedown to tie the bout at 4-4. Simaz escaped to open the third period. With a takedown he lengthened his lead to a 7-4 advantage. Honeycutt would escape, but Simaz held on to win a 7-5 decision for the NCAA title.

ST. LOUIS -- Logan Stieber, a redshirt freshman from Monroeville, Ohio, won the 133-pound NCAA Wrestling National championship Saturday night at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis Mo. No. 2 seed Stieber defeated No.1 seed and defending national champion Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State by a 4-3 score. The match began with Oliver gaining a quick takedown 17 seconds into the match. However, Stieber escaped 10 seconds later to make the score 2-1. With 30 seconds left in the first period, it appeared Stieber was going to earn his first takedown of the match as he was able to hoist Oliver into a one-legged position, but Oliver battled out and the score remained 2-1. In the second period, Stieber chose bottom and was able to escape eight seconds later, deadlocking the score at 2-2. After more than a minute of wrestling, Stieber was again able to force Oliver into a one-legged position, but this time he scored the takedown and sent the Ohio State crowd into a frenzy. Stieber earned the takedown with 20 seconds left in the second period, making the score 4-2. Oliver started the third period on bottom and was able to escape in 20 seconds, making the national championship a one point affair. Stieber fought off numerous blows from Oliver during the next minute and a half, refusing to give up a point. With 10 seconds remaining, Oliver shot at Stieber and was able to get him around the waist. The freshman from Monroeville, Ohio, stood strong and completed the upset. Ohio State finished the final day of the championships in fifth place with 64.5 points in the team race. Penn State (143) was first over Big Ten rival Minnesota (117.5), while Iowa finished third with 107.5 points. Overall, Ohio State boasted four All-Americans, tied for the second most in school history. The All-Americans for the Buckeyes were Logan Stieber, first place at 133 pounds, Cam Tessari, fourth place at 149 pounds, Nick Heflin, fifth at 174 pounds and Hunter Stieber, sixth at 141 pounds. Ohio State also set a team record for freshmen All-Americans with three (L. Stieber, H. Stieber and Cam Tessari).

ST. LOUIS -- Junior 149-pound Donnie Vinson achieved a rare and remarkable feat at the NCAA Championship. With his 12-10 win over 10th-seeded Cam Tessari of Ohio State on Saturday, Vinson capped a grueling run through the consolation bracket to place third. Vinson won seven straight matches - the only wrestler among 330 in St. Louis to win seven -- to become the highest-placing Bearcat in 10 years as a Division I program. It marked the first time in six years that any wrestler won seven straight matches at the NCAA Championship and it was just the fourth time in the last 14 years, according to the NCAA. “Overall it was an outstanding performance from all five of our guys,” sixth-year head coach Pat Popolizio said. “They all went .500 or better. I was extremely impressed with Donnie and Nick. For Nick as a true freshman to become an All-American, just shows his great potential. What a way to start his career! Donnie’s performance summed up our season ... he showed the heart, fight and will to win. Watching him win seven straight matches was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever witnessed as a coach. Words can’t describe how difficult it is to come all the way back like that, both mentally and physically. All these guys believe in what we’re about as a program and to get two All-Americans and finish in the top-15 as a team meets our goals for this season.” Heading into the evening finals, the Bearcats finished 14th place with 36.0 points. Popolizio and his staff produced two All-Americans for the first time and now have four All-Americans in the last four years. Binghamton’s five qualifiers went a combined 18-10 at the championship. In the high-scoring match against Tessari, Vinson scored four takedowns in the first period to forge ahead 8-4. He built riding time in the first period and added a reversal in the second period while maintaining his riding edge. A Tessari takedown at the second-period buzzer tightened the score at 10-9. Vinson escaped to start the third but was hit with a stall point, bringing the margin to 11-10 in the closing seconds. In the final five seconds, Vinson withstood a strong Tessari attack at the edge of the mat and with the riding time finished off a 12-10 win. Vinson finished his junior season with a 40-5 record and will bring 99 career wins into his senior season (99-24). In his 7th-8th place match, freshman heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski ran into a tough seventh-seed in Jeremy Johnson of Ohio and dropped an 11-5 decision. Gwiazdowski was tied 3-3 late in the first period before Johnson scored a takedown and secured riding time in the first. Johnson added a takedown in the second and another in the third for the final 6-point margin. Gwiazdowski finished his impressive rookie season with a 30-9 record, including five wins at the NCAAs. He was the only “true” freshman All-American at heavyweight and one of just six “true” freshmen All-Americans at the entire championship. Vinson and Gwiazdowski will take part in the prestigious “Parade of All-Americans” and podium presentations in the evening session.

