Tough call leaves Neidlinger empty-handed


Tuesday, March 24, 1998	Tough call leaves Neidlinger empty-handed By CRAIG KACKENMEISTER Collegian Sports Writer CLEVELAND -- Going into the 177-pound quarterfinal match last weekend at the NCAA Championships, Penn State wrestler Rob Neidlinger knew his competitor very well; the No. 1 seed Mitch Clark from Ohio State. During a dual meet with Ohio State on Feb. 13, Neidlinger faced Clark for the first time in the season, losing in a 3-1 decision. Neidlinger ran into Clark again a few weeks later at the Big Ten Championships Mar. 7-8. He lost again in a 7-2 decision.
`Penn State Wrestling Home Page`	But the third time's the charm -- at least Neidlinger thought so going into his third match against Clark at the NCAA Tournament. But the referees for the match made a controversial clasping call against the determined Lion wrestler who lost in a 6-4 decision. "It was a bad call," a disappointed Neidlinger said after the match. "I clearly out wrestled him." Neidlinger did have control of the match, scoring points early causing Clark to scramble back and get the win.
Lion wrestler Rob Neidlinger tries to roll over an opponent in a meet last year. In the NCAA Tournament, Neidlinger at 177 faced No. 1-seeded Mitch Clark from Ohio State losing 6-4 in a close decision. (Collegian Photo/Shawn Knapp - click for full size image)	Neidlinger's match wasn't the only controversial one during the three-day event. Oklahoma State coach John Smith said the 30-second sudden death overtime was a big reason for a lot of the controversial calls. After the match, an exhausted Clark said he knew if he won the match against Neidlinger, he would be able to make it to the finals. Clark followed through, going on to win the championship match with a 17-0 technical fall in three minutes against West Virginia's Vertus Jones. "I was very nervous about the match," Clark said. "I met up with Neidlinger twice, and I knew he was closing in on my style. I knew my moves wouldn't work, so I just tried to outcondition him, and that is what I did." Neidlinger agreed with Clark. He said he had him down and knew what to do. Neidlinger studied what he had to do and executed it. Coach John Fritz agreed with his wrestler and was sad to see the arm of Clark raised.
`More on Rob Neidlinger (courtesy Penn State Wrestling Home Page)`	"It's a shame he lost the match," Fritz said. "Personally, I don't think he lost. Rob followed the game plan exactly." Fritz added Neidlinger is a good wrestler on his feet and Clark is a good wrestler on the mat and Neidlinger wrestled most of the match on his feet. He said he thinks when Neidlinger took Clark down the second time during the match, the referees thought his hands were in a locked position and took away one of his points. "I would give up 20 to 30 team points to see Rob get another match," Fritz said. Teammate John Lange said Neidlinger has come a long way from being a walk-on in the beginning and if it wasn't for the clasping call he would have wrestled in the semifinals. "I thought he wrestled as good as he could," Lange said. "It looked like he had one hand on an ankle and his other on the knee, and they called clasping. I think the ref was in a bad position to make the call." After the loss against Clark, Neidlinger had a tough match against the No. 4 seed Jevon Herman from Illinois. Neidlinger lost the match with a close 4-2 decision. His Penn State career is over, but one thing he can never forget is that in the eyes of his teammates and coaches, he beat the 1998 national champion.