Wrestling Session 2 Recap

Session 2 was less kind to the Nittany Lions than Session 1.

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Field Notes

Jeff Byers audibly appeared to appreciate some action in the Spencer Lee Sean Fausz bout. He advanced via a 10-1 Major Decision, keeping Iowa also undefeated.

This bracket held chalk throughout into the quarterfinals, but Vito Arujau looked in fine form in a 12-2 beatdown of RayVon Foley of Michigan State. Arujau will face top-seeded Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern in tomorrow morning’s quarterfinals.

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Our Guy

Hoo boy! Was this rematch everything we thought it might be!

First, RBY employed what we noticed in p2 & p3 last week: left arm behind his back, not allowing Desanto the vice-grip of his triceps and armpit. It was successful, in that he allowed only one first-period takedown—and not 4!

The second period went similarly quiet, with only an RBY escape.

The third period’s where things got crazy. When Desanto escaped, he led 2-3. A huge scramble appeared to show RBY earned a takedown, but Desanto’s explosiveness brought them back to their feet—and so quickly, that the ref considered it all one scramble—and they crashed into the scoring table.

RBY appeared to jam his neck, looked pretty dazed and went into the concussion protocol. When Dan Monthley declared him ready and RBY returned to center mat, Cael & Casey learned for the first time that RBY had NOT been awarded the TD we all thought we saw.

Video review ensued.

Points were not awarded to RBY.

When action began anew, Desanto’s physicality showed itself as the separator again; he took RBY down and to his back with an unorthodox headlock, and time expired.

RBY will take on ninth-seeded Chas Tucker of Cornell tomorrow on the back side.

Field Notes

Minnesota’s Ethan Lizak and Ohio State’s Luke Pletcher won tough matches against some great wrestlers, and the quarterfinals are set along chalk lines. Stevan Micic was the only winner to pick up bonus with an 11-2 victory over Ben Thornton of Purdue.

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Our Guy

RBY’s drama drew the eyes of the whole arena, and Jeff Byers and I both missed Nick Lee’s second period pin.

Up next is a rematch with Iowa’s 22-seed Max Murin, who Lee beat 8-3 in the Big Ten Quarterfinals two weeks ago.

Field Notes

We warned about Lock Haven’s Kyle Shoop potentially being a handful for 4-seed Josh Alber, and it was fortuitous: he advanced via a 19-10 Major Decision.

Elsewhere, Pennsylvania native’s Max Murin of Iowa and Mike Carr of Illinois did battle with a 22nd-seeded Hawkeyes coming out victorious, 4-3.

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Our Guy

Berge struggled. Kolodzik controlled him.

Up next in tomorrow morning’s consolation round of 24 is a meeting with Tejon Anthony of George Mason.

Field Notes

Pat Lugo of Iowa and Ryan Blees of Virginia Tech put on the match of the session at 149. Blees, who knocked off Kaden Gfeller of Oklahoma State in round one, pushed Lugo into a second sudden victory period and looked on the verge of the winning takedown before Lugo pulled off a magician-esque escape and turned it around for two points of his own.

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Our Guy

To Rutgers’ credit, they fight even when getting dominated. Van Brill scrapped and avoided the pin.

Still, Next Topic.

Up next in tomorrow morning’s Quarterfinals is a rematch with Arizona State’s 9-seed Christian Pagdilao, who Nolf majored in the December dual, 18-5.

Field Notes

Iowa’s Kaleb Young looked fantastic, racking up 14 points in a dominating major decision win over Ke-Shawn Hayes of Iowa State.

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Our Guy

Missouri’s Connor Flynn wrestled like this was a dual meet.

It wasn’t, and his success in avoiding Bonus Points should really help Mizzou keep the gap between them and the Nittany Lions close in the team race.

Field Notes

Alex Marinelli continued to move through his tough road to a potential championship with a 12-4 major decision victory over NC State’s Thomas Bullard.

On the bottom side, Bryce Steiert of Northern Iowa earned a hard-fought upset victory over Michigan’s Logan Massa to advance to the quarters against Arizona State’s Isaiah White.

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Our Guy

Marky continued his season-long inexorable march, and sent some Bonus to the team in so doing.

Field Notes

Perhaps the session’s biggest upset happened here as Army’s Ben Harvey, the 22 seed, knocked off sixth-seeded David McFadden of Virginia Tech, 5-3 in sudden victory. He’ll have defending champ Zahid Valencia of Arizona State in the quarters. Meanwhile, 10th-seeded Mikey Labriola of Nebraska topped Jacobe Smith of Oklahoma State. Labriola will have Daniel Lewis of Mizzou tomorrow morning.

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Our Guy

Sad face enters.

Field Notes

Nino Bonaccorsi of Pitt pulled off a 9-7 upset over fourth-seeded Emery Parker of Illinois to advance to tomorrow’s quarterfinals. Iowa State Cyclone Sammy Colbray advanced to the quarters over Oklahoma State’s Dakota Geer and VA Tech’s Zack Zavatsky was pushed to the brink by Michigan State’s Cam Caffey.

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Our Guy

Nothing like having Bo Nickal to wash away the pain of a R2 loss. The scoresheet says 184, but it was 197.

Field Notes

Down went fifth-seeded Jacob Warner of Iowa as 21-seed Thomas Lane of Cal Poly grabbed a 4-2 win in sudden victory. On the bottom side, No. 11 Christian Brunner of Purdue upended No. 6 Willie Miklus of Iowa State, 6-2. Tom Sleigh of Virginia Tech also pulled an upset over in-state foe Joe Aiello of UVA.

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Our Guy

Ant knee methodically worked his guy. Never pinned him, but still added bonus via a Major.

Field Notes

We’re just about all chalk into the quarters here outside of Central Michigan’s Matt Stencer upending Demetrius Thomas of Pitt, 17-9.

Team Race

1. Penn State 32.5
2. Ohio State 25.5
3. Iowa 24.0
4. Minnesota 24.0
5. Oklahoma State 20.0