Matt McDonough won his second NCAA title (Photo/Larry Slater) ST. LOUIS -- University of Iowa junior Matt McDonough won the 2012 NCAA title tonight with a 4-1 decision over Penn State's Nico Megaludis in the 125-pound NCAA finals. The national title is the second of McDonough's career. He won the championship as a freshman in 2010 and finished runner-up last season. Senior Montell Marion and sophomore Derek St. John each earned runner-up finishes after dropping a pair of decisions in the 141- and 157-pound finals. McDonough, who has reached the NCAA finals in each of the last three years, wrestled through a scoreless first period before jumping on the board with a second-period escape. Leading 1-0 entering the third frame, McDonough surrendered a third period escape with 1:27 left in match. He then finished a single leg attack to grab a 3-1 lead before riding the Nittany Lion until the final whistle to pick up a riding time point (1:39) and earn the final 4-1 decision. The championship victory was the 100th victory of McDonough's career. He owns a 100-4 career record and became the 22nd wrestler in school history to win at least two NCAA titles. Only six Hawkeyes have ever won three national titles. "That thought crossed my mind today, you know, how are you going to make your legacy, how are you going to set your mark in the program," said McDonough. "I was a one timer, three time finalist. That's good, but I want to be in that group that keeps getting smaller and smaller, and that three time NCAA championship group is even smaller. Just like I said my freshman year, moving on to the next thing. It's not over yet. I'm not done yet. I've still got a year left. I'm moving forward from right now on." Marion battled to a 4-4 draw in regulation before surrendering the deciding takedown 23 seconds into overtime. Marion trailed 3-1 early in the second period before knotting the score 3-3 with 1:18 into the frame. Russell escaped and took a 4-3 advantage into the third frame before Marion battled back again and tied the match 4-4 with an escape at the 1:05 mark. The score remained tied 4-4 until Russell countered a Marion shot with a takedown in the sudden victory period to win 6-4. Marion finishes his Hawkeye career as a three-time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up. He owns a 91-21 career record. St. John dropped a 4-1 decision to three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake in the 157-pound finals. Dake scored an early takedown, a second period escape, added a point for riding time and allowed a point for stalling to earn the title. St. John finishes the season with a 21-3 overall record, a Big Ten title and his second All-America honor in as many seasons. The Hawkeyes finished third in the team race with 107.5 points. Penn State won its second straight NCAA title with 143 points. Minnesota finished second (117.5), and Cornell (102.5) and Ohio State (68.5) rounded out the top five. A record 112,393 people attended this year's wrestling championships. A single-session record 18,919 attended tonight's finals. The 2013 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be hosted by Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Iowa finished the season with six All-Americans and two Big Ten champions.

Related Content: Results|All-Americans|Day 3 Recap|Day 3 Interviews|Day 2 Recap|Day 2 Interviews|Day 1 Recap|Contest Penn State won its second straight title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) ST. LOUIS -- Penn State won its third-ever national title -- and its second in two years -- at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Saturday night, with three of five finalists winning individual championships. The Nittany Lions clinched the team title race during the medal round Saturday By the time the last title bout was wrestled, Cael Sanderson and Company had compiled 143 points ... 25.5 more than second-place Minnesota. The three Penn State wrestlers who were crowned champs in the Gateway City: Frank Molinaro at 149 pounds, David Taylor at 165, and Ed Ruth at 174. It was the first title for all three, and especially sweet for Molinaro and Taylor, who suffered humiliating losses in the finals at the 2011 NCAAs. When asked to compare his first team title to this year's, head coach Sanderson replied, "The first one's probably always going to be a little extra special. But I'm real happy for the guys. I think they wrestled great. They went out and did what they needed to do ... We had some incredible performances." In the 149-pound title match, the top-seeded Frank Molinaro got a 4-1 win over No. 7 seed Dylan Ness of Minnesota. It was the fourth time the Penn State senior had beaten the Gopher freshman this season. Molinaro used last year's finals loss to Cornell's Kyle Dake as inspiration this year, saying in the post-match interview, "Last year, I got killed and went back and trained as hard as I could for a year straight. Took a lot of heat, a lot of criticism from that match, but all it did was motivate me ... I had a lot of shutouts this year. I dominated people. And I had a blast doing it." Molinaro completed his last year with a perfect 33-0 record, and ends his career as a four-time NCAA All-American. David Taylor (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)At 165, top-seeded David Taylor capped his flawless 31-0 season with his first title, conducting a takedown clinic on No. 11 seed Brandon Hatchett of Lehigh, securing a 22-7 technical fall victory at 5:55. The sophomore from St. Paris, Ohio also earned Outstanding Wrestler honors for the tournament, and the Gorriaran Award for the most falls in the shortest amount of time (four in 8:46). With those four falls, Taylor seemed to be on his way to becoming only the ninth wrestler since 1928 to pin his way through the NCAAs ... but it was not to be. The last to do it was Oregon State heavyweight Howard Harris in 1980; among the others in this elite group are Bill Koll, Dan Hodge, and Dan Gable. When asked how