DIVISION I WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS RECORDS BOOK 2017 Championships 2 History 14 Team Finishes 28 All-Time Team Results 34 2017 CHAMPIONSHIPS Penn State wins sixth title in seven years: The Penn State wrestling team left no doubt to its dominance, rolling to a perfect 5-0 record in the 2017 NCAA Championships finals. The stunning run capped off Penn State’s team title performance in St. Louis’ Scottrade Center. Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, claimed its sixth NCAA team title in the last seven years, its second straight and its seventh overall. Penn State also tied the NCAA record with five individual national champions becoming the fourth team in NCAA history and the first since Oklahoma State in 2005. The Nittany Lions won the title with a school record 146.5 points, 36.5 points ahead of second place Ohio State. Oklahoma State was third with 103.0. Penn State’s seven team titles are fourth all-time in NCAA history. Sanderson now has six NCAA team titles as a head coach, tied for fifth all-time. Junior Zain Retherford, the No. 1 seed at 149 pounds, took on No. 3 Lavion Mayes of Missouri in the first of five straight NCAA finals match-ups featuring Penn State wrestlers to close out the championships. Mayes fought off a quick early shot by Retherford and then took a 2-0 lead with a fast double leg at the 2:33 mark. Retherford quickly escaped to a 2-1 score and took the lead with a low single to a takedown at the 1:40 mark. Retherford then controlled the action from the top position and carried a 3-2 lead with 1:15 in time into the second stanza. Retherford chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. He then stepped back from a slight Mayes shot, countered low, and finished off a takedown for a 6-2 lead at the :40 mark. He rode Mayes out once again and led 6-2 with 2:04 in time after two periods. Mayes chose down to start the third period. Retherford took advantage of the decision. The Lion senior turned Mayes three straight times, nearly getting the fall on the second, and posting a crushing 18-2 technical fall at the 6:42 mark to win his second straight NCAA title. The Nittany Lion went 5-0 with four technical falls and a pin at the tournament and ended the season with a 28-0 mark with 17 pins, seven techs and a major. Retherford was named the 2017 NCAA Championships Outstanding Wrestler for his effort. The junior was also honored for his season long domi- nance as the 2017 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler. Sophomore Jason Nolf, the No. 1 seed at 157, took on No. 3 Joey Lavallee of Missouri. The duo battled evenly for two minutes before Nolf gained control of Lavallee’s right foot, lifted it off the mat and finished off the takedown with just over 1:00 left in the period. He cut Lavallee loose with :40 on the clock and immediately went to work on offense. Lavallee fought off a late Nolf shot and killed the buzzer in the opening period. Nolf chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. He picked up a point on a second Lavallee stall and then used a swift low double for a takedown with just :12 left to lead 6-1 after two periods. Lavallee chose down to start the third and Nolf cut him loose. He finished off the tiger with four textbook takedowns to roll to a 14-6 major decision and win his first national title. Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 165, took on No. 1 Isaiah Martinez of Illinois. Joseph chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-5 lead. He then moved in for the win. Joseph and Martinez locked up in the middle of the mat and the Nittany Lion picked the two-time defending NCAA Champion off the mat and turned him to his back as the Scottrade Center erupted. The Lion freshman spent seconds to get the stunning fall at the 5:25 mark and claim his first NCAA title as a red-shirt freshman. True freshman Mark Hall, the No. 5 seed at 174, met No. 3 Bo Jordan of Ohio State. Jordan chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-2 lead at the 1:32 mark. The duo battled evenly for the next minute. As the clock wound its way down below :20, Hall worked his way into control of the Buckeye grappler and took him to the mat for a clinching takedown, rolling to the 5-2 decision to become a national champion as a true freshman. Sophomore Bo Nickal, the No. 2 seed at 184, met No. 1 Gabe Dean of Cornell in the tournament’s final title match-up. Dean chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 4-3 Nickal lead. Nickal nearly scored on a takedown at the :50 mark, Dean nearly countered by turning Nickal to his back but the Lion fought off the effort and action moved out of bounds. Dean pressured Nickal on the edge of the mat and the duo worked their way into a scram- ble as the clock wound down. Nickal maintained control of Dean’s leg and the clock hit :00, giving the Nittany Lion sophomore a 4-3 win and his first NCAA title. His win capped off a stunning 5-0 run in the NCAA finals for Penn State. Other highlights saw Missouri 197-pounder J’den Cox win his third national championship, while 2016 Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder of Ohio State at heavyweight and Oklahoma State 141-pounder Dean Heil won their second consecutive national championships. Darian Cruz of Lehigh upset undefeated, top seed Thomas Gilman of Iowa in the semifinals at 125 pounds on the way to his first national championship. The Hawkeyes weren’t shut out as fourth- seeded Cory Clark won the championship at 133 pounds. 