Kent State University
NCAA Championships
DePalma Pins His Way to Fifth Place Finish at NCAA Championships
3/19/2016 1:25:00 PM | Wrestling
New York – Kent State's Mike DePalma (Jeannette, Pa.) won his sixth match of the NCAA Championships Saturday, capturing a fifth place inside Madison Square Garden. DePalma and Ian Miller (Oak Harbor, Ohio) gave Kent State two All-Americans in the same season for the first time since 2010.
With the help of all five Golden Flashes contributing to team scoring, Kent State claimed a 16th place with 28.5 points, its highest finish since 1985.
DePalma gave the Golden Flashes extra team points with a second period pin of Michigan's Alec Panataleo in his fifth place match. DePalma led 6-0 after the first period and planted Panataleo on his back with a two-on-one tilt.
"Mike changed his habits this year and started doing all the little things the right way and it paid off for him," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "I can't recall a time where we had a guy win six matches here. I couldn't be prouder."
Following a Friday night injury, Miller opted not to compete on Saturday and settled for a sixth place. He finished his career with 138 victories, tied for the third most in program history. Miller joined Dustin Kilgore as the only three-time All-American in program history.
With a final mark of 23-2 on the season, Miller was only taken down in one match all year. In 87 years of Kent State's program, he is the only wrestler with three Top 6 finishes at the NCAA Championships. Miller's 36 career pins are the fourth most in program history.
DePalma dropped his consolation semifinal bout to Oklahoma State's Anthony Collica to start the day. DePalma took an early 2-0 lead in the first, but was pinned in the second when Collica caught him attempting to roll out from bottom.
With an All-American in eight straight seasons (2009-16), Kent State now has the 10th longest active streak in the nation with at least one wrestler on the podium. During that stretch six Golden Flashes (Porter, Bedelyon, Kilgore, Mitcheff, Miller, DePalma) have combined for 11 All-American honors.
Players Mentioned
