The first two Nittany Lions to claim crowns were two of its captains. Junior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 197, went a perfect 6-0 to claim the title at 197 pounds. Davis posted two majors and a pin in the process, including a 12-4 major over North Carolina's Dennis Drury in the finals. Senior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 174, was also 6-0 with two pins. He downed No. 20 Matt Stolpinski of Navy, 3-1, in the title tilt. Senior Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) went 6-0 at 141 to claim the championship at 141 pounds. Heller downed Maryland's Alex Krom 8-3 in the finals.
In perhaps the most exciting finals match-up, McKnight got a takedown early in extra time to post a 5-3 sudden victory decision over Michigan State's Franklin Gomez in the finals at 125. McKnight entered the bout ranked No. 7 nationally while Gomez was ranked No. 5. McKnight went 5-0 with two majors on the day.
Sophomore Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 7 nationally, advanced to the finals, dropping a scintillating 4-3 decision to No. 1 Nick Simmons of Michigan State in the finals. Strayer had two pins and a technical fall on his way to a runner-up finish. True freshman Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), wrestling unattached for Penn State, lost 4-1 to Penn's Brock Wittmeyer in the finals at 165. Rella went 5-1on the day.
Senior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) lost a heart-breaking 2-0 decision to No. 17 Seth Martin of Lock Haven in the finals at 157. Galloway had an outstanding tournament, going 6-1 with two pins and a technical fall. Freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) dropped a 10-5 decision in the finals at 149 to VMI's Sam Alvarenga. Vallimont went 5-1 with a major.
In addition to Penn State's nine finalists, three other Nittany Lions earned places in the tournament. Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), wrestling unattached went 5-1 at 125 to place third. His only loss was to No. 5 Gomez of MSU and he posted three pins and a major. David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), also unattached, posted a third place finish at 184 with a 6-1 mark. Chad Unger (Perry, Ohio) went 2-2 at 197 and took home fourth place while
Other Penn State wrestlers participating attached included Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.), 2-2 at 184; Brian Cantalupi (Carlisle, Pa.), 2-2 at 184; Jon Clemens (McVeytown, Pa.), 1-1 at 157; Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.), 0-1 at 174; Joe Farina (Denville, N.J.), 0-1 at HWT; Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.), 2-2 at 165; Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.), 1-2 at HWT; David Klug (Pennington, N.J.), 0-1 at 184; Ben Mandelbraut (Sharon, Mass.), 0-1 at 141; Chris Robbins (Federica, Del.), 1-2 at 133; and Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio), 2-2 at 184. Senior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.), ranked No. 11 nationally, did not wrestle but will wrestle this coming weekend.
Unattached wrestlers who also took part were Nathan Andrews (Spring Mills, Pa.), 1-2 at HWT; Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.), 0-1 at 125; Mike Eagan (Wharton, N.J.), 0-1 at 141; Christian Harr (Hollidaysburg, Pa.), 0-1 at 149; Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), 3-1 at 157; Michael Lorenzo (Bellefonte, Pa.), 0-1 at 165; and Josh Rohler (Akron, Ohio), 5-2 at 157.
Penn State advanced 10 of the 29 wrestlers it had competing into the semifinals and was a perfect 10-0 in the quarterfinals. Virginia Tech's Steve Ratley won the award for most pins in the least amount of time with six falls in 12:21.
Penn State's next dual will be a home battle with No. 24 Lehigh on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions will then head to Hempstead, N.Y., to face No. 5 Hofstra on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both duals can be heard live on WBLF 970 AM and on GoPSUsports.com. Season tickets are on sale now. This year's season ticket prices are $24 for adults and $18 for students. Single dual prices are $5 per event for adults and $3 per event for youth. Contact the Penn State ticket office at 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 for more information or visit GoPSUsports.com.
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