much he had improved this season, Taylor replied, "I think it took me until the first match of this tournament to realize the improvement I've made. This whole year I think I wrestled with a little bit of I don't even know how to describe it -- I just wanted the NCAA tournament to be here. I wanted to be on that stage and make up for last year." Ed Ruth was the third Nittany Lion to win his first title, and leave St. Louis with a perfect 31-0 record. In a battle of undefeateds, the top-seeded sophomore earned a 13-2 major decision over third-seeded Stanford senior Nick Amuchastegui. Ruth had injury defaulted to Amuchastegui in the quarterfinals of the 2011 NCAAs, and it's a matter that has weighed in the minds of many wrestling fans ... and the wrestler himself. At the post-finals press conference, Ruth was asked if this was on his mind: "Oh definitely. I think about it last year. I think about it this year. I'm like, wow, we are two completely different wrestlers compared from last year to this year. And that whole situation, I didn't really look at it too much. The only thing that made me look at it much was the fans, what the people were saying on the Internet. And it's just getting me a big drive just to prove them wrong." Tony Nelson became the fifth Gopher to win a heavyweight title (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Second-place Minnesota tallied 117.5 points, with Tony Nelson taking the heavyweight crown from defending champ Zack Rey of Lehigh on a takedown with just seven seconds left in the match to win 4-1. Here's how the native of Cambridge, Minnesota described it: "We got in a good scramble there and he had my leg. Just knew it was time. Had to score there. Couldn't give up that takedown. And I was able to spin around and catch his other leg for two. Really exciting." With the title, the second-seeded sophomore becomes the fifth Golden Gopher to win the heavyweight title, joining Leonard Levy, Verne Gagne, Brock Lesnar, and Cole Konrad. Iowa came in third place with 107.5 team points. Of its three finalists, only one -- Matt McDonough -- left Scottrade Center with a title, his second in three finals appearances, having won in 2010 but lost in 2011. The top-seeded Hawkeye senior earned the 125-pound crown this year with a 4-1 win over No. 10 seed freshman Nico Megaludis of Penn State. "Regardless of the weight, the sport of wrestling is a lifestyle like no other sport," the Marion, Iowa native said after Saturday night's win, the 100th of his collegiate career. "You have to live it, eat it, breathe it. Every aspect of your life has to include wrestling. And after my redshirt year, I realized what I wanted, and that was to be the very best, and I thought that would be going to 125 not because I'll get in the lineup, but because that's where I thought I would wrestle the best, I would be the most competitive, and I could improve myself the most." Kyle Dake became the first wrestler to win three NCAA titles and three different weights (Photo/Larry Slater)Cornell came in fourth in the team title race with 102.5 points, and all three finalists claiming individual championships: Kyle Dake at 157, Steve Bosak at 184, and Cam Simaz at 197. The top-seeded Dake won his third title in three years by beating No. 2 seed Derek St. John of Iowa, 4-1. The Big Red wrestler is the first to win three NCAA titles at three different weights, having won at 141 in 2010, then moving up to 149 last year. "(It's a) really good feeling, doing something that no one's done before," said the 35-0 Dake. "And it's a tough match. (St. John) went hard just like any Iowa guy would ... We were both battling. And I think that all great wrestlers appreciate a good battle. And I know it's not the outcome that he wanted, but he's a great wrestler. And he showed a lot of fight." No. 4 seed Bosak defeated defending champ Quentin Wright of Penn State, 4-2 SV, to win the 184-pound title. The two had grown up together in Centre County, Pennsylvania and trained together in high school, a subject that came up in post-match interviews. "We're friends. Great kid," said the Big Red wrestler. "But when it comes down to it, I was focusing on winning a national title no matter who it was. As far as I was concerned, it was a blank face I was going up against." Individual Champions (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The third Cornell champ of the evening was No. 1 seed Cam Simaz, who completed his college career by beating No. 2 seed Chris Honeycutt of Edinboro, 7-5, in the 197 finals ... after coming back from a 4-2 deficit in the second period. "I'll be the first to tell you that the plan wasn't to go out there and take him down, get a few escapes and start losing," said the senior. "Obviously that wasn't the game plan. But the game plan was to go out there wrestle hard for seven minutes. Hopefully outscore him. That's my game plan every single time." In fifth place was Ohio State with 68.5 team points, and one individual champ, No. 2 seed Logan Stieber, who scored a 4-3 win over No. 1 seed -- and defending champ -- Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State in the 133-pound title match. What's next for the Buckeye freshman champ? A week off in Florida, then working on his goal to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team in freestyle. Another Big Ten school that could claim an individual champ was Michigan ... with Kellen Russell successfully defending his 141-pound title with a seesaw battle against fellow senior Montell Marion of Iowa, ending in sudden victory, 6-4 -- the third overtime match for the two conference rivals. "He's a great competitor, really good wrestler. And all of our matches are always tough," said the two-time Wolverine champ of Marion. "There were some takedowns it's not usually an easy takedown to score on, so his matches are always fun." Team Standings (Top 10) 1. Penn State 143 2. Minnesota 117.5 3. Iowa 107.5 4. Cornell 102.5 5. Ohio State 68.5 6. Oklahoma State 66 7. Illinois 62 