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With nothing less than an individual and team national title on the line, Penn State’s Bo Nickal found himself giving up the first two points of Saturday night’s climactic match.
No matter.
From the mat, Nickal used his strength to flip Ohio State’s Myles Martin, putting him on his back for the pin.
A second straight crown for Nickal. And the seventh national championship for Penn State wrestling in the last eight years.
Coach Cael Sanderson’s dynasty continued to rack up banners in 2018, this time winning the title in Cleveland, nearly the Buckeyes’ backyard. Penn State won a tight team race over Ohio State 141.5-134.5 with Nickal’s victory as the clincher.
Nickal (184 pounds) was one of four Nittany Lions to repeat as individual national champions on the night, joining Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157) and Vincenzo Joseph (165). Mark Hall took second at 174.
Retherford got Penn State’s championship run started at 149 pounds, closing out his storied college career with his third straight national title and his school record 94th straight win. He became the program’s second three-time national champ, joining Ed Ruth.
His opponent, Ronnie Perry, hailed from just down the road at Lock Haven and held his own against the Lions’ top dog, holding Retherford to a 6-2 decision.
At 157, Nolf took down another Central Pennsylvania native as he won his second crown with a 6-2 decision over undefeated North Carolina State freshman Hayden Hidlay, a Lewistown native.
Nolf had battled a knee injury that kept him out of action for much of the season’s stretch run, including the end of the Big Ten championships. But his victory put Penn State ahead to stay in the team standings at the midpoint of the finals.
It was the 165-pound final, however, that put the Lions firmly in control.
In a rematch of last year’s title bout, Joseph bested Illinois star Isaiah Martinez for a second straight year, earning a 6-1 decision for Martinez’s only loss of the season.
Joseph had shocked Martinez in 2017 as a freshman, getting a surprising pin to win the title. Martinez got him back by winning their meeting in the Big Ten title bout earlier in the month, but Joseph ended Martinez’s stellar career with a loss.
The Lions weren’t able to repeat last season’s five-for-five feat though, as Mark Hall dropped an 8-2 decision to Arizona State’s Zahid Valencia in a battle of unbeatens in the 174-pound final.
That set up Nickal’s showdown with Martin, who could have opened the door for the Buckeyes to swipe Penn State’s crown with a victory. But Nickal prevailed to wrap up the team championship before Ohio State stud heavyweight Kyle Snyder could take the mat in the night’s final bout.
Martin had upset Nickal two years ago in the national final to win the title at 174. And he struck first on Saturday with a takedown late in the first period.
It only took Nickal a matter of seconds to turn a 2-0 deficit into a fall at the 2:29 mark. Penn State needed it, too, because Snyder won the heavyweight title soon after with a 3-2 decision over Michigan nemesis Adam Coon.
Penn State had trailed for much of the three-day event before grabbing the lead after Friday night’s competition was over. Ohio State, however, had six wrestlers alive in Saturday afternoon’s consolation finals and finished the session with a six-point lead over the Lions at 130.5-124.5.
But the gap could have been wider, as three of the six Buckeyes lost their final match in the wrestlebacks while Penn State had three — Nick Lee (141), Shakur Rasheed (197) and Nick Nevills (285) — close with wins. Lee took fifth place while Rasheed and Nevills both finished seventh to give Penn State eight All-Americans on the season, tying a program record.
In the 125-pound final, Iowa freshman Spencer Lee, a Pennsylvania native, defeated former Lions standout Nick Suriano — who transferred to Rutgers in the offseason — by decision, 5-1.
The Big Ten was denied another title at 133, however, as Michigan’s Stevan Micic fell 13-8 to Seth Gross, who became the first NCAA champion in South Dakota State history.
At 141, Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis remained the only person this year to beat Wyoming’s Bryce Meredith, topping the Cowboys standout for a second time by a 7-4 decision.
North Carolina State’s Michael Macchiavello took the title at 197, earning a 3-1 decision over Virginia Tech’s Jared Haught.
The Big Ten dominated the team standings, taking the top four spots with Iowa (97) and Michigan (80) following the Lions and Bucks.