Former Hopatcong state champ Zack Rey said this when asked why he chose to attend Lehigh:
"It is a wrestling powerhouse on the east coast as well as a top institution for academics."
That quote on his bio page proved prophetic as Rey learned a tough lesson on Saturday -- never let up for a moment in the national finals.
Rey surrendered a takedown with 10 seconds left that was the difference in a 3-1 loss to Minnesota's Anthony Nelson at 285 pounds in the nightcap of the NCAA Division I Championships in St. Louis.
Rey (30-3), last year's champion at 285, led, 1-0, after a second period escape. Nelson (36-2), a red-shirt sophomore, escaped 12 seconds into the third period to tie it. Rey, as was the case in the first period, was in on a single-leg attempt with 22 seconds left in the bout but couldn't finish. Instead, Nelson scrambled and eventually corralled Rey at the edge for a takedown of his own and his first national championship.
Rey, a three-time All-American, was bidding for Sussex County's eighth NCAA title. Harry Lanzi of Toledo (1952), Mike Frick of Lehigh (1975-76), Matt Valenti of Penn (2006-07), David Zabriskie of Iowa State (2010) and Rey (2011) are the only wrestlers from the county to win championships.
Rey is one of only four three-time All-Americans from Sussex, along with Newton's Roger Snook (1947, '49-'50 for Cornell Iowa), Vernon's Jan Michaels ('81'-83 for North Carolina) and Valenti ('04, '06-'07).
Contrary to what the ESPN announcers kept reporting, incorrectly, Rey did win a conference title as he captured an EIWA championship in 2010. He was second the last two years.
Oliver denied a second title
Easton product Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State also failed in his quest for a second straight championship, falling 4-3 to Ohio State's Logan Stieber at 133 pounds.
Oliver, the No. 1 seed, appeared to have the winning takedown in the final seconds, but both officials, including mat judge Gary Kessel, ruled in Stieber's favor.
Oliver (32-2) beat Stieber, 7-3, on Feb. 12. The former three-time Pennsylvania state champion is a three-time All-American.
Russell gets it done
Former Blair Academy star Kellen Russell of Michigan capped a tremendous tournament with his second championship at 141 pounds. Russell, the No. 1 seed, defeated Iowa's Montell Marion, 6-4, in an overtime thriller.
Russell (37-1), a High Bridge resident, is a three-time All-American and a four-time Big 10 champion. He is now 4-0 all-time against Marion.
Penn State still rules the roost
Coach Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lions are on top of the mountain again -- winning their second straight national team championship.
Penn State put an astounding five wrestlers in the finals and crowned three champions as Frank Molinaro (149), David Taylor (165) and Ed Ruth (174) won titles.
"It's definitely a team effort," Sanderson said. "Guys wrestling together, that's where bonus points come in and winning matches. I'm very happy for them and I'm very proud of them."
Molinaro, a three-time New Jersey state champ and four-time All-American, erased last year's finals disappointment with a dominating effort against Minnesota's Dylan Ness in a 4-1 victory.
"He deserves it," Sanderson said of his wrestler, nicknamed "Frank the Tank." "He works so hard. He's the man."
The Big 10 crowned seven champions in all and had at least one wrestler in all but one of the 10 championship bouts. Iowa's Matt McDonough (125), who won his second title with a 4-1 decision over PSU's Nico Megaludis, was the other winner from the Big 10.
Cornell had the three non-Big 10 champs, led by three-time winner Kyle Dake (157), who was joined by first-timers Steve Bosak (184) and Cam Simaz (197).
Results
Team standings (top 10): 1. Penn State 143; 2. Minnesota 117.5; 3. Iowa 107.5; 4. Cornell 102.5; 5. Ohio State 68.5; 6. Oklahoma State 66; 7. Illinois 62; 8. Lehigh 61; 9. Northwestern 43.5; 10. Oregon State 40.5.
Championships
125 -- Matt McDonough, Iowa, d. Nico Megaludis, Penn State, 4-1.
133 -- Logan Stieber, Ohio State, d. Jordan Oliver, Oklahoma State, 4-3.
141 -- Kellen Russell, Michigan, d. Montell Marion, Iowa, 6-4 OT.
149 -- Frank Molinaro, Penn State, d. Dylan Ness, Minnesota, 4-1.
157 -- Kyle Dake, Cornell, d. Derek St. John, Iowa, 4-1.
165 -- David Taylor, Penn State, tf. Brandon Hatchett, Lehigh, 22-7.
174 -- Ed Ruth, Penn State, md. Nick Amuchastegui, Stanford, 13-2.
184 -- Steve Bosak, Cornell, d. Quentin Wright, Penn State, 4-2 OT.
197 -- Cam Simaz, Cornell, d. Christopher Honeycutt, Edinboro, 7-5.
285 -- Anthony Nelson, Minnesota, d. Zach Rey, Lehigh, 3-1.
Outstanding Wrestler -- David Taylor, Penn State.
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