Penn State opened its national title defense in dominant fashion on Thursday at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Miss. by posting an 8-1 record en route to earning sole possession of first place after the first day of competition.
↵Nico Megaludis (125 pounds), Frank Molinaro (149), Dylan Alton (157) and Quentin Wright (184) all won their matches by major decisions. David Taylor (165) and Ed Ruth (174) won their matches by falls, both withing the first two minutes of their respective matches. Morgan McIntosh (197) won a 9-3 decision and Cameron Wade (heavyweight) rounded out Penn State's victories with a technical fall win.
↵Frank Martellotti's loss against top-seeded Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma at 133 pounds was the only defeat of the day for the Nittany Lions.
↵The big day placed Penn State atop the team standings with 38.5 points. Fellow Big Ten foe Minnesota is the closest competition with 33 points while Oklahoma State (28.5), Cornell (27.5) and Iowa (26) fall next in line.
↵For a match-by-match recap, check out The Daily Collegian's sports blog, Roll Up The Score, where wrestling reporter Chris Ryan details the first day action from St. Louis.
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