NATIONAL QUALIFIER Andrew
ALTON Jr./So. Eligible Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain National Qualifier (2011)
CAREER STATISTICS Year
Overall
Duals (B10) TRN (B10/NCAA)
2010-11
30-10
14-5 (4-4)
2011-12 Career
16-5 (2-2/2-2)
F
TF
M PTS
18-0
1-0
4-0
74
18-0
1-0
4-0
74
Red-shirt Season 30-10
14-5 (4-4)
16-5 (2-2/2-2)
SOPHOMORE • 149
NATIONAL QUARTERFINALIST Red-shirt sophomore Andrew Alton pinned his way through November of 2010 as a true freshman and emerged as one of the nation’s best and most exciting wrestlers at 141. Alton ended his true freshman year with 30 wins, including 18 pins, and now heads into a sophomore season with a chance to improve upon his national quarterfinals finish from a year ago. After a red-shirt season, the Nittany Lion qualifier will make the move up to 149, looking to battle for a national title.
Year-by-Year: 2011-12: Red-shirt season, went 9-1 with three majors and two pins as an unattached grappler. 2010-11: Andrew is the twin brother of All-American Dylan...auspicious collegiate debut on 11/12, pinning Bloomsburg’s Derek Shingara in just :54...followed that up with pin of Lehigh’s Stephen Dutton in 1:21 on 11/14...went 3-0 at Sprawl and Brawl Duals on 11/21, including two pins (one in just :21)...won his first four collegiate bouts as a true freshman by falls, all in the first period, in a combined time of 3:57...beat Rutgers’ fifthyear senior 7-4 on 11/21 in first collegiate dual win not by fall...went 6-0 with five pins to win the Nittany Lion Open 141-pound title on 12/5... won title by pinning #20 Zack Kemerer of Penn in just :39 in the finals... majored LHU’s Justin Loudon 13-4 on 12/12...made Big Ten dual debut a quick one, pinning Ohio State’s Randy Languis in just :31 on 12/19... Went 6-1 with three pins and a major at Southern Scuffle on 12/29-30... started season 17-0 with 13 pins before suffering first loss of season with a last second takedown by #1 Kellen Russell of Michigan in Scuffle semis, rebounded for two more wins to take third...went 3-1 at Virginia Duals with two pins and a major, only loss another close battle with #1 Kellen Russell of Michigan (this one a 2-1 decision on riding time)...dominated #7 Tyler Nauman of Pitt 7-4 with riding time on 1/21 and pinned Geno Capezio of Indiana on 1/23...lost hard-fought 3-1 (tb) decision to #1 Kellen Russell at Michigan on 2/6...lost tough 5-3 dec. to #4 Jimmy Kennedy on 2/11...lost close 4-1 decision to #2 Mike Thorn of Minnesota on 2/13...pinned UW’s Shane McQuade (3:52) on 2/16 for 17th pin of the year. Big Ten Championships (2-2, 5th, NCAA Qualifier): Posted a 2-2 mark with a tech fall to take fifth at Big Tens as the No. 5 seed...beat Purdue’s Jake Fleckenstein 17-2 and Northwestern’s Kaleb Friedley 6-4. NCAA Championships (2-2, ‘round of 12’): Went 2-2 with a pin and a major at first NCAA tournament, finishing just one win shy of All-America status in the ‘round of 12’...pinned Binghamton’s Anwar Goeres in NCAA tournament debut...also majored 11th-seed Michael Mariarcher of American...lost tough 2-0 decision to third-seeded Boris Novochkov of Cal Poly and before suffering 5-4 upset loss to Penn’s Zach Kemerer in ‘round of 12’.
High School/Personal: 2011 University Nationals Champion (66 kg)...ranked No. 1 at 145 by Intermat and was the No. 2 ranked overall recruit in the country (at any weight). Andrew is coming off a 145 pound title at last year’s PIAA championships, going 45-0. As a junior, he went 46-0 overall, winning the 140 pound title as well. Andrew went 47-1 at 140 as a sophomore, taking third at PIAAs, and was 40-7 as a high school freshman at 130 (also placing third at states). He went 178-8 over his career at Central Mountain High School in neighboring Clinton County. The Mill Hall native is also an outstanding freestyle wrestler, having won two (2008 and 2009) Junior National Championships. He took third at the FILA Junior Nationals in 2009, won the 2008 Super 32 Challenge and took second place at the 2008 Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman. Andrew is the son of Neil and Donna Alton of Mill Hall, Pa., and the twin brother of fellow signee Dylan.
Andrew Alton tallied 18 pins as a true freshman two years ago and red-shirted last season. Alton returns at 149 pounds this year.
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PENN STATE 2012-13 NITTANY LION WRESTLING • 2X BIG TEN CHAMPIONS • 2X NCAA CHAMPIONS