Saturday marked the final two sessions of the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships where Penn State held a comfortable lead in the team standings. In fact, the lead was so commanding that the Nittany Lions clinched the team title early Saturday morning. Penn State went a combined 2-5 on the day over two sessions, but being crowned National Champions quelled any disappointment that might’ve rose from the individual results.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions only had one wrestler competing in Session Five, and that was Jordan Conaway in his consolation bracket matches at 133. In his first match, Conaway fell to Richards of Illinois by a 3-2 decision, putting him in the fifth place match later in Session Five. Conaway faced Montoya from Nebraska and fell by a 7-4 decision. The two losses gave Conaway a sixth place finish at 133.

Penn State sent five wrestlers into the finals Saturday night, starting with Nico Megaludis at 125. After beating Thomas Gilman of Iowa in the Big Ten Championships, the two were back at it again for the championship at 125. Megaludis, the four-time All-American, earned his first individual National Championship with a 6-3 decision victory over Gilman. Zain Retherford was the next to earn his first National Championship as he cruised to a 10-1 major over Brandon Sorensen of Iowa.

The next three matches didn’t go so well for the Nittany Lions, and it started with the third match between Isaiah Martinez and Jason Nolf at 157. A late take down from Martinez gave him a 6-5 win and sent Nolf into second place at 157. At 174, Bo Nickal ended his freshman season with an 11-9 loss to Myles Martin of Ohio State, giving Nickal a second place finish at 174. The third wrestler to claim second place was Morgan McIntosh at 197. Although it wasn’t the perfect ending to his senior season, an incredible season was ended with a 4-2 loss to J’Den Cox of Missouri.

Wrestler Of The Meet

Nico Megaludis | Senior | 125-Pound Weight Class

Nico Megaludis finally got the National Championship he deserved Saturday night. After four years of being an All-American and a couple appearances n the national finals, his win over Thomas Gilman sealed the National Championship for him in his senior year.

What’s Next?

A long offseason of preparation of training awaits the Nittany Lions as they look to come back even stronger next year in their quest to become back-to-back Big Ten Champions and National Champions.