2017 Championships 2 35. Indiana 8½ 2017 TEAM STANDINGS Maryland 37. Penn 8 1. Penn St. 146½ 38. Campbell 6½ 2. Ohio St. 110 39. Buffalo 5½ 3. Oklahoma St. 103 40. Bucknell 5 4. Iowa 97 41. American 4½ 5. Missouri 86½ Michigan St. 6. Virginia Tech 63½ North Carolina 7. Minnesota 62½ 44. Cleveland St. 4 8. Cornell 60½ Lock Haven 9. Nebraska 59½ 46. Northwestern 3½ 10. Michigan 47½ 47. Gardner-Webb 3 11. Illinois 43½ North Dakota St. 12. Lehigh 40 Northern Colo. 13. Wisconsin 39½ 50. Purdue 2½ 14. Arizona St. 39 51. Eastern Mich. 2 15. Virginia 29½ Ohio 16. South Dakota St. 28½ 53. Army West Point 1½ 17. North Carolina St. 26 CSU Bakersfield 18. UNI 25½ Drexel 19. Rutgers 24½ Utah Valley 20. Edinboro 20½ 57. Binghamton 1 21. Rider 20 Clarion Wyoming Columbia 23. Central Mich. 19½ Iowa St. 24. Stanford 16 West Virginia 25. Princeton 15½ 62. Cal Poly ½ 26. Appalachian St. 13½ George Mason Old Dominion Harvard 28. Oregon St. 12½ Kent St. 29. SIUE 12 66. Boise St. 0 30. Northern Ill. 11½ Brown 31. Navy 10 The Citadel 32. Duke 9½ 69. Chattanooga -½ Oklahoma Pittsburgh 2017 Championships 3 Wrestlebacks 2017 INDIVIDUAL RESULTS Round Results Pig Tails Dylan Peters (UNI) won by decision over Barlow 125-Pound Class McGhee (Missouri) (Dec 4-3) Round Results First round Jake Gromacki (Clarion) won by decision over Brent Fleetwood (Central Mich.) (Dec 2-0); Johnny Jimenez Pig Tails Gabe Townsell (Stanford) won in sudden victory over (Wisconsin) won by decision over Elijah Oliver (Indiana) Barlow McGhee (Missouri) (SV-1 3-1) (Dec 7-3); Brock Hudkins (Northern Ill.) won by decision First round Thomas Gilman (Iowa) won by major decision over over Noah Gonser (Eastern Mich.) (Dec 7-0); Dylan Brent Fleetwood (Central Mich.) (MD 19-6); Nathan Peters (UNI) won by decision over Sean Nickell (CSU Kraisser (Campbell) won by decision over Jake Bakersfield) (Dec 8-7); Vito Pasone (Appalachian St.) Gromacki (Clarion) (Dec 3-0); Joshua Rodriguez (North won by medical forfeit over Nick Suriano (Penn St.) (M. Dakota St.) won by decision over Johnny Jimenez For.); Jose Rodriguez (Ohio St.) won by fall over Christian (Wisconsin) (Dec 7-4); Nicholas Piccininni (Oklahoma Moody (Oklahoma) (Fall 2:51); Travis Piotrowski (Illinois) St.) won by fall over Elijah Oliver (Indiana) (Fall 1:45); won by decision over Ibrahim Bunduka (George Mason) Tim Lambert (Nebraska) won by decision over Brock (Dec 6-0); Gabe Townsell (Stanford) won by decision Hudkins (Northern Ill.) (Dec 9-2); Sean Fausz (North over Conor Youtsey (Michigan) (Dec 9-4) Carolina St.) won by fall over Noah Gonser (Eastern Second round Drew Templeman (Wyoming) won by major decision Mich.) (Fall 3:19); Shakur Laney (Ohio) won by decision over Jake Gromacki (Clarion) (MD 10-2); Sean Russell over Sean Nickell (CSU Bakersfield) (Dec 10-5); Darian (Edinboro) won by decision over Johnny Jimenez Cruz (Lehigh) won by fall over Dylan Peters (UNI) (Fall (Wisconsin) (Dec 4-2); Brock Hudkins (Northern Ill.) won 0:52); Kyle Akins (Buffalo) won by medical forfeit over by decision over Josh Terao (American) (Dec 5-2); Kyle Nick Suriano (Penn St.) (M. For.); Freddie Rodriguez Akins (Buffalo) won by decision over Dylan Peters (UNI) (SIUE) won by tech fall over Vito Pasone (Appalachian (Dec 9-6); Shakur Laney (Ohio) won by decision over St.) (TF-1.5 4:49 (19-4)); Josh Terao (American) won Vito Pasone (Appalachian St.) (Dec 9-3); Tim Lambert by major decision over Jose Rodriguez (Ohio St.) (MD (Nebraska) won by decision over Jose Rodriguez (Ohio 13-4); Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) won by decision over St.) (Dec 6-1); Joshua Rodriguez (North Dakota St.) won Christian Moody (Oklahoma) (Dec 10-8); Sean Russell by decision over Travis Piotrowski (Illinois) (Dec 5-2); (Edinboro) won by tech fall over Ibrahim Bunduka Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) won by decision over Gabe (George Mason) (TF-1.5 4:50 (21-3)); Jack Mueller Townsell (Stanford) (Dec 10-7) (Virginia) won by tech fall over Travis Piotrowski (Illinois) (TF-1.5 6:54 (16-1)); Drew Templeman (Wyoming) won Third round Sean Russell (Edinboro)