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said. “I knew one of us had to take it upon our shoulders to get it and I thought why not me? Let's go out there and let's win this. Let's clinch the team race.” Perry earned his third straight overtime win in edging Penn State sophomore Matt Brown 2-1 in the pivotal first match of the finals at 174.
Perry joins his brother, Mark, as an
NCAA champion. Mark Perry won two NCAA titles for Iowa. “It’s unexplainable,” Perry said. “I have so many people in my life, like my family and my coaches that I just want to win for. It’s indescribable. It’s almost a shell- shock moment when you’re up there. You don’t even know what to do. When you win, you just kind of fall apart, like every- thing is a big weight off your shoulder.” Penn State came right back when top- seeded junior Ed Ruth won his second straight NCAA title by downing No. 3 Robert Hamlin of Lehigh by a 12-4 major decision in the 184 finals.
Ruth won his second straight national
title after winning at 174 last year. “I worked more on my intensity, making sure that I look fresh throughout the whole match,” Ruth said. “I didn’t want it to seem like the guy had a chance at any point in the match. I just wanted to be in his head all the way through.” Top-seeded Oklahoma State senior Jordan Oliver scored a takedown with 10 seconds left to edge No. 2 Jason Chamberlain of Boise State 3-2 in the 149 finals.
Oliver won his second NCAA title after also winning at 133 in 2011. “I had to get that monkey off my back, but it's definitely a great feeling,” Oliver said. “I definitely would say winning my second national title was way more diffi- cult than winning my first one.” Minnesota junior Tony Nelson won his second straight title, defeating No. 5 Mike McMullan of Northwestern 6-2 at 285. Nelson, seeded second, continues the strong tradition of Gopher heavyweights. “Last year, and even before, one of my goals was to be the first three-timer for Minnesota,” Nelson said. “Brock Lesnar won it once and Cole Konrad won it twice. I'm right up there with Cole now, and he's a guy I always looked up to. To be up there with him is a big accomplish- ment.”
Ohio State sophomore Logan Stieber collected two early takedowns en route to downing Iowa junior Tony Ramos 7-4 in the 133 finals. The top-seeded Stieber won his second national title. “You know, it creeps in your mind,”
Stieber said of the possibility of winning four titles. “I think it creeps in everyone's
Quentin Wright clinched Penn State’s third straight title. John Sachs photo.
mind when they win it, that it's a possibili- ty. But something that I always tell my brother and always tell myself, I couldn't win this national championship on Thursday. I couldn't win on Friday. I had to win tonight. So I'll worry about four after I get three.”
Second-seeded junior Derek St. John of Iowa escaped late in the match to defeat top-seeded senior Jason Welch of Northwestern 3-2 in the 157 finals. St. John was second in this event last year. “It's unbelievable, it's awesome,” St, John said. “It's what I'm working the last four years for, and I finally got it. It's unbelievable. It's just unbelievable.” Second-seeded Jesse Delgado of Illinois won a battle of talented sopho- mores when he topped Nico Megaludis of Penn State 7-4 in the 125 finals. The match was tied 1-1 when Delgado
locked up a cradle during a scramble to score a takedown and three-point near fall midway through the third period. “I wasn't necessarily looking for a cra- dle, but I knew it was my shot to win the match,” Delgado said. “I didn't know if I was going to get another shot. I had to take it and I got in that position. He was doing the full split and his head was right by his knee, so I just took it.” Second-seeded Kendric Maple of Oklahoma controlled No. 4 Mitchell Port of Edinboro in a 4-3 win in the 141 finals. Maple, a junior, piled up over two min- utes of riding time to cap an unbeaten season.
“Absolutely total satisfaction,” Maple said of his title. “It’s a great honor to be here. I just love the sport.” The 2014 NCAA Championships will be held in Oklahoma City.
USA Wrestler 9
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