8. Lehigh 61 9. Northwestern 42.5 10. Oregon State 40.5 NWCA Awards and Honors Gorriaran Award: Penn State's David Taylor (four pins in 8:46) Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAAs: David Taylor Coach of the Year: Minnesota's J Robinson NCAA Season-Long Performance Awards Most Tech Falls: Buffalo's Mark Lewandowski, Edinboro's Chris Honeycutt Most Falls: Oregon State's R.J. Pena (20 pins) Most Dominant Wrestler: David Taylor (513 points) News & Notes Taking attendance: The 2012 NCAAs set new records for fan attendance. Saturday night, 18,919 fans were in the stands of the Scottrade Center ... a new Session VI record. Total attendance for all six sessions was 112,393, shattering the record of 104,266 set last year at the NCAAs in Philadelphia. Big conference contrasts: The Big Ten had 12 finalists this year, while the Big 12 had only one (Jordan Oliver). The Big Ten had 34 wrestlers earn All-American honors; the Big 12 had only five -- its lowest total ever. All-American tallies: Minnesota had the most wrestlers place in the top eight in each weight class, with seven; Penn State, and Iowa had six All-Americans. Cornell had five All-Americans. Ohio State, Illinois and Lehigh each had four. Oklahoma State and Oregon State each had three All-Americans. Not one he'll want to remember: Oklahoma State's Jamal Parks -- the No. 2 seed at 149 -- had been undefeated this season ... but struggled at the 2012 NCAAs, and failed to place. Call him Iron Man: Binghamton's fourth-seeded Donnie Vinson lost his first match at the 2012 NCAAs ... then won seven straight bouts to place third at 149 pounds, earning All-American honors. "It was absolutely terrible, but awesome at the same time," said Vinson of losing first round and winning seven straight. "That's the second best thing you can do other than winning, and I did it with dominance."

125: 1st: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. No. 10 Nico Megaludis (Penn State), 4-1 3rd: No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) dec. No. 6 Frank Perrelli (Cornell), 6-4 SV 5th: No. 8 Ryan Mango (Stanford) dec. No. 5 Nic Bedelyon (Kent State), 6-4 SV 7th: No. 4 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. No. 12 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 3-1 133: 1st: No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State), 4-3 3rd: No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) pinned No. 10 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), 6:49 5th: No. 6 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) pinned No. 4 B.J. Futrell (Illinois), 1:45 7th: No. 8 Zac Stevens (Michigan) dec. No. 11 Steven Keith (Harvard), 13-11 141: 1st: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) dec. No. 3 Montell Marion (Iowa), 6-4 SV 3rd: No. 6 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) dec. No. 2 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), 4-3 SV 5th: No. 4 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) pinned No. 5 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State), 4:14 7th: Michael Nevinger (Cornell) dec. No. 8 Darius Little (North Carolina State), 10-3 149: 1st: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) dec. No. 7 Dylan Ness (Minnesota), 4-1 3rd: No. 4 Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) dec. No. 10 Cam Tessari (Ohio State), 12-10 5th: No. 6 Tyler Nauman (Pittsburgh) dec. Justin Accordino (Hofstra), 4-3 7th: Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) dec. Nick Lester (Oklahoma), 1-0 157: 1st: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. No. 2 Derek St. John (Iowa), 4-1 3rd: No. 7 Dylan Alton (Penn State) dec. No. 3 Jason Welch (Northwestern), 6-2 5th: No. 6 James Fleming (Clarion) dec. No. 5 Ganbayar Sanjaa (American), 7-5 7th: No. 11 James Green (Nebraska) dec. No. 4 Walter Peppelman (Harvard), 9-1 165: 1st: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) tech. fall No. 11 Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh), 22-7 3rd: No. 4 Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (Clarion) dec. Kyle Blevins (Appalachian State), 6-2 5th: No. 6 Peter Yates (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 7 Josh Asper (Maryland), 13-7 7th: Ben Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. No. 9 Conrad Polz (Illinois), 5-2 174: 1st: No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) dec. No. 3 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford), 13-2 3rd: No. 2 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 7 Jordan Blanton (Illinois), 4-1 5th: No. 9 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Logan Storley (Minnesota), 3-2 7th: No. 5 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) dec. No. 6 Ryan DesRoches (Cal Poly), 3-1 184: 1st: No. 4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec. No. 6 Quentin Wright (Penn State), 4-2 SV 3rd: No. 9 Austin Trotman (Appalachian State) dec. No. 2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), 3-1 SV 5th: No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) dec. No. 3 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan), 3-1 7th: No. 1 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) med. forfeit over No. 7 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) 197: 1st: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) dec. No. 2 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro), 7-5 3rd: No. 5 Cayle Byers (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 4 Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh), 3-2 5th: No. 10 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) dec. No. 9 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming), 4-1 7th: No. 11 Micah Burak (Penn) dec. No. 12 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh), 2-1 SV 285: 1st: No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. No. 4 Zack Rey (Lehigh), 4-1 3rd: No. 10 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. No. 3 Clayton Jack (Oregon State), 10-5 5th: No. 5 Bobby Telford (Iowa) med. forfeit over No. 1 Ryan Flores (American) 7th: No. 7 Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) dec. Nick Gwiazdowski (Binghamton), 11-5

