Top Ranked Nittany Lion Wrestlers Cruise in Opener
By: K.C. Kantz
Updated: November 16, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; November 16, 2012 - The Penn State wrestling team, holding the No. 1 spot on Intermat's TPI, hammered No. 24 Lehigh in the 2012-13 season opener for the team. The Nittany Lions, under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson, won eight of ten bouts on their way to a 29-6 win.
All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, go the season off to a hot start for Penn State with a dominating 19-4 technical fall over Lehigh's Alex Abreu (5:07). Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway (Abottstown, Pa.) made his Penn State dual meet debut with a superb 3-2 decision over Lehigh's Laike Gardner at 133, followed by senior Bryan Pearsall's (Lititz, Pa.) 7-6 win over LU's Anthony Salupo. Senior James English (York, Pa.) got the call at 149 for Penn State and posted thrilling 5-2 upset over No. 18 Shane Welsh. The Lions' bid for a 5-0 start to the dual was stopped when No. 13 Joey Napoli upset No. 2 Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) 4-2 at 157. The Nittany Lions carried a 14-3 lead into the halftime break.
Defending national champion David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) opened up the second half in fine fashion with a 20-5 technical fall over Lehigh's Eric Hess. Sophomore Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 4 at 174, then majored No. 18 Nathaniel Brown 12-1. Top-ranked 184-pounder Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), the defending national champion at 174, then beat No. 3 Robert Hamlin of Lehigh in the evening's marquee bout. Ruth posted a thrilling 11-9 win. Three-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 3 up at his new weight of 197, downed John Bolich and Lehigh's Jack Delia downed Nittany Lion sophomore Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) in the bout's final match-up.
The Nittany Lions won eight of ten bouts and dominated the takedown war 28-6. The Nittany Lions owned a gaudy 40-6 point advantage in the third period alone, thanks in large part to a 12-1 third period takedown edge. Penn State is now 1-0 on the year while Lehigh falls to 1-1.
--PSU Athletic Communications--
