Campus Corner: Pataky Beats Defending NCAA Champ; Lytle Honored by Big East Conference; Good Double-Winner in Home Finale

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 14-ranked Penn State returned from last weekend\’s two-day trip to Indiana with a pair of Big Ten Conference ties, but Brad Pataky of Clearfield fared much better with two wins, including a 4-3 upset of defending NCAA Division I 125-pound champion Angel Escobedo.

Brad Pataky
(Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics).

The redshirt sophomore silenced the Assembly Hall crowd in Bloomington with his shocker that helped the Nittany Lions salvage a 17-17 tie with No. 21 Indiana (13-2-1) in the conference opener for both squads.

 

Ranked No. 16 by Wrestler Insider Newsmagazine and No. 19 by Amateur Wrestling News and InterMat/National Wrestling Coaches Association/National Wrestling Media Association, Pataky shot a double-leg for the initial takedown seconds into the bout, added a quick escape in the third period and had his hand raised because of a riding time point.

 

Escobedo, 13-1 and ranked second by AWN, fourth by IM/NWCA/NWMA and sixth by WIN, was limited to two escapes and a penalty point when Pataky was called twice for stalling.

 

A redshirt junior, Escobedo placed fourth at the NCAAs his freshman season and entered 2008-09 with a 73-8 record. He was a four-time Indiana state champion with a career 223-1 record at Griffith High School.

 

Less than 24 hours later, Pataky registered an 8-0 major decision over Akif Eren as Penn State (7-6-2) and No. 25 Purdue (11-1-1) deadlocked 19-19 at West Lafayette.

 

Pataky dominated the action with a takedown and near fall for a 5-0 lead after one period. He escaped early in the middle period and rode the final two minutes while picking up a penalty point on a stall call against Eren.

 

Pataky, 13-2 in duals, is 21-5 with wins in 14 of his last 15 matches.

 

Colby Pisani of Ridgway also was instrumental in Penn State avoiding losses. The redshirt freshman back-up 141-pounder moved up two weights to 157 and saved team points by going the distance in both bouts. He lost 23-8 to Indiana\’s 12-ranked Kurt Kinzer and 11-3 to Purdue\’s Colton Salazar. Kinzer\’s technical fall was good for four points instead of five because he didn\’t get score any near-fall points.

 

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WEST POINT, N.Y. – Matt Kyler of Clearfield remained undefeated in dual meets and reached the 30-win plateau with three more bonus victories as Army improved to 10-4-1 with a weekend sweep of Sacred Heart 27-13, Brown 21-16 and Harvard 30-11.

 

The junior 149-pounder, ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division I by Wrestler Insider Newsmagazine, No. 11 by Amateur Wrestling News and No. 12 by InterMat/NWCA/NWMA, posted a 9-1 major decision over Sacred Heart\’s Anthony Priore at Fairfield, Conn., Friday night.

 

In Sunday afternoon\’s home tri-meet in Gillis Field House, Kyler put the Cadets ahead 18-16 going to the final bout with a 16-1 technical fall in 5:20 against Brown\’s Dave Foxen and came back to major decision Harvard freshman Walter Peppleman 11-0.

 

Kyler, 15-0 in duals and 30-4 this season, and junior 197-pounder Richard Starks, 12-3 and 24-6, drew praise from coach Chuck Barbee.

 

\”Matt and Richard keep rolling along and seem to keep getting better every week,\” he said in an Army Athletic Communications release. \”They just keep building in confidence and intensity and continue to wrestle with a lot of aggression.\”

 

Kyler and Peppleman have a history dating back to 2005 when they were 103-pounders. Kyler, a junior at Clearfield Area High School, won 2-0 in the semifinals and went on to earn the gold medal.

 

Peppleman got even the next year, nipping the Bison 3-2 in the 119 quarterfinals before losing the title bout in overtime. The Central Dauphin standout then won the 135 gold medal as a junior and suffered another one-point finals loss as a senior.

 

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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Lycoming 141-pounder Tom Barger of Clearfield continued his solid sophomore season with a major decision and his first pin in the Warriors\’ two wins last week. 

 

He beat King\’s Anthony Miele 9-1 in Lycoming\’s first home match on Thursday and decked Gettysburg\’s Jack Bostrom in 1:44 for the lone fall of the road meet Saturday.

