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Mark McKnight

ST. LOUIS, MO - Sophomore Mark McKnight (McDonald, PA/South Fayette) ran into second-seeded Nick Simmons of Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Division I Championships at the Savvis Center on Thursday afternoon and fell 3-0, but rebounded with two victories to stay alive in the competition and move within three matches of All-American status.

McKnight, ranked 19th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Intermat poll, fell into the consolation bracket after the loss to Simmons in the first round. A first period takedown was all Simmons, who is 36-2 on the year and seeded second in the 33-man field, needed, as he also added a point for riding time to defeat McKnight.

McKnight started his consolation bracket quest by beating Obe Blanc from Lock Haven, 7-5, to earn the first of those five victories. Blanc took an early lead, but McKnight earned three escapes and then scored a second period takedown to take the lead before sealing the match with a third period takedown.

McKnight then posted a 19-4 major decision against Duquesne's Jonathon Bittinger, as McKnight earned two first period takedowns to control the match. He added two more takedowns in the second period and followed that with an esape, a takedown and a three-point near fall in the third period to seal the match, and move within three matches of All-American status.

McKnight, 29-14 overall, moves on to face Iowa State's Grant Nakamura, a junior who is 10-9 this year, in the second round of the consolations, in Session III, which starts at 10:00 am on Friday.