Jan. 31, 2014
Post-Dual Video: Junior Dylan Alton
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team remained unbeaten on the year, pinning its way to a 42-3 win at Michigan State Friday night. Head coach Cael Sanderson's crew recorded four falls in the Big Ten road win.
The dual began at 157, where junior All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 157, stayed unbeaten with a solid 8-3 win over Roger Wildmo. All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 at 165, remained unbeaten as well with a first period pin of Bobby Nash. Taylor got the fall at the 1:53 mark, his 11th of the season and the 48th of his career.
All-American Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, then dominated Spartan Nick Kaczanowski, rolling to an 18-3 technical fall at the 7:00 mark, including 4:48 in riding time. All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 184, matched Taylor with a first period pin of his own, getting a quick pin over John Rizqallah at the 0:38 mark. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 3 at 197, continued Penn State's pin-parade, locking up a second period cradle to pin Nick McDiarmid at the 4:23 mark. The win sent Penn State into intermission with a 26-0 lead.
Junior Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) got the nod at 285 and led into the third period over No. 7 Mike McClure. But McClure rallied late for the 5-1 decision, putting the Spartans on the board. At 125, Nittany Lion Jordan Conaway stepped in for second-ranked Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.). Megaludis did not make the weekend trip after being sick all week. Conaway, a national qualifier last year at 133, dominated MSU's Brenan Lyon, posting a 15-4 major decision.
Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 133, followed with strong performance of his own in a 10-3 decision with over 2:00 in riding time. Undefeated true freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 141, stayed unbeaten, pinning Brian Gibbs at the 4:42 mark. Junior Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) took to the mat at 149 and closed out a dominant Penn State performance with a 9-5 victory over Spartan Nick Trimble.
Penn State posted a lop-sided 23-2 edge in takedown and notched four pins, the most in a dual this year for the Nittany Lions. Taylor improved to 22-0 with the win, including 11 pins, six tech falls and five majors. His 48 pins are just five shy of Penn State's all-time record of 53. He is 122-3 all-time and is now eighth on Penn State's all-time wins list. Taylor also improved to 30-0 all-time in Big Ten duals and 51-0 all-time against Big Ten competition.
Ruth is 21-1 with eight pins, seven tech falls and six majors. His 43 career pins is third all-time at Penn State. Ruth is 123-3 all-time at Penn State and is tied for sixth on the Lions' all-time wins list. He, like Taylor, is unbeaten against Big Ten foes, sporting a 30-0 Big Ten dual meet mark and a 52-0 mark all-time against Big Ten competition.
Retherford remained unbeaten and moved to 22-0 with four pins, two tech falls and seven majors. Dylan Alton improved to 14-0 on the year with three pins and a major. Brown moved to 22-1 with six pins, three techs and seven majors and McIntosh improved to 21-2 with four pins and nine majors. Andrew Alton moved to 8-0 as well.
Penn State moves to 12-0 on the year, 6-0 in Big Ten action, while Michigan State falls to 5-9, 0-6 B1G. The Nittany Lions visit Michigan on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 2. The Lions and Wolverines tangle at 3:30 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network in a match where the winner will clinch at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title.
With the full season of Rec Hall duals sold out prior to the start of the campaign, a very limited number of standing room only tickets are available to a few of the remaining Rec Hall duals. People may purchase tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting the Penn State Athletics ticket office located in the BJC. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
#1 Penn State 42, Michigan State 3
January 31, 2014 - East Lansing, Mich.
