Wrestling

125-pounds - Nico Megaludis - Win by decision, 7-4
In terms of giving his team momentum, Megaludis has been absolutely fantastic in his first three NCAA matches. In his third match on Friday morning, the true freshman stunned the 125-pound No. 2 seed Zach Sanders in one of the day’s first matches. Megaludis avenged two losses to the Minnesota senior earlier in the season to become an All-American and a semifinalist. If Megaludis can pull one more upset, he’ll find himself wrestling in Saturday’s final.

133-pounds - Frank Martellotti - Loss by major decision, 19-9 (Consolation bout)
Martellotti did a good job to win his first consolation match and give himself a chance to wrestle on the second day, but his tournament life did not last much longer. Martellotti fell behind big in the first period, but to the sophomore’s credit, he stayed tough and scored some points to stay in the match. In his first NCAA tournament, he finished 1-2, and he was able to give Penn State some help in the team standings before being eliminated.

149-pounds - Frank Molinaro - Win by major Decision, 10-2
On Thursday night, Molinaro fought in his closest match of the season, and he squeaked out a 6-5 win. He wrestled with a wrapped knee on Friday, an indication that he injured it during Thursday’s last match. Even with the wrap, Molinaro rebounded to wrestle like his dominant self, and the senior became Penn State’s fifth four-time All-American. And with Oklahoma State’s Jamal Parks losing in another quarter Friday (Parks was the No. 2 seed at 149-pounds and was also undefeated), Molinaro’s path to a title got a little easier.

157-pounds - Dylan Alton - Loss by decision, 3-1
Another match against Derek St. John, and another overtime. In the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, Alton and St. John have met, and St. John has walked away with 3-1 overtime wins each time. Alton just missed a takedown early in overtime and it led to a counter shot from his Iowa opponent. Alton may not have reached the semifinals, but he can still gain All-American status with a win tonight, and the redshirt freshman could make a push for third place in the tournament’s final day.

165-pounds - David Taylor - Win by fall (0:30)
In his first two matches, Taylor recorded pins about two minutes into the first period. He didn’t feel like waiting that long on Friday. He grabbed his opponent for a standing cradle and quickly brought him to the ground to record a pin at the 30 second mark. Taylor has the advantage of being fresh and rested since out of a possible 21 minutes on the mat in three matches, Taylor has been on the mat for just four minutes.

174-pounds - Ed Ruth - Win by decision, 11-4
The pin streak ended when Ruth wrestled in the 174-pound quarterfinal, but he still worked his way to an easy win. Ruth actually allowed an early reversal as he was working for a turn, and that tied the match 2-2. Ruth then escaped and never gave up the lead. Of the four wrestlers remaining at 174-pounds, three are undefeated, but fortunately for Ruth, he can only face one of them in a potential final. Ruth gets Storley of Minnesota, who Ruth has beaten twice this season, in the semifinals.

184-pounds - Quentin Wright - Win by fall (2:35)
The defending national champion Wright seems to be getting stronger with every match. He used a powerful burst to secure a first period takedown and Wright took control. After Wright got on top, he secured three near fall points but just missed getting the pin. Wright kept pushing, however, and he turned his opponent again and finally got the call. Wright has a tough semifinal opponent in Robert Hamlin of Lehigh, but Wright is more than capable of getting another win to make the final.

197-pounds - Morgan McIntosh - Loss by decision, 8-3 (Consolation bout)
A promising season for the true freshman ended in disappointing fashion, as McIntosh lost his final two NCAA matches and was sent home early. Based on the grimace on McIntosh’s face after he was taken down for the last time, his knee is not fully healed. He may have been healthy enough to wrestle, but the knee injury ultimately derailed what was still an impressive freshman campaign. He will learn from the experience and be ready to make some noise at 197-pounds next season.

Heavyweight - Cameron Wade - Loss by decision, 7-0
Facing the No. 3 heavyweight seed, Wade never got his offensive game going. The senior will still have a chance to become an All-American with a win tonight, and falling short would be a disappointing end for Wade. Last season, Wade found himself in the quarterfinals, one win away from All-American status, but he got hurt and lost that match. He wrestled in the consolation match after and lost that as well. This season, Wade is still healthy and he will look to finish strong and possibly make a push for third place.