Related Content: Results|All-Americans|Day 3 Recap|Day 3 Interviews|Day 2 Recap|Day 2 Interviews|Day 1 Recap|Contest 125: Matt McDonough (Iowa) 133: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 141: Kellen Russell (Michigan) 149: Frank Molinaro (Penn State) 157: Kyle Dake (Cornell) 165: David Taylor (Penn State) 174: Ed Ruth (Penn State) 184: Steve Bosak (Cornell) 197: Cam Simaz (Cornell) 285: Tony Nelson (Minnesota) Cael Sanderson (Penn State)

Minnesota finished runner-up to Penn State (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Tony Nelson capped off the 2012 NCAA Wrestling National Championship with a heavyweight title. It is the first national title for a Minnesota heavyweight since Cole Conrad (2007) and it’s the Gophers first national champion since Jayson Ness won a title in 2010. Head Coach J Robinson was also named the 2012 National Coach of the Year. The Golden Gophers wrestling team finished second overall after recording 117.5 points for their best finish since winning the team title in 2007. Penn State was crowned team champions for the second consecutive year, after finishing with 143.0 points. Nelson was down 1-0 going into the third period and had 1:10 of riding time. The sophomore scored an escape to even the score at 1-1 with 1:36 reaming in the period. Nelson would score a takedown with seven seconds remaining to go up 3-1. He would ride him out to end the match and earn an additional point for riding time and the championship, with a 4-1 win. Nelson’s thoughts on finishing seventh a year ago and champion this season were all smiles. “You know, you work hard all summer,” Nelson said. “The offseason's huge for getting better and coming finishing seventh place last year, I wanted a national championship this year. I put the time in and I just have to thank God for everything he has done for me. He brought me here and now I am an NCAA champion.” Redshirt freshman Dylan Ness finished runner-up to Penn State’s Frank Molianro. Early in the first period Molinaro took a shot at Ness, but the Bloomington native countered it and nearly turned him on his back, before the both of them went out of the circle. Molinaro would score on a double leg takedown near the end of the first to go up 2-0. In the second period, Ness chose to defer until the third. Molinaro would score an escape early and Ness would block a few shots, to end the period down 3-0. Ness would score an escape late in the third period after Molinaro recorded 1:50 of riding time and end the match at 4-1. Note: The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship all-time total attendance record with 112,393 for the week.

Related Content: Results|All-Americans|Day 3 Recap|Day 3 Interviews|Day 2 Recap|Day 2 Interviews|Day 1 Recap|Contest Nico Megaludis defeated Frank Perrelli to reach the NCAA finals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) ST. LOUIS -- It was Penn State Day at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Scottrade Center in St. Louis Friday. No, there wasn't any official proclamation ... but it sure seemed that everything went right for the defending NCAA team titlewinners on Day 2 of the national tournament. The Nittany Lions went five-for-five in the semifinals Friday evening, putting a wrestler in half the title matches to be wrestled Saturday night, including freshman phemom Nico Megaludis at 125 pounds, Ed Ruth at 174, 2011 NCAA finalists Frank Molinaro and David Taylor at 149 and 165, and 2011 NCAA 184-pound champ Quentin Wright. What's more, Penn State has wrestled as if possessed, racking up bonus points seemingly at every turn. All these factors have put head coach Cael Sanderson's crew in first place in the team title race ... and in the driver's seat to win a second consecutive championship, and third overall. At the end of Session IV Friday, Penn State has 124 points. Minnesota was in second place with 101.5 points, and two finalists -- Dylan Ness at 149, and Tony Nelson at 285. In third place was Iowa, with 93 points, and three Hawkeyes vying for titles: Matt McDonough at 125, Montell Marion at 141, and Derek St. John at 157. Cornell, with 86 points, is in fourth place, with three Big Red wrestlers still in the title hunt: Kyle Dake at 157, Steve Bosak at 184, and Cam Simaz at 197. Finals will be wrestled at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday. 125: No. 1 seed Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Nic Bedelyon (Kent State), 15-7 No. 10 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Frank Perrelli (Cornell), 3-2 SV2 A study in contrasts -- at least in terms of seeding (No. 1 vs. No. 10), class (junior Matt McDonough of Iowa, vs. true freshman Nico Megaludis of Penn State), and NCAA finals experience (third title match for the Hawkeye, first-ever for the Nittany Lion.) McDonough, the Big Ten champ, with a 35-1 record, is taking on Megaludis, with a 28-7 mark this season, for the second time this season, at the Iowa-Penn State dual in January, where McDonough got a 3-1 overtime win. When informed he would be facing Megaludis in an all-Big Ten final, McDonough said, "It's a chance I want back -- to wrestle him again, to improve on what I started on, but not just go off of what happened in the dual." Megaludis said of his finals opponent, "Obviously he's pretty good. But I'm excited. He's going to wrestle hard for seven minutes. I'm going to wrestle hard for seven minutes. He's on a mission. I'm on a mission, too. It's going to be a fight." 