 

The Warriors, ranked No. 24 in NCAA Division III, triumphed 27-9 and 29-12 for a 12-6 record.

 

Barger, 11-4 in duals, has won eight of his last nine matches for a 13-6 log.

 

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LAURINBERG, N.C. – Nationally-ranked redshirt junior 165-pounder Kyle Keane of Bradford (Clearfield Area H.S.) competed in only one of Pitt-Johnstown\’s four matches at the 2009 Domino\’s Pizza East Coast Duals hosted by St. Andrews Presbyterian.

 

The Mountain Cats, ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division III and No. 2 in the East Region, defeated Limestone (S.C.) 29-6 before losing to No. 2 Newberry (S.C.) 22-8 on Friday. Newberry is No. 1 in the region.

 

On Saturday, UPJ rolled past Anderson (S.C.) 27-10 and Belmont Abbey (N.C.) 38-3 to set its record at 9-4.

 

Keane, who slipped to No. 4 in the nation and No. 2 in the region last week, was upset 11-8 by Newberry\’s Brandon Kelly in his lone match. Kelly was No. 5 in the East Region.

 

Keane is 5-4 in dual meets and 15-8 overall.

 

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Days after being named the Big East Conference\’s Athlete of the Week for swimming and diving, Notre Dame junior John Lytle of Clearfield was one of the Fighting Irish standouts in the Shamrock Invitational at the Rolfs Aquatic Center Friday and Saturday.

John Lytle
(Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics).

Lytle, honored for winning four individual races and placing second or third in four other events against Northwestern Jan. 16 and Oakland (Mich.) Jan. 17, helped Notre Dame (6-6) sweep Denver 190-180, Michigan State 232-138 and West Virginia 243-127 in the Senior Day quadrangular meet.

 

He was the overall winner in the 50-yard freestyle in 20.86 seconds and second to Denver\’s Blake Worsley in the 100 free in 45.28 and 200 free in 1:40.80, earning first-place points against Michigan State and WVU in the latter two events.

 

In the relays, Lytle turned in pace-setting leadoff legs for Notre Dame\’s victorious 200 free (1:23.69) and 400 (3:02.86) free foursomes. His times were 21.08 and 45.15, respectively.

 

Lytle\’s 1:41.65 second leg keyed the Fighting Irish 800 free relay quartet to second place overall, with its 6:49.57 time good for firsts against Michigan State and WVU.

 

And he anchored the 200 medley (1:34.16) and 400 medley (3:25.71) teams to second place against all three opponents and fourth overall. Lytle\’s times were 20.21 in the 200 and 44.41 in the 400, both of which were the best closing legs in events that had 11 foursomes.

 

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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Brandon Good of Clearfield made his final home pool appearance for Lycoming something special by winning two freestyle sprints as the Warriors dunked Arcadia 151-80 on Senior Day for a final dual meet record of 7-3.

Brandon Good
(Lycoming College Athletic Department)

The senior tri-captain touched the wall in 23.72 seconds in the 50 free and a personal-best 53.00 in the 100 free.

 

Good, a four-year letterman, also had a 23.48 anchor leg for the Warrior \’B\’ 200 medley relay foursome that finished second.

 

Lycoming is idle until the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships Feb. 13-15.

 

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PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Chris Bodle of Clearfield placed seventh in the 1,650-yard freestyle race with a time of 18:46.99 in Westminster\’s 151-111 loss to host Carnegie-Mellon Saturday.

 

He also had a 5:19.95 exhibition time in the 500 free, while John Bodle had a 2:14.86 exhibition time in the 200 butterfly.

 

The sophomore twins swam the last two legs for the Titan \’C\’ 400 free relay foursome that finished in 3:34:46. John turned in a 55-second third leg and Chris a 52.65 anchor.

 

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ERIE, Pa. – Senior diver Ryan Sayers of Frenchville (Clearfield Area H.S.) earned a season-high 199.10 points off the one-meter board for Washington & Jefferson in a 134-97 win at Penn State-Behrend Saturday.

 

Sayers totaled 175.30 off the three-meter board.

 

He placed fourth in both events for the Presidents, who are 6-3 with a 2-1 Presidents\’ Athletic Conference record