The combination of Jenkins and Davis, and All-American efforts from 157-pounder Dan Vallimont and 125-pounder Mark McKnight, moved Penn State to fourth place in the team standings with 63 points. The Nittany Lions trail first-place Iowa by 29 points, but they enter today eight points behind second-place Ohio State and five points behind Iowa State. Only 15 points separate the first nine teams behind Iowa. “The key was getting guys to nationals because anything can happen at nationals,” Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said. “The seventh-place finish at Big Tens was disappointing. But to come here and compete the way that we have definitely turns that team performance around.” Jenkins and Davis are attempting to become Penn State’s first national champions since Jeremy Hunter won the 125-pound title in 2000. The Nittany Lions almost had three finalists, but Vallimont lost to Illinois’ Mike Poeta 6-5 in the semifinals.
Davis and Jenkins will face familiar opponents tonight. Jenkins (26-5) wrestles Iowa sophomore Brent Metcalf while Davis (25-1) faces Central Michigan senior Wynn Michalak. Metcalf (38-1) has defeated Jenkins twice this season. Davis lost to Michalak (30-1) during the 2005 national championships. Davis, Penn State’s fourth four-time All-American, will be participating in his second finals. He lost to Oklahoma State’s Jake Rosholt at the same weight in 2006. “I’m at the point where I look back on it and learn from it,” Davis said. “I think I will hopefully be a little more comfortable than Wynn Michalak. Being there once gives you an idea of what to expect from the crowd, what to expect from yourself, what to eat the day before and the day of. I think I’m ready to do it.”
Davis certainly looked comfortable against Herbst. He needed 30 seconds to take Herbst down. Davis added another takedown during the second period and punishing work from the top position produced 3:42 of riding time. “Dallas Herbst is one of those guys sort of like me who doesn’t mind that people shoot in at him and get to a leg,” said Davis, who also defeated Mary-land’s Hudson Taylor 7-3 in the quarterfinals. “So far, I have been having good success when I get to the leg and finishing.”
Jenkins waited until the waning seconds of the semifinals to finish the biggest shot of his life. Trailing 9-8 with 10 seconds remaining, Jenkins drove into Caldwell and recorded a bout-ending five-point move. The expressive Jenkins stomped and clinched his arms when the final buzzer sounded. He then flexed twice and shouted toward the Penn State fans. The move helped Jenkins reach the finals in a loaded weight class that included talents such as Minnesota’s Dustin Schlatter, Harvard’s J.P. O’Connor, Metcalf and Caldwell. To nobody’s surprise, Jenkins, who won a junior world freestyle title last summer, and Caldwell staged an entertaining bout where both wrestlers recorded takedowns in all three periods. “Everybody wanted to see that match,” said Jenkins, who also defeated O’Connor 5-3 in the quarterfinals. “Everybody wanted to see Schlatter-Metcalf and the next biggest match was Jenkins-Caldwell because we are both exciting. The fans got the exciting match and they will come back to see it next year.” Less than 10 minutes after Jenkins sprinted off the mat, Vallimont suffered his third loss to Poeta. Vallimont recorded a second-period takedown to tie the bout 3-3 during the second period. But Poeta produced his second takedown with 30 seconds left in the period. Neither wrestler scored during the third period although Vallimont frantically plunged toward Poeta’s legs. “I felt good,” Vallimont said, “but I couldn’t finish my shots.”
Three Penn State wrestlers won consolation bouts Friday. McKnight went 4-0 during the tournament’s second day and will finish no worse than sixth place. Freshman Garrett Scott defeated Northwestern’s Keith Sulzer 4-2 and Cornell’s Adam Frey 14-6 before being pinned Army’s Matt Kyler in the 141-pound Round of 12. Sophomore 165-pounder Dave Rella allowed a five-point move in the final 10 seconds, but recovered to defeat Kent State’s Kurt Gross 12-10 in sudden victory of a second-round consolation bout. Rella’s tournament then ended with a 9-2 loss to Arizona State’s Pat Pitsch.
Thanks to Guy Cipriano and the "Centre Daily Times" (State College, Pa.) for the article