Wrestling places six at PSU

Led by freshman Mason Lenhard's second-place finish in the 125-pound bracket, Penn placed six wrestlers in the top six yesterday at the Penn State Open. Lenhard won three bouts to reach the finals, but lost, 3-2, to Penn State's Josh Moore in the first-place bout. Penn shined brightest in the 141-pound division, placing three into the top five. Penn sophomore Chris Hanlon knocked off freshman teammate Kyle Bernholz, 5-2, in the third-place bout, while Quakers' frosh Max Galka placed fifth after winning a 10-0 major decision against the Nittany Lions' Eric Narkiewicz. Aside from Hanlon, two other Quakers earned third-place finishes in the meet. Senior 197-pounder Mike Fickell pinned Virginia's Ryan McGrath in four minutes and 49 seconds to claim his bronze. Meanwhile, Penn junior 149-pounder and Nebraska transfer Joe Henson finished third by virtue of his 3-1 overtime decision over Lock Haven's Jamarr Billman. Henson won two early decisions, but was pinned in the semifinals by American's Marc Hoffer -- the eventual 149-pound champion and Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. Fickell, on the other hand, used pins to his advantage throughout the tournament. He pinned Josh Walker of Penn State and Matt Dunn of UNC Greensboro to advance to the semifinals, but was pinned himself by the Nittany Lions' Pete Mielnik in the semis. There was no team scoring in the Open, but Bloomsberg and Penn State dominated the first-place medals. Three Bloomsberg wrestlers captured golds, while two Nittany Lions finished first. Yoshi Nakamura, a qualifier for nationals in 1999, did not compete in the University Park, Pa., tournament. Three other Quakers were defeated in their respective third consolation bouts. Heavyweight Mike Faust and 165-pounder Tim Ortman both dropped 2-1 decisions -- Faust to UNC Greensboro's Ryan Adams and Ortman to Penn State's Jeremy Sauve. Sophomore 157-pounder Jody Giuricich lost his third consolation bout to the Nittany Lions' James Woodall, 7-3.

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