157: #4 Dylan Alton PSU dec. Roger Wildmo MSU, 8-3 -- 3-0
165: #1 David Taylor PSU pinned Bobby Nash MSU, WBF (1:53) -- 9-0
174: #3 Matt Brown PSU tech fall Nick Kaczanowski MSU, 18-3 (TF; 7:00) -- 14-0
184: #2 Ed Ruth PSU pinned John Rizqallah MSU, WBF (0:38) -- 20-0
197: #7 Morgan McIntosh PSU pinned Nick McDiarmid MSU, WBF (4:23) -- 26-0
285: #7 Mike McClure MSU dec. Nick Ruggear PSU, 5-1 -- 26-3
125: Jordan Conaway PSU maj. dec. Brenan Lyon MSU, 15-4 -- 30-3
133: #16 Jimmy Gulibon PSU dec. Garth Yenter MSU, 10-3 -- 33-3
141: #2 Zain Retherford PSU pinned Brian Gibbs MSU, WBF (4:42) -- 39-3
149: Andrew Alton PSU dec. Nick Trimble MSU, 9-5 -- 42-3
Attendance: 662
Records: Penn State 12-0, 6-0 B1G; Michigan State 5-9, 0-6 B1G
Up Next for Penn State: at Michigan, Sunday, Feb. 2, 3:30 p.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
157: Junior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 157, faced off against Michigan State's Roger Wildmo. Alton scored quickly, taking Wildmo down at the 2:30 mark and maintaining control for :26 seconds. The Nittany Lion junior then battled Wildmo evenly for the rest of the period and carried the 2-1 lead into the middle stanza. Wildmo chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Alton scored again, working around shoulder control for a takedown and a 4-2 lead with 1:25 on the clock. Alton maintained control long enough to work his riding time up to 1:02 before Wildmo escaped to a 4-3 score. Steadily working on his offense, Alton used a solid double leg to take Wildmo down on the edge of the mat with under :10 left and, after a short ride out, led 6-3 with 1:17 in time after two. Alton chose down to start the third period and escaped quickly to a 7-3 lead. Alton worked in on a high single and worked for a final takedown but Wildmo was able to kill the clock on the scramble. Alton posted the 8-3 win with 1:11 in riding time.
165: Top-ranked David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), unbeaten at 165, met MSU senior Bobby Nash at 165. Taylor scored quickly with a takedown just :06 into the bout. He let Nash loose and began working his offense again. Another quick takedown with shoulder control had Taylor taking Nash to his back for a five-point move and a 7-1 lead. Taylor cut Nash loose again and then quickly locked up a cradle on his next move, turning Nash to his back and getting the fall at the 1:53 mark. The pin was Taylor's 11th this season and the 48th of his career.
174: Junior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, battled Spartan Nick Kaczanowski. Brown scored first, using a single leg to take a 2-1 lead and building up :27 in riding time before the Spartan escaped. The Lion junior quickly added a second takedown and led 4-1 with 1:30 left. Brown then built up over 2:00 in riding time with a bullish ride out to lead 4-1 with 2:09 in time after one. Brown chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Brown added two quick takedowns and after the second wrapped up a cradle for three near fall points and a 12-2 lead after two. Kaczanowski chose down to start the final period and Brown already had the riding time point clinched. Brown steadily worked his way into another cradle, locking up the Spartan for three more back points and a 15-2 lead with :47 left on the clock. The Spartan escaped only to be taken down once more and the final takedown, plus the riding time point, gave Brown the 18-3 tech fall at the 7:00 mark with 4:48 riding time.
184: Second-ranked Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) met Spartan junior John Rizqallah at 184. Ruth, like his teammates before him, scored quickly, taking Rizqallah down and immediately working in on a cradle. He locked Rizqallah up, turned him to his back and got the shoulders flat for a quick pin at the 0:38 mark. The pin was Ruth's eighth this year and the 43rd of his career.
197: Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 7 at 197, took on MSU's Nick McDiarmid. The duo battled evenly for the bulk of the first period with each McIntosh looking to set the tempo and McDiarmid holding steady on defense. With the first three minutes passing scoreless, McIntosh chose down to start the second period and quickly reversed McDiarmid to take a 2-0 lead just over :10 into the stanza. The Lion sophomore maintained control for over a minute before locking up a cradle. McIntosh adjusted once and got McDiarmid's shoulders flat for the fall at the 4:23 mark.
285: Junior Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) took to the mat at 285 to face No. 7 Mike McClure. Ruggear was making his season dual meet debut. Ruggear battled McClure evenly for the first minute-plus, staying solid on his feet and keeping the action in the center of the mat. Neither man found an offensive opening during the entirety of the opening period and action moved to the second tied 0-0. Ruggear chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. McClure shot low on a single but Ruggear was able to block off the move, step back and maintain his 1-0 lead at the :50 mark. Ruggear maintained his 1-0 lead into the third period. McClure chose down to start the third and, like Ruggear, quickly escaped, tying the match at 1-1. Ruggear was called for stalling and then countered a McClure shot, creating a scramble that ended with a McClure takedown and a 3-1 Spartan lead with 1:07 on the clock. A second Ruggear stall gave McClure a 4-1 lead and, with the ride-out and 1:10 riding time, McClure was able to post the 5-1 win.
