The bright spot for the Lions and the only Big Ten champion was Eric Bradley. After being told he would never wrestle again last year, Bradley entered this season hoping to stay healthy and provide the team with consistency at 184 pounds. However, Bradley said he's always had a Big Ten and NCAA championship on his mind.
"Any time I enter a tournament, I expect to win," he said. "I have trained hard enough and luck is such a small part of the equation because there's so much training."
Eric Bradley beat Paul Bradley of Michigan State in the finals, never having to face the No. 1 seed Brian Glynn of Illinois, who was upset in the quarterfinals.
Pat Cummins and Matt Storniolo were the other wrestlers representing the Lions in the finals. For Cummins, it was another rematch with rival Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State. Cummins handed Rowlands his only loss of the season in a dual meet earlier this season. However, Rowlands defeated Cummins in the NWCA All-Star Classic, although it wasn't officially counted because it was an exhibition. In another close match, Rowlands beat Cummins 5-4 for the Big Ten title. The deciding factor was one point awarded to Rowlands because of two stall calls on Cummins. Cummins said he didn't like either of the calls, but knows that he can't leave anything in the hands of the officials. He said that he would have liked to win but knows that the more important matches come next week at NCAA championships.
"It was nice to get back on track," Cummins said. "I don't feel real bad about it. It was a warm-up for nationals." Joining Cummins as a second-place finisher was Storniolo, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Storniolo entered the finals as the No. 3 seed and lost in the finals to No. 1 Ryan Churella of Michigan by a 5-0 decision.
As a team, the Lions were in solid shape after day one of the two-day tournament. They had pushed three wrestlers into the finals, still had eight out of ten alive in the tournament and stood just a half a point out of third place.
The only major disappointments of the day had come when Josh Moore was beaten soundly by Illinois' Mark Jayne in the 133 pound semifinal, and two were Lions were eliminated in the championships, Joel Edwards at 197 and Jarad Turner at 165.
On day two though, things began to fall apart. Penn State went 3-7 overall, losing two out of three championship matches and Moore lost big again, this time to Wisconsin's Ed Gutnik in a third-place match.
However, what had to sting the most were the three seventh place bouts.
A seventh place match at the Big Ten wrestling tournament is about as nerve racking as it gets in collegiate wrestling. Win and your season is extended with an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Lose and most likely your season is finished.
Coming into the 2004 Big Ten tournament, the Nittany Lions had been a sparkling 9-1 in those clutch matches during Troy Sunderland's reign as Penn State head wrestling coach.
That track record abandoned the Lions in this tournament. Penn State went 1-2 in the crucial seventh place matches, costing them two more NCAA qualifiers and maybe a chance at a top five national finish. Things started brightly enough for Penn State when Adam Smith came back to beat Northwestern's Jon Velez 3-2 to punch his ticket to the NCAA championships.
"I just kept telling myself I wouldn't be denied," Smith said. "I thought I would maybe get a wildcard if I lost but it's not fun waiting around for the decision."
Soon after though, DeWitt Driscoll lost a heartbreaking match, 12-10 in overtime, to Michigan State's Andy Simmons at 141 and James Yonushonis lost for the second time to Michigan's Nick Roy at 174 to end his season.
"Simmons is a tough guy to have to wrestle for seventh," Smith said. "Driscoll could have just as easily been in the finals. It's tough. That's what you'll think about until next season."
For the six to that did meet the goal of NCAA qualification there is still some more work ahead. They shouldn't have to look far for inspiration.
"I'd say disappointed has been the mood around the team," Smith said. "The coaches have been upset all week. The six guys going can all win their weights. People have to know that for us fifth place in the Big Ten is unacceptable."
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