preparation for this tournament was like
no other."
Maybe it was because his ;@h season
at Penn State was unlike the others.
During the early hours of Nov. 13, a few
days before PSU's opening dual meet at
Rider, Ruth allegedly struck a tree with
his car while trying to park on East College
Avenue. Police o>cers later determined
that he had a blood-alcohol content of
0.281 percent. As a result, Ruth was
charged with driving under the in> NICO MEGALUDIS – Jr. (31-4) - AA
1ST RD W Darian Cruz, Lehigh – 18-3 (TF; 7:00)
2ND
RD W Eddie Klimara, Oklahoma St. – 6-0 dec.
QTRS
W Jarrod Patterson, Oklahoma – 6-0 dec.
SEMIS L Nahshon Garrett, Cornell – 4-6 dec.
CNS SF W Cory Clark, Iowa – 5-2 dec.
3/4 W Joey Vance, Virginia Tech – 6-1 dec.
133 >> JIMMY GULIBON – R-Fr. (18-15)
1ST RD L Jon Morrison, Oklahoma St. – 0-4 dec.
CNS
1 W Vincent Pizzuto, E. Michigan – 10-2 maj. dec.
CNS 2 L Zane Richards, Illinois – 3-4 dec.
141 >> ZAIN RETHERFORD – Fr. (33-3) - AA
1ST RD W U. Khishignyam, The Citadel – 5-0 dec.
2ND
RD W Edgar Bright, Pittsburgh – 3-0 dec.
QTRS W Joey Lazor, Northern Iowa – 5-2 dec.
SEMIS
L Logan Stieber, Ohio State – 3-7 dec.
CNS SF L Mitchell Port, Edinboro – 1-3 (SV2) dec.
5/6
W Joey Lazor, Northern Iowa – med. forfeit
149 >> JAMES ENGLISH – Sr. (18-7) - AA
1ST RD W Dyllan Cottrell, Appalachian St. – 5-4 (TB) dec.
2ND RD L Jason Tsirtsis, Northwestern – 3-4 dec.
CNS 2 W Christian Barber, UNC – 3-1 dec.
CNS 3 W Ryan Lubeck, Wisconsin – 4-3 (TB) dec.
RD 12 W Zach Niebert, Virginia Tech – 6-4 (sv) dec.
CNS QTR L David Habat, Edinboro – LBF (4:52)
7/8 W Kendric Maple, Oklahoma – 2-1 (TB) dec.
157 >> DYLAN ALTON – Jr. (20-7)
1ST RD W Brian Murphy, Michigan – 5-1 dec.
CNS 1 L Ian Miller, Kent State – 1-4 dec.
CNS 2 W Immanuel Kerr-Brown, Duke – 5-2 dec.
CNS 3 W Luke Smith, C. Michigan – 2-4 (sv) dec.
165 >> DAVID TAYLOR – Sr. (34-0) - AA
1ST RD W Joe Brewster, S. Dakota St. – WBF (2:58)
2ND RD W Jim Wilson, Stanford – WBF (6:55)
QTRS W Michael Moreno, Iowa State – WBF (3:19)
SEMIS W Steve Monk, N. Dakota St. – 13-5 maj. dec.
FINALS W Tyler Caldwell, Oklahoma St. – W, 6-0 dec.
174 >> MATT BROWN – Jr. (33-6) - AA
1ST RD W Kyle Meyer, Stanford – 17-3 maj. dec.
2ND RD W Tanner Weatherman, Iowa St. – 6-1 dec.
QTRS L Mike Evans, Iowa – 4-5 (tb) dec.
RD 12 W Matt Miller, Navy – 10-6 dec.
CNS QTR W Bryce Hammond, CS-Bakersfield – 9-3 dec.
CNS SF L Logan Storley, Minnesota – 1-3 (SV) dec.
5/6 W Mike Evans, Iowa – 6-3 dec.
184 >> ED RUTH – Sr. (34-1) - AA
1ST RD W Jackson Hein, Wisconsin – WBF (1:59)
2ND RD W Nikko Reyes, Illinois – W, 15-0 (TF; 7:00)
QTRS W Kevin Steinhaus, Minnesota – 10-2 maj. dec.
