2013 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dake achieves history, PSU earns 3rd straight
By Craig Sesker DES MOINES, Iowa – One of the most memorable nights of wrestling in the 83-year history of the NCAA Championships saw Cornell’s Kyle Dake make history and Penn State win its third straight title. Dake edged Penn State standout David Taylor 5-4 in an
entertaining 165-pound finals bout to win his fourth national title on March 23 before 16,131 fans at Wells Fargo Arena. Top-ranked Penn State won its fourth overall national title with
123.5 points, four ahead of runner-up Oklahoma State. The Nittany Lions crowned two champions. "We're super happy," said Penn State coach Cael Sanderson,
who was named Coach of the Year. "Our guys did a great job. It was back-and-forth and our guys really came through. It was a very tough tournament. Oklahoma State had a great tourna- ment."
Third-ranked Oklahoma State actually led by one point over
Penn State after junior Chris Perry won the first match of the finals, but Penn State regained the lead with wins by Ed Ruth and Quentin Wright. "When you win nine out of 11 matches on Saturday, in the
past you usually win the tournament," Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. "We probably needed 11 today. There is no disappointment. We had the tournament we needed to have a chance. Looking back on it, it just wasn't enough this time." Dake became just the third wrestler to win four NCAA titles
and the first to do it in four different weight classes. He has pre- viously won NCAAs at 141, 149 and 157. Dake joins Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith and Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson in the exclusive fraternity of four-time NCAA wrestling champions. "I'm kind of at a loss for words," Dake said. "It's definitely an amazing feeling. It's just you get to finally see all your hard work pay off. I wrestled a tough match. I just wrestled tough. That's all there is to say. "It probably won't sink in for a while. I've been dreaming about
this day for a long time and to finally be here is pretty awe- some." Dake was named Outstanding Wrestler. He won the final 77
straight matches for Cornell. He finished 20-0 in this tournament in his career. Taylor, the 2012 NCAA champion at 165 and Hodge Trophy
winner, struck first on a nifty leg attack for an early takedown before Dake regrouped with an escape and takedown. Dake led 4-3 late in the match before Taylor gained a stalling
point, but Dake prevailed after gaining a riding-time point after accumulating a 1 minute, 13 second advantage. "He did something no one else did, so you have to give him
credit," Taylor said. "It hurts. I don't lose. It's something that's going to eat at me for a while."
8 USA Wrestler
Cornell’s Kyle Dake battles for an edge in his epic finals match with Penn State’s David Taylor. Tony Rotundo photo.
Dake defeated Taylor, a junior, for the second time during the
regular season. The NCAA changed its finals format this year, and the decision paid off with a superb battle in the final match of the tournament at 165. Wright, a senior, clinched the national championship for Penn
State when he scored two third-period takedowns to down top- ranked Dustin Kilgore of Kent State 8-6 in the 197-pound finals. Wright, the No. 2 seed, won his second NCAA title after win-
ning at 184 in 2011. Kilgore was seeking his second title after winning at 197 in 2011. The Kent State senior had won 62 straight matches. “The team race is really important to me personally,” Wright Continued on page 9
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