Penn State grabs lead after first day of Southern Scuffle
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by USA Wrestling
Roger Moore
Special to TheMat.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Quickly becoming the toughest regular-season tournament in collegiate wrestling, the Southern Scuffle got warmed up on Thursday.
In a field that includes reigning NCAA champion Penn State, Oklahoma State, Cornell, Missouri and Nebraska, the second day might include yet another preview of the national championships at a weight or two, or three.
Penn State leads second-place Nebraska, 52-48, with Missouri (47.5), Oklahoma State (47), and Michigan (32) rounding out the top five in the 31-team field. The Nittany Lions have won the last four titles in Chattanooga, tying Cornell in 2010 for the top spot. The Big Red enter the second day in eighth place with 29 points.
A crowd of 2,805 fans took in the action on Thursday at McKenzie Arena.
Fifth-ranked Penn State has seven wrestlers in the quarterfinals, including NCAA runner-up Matt Brown (174 pounds) along with All-Americans Dylan Alton (157) and Morgan McIntosh (197).
Nebraska's quarterfinalists include a pair of top-seeded seniors - three-time All-American James Green (157) and two-time All-American Robert Kokesh (174).
NCAA champion Alex Dieringer (165) is among the quarterfinalists for Oklahoma State.
“All in all, it was a pretty good day from the standpoint of pushing several guys through to the quarters,” Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. “I was pleased to see our 174-pounders have success today. I’m looking forward to see what we do tomorrow.”
Wrestling resumes at 9 a.m. Friday with the finals set for 7 p.m.
There were a handful of upsets, as is usually the case at this event. Remember 2014? Cornell’s Gabe Dean beat Penn State’s Ed Ruth. Also at the 2014 Scuffle, Iowa State’s Kyven Gadson beat Missouri’s J’Den Cox in the semifinals at 197 pounds. Cox, in his rookie campaign, came back to hoist the big trophy in March; Gadson, now a senior, finished fourth.
An anticipated rematch will not happen, at least in the winner’s bracket, because Nebraska’s Spencer Johnson beat Gadson in an argument-filled 5-3 match in the second round. Cox remained unbeaten with two dominating performances.
“I wish Kyven would have wrestled better,” ISU head coach Kevin Jackson said. “He did not wrestle like he needed to early in that match. You can’t put it in the officials’ hands because that is what can happen.”
Another talented Tiger, Alan Waters, a redshirt last season, is back and seeded No. 2 at 125 pounds. He won a pair of matches Thursday, and hopes to challenge 2014 NCAA finalist Nahshon Garrett of Cornell in the finals. One roadblock, Penn State’s Jordan Conaway, suffered a similar fate to Gadson when he dropped an overtime tiebreaker decision to Cleveland State’s Ben Willeford in the second session.
A third Missouri star, 149-pounder Drake Houdashelt, would like a shot at 2014 NCAA runner-up Josh Kindig of Oklahoma State. The two are seeded 1-2. Kindig, after a major decision to start his day, held off talented New York freshman Sam Melikian, 6-5, in the second round. Melikian, attends North Carolina State.
That is just the beginning.
Green and Kent State’s Ian Miller at 157 pounds could have been a rematch of the bronze-medal bout last March. But Miller, after a victory, medical forfeited Thursday night.
The field at 174 pounds includes Kokesh, Brown, Pittsburgh’s Tyler Wilps, and Iowa State’s Tanner Weatherman. And 165 pounds features Dieringer, and Virginia All-American Nick Sulzer; they met in the NWCA All-Star Classic and rolled on day one.
If that’s not enough, a lot of the buzz around McKenzie Arena was the inclusion of rookie redshirts, who may or may not be the cracking lineups in 2015-16. Melikian was not alone.
Penn State’s Bo Nickal won two matches at 174 pounds on Thursday, before falling in overtime to Wyoming’s Andy McCulley. Another PSU rookie, Jason Nolf, knocked off Cornell’s third-seeded Brian Realbuto in overtime in the second round at 157.
Not to be outdone, Oklahoma State’s Chance Marsteller, at 165 pounds, pinned Missouri’s Mike England to move to the quarters.
