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is in overtime during the Hawkeyes' loss to Penn State in a Jan. 22 dual meet – proved to be one foe Megalud- is couldn't overcome. McDonough prevailed, 4-1, but Sanderson was thrilled with the freshman's perform- ance at nationals, which delivered Penn State 17 team points, 12 percent of its total. "For Nico to make the NCAA finals as a true freshman, that's an extraordi- nary accomplishment, something he can be real proud of and really build upon," Sanderson said. "He hates losing as much as anyone I've seen, so he won't rest." Like Megaludis, Dylan Alton also wrestled above his seed, claiming All- America honors at 157 pounds and contributing 14.5 points to the Nittany Lions' final point total. And like Mega- ludis, Alton also avenged a previous loss, this one against Northwestern's Jason Welch, the third seed. "Losing to him once – a close one – I wanted this one bad," an out-of- breath Alton said right before he was mauled by teammates Ruth, Taylor, and Wright in an exuberant celebra- tion outside the locker room. "You saw who wanted it more, and I don't think anyone wanted it more than me." The desire to compete is something Sanderson stressed to his wrestlers since the start of the 2011-12 season. "You've just gotta be grateful," he said, "grateful for every opportunity to step out on the mat." And if there was any one wrestler who embodied that gratitude, it was the 184-pound defending champion Wright. Though he lost to his former workout partner and State College High graduate Steve Bozak of Cornell in the championship round – falling just seconds short of a second consec- utive title – Wright individually congrat- ulated his seven fellow All-Americans, shaking hands with each after posing alongside them on the podium. The loss, however, appeared to put a damper on Sanderson's victory celebra- tion. After this reporter briefly caught up with him following Wright's 4-2 over- time loss, he asked Sanderson, "A tough way to finish the night, Cael?" Without looking up, Sanderson shot back, "What kind of question is that?" Then he hustled toward the locker room, but not before he let out an out- burst regarding the officiating of Wright's bout. 22 A P R I L 1 1 , 2 0 1 2 Steve Manuel David Taylor pins four foes and tech-falls another en route to a redemptive victory at NCAAs LEGEND OF THE FALLS BY TIM OWEN Blue White Contributor the smile from David Taylor's glowing face. Well, maybe there was something. As S he stood atop the championship podi- um, awaiting the presentation of his 165-pound NCAA trophy – a nine-inch T. LOUIS, Mo. – There probably wasn't one thing in the Scottrade Arena that night that could erase tall wooden A-frame plaque embossed with a golden NCAA seal – the om- nipresent female announcer mistaken- ly said, "Ladies and gentleman, your three-time NCAA champion…" She caught herself before she fin- ished the sentence, but not before Tay- lor's trademark grin left his face, re- placed by a confused stare. She quickly corrected her misstate- ment, changing it to "your 165-pound NCAA champion, David Taylor," exag- gerating each vowel for effect. The white-clad Penn State faithful, who oc- cupied almost a full corner of the are- na, erupted into whoops, hollers, whistles and applause. Taylor's smile returned, this time even more pro- nounced than before. The title was actually Taylor's first, coming one year after a heartbreaking pin-fall loss in the final. But judging by the standout sophomore's exploits at the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships, W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M "Where was the stalling?" he ex- claimed to an empty hallway, hunch- ing over at the waist after coming with- in inches of punching a concrete wall. Senior 149-pounder Frank Moli- naro, who won his first national title during his last bout in a Penn State singlet, a 4-1 decision over Minneso- ta's Dylan Ness, said both champi- onship-round losses were tough to deal with for the whole team. But he added that he will always remember the ef- forts of everyone on the team, even the wrestlers who didn't participate in the national tournament. "It just seems special. I can't put my finger on it," said Molinaro, who be- came the fifth four-time All-American in school history and was carried off the arena floor following the trophy presentation. "Every single guy on this team is special, not only the 10 starters. We've got 35 guys on our team, and we've got 35 guys in St. Louis right now. They drove 780 miles, some of them, to get here. "So this team is real special." TANGLED UP IN BLUE Hatchett couldn't hold off Taylor in the champi- onship match. The Penn State sophomore won by technical fall to complete a 32-0 season.

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