Clymer still alive at NCAAs

PHILADELPHIA For the Clymers, wrestling is a family affair.

So after suffering a tough opening round loss in the NCAA Division I Championships and needing a win in the consolations to stay alive, Hofstra's Ben Clymer didn't hesitate where to go for a talk.

The words he received helped settle the Northwestern graduate and he went on to post a 5-1 win over Corey Peltier.

"I was really excited to get my first win here, especially since I have so much of my family here," said Clymer. "My dad (Scott Clymer) talked to me right before my match and helped me calm down, it helped a lot. It was really an awesome feeling to see my family right there after the win.

"It's something you always say, and it's easy to say, but it's really tough to come back and wrestle after you lose a match. I was really disappointed. I felt like I had an opportunity (in the preliminaries) and it was hard to come back after being that disappointed."

Clymer, competing at 184 pounds, gave sixth-seeded Ryan Loder of Northern Iowa all he could handle in the first round but ended up dropping a 4-2 decision in overtime.

After a scoreless first period, the two exchanged escapes in the second and third periods.

Neither wrestlers scored in the first overtime.

In the first rideout period Clymer (22-9) escaped, but was then taken down by Loder. With the score now 3-2, Clymer gave up an escape and Loder was able to fight off any takedowns that Clymer attempted.

The loss dropped the former TIMES NEWS Wrestler of the Year into wrestlebacks, where he faced Maryland's Corey Peltier.

Once again, Clymer battled through a scoreless first period.

While neither wrestler managed a point in the second frame, the former Tiger and current Pride grappler did gain an advantage.

Peltier chose bottom to start the second, and Clymer rode him for the entire second period.

"It's tough to turn guys in college but if you can ride them out, you don't only get the riding time but you can break them mentally," said Clymer.

With two minutes of riding time in his favor, Clymer also put the score in his favor as he used a third-period reversal to take a 2-0 lead. Peltier countered with an escape but the Germansville native earned a takedown near the end of the match for a 4-1 cushion. With the extra riding time point, Clymer moved on with the 5-1 win.

Next up for the junior is a matchup with Navy's Luke Rebertus Friday morning. Rebertus won his opening round bout before losing 9-2 to top-seeded Christopher Honeycutt of Edinboro.