Nov. 10, 2014
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Jimmy Gulibon didn't have to wait long to get thrown into the fire.
On Sunday, when the Penn State wrestling team opened its season against Lehigh, the 133-pounder found himself matched up against the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the nation at his weight, junior Mason Beckman.
During an afternoon in which the Nittany Lions raised their fourth consecutive national championship banner, Gulibon gave arguably the best performance of his career, beating the All-American with a convincing 8-3 win that highlighted the team's 24-10 victory.
"Jimmy's good," head coach Cael Sanderson said. "He knows how to wrestle, he's tough and he just did what he does. I though falling behind early and keeping his poise ... that was good to see. It was a good start for him."
The falling behind occurred when Gulibon was taken down by Beckman just 21 seconds into the bout. Instead of allowing his deficit to increase, the sophomore ended the first period with a series of moves that turned the tide of the match.
After getting an escape, Gulibon pressured Beckman until he was able to score a takedown and put the junior on his back for two near fall points to turn a 2-1 disadvantage into a 5-2 lead at the end of one period.
From that point, Gulibon stayed in control, picking up an escape and a takedown in the second period that led to the eventually 8-3 decision.
"I felt pretty strong," Gulibon said. "I was a little hesitant towards the end, I think I could have shot a little more but I felt good."
It was a big moment for Gulibon, and not just because it was an upset win over one of the nation's best grapplers at his weight.
For starters, it was a better result for the Nittany Lion than the last time he faced Beckman. When Penn State defeated Lehigh 22-12 last season in its second match of 2013, Gulibon made his dual meet debut against the Mountain Hawks star and fell to him in a tight 7-6 match.
"We've wrestled a good bit," Gulibon said. "Last year we wrestled once. Every time it was fun. It was just fun to go out there and wrestle."
More importantly though, the victory gives Gulibon plenty of confidence moving forward with the Nittany Lions season just beginning.
Last season, the 133-pounder lost his first four dual matches before notching his first career dual victory with a dominant 15-0 tech fall over Indiana's Chris Caton.
Though Gulibon finished the year strong enough to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, he entered the 2014-'15 campaign looking to improve on last year's 18-15 mark.
Now that he has begun the season on a high note, the sky is the limit for the Latrobe, Pennsylvania native.
"Obviously [Gulibon's win] helped us with the team score but I think that was big for him," senior Matt Brown said. "I think that's going to help his confidence even more."
For Sanderson, the best part of Gulibon's win wasn't the takedowns or the back points. It was seeing the sophomore actually enjoy himself on the mat.
One of the most soft-spoken members of the team, Gulibon was hard on himself during his first year as a starter. At the same time, no one in program has ever doubted his talent or his work ethic.
"I think he just got off to a bad start last year," Sanderson said. "We were trying to get him to smile and just enjoy what he was doing. But today, he ran off the mat and and he was smiling. So that`s a good sign because Jimmy knows how to wrestle and he's good enough to win a national championship but you still have to believe in yourself and enjoy what you're doing.
"I think everyone was happy for Jimmy because you want to see him win that match and give him a good start to the season. He's going to be tough to beat now."
Gulibon's victory highlighted an afternoon that had plenty of big moments, including freshman 165-pounder Garett Hammond's first ever victory (an 8-3 win over Santiago Martinez) and a dominant pin by Brown against Marshall Peppleman at 174.
Even with a collection of new faces in their lineup, the Nittany Lions find themselves in a familiar position after one match, with a 1-0 record.
"I think this is great. We had to come out and wrestle hard," Sanderson said. "[Lehigh] is obviously motivated and they want to come in and beat us like we want to beat them. They did their homework and made it a fun match."