Penn State senior Dan Vallimont earned a place in Saturday's national title bout with a 3-1 overtime victory in his semifinal match.
The Nittany Lion 165-pounder had No. 2 Jarrod King of Edinboro retreating for much of the contest.
King, the defending national champion, showed great flexibility to avoid takedowns from several Vallimont shots throughout regulation. Twice, including the final seconds of the third period, King was into a full split to prevent Vallimont from securing both legs.
The match went into overtime tied, 1-1, after both wrestlers exchanged escapes in regulation.
In the closing seconds of the first overtime period, Vallimont scored a takedown on the edge of the mat to give him the 3-1 victory. Vallimont will face top-seed Andrew Howe of Wisconsin in the championship bout.
In the 149-pound semifinal, Penn State's Frank Molinaro was on the losing end of a 2-0 final in his match with top-seed Lance Palmer of Ohio State. Palmer escaped in the second period and added a riding time point to top the Lion sophomore.
Molinaro will compete for a chance to wrestle in the third-place match. Cyler Sanderson is also still alive in the consolation bouts and will compete for a shot at third-place later tonight.
