It was just like last weekend at the Big Ten Tournament -- sophomore Phil Davis was seven minutes away from a place in the history book. Seven minutes from being the 18th National Champion in Penn State history. Seven minutes from winning his 19th straight match.

But that all disappeared within the first two minutes of the first period, when Davis was taken down and nearly pinned -- twice.

Davis' loss in the national finals ended the NCAA Championship Meet this weekend for the Penn State wrestling team, which left Oklahoma City with a ninth-place finish -- its highest position since the 2003 season. Penn State finished with 53.5 points, which was 79 points behind eventual national champion Oklahoma State, which finished with an astounding 122.5.

"We finished in the top 10, so that is a real positive to take away from this season," Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said. "To have three All-Americans is a real accomplishment. The kids battled hard; I'm really proud of them."

But the big story of the weekend was Davis at 197, who was the first Lion to reach a national final since Josh Moore and Pat Cummings finished as runner-ups in 2004. The flurry by Oklahoma State's Jacob Rosholt put Davis in an early 5-0 hole.

"I thought he could get out of bounds and regroup, but Rosholt turned him fast," Sunderland said. "Phil did a real good job getting off his back."

Davis continued to try to battle back, but it was to no avail as the three-time national champion held him at bay and played strictly defense for the final period to grab the title with a 10-3 victory.

"We thought he had a chance to win when Rosholt was on bottom," Sunderland said. "But Rosholt played good defense and didn't have to do much.

"Making it to the national finals should be a confidence boost for him, but you have to take advantage of it when you get the chance because you never know when you'll get back."

Davis' frustration became visible late in the match when Rosholt poked him in the eye. The sophomore from Harrisburg retaliated, swinging his arm like a club to the back of his opponent's head costing him an insignificant point.

According to Sunderland, Rosholt had poked Davis quite a few times in the match and it was brought to the attention of the referee, but nothing was done about it.

Besides Davis' outstanding individual performance, there were other positives to come out of the team's trip to Oklahoma City. Of the eight Nittany Lions who qualified for nationals, two made it to the national quarterfinals on day two.

Along with Davis, former No.1 at 184 Eric Bradley entered the quarters poised to make a run at the national championship. But with 30 seconds left, Bradley was pinned by No.1 seed Joshua Glenn of American University, ending the sixth-year senior's hopes of becoming a NCAA champion.

Bradley stumbled in the consolation bracket but was still able to earn all-American status in his final year at Penn State by finishing in eighth place.

"He was really disappointed about that loss in the quarters," Sunderland said. "But I'm really proud of the way he was able to focus after that."

The Lions also earned a third All-American in James Yonushonis at 174. Yonushonis, like he has done all season, quietly snuck into the seventh-place match against No. 4 seed Jacob Klein of Nebraska. Even though he lost the match, it earned him the All-America honor.

"I couldn't be more proud of him," Sunderland said. "Ever since he began working with team since he was 10 years old, I've seen him progress so much. There is nobody more deserving to be an All-American than him...I am so happy for him."

The other five Lions competing in Oklahoma City all were eliminated in the round of 12 or sooner. Jake Strayer at 133 finished 3-2, with a major decision loss to No. 8 Matt Keller of Tennessee-Chattanooga. DeWitt Driscoll at 141 finished 3-2, but was eliminated in the consolation third round by Virginia Tech's David Hoffman. State College native Nathan Galloway finished the tournament with a 2-2 record. Sixth-year senior James Woodall at 149 finished 0-2 losing both matches by seven points each.