Nittany Lion wrestlers Frank Molinaro and Dan Vallimont will compete in the NCAA semifinals Friday night.
No. 5 Molinaro, a 149-pounder, defeated Edinboro's Gregor Gillespie by an 8-0 major decision in the quarterfinals. He will face No. 1 Lance Palmer of Ohio State Friday night.
No. 6 Vallimont, a 165-pounder, beat Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui by a 5-2 decision. He will compete against No. 2 Jarrod King in the semifinals.
Indiana's Angel Escobedo, ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds, defeated Brad Pataky by a 15-0 technical fall (6:27). No. 5 Steve Fittery upset No. 4 Cyler Sanderson, 9-5, in a 157-pound showdown. Both Pataky and Sanderson will compete in the Round of 12 Friday night and need one more win to become All-Americans.
No. 11 Dave Erwin, a 184-pounder, beat Iowa State's Jerome Ward by an 8-3 decision and heavyweight Cameron Wade won over No. 8 Ryan Tomei of Pittsburgh by the same score.
Erwin, falling one win short of the Round of 12, lost his next bout 6-2 to No. 10 Mike Pucillo of Ohio State. Wade was also one win short of the Round of 12 after No. 11 Mitch Monteiro of Cal State Bakersfield beat the Penn State heavyweight 7-0. Both Erwin and Wade finished their tournaments 2-2.
After three sessions, Penn State ranks eighth.