Quarterfinal pairings
125 pounds
Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. Tim Lambert (Nebraska)
Dom Forys (Pitt) vs. Tyler Cox (Wyoming)
Ben Willeford (Cleveland State) vs. Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State)
Sean Boyle (Tennessee-Chattanooga) vs. Alan Waters (Missouri)
133 pounds
Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) vs. Kevin Devoy (Drexel)
George Dicamillo (Virginia) vs. Earl Hall (Iowa State)
Rossi Bruno (Michigan) vs. Troy Heilmann (North Carolina)
Mason Beckman (Lehigh) vs. Mark Grey (Cornell)
141 pounds
Lavion Mayes (Missouri) vs. Dean Heil (Oklahoma State)
Nick Arujau (Cornell) vs. Joey Ward (North Carolina)
Geo Martinez (Boise State) vs. Anthony Abidin (Nebraska)
Zachary Horan (Central Michigan) vs. Isaiah Locsin (Stanford)
149 pounds
Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) vs. Luke Frey (Penn State)
Gabe Moreno (Iowa State) vs. Edgar Bright (Pitt)
Zack Beitz (Penn State) vs. Matthew Cimato (Drexel)
Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) vs. Mike Racciato (Pitt)
157 pounds
James Green (Nebraska) vs. Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State)
Aaron Walker (The Citadel) vs. Dylan Alton (Penn State)
Jason Nolf (Unattached-Penn State) vs. Tommy Gantt (Unattached-North Carolina State)
Max Hvolbek (Stanford) vs. Russell Parsons (Army)
165 pounds
Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. Dakota Friesth (Wyoming)
Peyton Walsh (Navy) vs. Jim Wilson (Stanford)
Dylan Palacio (Cornell) vs. Chance Marsteller (Unattached-Oklahoma State)
Nick Sulzer (Virginia) vs. Chandler Smith (Army)
174 pounds
Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) vs. Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State)
Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) vs. John Eblen (Missouri)
Tyler Wilps (Pitt) vs. Andy McCulley (Wyoming)
Matt Brown (Penn State) vs. Jordan Rogers (Oklahoma State)
184 pounds
Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. Domenic Abounader (Michigan)
Noland Boyd (Oklahoma State) vs. Willie Miklus (Missouri)
Nate Brown (Lehigh) vs. Matt McCutcheon (Penn State)
Max Thomusseit (Pittsburgh) vs. Ben Stroh (Wyoming)
197 pounds
J'Den Cox (Missouri) vs. Zach Nye (Virginia)
Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) vs. Max Huntley (Michigan)
Conner Hartmann (Duke) vs. Bryce Barnes (Army)
Spencer Johnson (Nebraska) vs. Elliot Riddick (Lehigh)
285 pounds
Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) vs. Collin Jensen (Nebraska)
Riley Shaw (Cleveland State) vs. Nick Nevills (Unattached-Penn State)
Adam Coon (Michigan) vs. Jon Gingrich (Penn State)
Jared Johnson (Tennessee-Chattanooga) vs. Devin Mellon (Missouri)
Special to TheMat.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Quickly becoming the toughest regular-season tournament in collegiate wrestling, the Southern Scuffle got warmed up on Thursday.
In a field that includes reigning NCAA champion Penn State, Oklahoma State, Cornell, Missouri and Nebraska, the second day might include yet another preview of the national championships at a weight or two, or three.
Penn State leads second-place Nebraska, 52-48, with Missouri (47.5), Oklahoma State (47), and Michigan (32) rounding out the top five in the 31-team field. The Nittany Lions have won the last four titles in Chattanooga, tying Cornell in 2010 for the top spot. The Big Red enter the second day in eighth place with 29 points.
A crowd of 2,805 fans took in the action on Thursday at McKenzie Arena.
Fifth-ranked Penn State has seven wrestlers in the quarterfinals, including NCAA runner-up Matt Brown (174 pounds) along with All-Americans Dylan Alton (157) and Morgan McIntosh (197).
Nebraska's quarterfinalists include a pair of top-seeded seniors - three-time All-American James Green (157) and two-time All-American Robert Kokesh (174).
NCAA champion Alex Dieringer (165) is among the quarterfinalists for Oklahoma State.
“All in all, it was a pretty good day from the standpoint of pushing several guys through to the quarters,” Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. “I was pleased to see our 174-pounders have success today. I’m looking forward to see what we do tomorrow.”
Wrestling resumes at 9 a.m. Friday with the finals set for 7 p.m.
There were a handful of upsets, as is usually the case at this event. Remember 2014? Cornell’s Gabe Dean beat Penn State’s Ed Ruth. Also at the 2014 Scuffle, Iowa State’s Kyven Gadson beat Missouri’s J’Den Cox in the semifinals at 197 pounds. Cox, in his rookie campaign, came back to hoist the big trophy in March; Gadson, now a senior, finished fourth.
An anticipated rematch will not happen, at least in the winner’s bracket, because Nebraska’s Spencer Johnson beat Gadson in an argument-filled 5-3 match in the second round. Cox remained unbeaten with two dominating performances.
“I wish Kyven would have wrestled better,” ISU head coach Kevin Jackson said. “He did not wrestle like he needed to early in that match. You can’t put it in the officials’ hands because that is what can happen.”
