Jan. 21, 2015
| PENN STATE VS. MINNESOTA | |
| Sunday, Jan. 25 - 2 p.m. ET | |
| Rec Hall | University Park, Pa. | BTN2GO/BTN-Plus (no TV) | |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; January 20, 2015 -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1, 4-1 B1G), ranked No. 10 in the latest Intermat Tournament Power Index, will host No. 2 Minnesota (9-0, 5-0 B1G) in sold out Rec Hall. The match-up, one of the year's most anticipated collegiate duals, is set to begin at 2 p.m.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 2-0 Big Ten weekend that saw the team win 28-6 at Rutgers and 26-9 over Purdue in Rec Hall. The Lions feature a young line-up that includes three freshmen and two sophomores. Junior Jordan Conaway comes in ranked No. 8 at 125 with a 16-3 mark while sophomore Jimmy Gulibon is No. 9 at 133 and 15-3 overall. Freshman Kade Moss is 15-10 at 141 and sophomore Zack Beitz is 10-6 at 149. Beitz is ranked No. 18 nationally. Senior Dylan Alton is No. 9 at 157 with an 8-3 mark while freshman Garett Hammond is 18-6 at 165. Senior Matt Brown is 16-2 at 174 and ranked No. 4 nationally while freshman Matt McCutcheon is 19-7 at 184 and ranked No. 16. Junior Morgan McIntosh is 17-2 at 197 and ranked No. 6. Senior Jimmy Lawson is 9-0 at 285 and ranked No. 6 nationally by Intermat while classmate Jon Gingrich is 13-1 and ranked among the top ten by other national outlets.
Minnesota comes in with one of the nation's most veteran and talented line-ups. The Gophers are ranked No. 2 in the Intermat TPI and feature eight nationally ranked wrestlers, including three No. 1s. Minnesota's potential line-up features up to six seniors. The Gophers could send either sophomores Sam Brancale (8-4 overall) or Jordan Bremer (4-9) into action at 125. Senior Chris Dardanes is ranked No. 1 at 133 with a 16-0 mark while senior brother Nick Dardanes is No. 4 at 141 with a 15-1 record. Senior Seth Lange (12-8) or freshman Jake Short (11-6) could go at 149. Senior Dylan Ness is No. 1 at 157 with a 21-0 record while freshman Nick Wanzek is ranked No. 17 at 165 with a 13-7 mark. Senior Logan Storley is 20-2 at 174 and ranked No. 3 while sophomore Brett Pfarr is ranked No. 11 at 184 and 18-5 overall. Senior Scott Schiller is 16-2 at 197 and ranked No. 1 while sophomore Michael Kroells is 18-7 at 285 and ranked No. 13.
The Golden Gophers lead the all-time series with Penn State 14-6-1, including the last two. The Gophers won the last time in Rec Hall, a 23-14 victory on Nov. 20, 2011, and last year in Minneapolis, an 18-17 victory on Feb. 9, 2014.
For the second straight year, Penn State will make a two-dual swing through the state of Michigan on Super Bowl weekend. The Nittany Lions visit Michigan on Friday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. and then trek to East Lansing to take on Michigan State on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. Penn State's next home dual will take place in the Bryce Jordan Center when Iowa visits for a 1 p.m. dual on Sunday, Feb. 8 (the event is sold out). A very limited number of standing room only (SRO) tickets are available for some Penn State's Rec Hall duals. Fans can call the Penn State ticket office at 1-800-NITTANY to purchase. Penn State 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 2014-15 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
#10 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (8-1, 4-1 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #8 Jordan Conaway Jr. Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford / 16-3
133 #9 Jimmy Gulibon So. Latrobe, Pa./Derry Area / 15-3
141 Kade Moss Fr. South Jordan, Utah/Bingham / 15-10
Michael Waters Jr. Advance, N.C./Davie / 10-7
149 #18 Zack Beitz So. Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata / 10-6
Luke Frey Jr. Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville / 11-3
157 #9 Dylan Alton Sr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain / 8-3
Cody Law Fr. Windber, Pa./Forest Hills / 12-6
165 Garett Hammond Fr. Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg / 18-6
174 #4 Matt Brown Sr. West Valley City, Utah/Cyprus / 16-2
184 #16 Matt McCutcheon Fr. Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area / 19-7
197 #6 Morgan McIntosh Jr. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel / 17-2
285 #6 Jimmy Lawson Sr. Toms River, N.J./Manchester Township / 9-0
OR Jon Gingrich Sr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area / 13-1
