March 6, 2010

Team Scores and Brackets Through Session I

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Top-seeded John Dergo and fifth-seeded Jordan Blanton advanced to the semifinals of the 2010 Big Ten Championships at Crisler Arena and the Fighting Illini stand in seventh place after the end of the first session of the tournament. Dergo scored a pin and Blanton earned an overtime win to pace Illinois.

At 141 pounds, fifth-seeded and No. 15 Ryan Prater wasn't able to make weight and had to forfeit out of the tournament. The Illini had mixed results in the pigtail round, with seventh-seeded Clint Arlis picking up a pin at 157 and fourth-seeded Patrick Bond earning a 4-1 win at 197. But Daryl Thomas dropped a 7-3 bout at 133, Eric Terrazas lost 5-3 at 149 and Martin Smith fell by major decision top-seeded Nathan Everhart (Indiana) at heavyweight.

Seventh-seeded John Deneen fell to second-seeded and third-ranked Matt McDonough (Iowa) in the quarterfinals, 13-5, to move into the consolation bracket. Seventh-seeded Clint Arlis gave second-seeded and sixth-ranked Cyler Sanderson (Penn State) all he wanted in a 9-7 win for the Nittany Lion. Arlis scored a takedown with less than a minute left but couldn't land any late offense to get the tying takedown.

Eighth-seeded Conrad Polz fought hard against top-seeded and top-ranked Andrew Howe but the Wisconsin sophomore was too much for Polz as Howe took a 12-4 major decision.

In one of the best matches of the first session, fifth-seeded and No. 12 Jordan Blanton squared off with fourth-seeded and No. 10 Dave Rella (Ohio State). Rella scored first but Blanton notched a takedown of his own near the end of the first period to take a 3-2 lead. But Rella escaped then started down in the second and got out, tying the bout. The Buckeye then finished a takedown on the edge of the mat for a 6-3 lead but Blanton escaped before the end of the period. Blanton started down in the third and escaped quickly, cutting Rella's lead to 6-5, and scored a takedown with just over a minute left to grab his first lead of the match. Rella got out to tie the match 7-7 and neither wrestler scored in regulation, sending it to sudden-victory overtime. Blanton had a couple of good shots but couldn't finish them as the bout went to the tiebreaks. Blanton rode out Rella in the first period despite picking up a stalling warning, then he escaped in the second tiebreak in 13 seconds to take an 8-7 lead. Rella was whistled for a locked hands technical violation, increasing Blanton's lead to 9-7. Blanton fended off the late attacks from Rella to take the 9-7 overtime win.

Top-seeded and second-ranked John Dergo made short work of eighth-seeded Nick Corpe (Purdue) in their quarterfinal bout, leading 16-4 before catching Corpe in a front headlock and pinning him with nine seconds left in the match. Bond went into the tiebreak periods as well against fifth-seeded and thirteenth-ranked Sonny Yohn, but Yohn escaped in the first tiebreak period and rode out Bond in the second to take the 2-1 win.

Session two begins at 5 p.m. CT with the consolation first round on all four mats. Then the semifinal matches will take place on two mats, while the consolation quarterfinals will be contested on the other two mats.

125: John Deneen (No. 7 seed), Jr., Marengo, Ill., 9-12
Quarterfinals: Maj. dec. by #3, No. 2 seed Matt McDonough (Iowa), 13-5
Consolation 1st Round: vs. No. 8 seed Drew Hammen

133: Daryl Thomas, r-Fr., Edwardsville, Ill., 13-17
Pigtail: Dec. by No. 7 seed Ian Paddock (Ohio State), 7-3
Consolation 1st Round: vs. No. 8 seed Akif Eren (Purdue)

149: Eric Terrazas, So., Wheaton, Ill., 12-8
1st Round: Dec. by No. 7 seed Mario Mason (Minnesota), 5-3
Consolation 1st Round: vs. No. 8 seed Nick Bertucci (Purdue)

157: Clint Arlis (No. 7 seed), Sr., Batavia, Ill., 12-6
Pigtail: Pinned Kevin Bialka (Northwestern), 3:43
Quarterfinals: Dec. by #6, No. 2 seed Cyler Sanderson (Penn State), 9-7
Consolation 1st Round: vs. #1 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota)

165: Conrad Polz (No. 8 seed), r-Fr., Orland Park, Ill., 11-9
Quarterfinals: Maj. dec. by #1, No. 1 seed Andrew Howe (Wisconsin), 12-4
Consolation 1st Round: vs. Jason Martin (Purdue)

174: #12 Jordan Blanton (No. 5 seed), So., Richmond, Ill., 18-6
Quarterfinals: Dec. #10, No. 4 seed Dave Rella (Ohio State), 9-7 TB1
Semifinals: vs. #2, No. 1 seed Jay Borschel (Iowa)

184: #2 John Dergo (No. 1 seed), Sr., Morris, Ill., 29-2
Quarterfinals: Pinned No. 8 seed Nick Corpe (Purdue), 6:50
Semifinals: vs. #11, No. 4 seed Mike Pucillo (Ohio State)

197: #9 Patrick Bond (No. 4 seed), So., Chesapeake, Va., 19-11
Pigtail: Dec. John Schoen (Northwestern), 4-1
Quarterfinals: Dec. by #13, No. 5 seed Sonny Yohn (Minnesota), 3-1 TB1

HWT: Martin Smith, So., Quincy, Ill., 11-14
Pigtail: Maj. dec. by Nathan Everhart (Indiana), 9-1
Consolation 1st Round: vs. No. 7 seed Ben Apland (Michigan)