No. 15 Penn State wrestlers fall to No. 10 Iowa, 23-16
No. 5 Eric Bradley downs No. 9 Paul Bradley of Iowa
State College, Pa., Feb. 4, 2005 – Things couldn’t have started better for the No. 15 ranked Penn State wrestling team Friday night as they took on No. 10 Iowa in front of 3,207 fans in Rec Hall, but close losses and bonus points caught up with the Nittany Lions as they fell for the eighth straight time to the Hawkeyes, 23-16. The loss drops the Nittany Lions to 8-8 (2-3 in the Big Ten) as they prepared to face Lock Haven Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. in Rec Hall. Penn State will honor five senior wrestlers at that match. Iowa, which won six of 10 bouts on the night, improved to 7-4 (2-2 in the Big Ten) as they head west to face Ohio State on Saturday.
Penn State senior Adam Smith sent the crowd into and uproar when he worked Hawkeye Charlie Falck over for a fall at 4:34 of the opening match at 125. Falck came out strong with a pair of first period takedowns and led 4-2 going into the second period. Falck, however, chose to start in the down position in the second and Smith went to work eventually barring Falck’s arm and turning him to his back.
Trailing 6-0 and with Rec Hall buzzing, Iowa responded by reeling off five straight wins and seizing command of the match with a 20-6 advantage. The run started at 133 where No. 9 Mario Galanakis avenged an earlier loss to No. 19 Bryan Heller at the Midlands with an 8-4 decision. Heller came out strong in the first posting a takedown and then getting a reversal after Galanakis escaped and got a takedown of his own. The Hawkeye took down to start the second and reversed Heller and then added a takedown in the third for the final.
At 141, No. 12 DeWitt Driscoll dropped a hard fought overtime decision to Alex Tsirtsis as the Hawkeye pulled out a 6-4, sudden victory win with a takedown 42 seconds into overtime. The Hawkeye took the early lead with two first period takedowns but Driscoll tied things ups with an escape in the second and then rode Tsirtsis the entire third period earning just enough riding time (1:01) and a penalty point to tie the match.
At 149, No. 5 Ty Eustice dominated freshman Jack Decker but failed to turn him to his back and had to settle for a 24-9 match termination at 6:46 for a four-point win. Iowa again dominated at 157 at No. 8 Joe Johnston posted four takedowns, two reversals and two, three-point near-falls for a 23-10 over No. 18 Nate Galloway. Iowa completed its run when No. 4 Mark Perry pinned Jarrad Turner at 2:02 of the 165-pound bout.
Penn State then mounted a charge. Sophomore James Yonushonis got things started with an impressive 12-4 major decision over Luke Lofthouse at 174. After a scoreless first period, Yonushonis turned up the action posting a pair of takedowns in the second and three more in the third for the final.
The showdown of the match followed at 184 where No. 5 Eric Bradley faced No. 9 Paul Bradley of Iowa for the second time this season and fifth time on their careers. The Hawkeye won the earlier meeting this year with a double-overtime win at the Midlands, but the Nittany Lion held a 3-1 lead overall. Eric pushed that margin to 4-1 when with the match tied at 1-1 in the third period he countered a shot by the Hawkeye and got a takedown of his own. Paul escaped but was unable to score as Eric held him off for a 3-2 win.
Penn State closed the margin to 20-16 when freshman Phil Davis posted his eighth straight win with an 8-2 decision over Adam Fellers at 197. Davis, who jumped into the rankings this week at No. 13, got an escape and a takedown in the second period and posted two more in the third for the final. That set up a chance for junior Joel Edwards to pull off a huge upset and possibly tie or win the bout. However, he faced a large task in taking on No. 8 Matt Fields. Edwards, who weighed in at 217 gave up 36 pounds to the 253-pound Fields, but nearly pulled out the win. After a scoreless first period, Fields took down to start the second and Edwards rode him for nearly a minute and a half before getting out of position and giving up a reversal. Edwards escaped and then tied the match with an escape from the down position to start the third. But, the Hawkeye finished a takedown and then rode out the match for a 4-2 win.
#10 Iowa 23, #15 Penn State 16 IA PS
125 Adam Smith (PS) pinned Charlie Falck (IA), F;4:34 0 6
133 #9 Mario Galanakis (IA) dec. #19 Bryan Heller (PS), 8-4 3 6
141 Alex Tsirtsis (IA) dec. #12 DeWitt Driscoll (PS), 6-4;sv 6 6
149 #5 Ty Eustice (IA) match term Jack Decker (PS), MT24-9;6:46 10 6
157 #8 Joe Johnston (IA) Maj. Dec. #18 Nate Galloway (PS), 23-10 14 6
165 #4 Mark Perry (IA) pinned Jarrad Turner (PS), F;2:02 20 6
174 James Yonushonis (PS) maj. Dec. Luke Lofthouse (IA), 12-4 20 10
184 #5 Eric Bradley (PS) dec. #9 Paul Bradley (IA), 3-2 20 13
197 #13 Phil Davis (PS) dec. Adam Fellers (IA), 8-2 20 16
Hwt. #8 Matt Fields (IA) dec. Joel Edwards (PS), 4-2 23 16
Penn State: 8-8; 2-3 Big Ten Iowa: 7-4; 2-2 Big Ten
Attendance: 3,207
Ridge Riley Award: Adam Smith (125)
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