Wrestling: Three Mountaineers Earn Victories

By Ira Green for MSNsportsNET.com
December 14, 2008

West Virginia 10, #15 Penn State 27
Rec Hall
State College, Pa.

Individual Results

Results

125

Forfeit 6-0 >

Pataky

133

Oravec

Dec 10-3 >

Haas

141

Johnston

Dec 11-10 >

Molinaro

149

Tsikerdanos

Major 20-9 >

#2 Jenkins

157

Goodman

Major 10-2 >

#9 Vallimont

165

Mory

Dec 5-2 >

Bollinger

174

#14 Brenner

< Dec 3-2

#18 Wright

184

Bryson

< Major 12-4

Dodds

197

Boyer

Major 12-3 >

Steadman

HWT

#18 Rogers

< Dec 6-3

Wade

Top WVU Wrestlers


Kurt Brenner	Lance Bryson

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Fifth-year seniors Kurt Brenner (174) and Dustin Rogers (HWT) and freshman Lance Bryson (184) each earned victories at No. 15 Penn State on Sunday afternoon at Rec Hall. The Mountaineers fell to the Nittany Lions, 27-10.

"I was talking to Bob Huggins, our basketball coach, after the game against Davidson and they had two or three of their starters on the bench. He said, 'I don't like to lose, but it's going to pay dividends down the road with different guys running our offense,' and that's how I feel here,” Coach Craig Turnbull said. “We are putting people in there who are gaining valuable experience and they are going to bring it back and they'll be better for it. I really think we would have a few different situations that would have been very competitive."

Brenner, ranked No. 14 nationally, notched the Mountaineers’ first points of the meet after taking a 3-2 decision against Penn State’s Quentin Wright, ranked No. 18 heading into the bout. The match was tied at one apiece heading into the third period. Brenner, a Freedom, Pa., native chose the defensive decision to begin the third session and earned two reversal points to seal the 3-2 victory. Brenner leads WVU with a 7-2 overall record.

Bryson continued to rack up points for the Mountaineers. After earning two takedown points in the first period against Penn State’s Matt Dodds, Bryson went to work. He earned three points in the second period and then notched three takedowns in the third for the 12-4 major decision, his second of the season. With the victory, Bryson improves to 6-3 overall, 2-1 in dual meets.

After sophomore Brandon Boyer dropped his match at 197 pounds, Rogers, ranked No. 18, squared off against Penn State’s Cameron Wade. Despite Wade holding a 20-pound advantage, Rogers used his elusiveness and speed in the third period to take over. Heading into the third session, Rogers was down 1-0, but he rattled off an escape point to tie the match and then recorded a takedown for the 3-1 lead. Rogers posted another three points to take the 6-3 victory and improve to 6-3 overall.

At 141 pounds, freshman Colin Johnston battled Frank Molinaro, who owned a 12-2 mark heading into the match. Johnston fell behind in the first session, 5-0, but put together a strong second period. After scoring two takedowns and an escape point, Johnston was only down 6-5 heading into the third period. Molinaro, who chose the defensive position in the third period, pulled ahead by two after earning an escape point. Johnston was able to earn a takedown and tie the match at seven apiece. Molinaro escaped and then had a takedown to again jump ahead. Johnston countered with a two-point reversal, but still trailed 10-9. Molinaro, however, would pull ahead. After Johnston earned a stalling point, Molinaro recorded an escape point for the 11-10 decision.

“We put some very inexperienced guys out there and they battled very hard. We had some small victories out of some of those losses,” Turnbull commented.

The Mountaineers will have off for more than two weeks before returning to action at the Midlands Classic in Chicago, Ill. The tournament will take place at Northwestern on Dec. 29-30.

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