Luke Pletcher suffered one of the most heartbreaking semifinal losses of the NCAA Wrestling tournament in Pittsburgh, but bounced back Saturday morning to advance to the 3rd Place match.
While of the focus among spectators was on Myles Martin's shocking upset loss to No. 5 Max Dean of Cornell, Pletcher faced a taller task in finishing strong in his home state of Pennsylvania Saturday morning. With Penn State holding a 32-point lead in the team race after the semifinal round, Saturday's consolation matches were about one thing, and one thing only: personal pride.
The tournament veteran acquitted himself well, representing his program at a high level with nothing on the line but besting the man across the mat.