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 4 B.J. Futrell (Illinois), 4-2 No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa), 8-2 A classic match-up between No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, the sort of thing bracket engineers and wrestling fans seek. Oklahoma State's Jordan Oliver is a junior, with a 28-1 record, the 2012 Big 12 title, and the 2011 NCAA crown. Ohio State's Logan Stieber is a freshman, 32-2, with the 2012 Big Ten championship. The two finalists wrestled at the 2012 National Duals in mid-February, with Oliver getting a 7-3 win. At the post-semifinals press conference, Oliver looked ahead to Saturday night: "I feel good. Real excited about this next match. I wrestled Logan once before. But it's a new day. It's a new match. Anything can happen." When asked about Oliver, Stieber responded, "I've wrestled him before. I know what he's going to do, he knows what I'm going to do." The Buckeye added he would watch the film from the National Duals tonight. 141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) dec. No. 5 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State), 5-2 No. 3 Montell Marion (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), 3-1 OT A second Big Ten finals, featuring two seniors looking to wrap up their careers with the NCAA title. Michigan's Kellen Russell is the defending NCAA champ, 28-1 this season. He won the Big Ten title two weeks ago by beating Montell Marion, 7-2, who has a 27-3 record this year as senior at Iowa. Russell weighed in on the man who hopes to deny him one more title: "I had a pretty big game plan (at the Big Tens). I'm sure he'll come back with something different. Just need to keep my attacks going and it should be an exciting match ... Pretty much all I want to do is be more offensive whether it's attacking at single or high crotch. The main plan is to stay offensive." Marion was asked to compare his semifinals opponent (Oklahoma's Kendric Maple) to his finals rival Russell. "When it comes to Russell, different kind of wrestler," said the Hawkeye, who was a 2010 NCAA finalist. "Maple is more of a counter style wrestler, counter offense. Russell is a scrambler, he's talented. Got to go out there and put a hammer on him, protect my legs, getting my tie, getting my score. The mantra: get your legs, get your tie, get your score." 149: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) dec. unseeded Justin Accordino (Hofstra), 5-0 4:03 RT No. 7 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) dec. No. 6 Tyler Nauman (Pittsburgh), 8-5 Yet another clash of Big Ten wrestlers. Penn State's Frank Molinaro, a senior, brings a perfect 32-0 record to the finals, along with the Big Ten title ... and the experience gained from being in the NCAA finals last year. Dylan Ness is a freshman, 28-3, at Minnesota. In three matches between the two this season, "Frank the Tank" is 3-0 on Ness, including a major decision and a technical fall. Citing the fact Molinaro has easily handled Ness three times this year, a reporter asked if he would rather end his wrestling career with a tougher opponent. "No. I mean, whoever it is, it doesn't matter," said the Nittany Lion. "We prepare for anybody. I'm going to take Dylan like it's the first time I wrestled him. I'm not going to take him light. I'm going to go out there like it's the last match of my career, because it is." Dylan Ness (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Ness was asked about those losses. "After that Big Ten loss, I had my father just telling me getting second in the Big Tens is a great thing to have and be that for a freshman, just to come back and learn from it, keep learning from these things," the Golden Gopher responded. "Just forget about that loss, especially now that I'm in the finals with him. And nothing else matters except for that seven minutes on the stage." Ness drew some laughs when asked what makes it so hard to score upon Molinaro: "He's just stays low. I guess it doesn't help that I'm 6', 149 pounder and he's 5', and five feet wide. Yeah, he's tough to score on, stays low, gets the head position down when you shoot. He's pretty quick, too." 157: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. No. 5 Ganbayar Sanjaa (American), 4-0 No. 2 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Jason Welch (Northwestern), 5-1 Kyle Dake is a junior, with a flawless 34-0 record, the EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) title, and two NCAA championships. Derek St. John, a sophomore, has battled back from injuries to craft a 21-2 season, including the Big Ten crown. Dake and St. John have never faced each other on the mat. "I just really wanted to get back on that stage and be able to show people what I'm made of, go out and win another national title," said Dake in the press conference after his semifinals win. When asked about going up against St. John, the Big Red wrestler responded, "Don't really know much about him. Just that he's an Iowa guy and he seems to win a lot of close matches, so it will be fun." What does it mean for St. John to make it to the finals? "It wasn't ever really a doubt in my mind that it wasn't possible. But had a little bit of a setback with the knee. Just kept marching forward." When asked what it's like to go up against a wrestler of Dake's credentials, the Hawkeye put things in perspective, saying he would wrestle like it's another match, albeit "a bigger, more important match." 