Pennsylvania Advances Five Into NCAA Semifinals; Seven Alive in Consolations
ST. LOUIS – Pennsylvania Wrestling has the chance to collect twelve NCAA National All-Americans on Friday night in St. Louis. Five of those wrestlers are guaranteed no less than a sixth place finish on the medal stand and all have a chance to punch their tickets to the NCAA National Finals tomorrow night.
Two wrestlers at 125 lbs. will compete on Friday night in the Championship Semifinals with #4 seed Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic/Lehigh) and #6 seed Ethan Lizak (Parkland/Minnesota) both winning big matches in the quarterfinals. At 133 lbs. only Scotty Parker (Pennridge/Lehigh) is alive in the consolation round.
Unseeded senior Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area/Penn State) has turned it on in St. Louis as he finds himself one win shy of an All-American finish. It would be Jimmy’s second podium finish in his career for the Nittany Lions but an impressive one to say the least after entering the NCAA Nationals with a (17-11) season record. He will take on #2 seed Kevin Jack (N.C. State) in the consolation blood round.
The Zain Train continued to tear through opponents as he rolled to a tech-fall in the 149 lbs. quarterfinals. Two Keystone State wrestlers will look to battle back in the consolation round with returning All-American Solomon Chishko (Canon-McMillan/Virginia Tech) and Lehigh senior Laike Gardner (Biglerville/Lehigh) both are one win away from an All-American finish. It would be Chishko’s second straight and Gardner’s first.
Top seed Jason Nolf (Kittanning/Penn State), a 3x PIAA State Champion, has been a bonus point machine in his three Championship matches including a fall in the quarters. The surprise of the round for Pennsylvania came when #2 seed Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional/Iowa) was pinned by Cornell’s Dylan Palacio the #7 seed. After a scoreless first period Palacio took bottom and hit a peterson to pick up two and back-points. As Kemerer was attempting to fight out he exposed his own back and gave up a fall. He will wrestle in the consolation blood round for a chance to get on the podium in his first trip to the NCAA National Tournament.
Redshirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Central Catholic/Penn State) had a come-from-behind win in the quarterfinals to punch his ticket to the Friday night Semifinals. The #3 seed Joseph is the lone Pennsylvania wrestler alive at 165 lbs. while at 174 lbs. Lehigh’s Ryan Preisch (Milton Area/Lehigh) is the only Keystone State wrestler remaining. The #6 seed Preisch will take on #9 seed Myles Amine of Michigan.
The remaining two wrestlers from Pennsylvania are #5 seed Matt McCutcheon (Kiski Area/Penn State) at 197 lbs. who is alive in the wrestlebacks and takes on #7 seed Aaron Studenbacker (Nebraska). At heavyweight #15 seed Ryan Solomon (Milton Area/Pittsburgh) battled into the consolation blood round but faces a tall task with #5 seed Nick Nevills of Penn State.
View Pennsylvania results from Friday’s Session 3 and updated brackets below!
125 lbs.
Quarterfinal – Darian Cruz (Lehigh) 29-2 won by decision over Sean Fausz (NC State) 27-7 (Dec 5-2)
Quarterfinal – Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) 29-6 won by tech fall over Freddie Rodriguez (SIUE) 23-7 (TF-1.5 6:54 (15-0))
Cons. Round 2 – Drew Templeman (Wyoming) 21-8 won by major decision over Jake Gromacki (Clarion) 20-9 (MD 10-2)
Cons. Round 2 – Shakur Laney (Ohio) 28-7 won by decision over Vito Pasone (Appalachian State) 17-9 (Dec 9-3)
133 lbs.
Cons. Round 2 – Joseph Palmer (Oregon State) 28-6 won by decision over Korbin Myers (Edinboro) 30-12 (Dec 9-3)
Cons. Round 2 – Dom Forys (Pittsburgh) 21-2 won by decision over Austin Eicher (Michigan State) 22-18 (Dec 4-0)
Cons. Round 2 – Mitch McKee (Minnesota) 21-18 won by decision over Connor Schram (Stanford) 15-6 (Dec 2-0)
Cons. Round 2 – Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) 25-6 won by decision over Corey Keener (Central Michigan) 20-15 (Dec 6-2)
Cons. Round 2 – Scotty Parker (Lehigh) 18-3 won by decision over Mark Grey (Cornell) 22-12 (Dec 6-3)
Cons. Round 3 – Mitch McKee (Minnesota) 22-18 won by decision over Dom Forys (Pittsburgh) 21-3 (Dec 4-0)
Cons. Round 3 – Scotty Parker (Lehigh) 19-3 won by decision over Jamal Morris (NC State) 22-11 (Dec 7-3)
141 lbs.
