After a pair of first-period pins on the opening day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo., no one would have blamed David Taylor, Penn State’s 165-pound sophomore, if he had merely a decision or major decision victory in his quarterfinals match.
But never one to disappoint, Taylor exceeded his fastest fall from Day 1, decking Nebraska’s Robert Kokesh in an eye-popping 29 seconds to advance to Friday night’s 165 pound semifinal, which will begin at 7:30.
In all, five Nittany Lions – Nico Megaludis, Frank Molinaro, Taylor, Ed Ruth, and Quentin Wright – advanced to Friday night’s semifinals, with two wrestlers, Frank Martellotti and Morgan McIntosh, being eliminated in the consolation rounds. Cameron Wade and Dylan Alton moved onto the consolation bracket after losing in his quarter-final bouts.
A pair of upsets sprung 125-pounder Megaludis and 184-pounder Wright into their respective weight class semifinals. Megaludis, who had lost to Minnesota’s Zach Sanders twice already this season, scored a late take down to increase his lead to 7-4, one he would ultimately hold onto. He’ll wrestle Cornell’s Frank Perrelli Friday night. Wright, a surprise No. 6 seed, locked in a cradle against Central Michigan’s Ben Bennet and rocked him for two near-fall counts before locking it in for good to record a fall at the 2:35 mark of the first period. Wright will face Lehigh’s No.2 seed Robert Hamlin.
149-pounder Frank Molinaro bounced back from his knee injury on Thursday night to record a 10-2 major decision over Michigan’s Eric Grajales, and Ruth recorded a 11-4 decision over Ohio State’s Nick Heflin in one 174-pound semifinal. . Molinaro will face unseeded Justin Accordino of Hofstra in the semifinals, while Ruth draws No.4 seed Logan Storley of Minnesota.
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