Posting 16 pins through the quarterfinals was enough to give Penn State the lead after the first day of the Southern Scuffle wrestling tournament.
The Nittany Lions, co-defending tournament champions with Cornell and defending national champions, had 188 points to 110.5 for Minnesota and 81 for third-place Missouri, which was two points ahead of Cornell. Oregon State rounded out the top five with 62.5 points.
The host University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs were in ninth place with 45 points, four less that fellow Southern Conference member Appalachian State.
Minnesota had 12 pins, a difference of eight team points, and the Golden Gophers — ranked No. 3 and two notches ahead of Penn State in the latest NWCA poll — let at least one opportunity slip through their fingers. Second-seeded Kevin Steinhaus was upset at 184 pounds by Navy’s Luke Rebertus.
There were three major bracket-busters — Nick Arujau, Nick Soto of UTC, and Minnesota’s Chris Dardanes — all in the 133-pound weight class.