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Centre Daily Times
IOWA CITY, Iowa Four Penn State wrestlers will have to wait four more years to get another shot at making the U.S. Olympic team.
Quentin Wright and Ed Ruth were eliminated from competition in the 84 -kilogram freestyle bracket Sunday, joining teammates Matt Brown and David Taylor of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club who were eliminated from the 74-kilogram weight class Saturday.
Wright, a senior at Penn State in the fall, beat Bryce Hasserman of the Gator Wrestling Club to advance to the second round. Wright picked up a five-point throw in the first bout and cruised to a 6-3 win before advancing with a 1-0 victory in the second match.
Lehigh Valley Athletic Club's Keith Gavin then beat Wright 7-0, 4-0 in Round 2. In the consolation bracket, Wright lost to Mack Lewnes. Wrestling for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club, Lewnes pinned Wright in 1:27 to advance.
Ruth, who won the NCAA championship at 174 pounds this season as a sophomore, beat Phil Keddy of the Hawk-eye Wrestling Club once but lost two of three matches in the first round. In a consolation match, Ruth met Gator Wrestling Club's Joe LeBlanc. The two wrestlers split the first two matches, with Ruth winning the first bout 3-2. But LeBlanc put together two solid matches and won 6-0 and 5-2.
Meanwhile, Nittany Lions Wrestling Club member Jake Varner made the Olympic team with a two-match win over Tommy Rowlands (Sunkist Kids) on Saturday. Varner, the reigning 96-kilogram world champion, won two-of-three bouts during the first round, then swept the second 2-0, 1-0.
Les Sigman finished second for the NLWC at 120 kilograms Sunday after losing to Tergel Dlagnev 3-0, 4-0 and 1-0, 2-0.
Former Penn State wrestler Mark McKnight needed three bouts to beat Danny Felix and two to drop Minnesota's Zach Sanders before McKnight lost to Sam Hazewinkel (Sunkist Kids) in the quarterfinals at 55 kilograms. McKnight was then eliminated by Obe Blanc of the Gator Wrestling Club 0-1, 5-0, 6-0.
Fellow NLWC member Teyon Ware beat Philip Simpson (Army/Team OTC) but lost to Jared Frayer of the Gator Wrestling Club, 3-1, 4-2 at 66 kilograms. Ware lost his next match to Chase Pami of Sunkist Kids, 1-0, 3-0.
Tags: David Taylor, Ed Ruth, Les Sigman, Mark McKnight, Matt Brown, Quentin Wright
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