New Year, Same Scuffle
Once again, the Penn State wrestling team has rung in the New Year with a familiar tradition. The Nittany Lions captured the Southern Scuffle tournament title for the fifth year in a row.
There were no individual champions crowned, but as a team Penn State was able to total 165 points to put them on top. Matt Brown (174), Morgan McIntosh (197) and Jon Gingrich (285) were a few of Penn State’s key contributors in the win.
Senior Matt Brown, ranked No. 2, finished the tournament 5-2 and earned second place. During the first three rounds on day one of the tournament, Brown secured a pin, tech fall and major decision.
Day two he won his quarterfinal match, then defeated Pittsburgh’s No. 5 Tyler Wilps in the semis. He advanced to the finals along with Nebraska’s No.1 Robert Kokesh in one of the most exciting matches of the tournament. After Brown gave up a takedown in the second period, he wasn’t able to comeback and fell to Kokesh in a 3-2 decision.
Junior Morgan McIntosh, ranked No. 4, placed third with 5-1 record. Day one he went 3-0 including a bye and a pin. Day two he started with a win in the quarterfinals over Michigan’s No. 12 Max Huntley. He then lost in the semifinals to No. 3 J’Den Cox of Missouri and found himself in the consolation semifinals. McIntosh wrestled two more ranked wrestlers and ended the tournament with a pin in the consolation semis and a final decision for third place.
Senior Jon Gingrich, ranked No. 6, placed third after eight grueling matches and finished 7-1. Day one ended in a pin and two major decisions for Gingrich and day two led to never ending consolation matches.
After a loss in the quarterfinals to Michigan’s No. 8 Adam Coon, Gingrich won three consolation matches (sort of, one was a medical forfeit) to put him in the final match for third place. He ended the tournament with a close 3-2 decision over Missouri’s Devin Mellon.
Despite being upset twice in the 133 lbs. weight class, sophomore Jimmy Gulibon, ranked No. 1, finished in fourth place to add a few more team points. Zack Beitz (149), Dylan Alton (157) and Matt McCutcheon (184) placed fourth in each of their weight classes as well.
While it wasn’t the dominating, first-place-style wrestling Penn State fans are used to, as a whole the team performed solid. In fact, solid enough to still secure first place with a 15 point spread ahead of Missouri in second place.
The Nittany Lions return home on Friday, Jan. 9 to host Indiana in Rec Hall. The dual is set to start at 7 p.m. with online video coverage provided by gopsusports.com.
(All statistics courtesy of www.gopsusports.com)
There were no individual champions crowned, but as a team Penn State was able to total 165 points to put them on top. Matt Brown (174), Morgan McIntosh (197) and Jon Gingrich (285) were a few of Penn State’s key contributors in the win.
Senior Matt Brown, ranked No. 2, finished the tournament 5-2 and earned second place. During the first three rounds on day one of the tournament, Brown secured a pin, tech fall and major decision.
Day two he won his quarterfinal match, then defeated Pittsburgh’s No. 5 Tyler Wilps in the semis. He advanced to the finals along with Nebraska’s No.1 Robert Kokesh in one of the most exciting matches of the tournament. After Brown gave up a takedown in the second period, he wasn’t able to comeback and fell to Kokesh in a 3-2 decision.
Junior Morgan McIntosh, ranked No. 4, placed third with 5-1 record. Day one he went 3-0 including a bye and a pin. Day two he started with a win in the quarterfinals over Michigan’s No. 12 Max Huntley. He then lost in the semifinals to No. 3 J’Den Cox of Missouri and found himself in the consolation semifinals. McIntosh wrestled two more ranked wrestlers and ended the tournament with a pin in the consolation semis and a final decision for third place.
Senior Jon Gingrich, ranked No. 6, placed third after eight grueling matches and finished 7-1. Day one ended in a pin and two major decisions for Gingrich and day two led to never ending consolation matches.
After a loss in the quarterfinals to Michigan’s No. 8 Adam Coon, Gingrich won three consolation matches (sort of, one was a medical forfeit) to put him in the final match for third place. He ended the tournament with a close 3-2 decision over Missouri’s Devin Mellon.
Despite being upset twice in the 133 lbs. weight class, sophomore Jimmy Gulibon, ranked No. 1, finished in fourth place to add a few more team points. Zack Beitz (149), Dylan Alton (157) and Matt McCutcheon (184) placed fourth in each of their weight classes as well.
While it wasn’t the dominating, first-place-style wrestling Penn State fans are used to, as a whole the team performed solid. In fact, solid enough to still secure first place with a 15 point spread ahead of Missouri in second place.
The Nittany Lions return home on Friday, Jan. 9 to host Indiana in Rec Hall. The dual is set to start at 7 p.m. with online video coverage provided by gopsusports.com.
(All statistics courtesy of www.gopsusports.com)