125: Sophomore Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) stepped in at 125 for second-ranked Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), who did not make the weekend trip due to sickness. Conaway took on Spartan senior Brenan Lyon at 125. Conaway wasted no time working in on a takedown, but Lyon was able to force a stalemate and keep the bout scoreless early. Conaway was relentless, however, working his way to a takedown and a 2-0 lead at the 1:40 mark. Conaway cut Lyon loose at the 1:00 mark and quickly took the Spartan down for a 4-1 lead. He then rode Lyon out and led 4-1 with 1:23 in time after one. Conaway chose down to start the second and quickly reversed Lyon for a 6-1 lead. The Lion sophomore put together another dominating ride, controlling the action and forcing Lyon into a stall warning before cutting him loose to a 6-2 score. Conaway fought off a late Lyon shot and rode that lead into the third period. Lyon chose down to start the third period and Conaway clinched the riding time point before turning Lyon for two near fall points. Leading 8-2, Conaway cut Lyon loose, looking for bonus points. Conaway blew through a high double, lifting Lyon off the mat and working him down for a takedown and a 10-4 lead with :24 left. Needing one more takedown to get a major, Conaway used a quick duck-under for the final takedown, turned him for two near fall points and with 3:09 in time, posted the 15-4 major.
133: Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 133, met MSU freshman Garth Yenter. Gulibon scored quickly notching a takedown in just :07 to lead 2-0 early. The Lion freshman put together a strong ride, building up 1:37 in time before cutting Yenter loose to a 2-1 score. Gulibon countered a slight Yenter shot, worked his way into control of a single leg and finished off the move with just :02 left for a 4-1 lead after the opening period. Gulibon chose down to start the second period and began looking for a chance to reverse the Spartan. Gulibon was steady on his mission and got the reversal with :45 left in the period to lead 6-1. He then controlled the action from the top position, keeping Yenter flat for the final seconds to lead 6-1 with 1:20 in time after two. Yenter chose down to start the third period but Gulibon once again controlled the action. With the riding time point clinched, Gulibon cut Yenter loose and began looking for a chance to score. Gulibon connected on a quick single, picked up the takedown and cut him loose with :09 left. Yenter was able to keep from giving up another takedown and Gulibon posted the strong 10-3 win with 2:15 in riding time.
141: True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), unbeaten and ranked No. 2 nationally at 141, battled Michigan State's Brian Gibbs. The duo battled evenly for the bulk of the first period until Retherford broke through for a takedown and a 2-0 lead with :27 on the clock. Retherford rode the Spartan out and led 2-0 after a short ride out. The Lion freshman chose down to start the second stanza and quickly reversed Gibbs to up his lead to 4-0. He turned Gibbs for two back points and reset himself with :32 on the clock.
149: Junior Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) got the call at 149 and met Spartan Nick Trimble, who was second on the MSU roster with 18 wins coming into the match. The Lion junior gained control of Trimble's left ankle and worked his way for a takedown and a 2-0 lead just over a minute into the period. He then lifted Trimble off the mat and turned him to his back for two near fall points and a 4-0 lead. Trimble escaped with :35 on the clock to cut the lead to 4-1 after the opening three minutes. Alton chose down to start the second period but could not break free of a strong Trimble ride right away. The Lion junior broke out at the 1:00 mark and led 5-1. Alton used a fast low single to trip Trimble to the mat for another takedown and a 7-1 lead with :30 on the clock. Alton rode Trimble out to lead 7-1 with :42 in time after two. Trimble chose down to start the third, escaped, and was quickly taken down again by Alton. Alton cut Trimble loose and shot low, but Trimble countered for his own takedown to cut Alton's lead to 9-5. Trimble worked feverishly over the next minute to try and get back points but Alton was strong on defense and posted a 9-5 win to give Penn State the 42-3 dual meet victory.