Penn State captures fifth straight Southern Scuffle title
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by USA Wrestling
By Roger Moore
Special to TheMat.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Penn State is still king in Chattanooga.
The Nittany Lions, locked in a battle with Missouri and Oklahoma State when wrestling started Friday morning, showed they might not be ready to relinquish the top prize come March.
The Scuffle field provided its usual competitive field, but in the end PSU, thanks to solid wrestling in the consolations, outdistanced second place MU, 165-150.
OSU finished with 135.5 points with Nebraska (88.5) and Michigan (79.5) rounding out the top five in the 31-team field.
It marked the fifth consecutive Scuffle title for head coach Cael Sanderson’s program – PSU and Cornell tied at the top in 2010.
Without the graduated David Taylor and Ed Ruth, or the redshirting Nico Megaludis and Zain Retherford, the Big Ten school will still be tough to knock off the top rung on the ladder.
“It was an amazing team performance,” Sanderson said. “We didn’t have any champions, didn’t finish real well, but we still wrestled as a team and scored a bunch of bonus points on the back side. It’s fun to see.
“There is a different dynamic to this team and we have to make progress just like everyone else. But the time is now; winning is important now. If we put in the work we expect to be at the end of the season.”
Usually doing it with men in the finals, PSU took a different path this week. Matt Brown, who lost to Nebraska’s Robert Kokesh, was the only finalist. There were eight others placed among the top eight and that group accounted for a boat-load of bonus points.
Jordan Conaway (seventh at 125), James Gulibon (fourth at 133), Cade Moss (sixth at 141), Zack Beitz (fourth at 149), Dylan Alton (fourth at 157), Matt McCutcheon (fourth at 184), Morgan McIntosh (third at 197), and Jon Gingrich (third at 285) equal a 15-point victory.
Missouri, winners of the first Scuffle in 2003, like PSU and OSU, showed they will have a say in the final outcome in just over two months. Head coach Brian Smith’s Tigers pushed four to the finals and had six among the top eight.
Alan Waters, Lavion Mayes, and J’Den Cox earned titles.
“We always get that we are under the radar and yet we haven’t had a losing season in fourteen years and we’ve beaten the Iowas, the Oklahoma States,” said Smith, whose program finished 15th at the 2014 Championships. “We’ve gotten used to it, that we are not a traditional power. We have to prove it down the road.
“We have to solidify ten weights and we’ve got a couple of guys adjusting. What we do have is some good leadership. Cox has the kind of personality that people just want to follow; he enjoys himself out there, having fun. Drake (Houdeshelt) and (Alan) Waters are guys that have been here, won a lot of matches, so it’s a process of getting to where we want to be in January. (The Scuffle) is a good tournament, some big matches to get these guys ready.”
The Cowboys had nine top-eight finishers, including champions Josh Kindig, Alex Dieringer, and Austin Marsden.
It would not be too far-fetched to say seven finals bouts Friday night could be previews of the big stage in St. Louis.
Dieringer (15-0) dominated the field on his way to a matchup with Virginia’s Nick Sulzer (15-1) in the 165-pound final where he won 8-2. A second period ankle pick broke a 2-2 tie and the national champion from a year ago picked up his second Scuffle title.
“I knew I had to be prepared for a hard match, so I went out and got three takedowns,” Dieringer said. “I got three takedowns, which was important, but I feel like I’m better in all three positions. Obviously, my offense is my best game but I have to keep working on everything.”
At 125 pounds, Cornell’s Nahshon Garrett faced off with Waters (18-0), a redshirt last year after finishing fourth in 2013. The Tiger used an early third period reversal and a tough ride to win 3-1 with 1:24 of riding time.
Waters’ teammate, Drake Houdeshelt (19-1), fifth at the 2014 NCAAs, squared off with Kindig (10-0), the 2014 finalist, at 149 pounds. Tied at 1-1, a massive display of strength in the third period led to a wild scramble and a takedown for the Cowboy senior and a 4-3 win. It was Kindig’s first win against the Tiger in four bouts.