#2 MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (9-0, 5-0 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Sam Brancale So. Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie / 8-4
Jordan Bremer So. Moville, Iowa/Woodbury Central / 4-9
133 #1 Chris Dardanes Sr. Chicago, Ill./Oak Park River Forest / 16-0
141 #4 Nick Dardanes Sr. Chicago, Ill./Oak Park River Forest / 15-1
149 Jake Short Fr. Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley / 11-6
Seth Lange Sr. Sturgis, S.D./Sturgis / 12-8
157 #1 Dylan Ness Sr. Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy / 21-0
165 #17 Nick Wanzek Fr. Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley / 13-7
174 #3 Logan Storley Sr. Roslyn, S.D./Webster / 20-2
184 #11 Brett Pfarr So. Le Sueur, Minn./Henderson / 18-5
197 #1 Scott Schiller Sr. West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo / 16-2
285 #13 Michael Kroells So. Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West / 18-7
Team ranking is Intermat Tournament Power Index (TPI) as of 1/19/15
Individual rankings are Intermat as of 1/19/15
THIS WEEK
#10 Penn State (8-1, 4-1 B1G) will host #2 Minnesota (9-0, 5-0 B1G) in sold out Rec Hall. The match-up, one of the year's most anticipated collegiate duals, is set to begin at 2 p.m.
UP NEXT
For the second straight year, Penn State will make a two-dual swing through the state of Michigan on Super Bowl weekend. The Nittany Lions visit Michigan on Friday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. and then trek to East Lansing to take on Michigan State on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m.
ON THE AIR
TV - None
Live Web Video - BTN2GO / BTN-Plus via GoPSU's College Sports Live
Radio All Season - Penn State Wrestling Radio Network (1390 WRSC AM locally); go to http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/102714aab.html for full listing. All audio is streamed live thru GoPSUsports and College Sports Live (CBS).
HEAD COACH Cael Sanderson
Cael Sanderson is in his sixth season as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team. The veteran head coach now has four straight NCAA and four straight Big Ten titles in hand. He has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year four straight times and was named the 2013 National Coach of the Year (his second such honor).
THE PENN STATE YEARS...
In his first year at Penn State (2009-10), he guided the Lions to a 13-6-1 dual meet mark, 5-3 in Big Ten action, and crowned his first Big Ten Champion. The Lions finished No. 10 in the final USA Today/Coaches dual meet poll and placed ninth at NCAAs.
In 2010-11, Sanderson guided the Nittany Lions to its first-ever Southern Scuffle Co-Championship and its first Virginia Duals Championship since 1991. In guiding Penn State to a 6-1-1 conference mark, Sanderson equaled the most Big Ten dual meet wins in Penn State history in just his second year at the helm of the Nittany Lions (Penn State won six Big Ten duals in 1998). Sanderson led Penn State to the school's first ever Big Ten Championship on March 5-6 and was named 2011 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Saving the best for last, he led the Nittany Lions to the 2011 NCAA National Championship in Philadelphia on March 17-19, Penn State's first since 1953 and Sanderson's first as a collegiate head coach.
In 2011-12, Sanderson led Penn State to a school record 7-1 Big Ten dual record and a share of the 2012 Big Ten dual meet championship. Sanderson then made it two in a row by leading Penn State to the 2012 Big Ten Championship at Purdue on March 3-4 and was named 2012 Big Ten Coach of the Year, earning the honor for the second straight season. Two weeks later, Sanderson led Penn State to a second straight NCAA crown, helping Penn State to become just the sixth team in NCAA history to win back-to-back titles.
In 2012-13, Penn State went 13-1 overall in dual meets this year and won its third straight Southern Scuffle title in early January. The Nittany Lions followed that up with a third straight Big Ten Championship on March 9-10 at Illinois and a third straight NCAA National Title in Des Moines on March 21-23. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third straight season (sharing this year's honor as a co-CotY) and 2013 National Coach of the Year (the second time he has earned that honor).
In 2013-14, Sanderson led Penn State to a 15-1 overall record, yet another share of the Big Ten dual meet title with a 7-1 mark, a fourth straight Southern Scuffle title, a fourth straight Big Ten title and a fourth straight NCAA Championship. He was once again named Big Ten Coach of the Year, the third time he has been so honored..