Another talented Tiger, Alan Waters, a redshirt last season, is back and seeded No. 2 at 125 pounds. He won a pair of matches Thursday, and hopes to challenge 2014 NCAA finalist Nahshon Garrett of Cornell in the finals. One roadblock, Penn State’s Jordan Conaway, suffered a similar fate to Gadson when he dropped an overtime tiebreaker decision to Cleveland State’s Ben Willeford in the second session.
A third Missouri star, 149-pounder Drake Houdashelt, would like a shot at 2014 NCAA runner-up Josh Kindig of Oklahoma State. The two are seeded 1-2. Kindig, after a major decision to start his day, held off talented New York freshman Sam Melikian, 6-5, in the second round. Melikian, attends North Carolina State.
That is just the beginning.
Green and Kent State’s Ian Miller at 157 pounds could have been a rematch of the bronze-medal bout last March. But Miller, after a victory, medical forfeited Thursday night.
The field at 174 pounds includes Kokesh, Brown, Pittsburgh’s Tyler Wilps, and Iowa State’s Tanner Weatherman. And 165 pounds features Dieringer, and Virginia All-American Nick Sulzer; they met in the NWCA All-Star Classic and rolled on day one.
If that’s not enough, a lot of the buzz around McKenzie Arena was the inclusion of rookie redshirts, who may or may not be the cracking lineups in 2015-16. Melikian was not alone.
Penn State’s Bo Nickal won two matches at 174 pounds on Thursday, before falling in overtime to Wyoming’s Andy McCulley. Another PSU rookie, Jason Nolf, knocked off Cornell’s third-seeded Brian Realbuto in overtime in the second round at 157.
Not to be outdone, Oklahoma State’s Chance Marsteller, at 165 pounds, pinned Missouri’s Mike England to move to the quarters.
Quarterfinal pairings
125 pounds
Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. Tim Lambert (Nebraska)
Dom Forys (Pitt) vs. Tyler Cox (Wyoming)
Ben Willeford (Cleveland State) vs. Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State)
Sean Boyle (Tennessee-Chattanooga) vs. Alan Waters (Missouri)
133 pounds
Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) vs. Kevin Devoy (Drexel)
George Dicamillo (Virginia) vs. Earl Hall (Iowa State)
Rossi Bruno (Michigan) vs. Troy Heilmann (North Carolina)
Mason Beckman (Lehigh) vs. Mark Grey (Cornell)
141 pounds
Lavion Mayes (Missouri) vs. Dean Heil (Oklahoma State)
Nick Arujau (Cornell) vs. Joey Ward (North Carolina)
Geo Martinez (Boise State) vs. Anthony Abidin (Nebraska)
Zachary Horan (Central Michigan) vs. Isaiah Locsin (Stanford)
149 pounds
Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) vs. Luke Frey (Penn State)
Gabe Moreno (Iowa State) vs. Edgar Bright (Pitt)
Zack Beitz (Penn State) vs. Matthew Cimato (Drexel)
Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) vs. Mike Racciato (Pitt)
157 pounds
James Green (Nebraska) vs. Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State)
Aaron Walker (The Citadel) vs. Dylan Alton (Penn State)
Jason Nolf (Unattached-Penn State) vs. Tommy Gantt (Unattached-North Carolina State)
Max Hvolbek (Stanford) vs. Russell Parsons (Army)
165 pounds
Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. Dakota Friesth (Wyoming)
Peyton Walsh (Navy) vs. Jim Wilson (Stanford)
Dylan Palacio (Cornell) vs. Chance Marsteller (Unattached-Oklahoma State)
Nick Sulzer (Virginia) vs. Chandler Smith (Army)
174 pounds
Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) vs. Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State)
Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) vs. John Eblen (Missouri)
Tyler Wilps (Pitt) vs. Andy McCulley (Wyoming)
Matt Brown (Penn State) vs. Jordan Rogers (Oklahoma State)
184 pounds
Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. Domenic Abounader (Michigan)
Noland Boyd (Oklahoma State) vs. Willie Miklus (Missouri)
Nate Brown (Lehigh) vs. Matt McCutcheon (Penn State)
Max Thomusseit (Pittsburgh) vs. Ben Stroh (Wyoming)
197 pounds
J'Den Cox (Missouri) vs. Zach Nye (Virginia)
Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) vs. Max Huntley (Michigan)
Conner Hartmann (Duke) vs. Bryce Barnes (Army)
Spencer Johnson (Nebraska) vs. Elliot Riddick (Lehigh)
285 pounds
Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) vs. Collin Jensen (Nebraska)
Riley Shaw (Cleveland State) vs. Nick Nevills (Unattached-Penn State)
Adam Coon (Michigan) vs. Jon Gingrich (Penn State)
Jared Johnson (Tennessee-Chattanooga) vs. Devin Mellon (Missouri)
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