Saturday, March 23
Des Moines, Iowa
8:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
NCAA Championships
Three-time All-American Hamlin falls in bid for NCAA title
3/24/2013 3:16:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
DES MOINES, Iowa – Lehigh senior Robert Hamlin fell short in his bid to win a NCAA title as the Mountain Hawks' three-time All-American dropped a 12-4 major decision to Ed Ruth of Penn State in the 184 pound finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
Ruth scored an early first period takedown and was able to ride out the rest of the period, thwarting Hamlin's numerous escape attempts with mat returns. “Giving up the takedown didn't really bother me but I had a hard time getting out,” Hamlin said. “He kept bringing me back down. I couldn't break his grip. That made it difficult. It was hard to recover from that first period.”
The Nittany Lion junior escaped early in the second period and added a takedown with 18 seconds left in the second period to build a 5-1 lead.
“That definitely opened things up for him,” Hamlin said of the second period score. “It was a big momentum boost for him. It was hard for me too, but the third period is usually my best period. I tried to forget about it and just go into the third period but I wasn't able to get my offense going.”
Ha
mlin finally escaped from the bottom position in the third period, but Ruth used his quickness and length to record three more takedowns in the third period, the last of which came in the final seconds. The three final period takedowns, combined with 3:55 worth of riding time gave Ruth his major decision and gave the Nittany Lions the team lead.
mlin finally escaped from the bottom position in the third period, but Ruth used his quickness and length to record three more takedowns in the third period, the last of which came in the final seconds. The three final period takedowns, combined with 3:55 worth of riding time gave Ruth his major decision and gave the Nittany Lions the team lead.The first NCAA wrestling All-American from the state of Vermont, Hamlin finishes his career a 107-22 record. Hamlin won two EIWA titles and was a four-time NCAA qualifier, finishing second in 2011 and 2013 and placing fourth in 2012.
“I caught myself off guard when I made the finals as a sophomore,” Hamlin said. “I wasn't sure if I was ready for it. This year I thought I had a good chance. I just wasn't able to get it done. It has been a great ride. I would have loved to win a national title for Lehigh. My coaches put so much effort into me and they really deserved it.
Penn State clinched its third straight national team title in the match following Ruth's win over Hamlin.
As a team, Lehigh finishes the tournament in 25th place with 18.5 points. In addition to Hamlin, Lehigh will lose five addition wrestlers to graduation: Alex Abreu, Kevin Bailey, Josh Fitch, Shane Welsh and Albert Woody.
Finals Results
Finals Results
174 – Chris Perry (Okla. St.) dec. Matt Brown (Penn St.) 3-2, t.b.
184 – Ed Ruth (Penn St.) major dec. Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) 12-4
197 – Quentin Wright (Penn St.) dec. Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) 8-6
285 – Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. Mike McMullan (Northwestern) 6-2
125 – Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. Nico Megaludis (Penn St.) 7-4
133 – Logan Stieber (Ohio St.) dec. Tony Ramos (Iowa)7-4
141 – Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) dec. Mitchell Port (Edinboro) 4-3
149 – Jordan Oliver (Okla. St.) dec. Jason Chamberlain (Boise St.) 3-2
157 – Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. Jason Welch (Northwestern) 3-2
165 – Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. David Taylor (Penn St.) 5-4
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