165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) pinned No. 4 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion), 4:46 No. 11 Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. No. 7 Josh Asper (Maryland), 5-4 This match has the biggest differential in terms of seeding -- a No. 1 going up against a No. 11 seed. David Taylor is a sophomore with 31 wins, no losses for the season, the 2012 Big Ten title, and the experience of having been in the spotlight last year as an NCAA runner-up. Brandon Hatchett is a senior, 18-3, who won the 2012 EIWA title a couple weeks ago. The two wrestled in an early December dual meet, with the Nittany Lion coming out on top, 8-5. "He's a pretty good opponent," Taylor said of the man he'll face for the title. "Obviously he's in the national finals. I think he should have been a higher seed than 11. He obviously showed it by making it to the final." Hatchett addressed the issue of his low seeding, the result of having a torn AC at the Midlands which forced him to sit out much of the season, saying, "It gave me a little motivation. But I understood, because I was gone for most of the season, that I was going to be seeded low. If you want to be the best, you have to beat everybody, so it doesn't matter." When asked about his game plan for Saturday's finals, Hatchett broke up the press corps with his honest response: "I don't know. I haven't decided yet. Make weight, relax, about 10 minutes before the match I'll start panicking and figure that out." 174: No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) tech. fall No. 4 Logan Storley (Minnesota), 16-1 (6:38) No. 3 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) dec. No. 2 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State), 6-3 Ed Ruth (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Penn State sophomore Ed Ruth came to St. Louis with a perfect 26-0 record, the Big Ten title, and the No. 1 seed. Likewise, Nick Amuchastegui had a flawless 20-0 season, the Pac-12 crown ... but was seeded third, much to the consternation of some in the wrestling world, but, not to the Stanford senior, who, when asked whether his place in the bracket was an insult, responded, "No, I didn't feel like I got slapped in the face. I felt like I got the best chance to wrestle the two best guys in the bracket. If I beat them both, I'd come out feeling a lot better about the whole tournament." The two have a bit of history; Ruth was forced to injury default to Amuchastegui in the quarterfinals at the 2011 NCAAs. Amuchastegui made it to the finals, where he lost to Iowa State's Jon Reader. Ruth pinned his first two opponents in about 90 seconds each, using the cradle. That's something that his finals opponent is already thinking about. "Figure out how you want to defend it, figure out what you want to do against it, then execute it," said Amuchastegui. "Go out there, just like every match, everybody is good at something. Whoever they are, whatever it is, you got to figure out how to beat it and do it." Naturally, the Nittany Lion was asked about his cradle, too. "It's something I've been doing for years now," said Ruth. "The move I'm most comfortable with. Very confident in the strength of my arms. Every time I go out there, if I feel it, I'm going to shoot right for it." 184: No. 6 Quentin Wright (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), 3-2 No. 4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec. No. 9 Austin Trotman (Appalachian State), 4-2 SV This will be a battle of finalists from two teams currently battling for the team title who happen to be both from Centre County, Pa. Penn State's Quentin Wright, the only individual champ from the team that won the 2011 NCAA title, is a junior with a 30-3 record. Steve Bosak from Cornell is also a junior, 32-4 this year. The two were workout partners back in high school, from different schools, in adjacent weight classes. Wright defeated Bosak, 10-3, in the finals of the Southern Scuffle in December. When asked about that history, Wright put it in perspective: "Next opponent, I guess. Yeah, I mean, I'm really happy for him. We worked hard growing up. We were kind of like rival school workout partners on Sunday ... But, yeah, I'm excited that he's doing real well. We get a chance to wrestle each other tomorrow." Bosak was a bit more matter-of-fact in his response to the same line of questioning. "When it comes to wrestling, you have no friends out there. It's you and the other guy. You just got to look at it that way, with that mindset. And after the match, you can be friends." 197: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) dec. No. 5 Cayle Byers (Oklahoma State), 6-3 No. 2 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro) dec. No. 3 Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh), 6-3, TB1 One more match-up of the top two seeds in the weight class. No. 1 seed Cornell's Cam Simaz is a senior with a 31-1 record, and the EIWA title; Edinboro's Chris Honeycutt is also a senior, 40-1, with the EWL championship. "That's a match everybody wants to see at 197," said Simaz after winning his semifinals bout. "Hopefully it turns out to be exciting .... But as far as Honeycutt goes, (we're) two totally different wrestlers. He's all jacked up and I'm string bean. Hopefully the 'String Bean' can pull one out for the little guys. We'll see what happens tomorrow." Honeycutt was more philosophical about the finals, saying it was his last wrestling match, as he plans to go into mixed martial arts competition after graduation. "Tomorrow is very exciting. I hope I can go out on a win. To win the National tournament as a fifth year senior, it's my last shot, my only time. I mean, it's a dream. It's a step in the right direction." 285: No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. No. 3 Clayton Jack (Oregon State), 4-3 No. 4 Zack Rey (Lehigh) dec. No. 1 Ryan Flores (American), 7-1 Tony Nelson (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Minnesota's Tony Nelson, the second seed in the big-man bracket, was 31-2 as a sophomore, winning the Big Ten heavyweight title earlier this month. Zack Rey, a senior at Lehigh, had a 26-1 season ... with that one loss being to American's Ryan Flores at the EIWA finals ... the same Flores he defeated at the 2011 NCAA finals, and in the semifinals at the 2012 NCAAs. Rey was blunt in his assessment of being seeded fourth in the bracket, even as defending heavyweight champ. "I didn't care for my seed ... I mean, everybody knows the selection committee did a terrible job this season. That doesn't matter. You have to win five matches out here. Sometimes six to be a champ." What does it mean for Nelson to go up against Rey? "I'm excited to go out there, get a chance to knock off the defending national champ. I'm just going to, like I said, be active, move, try and wear him out, see what I can do."

