Following last weekend's second-place finish in the first annual Pennsylvania State Dual Championships, the No. 17 Penn State wrestling team once again showed it has the talent to compete with the top teams in the nation.
In Saturday's 38th annual East Stroudsburg Open, the Nittany Lions finished with three champions on the day.
That total was more than any other school in the tournament, including No. 2 Lehigh, the team that defeated the Lions 24-15 in the finals of the PA State Dual Championships. Jake Strayer, Nathan Galloway, and Philip Davis took home first place for Penn State at 133 pounds, 157 pounds, and 197 pounds, respectively.
"I was really impressed with the young guys in terms of their ability to battle in hard-fought matches," Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said. "It was experience they needed to get, and it was really good for them."
Although team scores were not kept and many of the teams' starters did not wrestle, Penn State was the most impressive team at the Open. In a field that included teams such as Drexel, Lock Haven, Harvard, Virginia and Lehigh, among others, the Lions accumulated three second-place finishes to go along with their three first-place finishes. Bryan Heller, DeWitt Driscoll, and Steven Troup took home second-place at 133, 141, and 165 pounds, respectively.
Heller lost to Strayer in a very close all-Penn State final, showing the competition for the 133 starting slot is up in the air. Heller got out of a Strayer hold late in the match to tie it up and force overtime.
In the overtime, Strayer got the lone takedown to defeat Heller and take home the crown.
"Heller and Jake really wrestled well," Sunderland said. "They controlled the competition and fought hard in the finals. I am very pleased with their performance."
Clarion's Frank Edgar and Marcus Surin got the best of Driscoll and Troup this time around, getting their revenge from last weekend and giving Clarion the second-most champions on the day.
Penn State heavyweight Josh Walker also provided a good showing for the Lions before losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Paul Weibel of Lehigh, who Walker defeated last weekend in the PA State Dual Championships.
"It was a little disappointing to lose the same guy you just beat," Sunderland said. "Weibel did some scouting and Clarion did the same thing. It's just a matter of correcting some things. We will see Clarion again next week so DeWitt and Steve will look to repay the favor."
The competition at 197 between Davis and Joel Edwards for the Lions may have swung in the favor of Davis, although Sunderland said this weekend did not have much of a bearing on his decision. Edwards lost in the second round to Virginia's Kevin Collier, while Davis went on to win the weight class. Sunderland expects the competition between the two to go on all season.
"Joel and Phil will wrestle next week," Sunderland said.
"If we don't make a decision after that, we will look to see if we can have a wrestle-off."
With starters Adam Smith, Eric Bradley, and Big Ten Wrestler of the Week James Woodall sitting out, Sunderland was very impressed with the way his younger wrestlers performed.
"Phil Bomberger, Strayer winning, Jack Decker, Joe Farina; they all wrestled well," Sunderland said. "Troup getting second stepped it up, and Nate [Galloway] showed a lot hanging in there and winning. I was really impressed with the young guys."
