Spain, wrestling at 197 pounds, lost his first match Thursday, but competing in a much smaller weight bracket (20 competitors total; other weights have near or over 30), he did not have to hit the mat again until the third round of the consolation bracket.

With plenty of rest, Spain was able to claim a 7-5 victory over Jeff Roman of Waldorf to move into the All-American round. With a win in tonight's third session against Nic Leither of Northwestern, a #2 seed, the sophomore will qualify to be at least an Honorable-Mention All-American. Session 3 begins at 6 p.m.

Unfortunately, Spain is the lone Statesmen left in action as 125-pounder Taylor Louie (So., West Covina, Calif., West Covina HS) and 174-pounder T.J. Stuart (So., Eddyville, Eddyville-Blakesburg HS) as well five other qualifiers all lost for the second time Friday and were eliminated from competition.

Both Louie and Stuart were two wins away from All-American status, but neither could move on past the consolation's third round. Louie fell 4-2 in overtime to Clayden McKim of Dana, a #3 seed, to end his tournament experience at 2-2. Stuart also finished 2-2 at the Championships by losing a 7-0 decision to Austin Ouellette of Montana State-Northern, a #4 seed.

141-pounder Dustin Howa (Sr., Price, Utah, Carbon HS), though originally reported as losing his first match, was actually victorious in his opener, but then dropped his final two contests to finish 1-2 at the Championships.

Four Penn wrestlers were unable to claim victory and finished 0-2 at nationals. That group included 125-pounder David Crow (So., Baumholder, Germany, Baumholder HS), 149-pounder Corey Johnson (Jr., West Park, Fla., Miramar HS), 157-pounder Levi Davidshofer (Fr., New Market, Clarinda HS) and 285-pounder Ryan Groom (Fr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS).

As a team, Penn is now 27th with 5.5 points, while Lindenwood (Mo.) has extended its advantage to over 30 points. The Lions have now tallied 107 points and have eight wrestlers in the semifinals (two in the consolation bracket). Missouri Valley and Southern Oregon are tied with 72.5 points each after the second session. Missouri Valley has nine competitors left, including four in the semifinals, while Southern Oregon has seven individuals still competing, including five in the semifinals.

For more information on the 2009 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, click here