“I will have to credit that (last) takedown to freestyle and Greco,” said Kindig, a former Fargo national champion. “That takedown was all hips and power, something I was missing last year due to medical reason. It’s exciting to see myself using that power again.”
The 174-pound slugfest featured Nebraska’s Robert Kokesh (20-0) and Brown (11-2), a pair of All-Americans among the top four in the current rankings.
Gabe Dean, Cornell’s talented sophomore who beat Ed Ruth here last year, met Pittsburgh’s Max Thomuseitt (14-0) in the 184-pound final. He continued to enjoy Chattanooga, pinning Thomusseit in 1:56.
“This is a great tournament; I love coming here,” said Dean, named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. “It’s great preparation for what’s coming in March.
“Thomusseit, I have to give him credit … he is a strong dude. I caught him in a hip slip and got the pin which is not something you expect in the finals of a tournament like this.”
Dean had a pair of pins and two major decisions over the two days.
Under the radar Duke’s Connor Hartman, who was fifth in 2014, tried to deal with Missouri’s J’Den Cox (19-0), the champion at 197 pounds as a rookie. Cox beat Penn State’s Morgan McIntosh on a riding time point in the semifinals and controlled Hartman in the title bout.
“We need to take this as a team, enjoy it a little bit, but we need to get back to work because we can’t be satisfied with this,” Cox said. “This is all prep for St. Louis.
“For me it’s about having fun. I am serious all week, working on my shots, practicing everything, doing homework, all that stuff; for me this is the fun time. It is how I prepare and this is the reward for all that work during the week. I love the sport, so when I am out there I want to enjoy myself.”
And last, but certainly not least, Michigan’s Adam Coon met Marsden (13-0) in the 285-pound final. Marsden, eighth at the 2014 NCAAs, was the better of the two, winning 7-4.
The present met the future at 157 pounds. Husker senior James Green (17-1), already a three-time All-American, wrestled Penn State freshman Jason Nolf. The Husker won 7-4.
Another talented recruit from Pennsylvania, O-State’s Chance Marsteller, rolled to the semifinals with an out-of-control 11-10 win over Cornell’s Dylan Palacio in the 165-pound quarterfinals. However, Marsteller ran into Sulzer in the semifinals, falling 10-3.
“I liked the way some of our young guys competed (Friday),” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose squad hosts Iowa on Jan. 11. “When you drop down into the consolations in an event like this you really have to throw seeds out the window; it’s about winning matches, tough matches, the type of matches you get at the NCAA Tournament.
“Overall, it’s something to build on. Missouri is tough. Penn State is tough.”
Iowa State’s Earl Hall pulled one out of the fire in the semifinals, turning a cement mixer into a pin of Virginia All-American George DiCamillo while trailing 8-5 early in the third period. In the finals, Michigan’s Rossi Bruno, also a native of Florida, gambled late and paid for it after an attempted thrown went array. Hall, eighth at 125 pounds at the 2014 NCAAs, went on to win 5-2.
Iowa State’s Kyven Gadson, the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds, lost a 5-3 bout on Thursday night and did not compete on the second day. Kent State’s Ian Miller, also a No. 2 seed, defaulted out of the tournament’s 157-pound bracket.
Finals results
125 pounds
Alan Waters (Missouri) dec. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 3-1
133 pounds
Earl Hall (Iowa State) dec. Rossi Bruno (Michigan), 5-2
141 pounds
Lavion Mayes (Missouri) dec. Geo Martinez (Boise State), 6-4
149 pounds
Joshua Kindig (Oklahoma State) dec. Drake Houdashelt (Missouri), 5-3
157 pounds
James Green (Nebraska) dec. Jason Nolf (Penn State), 7-4
165 pounds
Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) dec. Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 8-2
174 pounds
Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) dec. Matt Brown (Penn State), 3-2
184 pounds
Gabe Dean (Cornell ) pinned Max Thomusseit (Pittsburgh), 3:55
197 pounds
J’Den Cox (Missouri) dec. Conner Hartmann (Duke), 6-1
285 pounds
Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) dec. Adam Coon (Michigan), 7-4
Special to TheMat.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Penn State is still king in Chattanooga.
