BIG TEN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Reality pins PSU in semis

Sanderson lone wrestler to reach today’s finals, Lions fall to fifth in race

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Penn State ended the first session of the Big Ten Championships second behind Iowa. When the second session ended, the Nittany Lions had nearly left the tournament’s top half.

Penn State went 1-6 in the semifinals to drop to fifth place in the team standings Saturday at Crisler Arena.

Senior 157-pounder Cyler Sanderson is the Nittany Lions’ lone finalist. Sanderson defeated Michigan State’s Anthony Jones 6-0 in the semifinals to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Sanderson meets Minnesota’s Dustin Schlatter in today’s finals. Schlatter defeated Sanderson 4-0 in the regular-season finale. The 157-pound weight class receives four NCAA qualifiers.

Brad Pataky and Frank Molinaro also secured NCAA spots despite semifinal losses. Indiana’s Angel Escobedo hammered Pataky 14-1 at 125 while Iowa’s Brent Metcalf majored Frank Molinaro 12-3 at 149. The Big Ten receives six national qualifiers at 125 and eight at 149. Only six wrestlers remain in both weight classes.

Adam Lynch, Dan Vallimont, David Erwin and Cameron Wade dropped semifinal bouts and need victories in today’s consolation semifinals to ensure NCAA spots.

Ohio State’s Reece Humphrey majored Lynch 14-4 at 141, Vallimont lost 3-1 to Wisconsin’s Andrew Howe at 165, Iowa’s Phil Keddy avenged an earlier loss by defeating Erwin 4-1 at 184 and Iowa’s Dan Erekson handled Wade 5-2 at heavyweight. All four weight classes receive five NCAA qualifiers, so the quartet needs at least one victory today to avoid the at-large process.

Bryan Pearsall (133), Justin Ortega (174) and Clay Steadman (197) were eliminated from the tournament after finishing 0-2 Saturday.

Penn State’s quarterfinal round contrasted its semifinal one, with only Pearsall, Ortega and Steadman losing.

The round started with Pataky defeating Purdue’s Cashe Quiroga 7-4. After hammering Indiana’s Geno Capezio 17-3 in the first round, Lynch received an injury default against Illinois’ Ryan Prater in the quarterfinals.

Molinaro received a test in the quarterfinals, defeating Michigan State’s David Cheza 9-6. Sanderson also experienced a close call as he edged Illinois’ Clinton Arlis 9-7. Vallimont then defeated Indiana’s Paul Young 8-2, Erwin defeated Michigan’s Hunter Collins 10-4 and Wade edged Ohio State’s Corey Morrison 1-0.

The Nittany Lions had 59 points after the first two rounds. Their total increased to just 66 after the semifinals.

Iowa, which is approaching its 34th team title, has distanced itself from the field with 137 points and six finalists. The Hawkeyes have four wrestlers remaining in the consolation brackets.

Minnesota (104.5 points, four finalists), Ohio State (86, three) and Wisconsin (82, two) are also ahead of Penn State. Purdue trails the Nittany Lions by one point.

Wrestling resumes today with consolation semifinals at noon. The finals are scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be shown live on the Big Ten Network.

Sanderson is attempting to become Penn State’s 20th conference champion. The Nittany Lions are also trying to improve upon last year’s seventh-place finish.

Wrestlers who don’t secure NCAA spots today will be forced to deal with the NCAA’s at-large process. Forty-four wrestlers will receive bids after the NCAA committee meets next week. This is the second year of the current qualification process.

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