IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Five Penn State wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals and three remained alive in consolations yesterday at the NCAA Championships.

But Penn State's chances of challenging for the team title were ruined when 158-pounder Jason Suter and 167-pounder Dave Hart were upset in the first round -- and when Iowa advanced nine of its 10 wrestlers to the quarterfinals. Penn State is currently third behind Iowa and Oklahoma State.

"Dave's, Jason's and Matt White's matches were crucial for us to do well as a team," Coach Rich Lorenzo said.

Hart was eliminated with a loss in the consolations but Suter stayed alive by defeating Army's Nick Mauldin in an additional 30-second period of sudden death overtime.

Advancing to the quarterfinal round were 118-pounder Jeff Prescott, 126-pounder Bob Truby, 142-pounder Troy Sunderland, 150-pounder Tim Wittman and 177-pounder Matt White.

Prescott won by fall in each of his matches; he pinned Navy's Jeff Stepanic in 6:41 and North Carolina's Ty Moore in 2:49.

"(Stepanic) was running away from me -- he didn't want to wrestle," Prescott said. "He was just trying to keep it close."

Although a sprained ankle caused him to limp off the mat, Wittman put the pain out of his mind to pin E.K. Franks of Oklahoma in the first round at 3:31.

"It makes you feel invincible," Wittman said.

Wittman, the eighth seed, then defeated ninth-seeded Nick Garone of Old Dominion, 4-3, in the second round. Wittman said he should have kept his level lower and moved more during the match, and that he didn't do a good enough job of staying out of Garone's ties.

"I'm never really happy (with the match) -- I'm really not," Wittman said. "There's always something I can improve on."

Wittman will face top-ranked Matt Demaray of Wisconsin in the quarterfinals today.

Suter had beaten Mauldin three times before yesterday's match; all their matches had been close.

Regulation ended with the score tied 2-2, and neither wrestler could score during the three-minute sudden death overtime period.

"It was more mental than that they were physically tired," Lorenzo said. "They're both seniors, they both wanted to be All-Americans."

The match then went to an extra 30-second period. Suter lost the coin flip and Mauldin took down, but Suter rode him for the entire 30 seconds to win.

"The match should have never gone into overtime," Lorenzo said. "I thought the officiating was very poor -- for both wrestlers."

Lorenzo said Mauldin should have been called earlier for stalling and Suter should have been awarded a takedown and back points for a Jacob's ride in the second period. Either call would have given Suter the victory in regulation.

Suter, seeded 10th although he struggled during the EWL Tournament and qualified for nationals with a wild card, lost to unseeded Mike Marzetti of Minnesota, 5-3, in the first round.

Marzetti scored a takedown off Suter's shot in the second period which Lorenzo thought controversial because Suter's knee touched the mat only momentarily.

Unlike wrestlers during the EWL Tournament who chose neutral because Suter is so strong on top, Marzetti chose down to start the second period, and he reversed Suter, who got too high on Marzetti's leg. Marzetti then upset seventh-seeded Mauldin, allowing Suter to wrestle back.

Hart was eliminated by G.T. Taylor of Arizona State, 5-3, on what assistant coach Hachiro Oishi told Lorenzo was a questionable takedown. Hart attempted to protest the match, but Lorenzo said a judgement call could not be reversed.

"It's a shame because I really thought Dave Hart could be an All-American this year," Lorenzo said. "He worked so hard."

Hart, also seeded 10th, lost by major decision to Marquette's Billy Kumprey, 15-3, in the first round.

"That was as horrible as Dave's wrestled in two years," Lorenzo said.

Assistant coach John Fritz said Hart got "junked" -- beaten by a sloppy technician whose flexibility and unorthodox style make it difficult to score.

Hart got sloppy in the second period, allowing Kumprey to score nine near-fall points. Kumprey only had a 15-second riding time advantage.

Kumprey then upset seventh-seeded Taylor, allowing Hart to wrestle back.

The 10th seed was unlucky for other wrestlers as well -- five of the 10 10th seeds lost.

Chad Dubin upset 10th-seeded Dave Drogemueller, 10-6, in the first round at 134. Drogemueller defeated second-seeded Alan Fried earlier this year.

Dubin then lost to seventh-seeded Marco Sanchez of Arizona State, 9-3, in the second round. He wrestled back against Virginia's Jody Jackson and won, 14-6, to stay alive in consolations.

"Chad doesn't have as much talent as those guys, but he's got just as much heart," Fritz said.

Heavyweight Marc Padwe also stayed alive in the consolations with a 6-4 win over 11th-seeded Bret Sharp of Drake. Padwe lost to sixth-seeded Kirk Mammen of Oklahoma State in the first round.

Mike Kraft was elimated after only one match at 190 when seventh-seeded Chris Nelson of Nebraska, who pinned him, lost in the second round.