The Nittany Lions, locked in a battle with Missouri and Oklahoma State when wrestling started Friday morning, showed they might not be ready to relinquish the top prize come March.
The Scuffle field provided its usual competitive field, but in the end PSU, thanks to solid wrestling in the consolations, outdistanced second place MU, 165-150.
OSU finished with 135.5 points with Nebraska (88.5) and Michigan (79.5) rounding out the top five in the 31-team field.
It marked the fifth consecutive Scuffle title for head coach Cael Sanderson’s program – PSU and Cornell tied at the top in 2010.
Without the graduated David Taylor and Ed Ruth, or the redshirting Nico Megaludis and Zain Retherford, the Big Ten school will still be tough to knock off the top rung on the ladder.
“It was an amazing team performance,” Sanderson said. “We didn’t have any champions, didn’t finish real well, but we still wrestled as a team and scored a bunch of bonus points on the back side. It’s fun to see.
“There is a different dynamic to this team and we have to make progress just like everyone else. But the time is now; winning is important now. If we put in the work we expect to be at the end of the season.”
Usually doing it with men in the finals, PSU took a different path this week. Matt Brown, who lost to Nebraska’s Robert Kokesh, was the only finalist. There were eight others placed among the top eight and that group accounted for a boat-load of bonus points.
Jordan Conaway (seventh at 125), James Gulibon (fourth at 133), Cade Moss (sixth at 141), Zack Beitz (fourth at 149), Dylan Alton (fourth at 157), Matt McCutcheon (fourth at 184), Morgan McIntosh (third at 197), and Jon Gingrich (third at 285) equal a 15-point victory.
Missouri, winners of the first Scuffle in 2003, like PSU and OSU, showed they will have a say in the final outcome in just over two months. Head coach Brian Smith’s Tigers pushed four to the finals and had six among the top eight.
Alan Waters, Lavion Mayes, and J’Den Cox earned titles.
“We always get that we are under the radar and yet we haven’t had a losing season in fourteen years and we’ve beaten the Iowas, the Oklahoma States,” said Smith, whose program finished 15th at the 2014 Championships. “We’ve gotten used to it, that we are not a traditional power. We have to prove it down the road.
“We have to solidify ten weights and we’ve got a couple of guys adjusting. What we do have is some good leadership. Cox has the kind of personality that people just want to follow; he enjoys himself out there, having fun. Drake (Houdeshelt) and (Alan) Waters are guys that have been here, won a lot of matches, so it’s a process of getting to where we want to be in January. (The Scuffle) is a good tournament, some big matches to get these guys ready.”
The Cowboys had nine top-eight finishers, including champions Josh Kindig, Alex Dieringer, and Austin Marsden.
It would not be too far-fetched to say seven finals bouts Friday night could be previews of the big stage in St. Louis.
Dieringer (15-0) dominated the field on his way to a matchup with Virginia’s Nick Sulzer (15-1) in the 165-pound final where he won 8-2. A second period ankle pick broke a 2-2 tie and the national champion from a year ago picked up his second Scuffle title.
“I knew I had to be prepared for a hard match, so I went out and got three takedowns,” Dieringer said. “I got three takedowns, which was important, but I feel like I’m better in all three positions. Obviously, my offense is my best game but I have to keep working on everything.”
At 125 pounds, Cornell’s Nahshon Garrett faced off with Waters (18-0), a redshirt last year after finishing fourth in 2013. The Tiger used an early third period reversal and a tough ride to win 3-1 with 1:24 of riding time.
Waters’ teammate, Drake Houdeshelt (19-1), fifth at the 2014 NCAAs, squared off with Kindig (10-0), the 2014 finalist, at 149 pounds. Tied at 1-1, a massive display of strength in the third period led to a wild scramble and a takedown for the Cowboy senior and a 4-3 win. It was Kindig’s first win against the Tiger in four bouts.