Related Content: Results|All-Americans|Day 3 Recap|Day 3 Interviews|Day 2 Recap|Day 2 Interviews|Day 1 Recap|Contest 125: Matt McDonough (Iowa) 125: Nico Megaludis (Penn State) 133: Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) 133: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 141: Kellen Russell (Michigan) 141: Montell Marion (Iowa) 149: Frank Molinaro (Penn State) 149: Dylan Ness (Minnesota) 157: Kyle Dake (Cornell) 157: Derek St. John (Iowa) 165: David Taylor (Penn State) 165: Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) 174: Ed Ruth (Penn State) 174: Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) 184: Steve Bosak (Cornell) 184: Quentin Wright (Penn State) 197: Cam Simaz (Cornell) 197: Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro) 285: Tony Nelson (Minnesota) 285: Zack Rey (Lehigh)

Related Content: Results|All-Americans|Day 3 Recap|Day 3 Interviews|Day 2 Recap|Day 2 Interviews|Day 1 Recap|Contest ST. LOUIS -- A number of recently-crowned conference champions had their dreams of a national title denied -- or, in some cases, deferred for another year -- in the first day of competition at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis on Thursday. Meanwhile, Penn State -- 2012 Big Ten and 2011 NCAA team champs -- was in first place at the end of Day 1 with 38.5 team points and seven wrestlers alive in the championship bracket. In second was Minnesota with 33 points and eight wrestlers in the championship bracket. Oklahoma State was third with 28.5 points and four wrestlers in the championship bracket. With 27 points Cornell was in fourth place with four wrestlers in the championship bracket. Iowa finished the day in fifth with 26 points and six wrestlers in the championship bracket. Three No. 4 seeds -- including two conference champs -- were derailed from their title quest in Session I: At 149, 2012 CAA (Colonial Athletic Conference) champ Donnie Vinson of Binghamton lost to unseeded Nick Lester of University of Oklahoma. At 157, Harvard's Walter Peppelman -- a 2011 NCAA All-American -- was pinned by unseeded David Bonin of Northern Iowa. At 197, Christian Boley of Maryland -- 2012 ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) titlist -- was defeated by unseeded Cody Reed of Binghamton. Vinson, Peppelman, and Boley all rebounded to win in the wrestlebacks on Thursday night. Thursday evening saw even more upsets. Among the casualties of Session II: Virginia Tech's Devin Carter, ACC champ and sixth seed at 133, lost to No. 11 seed Steven Keith of Harvard (Carter had been ranked No. 1 in his weight class for a time this season.). Also at 133, third-seeded Alan Waters of Missouri -- 2012 Big 12 champ -- fell in overtime to unseeded Anthony Zanetti of Pitt. At 141, No. 7 seed -- and 2012 ACC titlewinner -- Nick Nelson of Virginia was topped by unseeded Zach Neibert of cross-state rival Virginia Tech. In the 149-pound bracket, fifth-seeded freshman Ian Miller of Kent State -- 2012 MAC (Mid-American Conference) titlist -- was pinned by unseeded Justin Accordino of Hofstra. At 157, sixth-seed EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) champ James Fleming of Clarion fell to No. 11 James Green of Nebraska. Iowa's Mike Evans -- the No. 5 seed at 165 -- lost to No. 12 P.J. Gillespie of Hofstra. At 197, 2012 Big Ten champ and No. 7 seed Mario Gonzalez of Illinois was defeated by Big Ten rival Sonny Yohn, the No. 10 seed from Minnesota. The quarterfinals begin at 10 a.m. CT on Friday. Team Standings (Top 10): 1. Penn State 38.5 2. Minnesota 33 3. Oklahoma State 28.5 4. Cornell 27.5 5. Iowa 26 6. Illinois 23 7. Oklahoma 19.5 8. Ohio State 19 9. Lehigh 18 9. Nebraska 18 9. Northwestern 18