Penn State freshman and Graham graduate David Taylor suffered the first and only loss of his freshman season in the 157-pound final.
Dernlan is in his seventh season at Penn State. He was a three-time state champion (1988-90) for West Liberty-Salem.
Taylor was seeking to become the fourth Graham graduate to win a NCAA Division I championship. The others are U.S. Congressmen Jim Jordan (1985 and 1986 with Wisconsin) and Dustin Schlatter (2006 with Wisconsin).
Taylor, the No. 3 seed, led 1-0 in the second period when he was pinned by Arizona State’s Bubba Jenkins, a former Penn State wrestler and the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
In the semifinals, Taylor handed American University’s second-seeded Steve Fittery his first loss of the season 7-1.
Taylor, a four-time state champion at Graham with a career record of 180-2, finished his freshman season 38-1.
Including Taylor, five Nittany Lions earned All-American status.