“I will have to credit that (last) takedown to freestyle and Greco,” said Kindig, a former Fargo national champion. “That takedown was all hips and power, something I was missing last year due to medical reason. It’s exciting to see myself using that power again.”
The 174-pound slugfest featured Nebraska’s Robert Kokesh (20-0) and Brown (11-2), a pair of All-Americans among the top four in the current rankings.
Gabe Dean, Cornell’s talented sophomore who beat Ed Ruth here last year, met Pittsburgh’s Max Thomuseitt (14-0) in the 184-pound final. He continued to enjoy Chattanooga, pinning Thomusseit in 1:56.
“This is a great tournament; I love coming here,” said Dean, named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. “It’s great preparation for what’s coming in March.
“Thomusseit, I have to give him credit … he is a strong dude. I caught him in a hip slip and got the pin which is not something you expect in the finals of a tournament like this.”
Dean had a pair of pins and two major decisions over the two days.
Under the radar Duke’s Connor Hartman, who was fifth in 2014, tried to deal with Missouri’s J’Den Cox (19-0), the champion at 197 pounds as a rookie. Cox beat Penn State’s Morgan McIntosh on a riding time point in the semifinals and controlled Hartman in the title bout.
“We need to take this as a team, enjoy it a little bit, but we need to get back to work because we can’t be satisfied with this,” Cox said. “This is all prep for St. Louis.
“For me it’s about having fun. I am serious all week, working on my shots, practicing everything, doing homework, all that stuff; for me this is the fun time. It is how I prepare and this is the reward for all that work during the week. I love the sport, so when I am out there I want to enjoy myself.”
And last, but certainly not least, Michigan’s Adam Coon met Marsden (13-0) in the 285-pound final. Marsden, eighth at the 2014 NCAAs, was the better of the two, winning 7-4.
The present met the future at 157 pounds. Husker senior James Green (17-1), already a three-time All-American, wrestled Penn State freshman Jason Nolf. The Husker won 7-4.
Another talented recruit from Pennsylvania, O-State’s Chance Marsteller, rolled to the semifinals with an out-of-control 11-10 win over Cornell’s Dylan Palacio in the 165-pound quarterfinals. However, Marsteller ran into Sulzer in the semifinals, falling 10-3.
“I liked the way some of our young guys competed (Friday),” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose squad hosts Iowa on Jan. 11. “When you drop down into the consolations in an event like this you really have to throw seeds out the window; it’s about winning matches, tough matches, the type of matches you get at the NCAA Tournament.
“Overall, it’s something to build on. Missouri is tough. Penn State is tough.”
Iowa State’s Earl Hall pulled one out of the fire in the semifinals, turning a cement mixer into a pin of Virginia All-American George DiCamillo while trailing 8-5 early in the third period. In the finals, Michigan’s Rossi Bruno, also a native of Florida, gambled late and paid for it after an attempted thrown went array. Hall, eighth at 125 pounds at the 2014 NCAAs, went on to win 5-2.
Iowa State’s Kyven Gadson, the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds, lost a 5-3 bout on Thursday night and did not compete on the second day. Kent State’s Ian Miller, also a No. 2 seed, defaulted out of the tournament’s 157-pound bracket.
Finals results
125 pounds
Alan Waters (Missouri) dec. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 3-1
133 pounds
Earl Hall (Iowa State) dec. Rossi Bruno (Michigan), 5-2
141 pounds
Lavion Mayes (Missouri) dec. Geo Martinez (Boise State), 6-4
149 pounds
Joshua Kindig (Oklahoma State) dec. Drake Houdashelt (Missouri), 5-3
157 pounds
James Green (Nebraska) dec. Jason Nolf (Penn State), 7-4
165 pounds
Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) dec. Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 8-2
174 pounds
Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) dec. Matt Brown (Penn State), 3-2
184 pounds
Gabe Dean (Cornell ) pinned Max Thomusseit (Pittsburgh), 3:55
197 pounds
J’Den Cox (Missouri) dec. Conner Hartmann (Duke), 6-1
285 pounds
Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) dec. Adam Coon (Michigan), 7-4
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