OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Things weren’t perfect for Penn State on opening day at the NCAA wrestling championships, but the Nittany Lions still are in position to win their fourth straight national title.
Penn State leads with 26.5 points after Thursday’s action at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Five Nittany Lions won their first two matches and advanced to Friday morning’s quarterfinals. All 10 of Penn State’s wrestlers are still alive to score points.
Minnesota and Oklahoma State are tied for second with 21.5 points and Iowa and Oklahoma are tied for fourth with 20.5.
Iowa took some hits in the morning session. In the 165 class, unseeded Josh Veltre of Bloomsburg (Pa.) knocked off Iowa’s No. 5 seed, Nick Moore, 15-7 in a major decision.
In the 184 class, Iowa’s Ethen Lofthouse, seeded fifth, lost to Victor Avery of Edinboro 5-3. Only seven of Iowa’s 10 wrestlers escaped the early session with victories.
Things nearly got worse for Iowa early in the evening session. Iowa’s Tony Ramos, the No. 3 seed at 133, needed overtime to defeat No. 14 seed Zane Richards of Illinois.
Iowa rallied and provided one of the highlights of the evening at 197. No. 11 seed Nathan Burak scored a two-point takedown in the closing seconds of the third period to defeat No. 6 seed Richard Perry of Bloomsburg, 4-3.
Six Iowa State wrestlers came to the championships, and all six remain standing as day one wrapped up. The Cyclones are sitting ninth in the team standings, thanks to a 10-3 record in matches and three wins by fall.