Cons. Round 2 – Tyler Smith (Bucknell) 30-9 won by decision over Brock Zacherl (Clarion) 22-5 (Dec 3-0)
Cons. Round 2 – Randy Cruz (Lehigh) 23-8 won by decision over Mason Smith (Central Michigan) 24-14 (Dec 5-0)
Cons. Round 2 – Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) 16-11 won by major decision over Timmy Box (Northern Colorado) 27-14 (MD 14-5)
Cons. Round 2 – Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) 25-8 won by decision over Christopher Carton (Iowa) 26-10 (Dec 9-6)
Cons. Round 3 – Tyler Smith (Bucknell) 31-9 won by fall over Johnathan Hathaway (Oregon State) 19-13 (Fall 6:08)
Cons. Round 3 – Joey McKenna (Stanford) 31-2 won by decision over Randy Cruz (Lehigh) 23-9 (Dec 4-3)
Cons. Round 3 – Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) 17-11 won by decision over Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) 25-9 (Dec 11-4)
149 lbs.
Quarterfinal – Zain Retherford (Penn State) 26-0 won by tech fall over Alex Kocer (South Dakota State) 29-9 (TF-1.5 5:14 (19-2))
Quarterfinal – Lavion Mayes (Missouri) 22-2 won by decision over Solomon Chishko (Virginia Tech) 23-4 (Dec 4-2)
Cons. Round 2 – Joshua Maruca (Arizona State) 23-10 won by decision over Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) 21-4 (Dec 8-5)
Cons. Round 2 – Laike Gardner (Lehigh) 24-9 won by decision over Patricio Lugo (Edinboro) 31-9 (Dec 12-6)
Cons. Round 2 – Justin Oliver (Central Michigan) 32-8 won by major decision over Matthew Cimato (Drexel) 27-11 (MD 9-0)
Cons. Round 3 – Laike Gardner (Lehigh) 24-9 won by decision over Joshua Maruca (Arizona State) 23-10 (Dec 3-2)
157 lbs.
Quarterfinal – Jason Nolf (Penn State) 25-0 won by fall over Bryant Clagon (Rider) 25-6 (Fall 4:07)
Quarterfinal – Dylan Palacio (Cornell) 11-1 won by fall over Michael Kemerer (Iowa) 29-3 (Fall 3:28)
Cons. Round 2 – Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh) 25-8 won by decision over Joshua Shields (Arizona State) 33-9 (Dec 5-3)
165 lbs.
Quarterfinal – Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 20-4 won by decision over Daniel Lewis (Missouri) 26-4 (Dec 6-5)
Cons. Round 2 – Te`Shan Campbell (Pittsburgh) 22-4 won by tech fall over Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State University) 23-13 (TF-1.5 4:14 (17-0))
Cons. Round 2 – Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) 22-5 won by decision over Cole Walter (Lehigh) 20-11 (Dec 8-4)
Cons. Round 2 – Austin Matthews (Edinboro) 20-9 won by major decision over Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State) 26-10 (MD 10-1)
Cons. Round 3 – Drew Hughes (Michigan State) 29-9 won by decision over Te`Shan Campbell (Pittsburgh) 22-4 (Dec 6-4)
Cons. Round 3 – Brandon Womack (Cornell) 33-9 won by fall over Austin Matthews (Edinboro) 20-9 (Fall 1:04)
174 lbs.
Cons. Round 2 – Jake Residori (SIUE) 23-12 won by decision over Ty Schoffstall (Edinboro) 21-11 (Dec 4-1)
Cons. Round 2 – Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) 25-5 won by decision over Casey Kent (Pennsylvania) 23-8 (Dec 10-6)
Cons. Round 3 – Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) 25-5 won by decision over Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) 22-19 (Dec 7-2)
184 lbs.
Cons. Round 2 – Dakota Geer (Edinboro) 31-10 won by decision over Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin) 20-16 (Dec 3-0)
Cons. Round 2 – Hunter Gamble (Gardner-Webb) 26-9 won by fall over Zachary Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) 25-4 (Fall 1:20)
Cons. Round 3 – Myles Martin (Ohio State) 29-8 won by major decision over Dakota Geer (Edinboro) 31-10 (MD 12-3)
197 lbs.
Quarterfinal – Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) 27-2 won by decision over Matt McCutcheon (Penn State) 20-5 (Dec 7-3)
Cons. Round 2 – Daniel Chaid (North Carolina) 20-14 won by decision over Brett Harner (Princeton) 15-10 (Dec 8-4)
285 lbs.
Cons. Round 2 – Ryan Solomon (Pittsburgh) 20-5 won by decision over Newton Smerchek (Central Michigan) 24-13 (Dec 4-0)
Cons. Round 2 – Thomas Haines (Lock Haven) 33-7 won by fall over Collin Jensen (Nebraska) 29-13 (Fall 4:51)
Cons. Round 3 – Ryan Solomon (Pittsburgh) 20-5 won by decision over Cody Crawford (Oregon State) 24-9 (Dec 6-0)
Cons. Round 3 – Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) 22-8 won by decision over Thomas Haines (Lock Haven) 33-7 (Dec 7-3)
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