SEMIS W Gabe Dean, Cornell – 5-3 dec.
FINALS W Jimmy Sheptock, Maryland – W, 7-2 dec.
197 >> MORGAN MCINTOSH – So. (32-5) - AA
1ST RD W John Bolich, Lehigh – 5-0 dec.
2ND RD L Chris Penny, Virginia Tech – 2-3 dec.
CNS 2 W Daniel Mitchell, American – 15-7 maj. dec.
CNS 3 W Richard Perry, Bloomsburg – 6-4 dec.
RD 12 W Cody Reed, Binghamton – 13-4 maj. dec.
CNS QTR L Kyveon Gadsen, Iowa State – 3-5 dec.
7/8 W Nathan Burak, Iowa – 3-1 dec.
285 >> JON GINGRICH – Jr. (23-10)
1ST RD W D. Devine, SIU-Edwardsville – 12-4 maj. dec.
2ND RD L Adam Chalfant, Indiana – 2-5 dec.
CNS 2 L Ross Larson, Oklahoma – LBF (2:03)
KLAHOMA CITY – James English has
been grinding away in Penn State's
wrestling room for the past six years and
7nally earned his shot in 2014.
He started as an unheralded recruit, yet
he 7nished as a 149-pound All-American
who was a key component in the Nittany
Lions' most recent championship run. He
started the season as a backup, and 7nished
it with a thrilling overtime victory against
returning national champ Kendric Maple
of Oklahoma. Head coach Cael Sanderson
called it "a pretty special story."
His story ended a9er his sixth season,
and a9er years – or what could be a lifetime
– of nagging injuries.
English arrived at Penn State from Cen-
tral York (Pa.) High in 2008 as a third-
place state 7nisher, but he also arrived
with an injury that forced him to miss his
entire 7rst season. So he took a redshirt,
and then in his 7rst two seasons he wres-
tled to a solid 30-11 record, serving as a
backup to national champ Frank Molinaro.
But in 2011, English su8ered another
injury that required surgery. He was granted
a medical hardship waiver and came back
and wrestled to a 14-4 record as a junior.
All the while, though, he fought pain.
He had one season of eligibility remaining,
but maybe his body was saying no more.
"It was de7nitely challenging," he said
in between matches at the 2014 NCAA
Wrestling Championships. "Practice has
been a battle. I've been going through so
much pain and stu8, at one point, I was
like, Was this really worth it?"
His head coach wasn't so sure.
"This is a kid who shouldn't wrestle,"
Sanderson said a9er the tournament.
"He's going to have neck and back prob-
lems for the rest of his life."
English paid his own tuition, room and
board during his sixth season as he worked
toward a second degree in energy, business
and 7nance. (His 7rst was in chemical
engineering.) But he su8ered another set-
back during the season-opening wres-
tle-o8s. He took some time o8 and re-
turned to the lineup vs. Pitt in the Bryce
Jordan Center, but again, English was hurt.
"As the season went along," Sanderson
said, "I'd kind of written him o8."
But English didn't write himself o8 and
he tried to persuade Sanderson that he
was healthy enough to compete.
Sanderson 7nally gave him the go-ahead
for the national tournament a9er English
topped redshirt teammate Zack Beitz in a
late-season wrestle-o8. There was some
initial hesitation, but Sanderson's decision
paid o8 when English claimed All-America
recognition with a 6-4 sudden-victory
win over Virginia Tech's Zach Neibert. It
was one of four overtime bouts for English,
and this one came in what wrestlers call
the "blood round" – loser goes home emp-
ty-handed; winner is an All-American.
The last thing English needed was any
more blood.
"It's a brutal tournament," he said, catch-
ing his breath from the winning takedown.
"When I get out there and the adrenaline
is going, I'm OK, but in between, warming
up, it's de7nitely [painful]. But this is it
for my career. I can recover the whole rest
of my life."
■
THE FINAL PAYOFF
James English's 'pretty special story' has happy ending
|
FIGHTING THROUGH English wrestled four
overtime bouts en route to seventh place.
Mark Selders/Penn State Athletic Communications
O