In this, his sixth season as Penn State's coach, Sanderson has led the Nittany Lions to five straight Southern Scuffle titles (including this year's), two B1G dual meet co-titles (including this year's), four straight Big Ten Championship titles (including this year's), four straight national titles (including this year's), collected 26 All-Americans, seven national champions, three Gorriaran winners, two NCAA tourney OWs and two Hodge Trophy winners. Coach Sanderson now sports a 123-21-2 dual meet mark in this, his seventh year as a head coach. He is 79-11-2 at Penn State.
LIONS TOP PURDUE IN JAM PACKED REC HALL
Penn State won seven of ten bouts to roll past Purdue 26-9 in front of nearly 6,400 fans on 1/18. Senior Matt Brown notched a pin at 174 and Morgan McIntosh had a tech fall at 197 to spark Penn State. Jordan Conaway (125), Zack Beitz (149), Garett Hammond (174), Matt McCutcheon (184) and Jimmy Lawson (285) grabbed decisions.
PENN STATE DOWNS #25 RUTGERS IN FRONT OF RECORD WRESTLING CROWS IN THE RAC
The Nittany Lions won eight of ten bouts at #25 Rutgers on 1/16, posting a 28-6 win in front of 6,071 fans. The crowd set a new Rutgers record for attendance at a wrestling dual meet. Matt Brown downed #20 Phillip Bakuckas 7-1 at 174 and Jon Gingrich downed #13 Billy Smith 5-3 (sv) to spark Penn State. The Lions got majors from Jordan Conaway (125), Jimmy Gulibon (133), Dylan Alton (157) and Garett Hammond (165) as well as decisions from Matt McCutcheon (184) and Morgan McIntosh (197).
Dylan Alton STARTS HIS DUAL MEET SEASON WITH TWO BIG WINS
Senior Dylan Alton, who made his season debut with a fourth place finish at the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2, made his season dual debuts the weekend of Jan. 9-11. The senior 157-pounder posted a 2-0 win over Indiana's Alex Gregory in packed Rec Hall on Jan. 9 and then downed #5 (and previously unbeaten) Josh Demas of Ohio State 3-1 (sv) in Columbus on 1/11.
BROWN NOTCHES TWO BIG TEN PINS VS. INDY AND OSU
Senior Matt Brown posted two impressive pins in Penn State's Big Ten dual meets vs. Indiana and at Ohio State on 1/9 and 1/11. Brown pinned #19 Nate Jackson of Indiana at the 4:10 mark on 1/9 and then got a fall over Ohio State's Dominic Prezzia of Ohio State in Columbus at the 4:27 mark on 1/11.
MOSS, McCUTCHEON & BROWN LEAD LIONS OVER INDIANA
Freshmen Kade Moss and Matt McCutcheon and senior Matt Brown each posted pins to spark Penn State to a 42-3 victory over Indiana in Big Ten dual meet action on 1/9. Brown pinned #19 Nate Jackson at the 4:10 mark, McCutcheon got a first period (0:55) fall over IU's Jake Masengale and Moss pinned Hoosier Sean Brown at the 5:43 mark.
LIONS CLAIM FIFTH STRAIGHT SOUTHERN SCUFFLE TITLE WITH BALANCED TEAM ATTACK
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 4 in the latest Intermat Tournament Power Index, used a torrid morning session to win the 2015 Defense Soap and Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad used a balanced attack of placers at nine of ten weights to win its fifth straight Southern Scuffle title. Penn State won the team race with 165.0 points while Missouri was second with 150.0. The Lions went 29-15 in the morning session to bolt out to an insurmountable lead over the Tigers. Oklahoma State placed third with 135.5, Nebraska fourth with 116.0 and Michigan fifth with 88.5. After a 38-7 first day, Penn State went 33-22 on day two of the event, posting a final 71-29 overall mark. The Lions tallied 33 bonus point victories over the tournament's two day run (12 majors, three technical falls, 14 pins, four forfeits). Penn State had place-winners at nine of the ten weights (all except 165) and picked up team points at all ten weights. The Nittany Lions finished with 12 place winners.
BROWN AND NOLF SCUFFLE RUNNERS-UP TO PACE 12 PENN STATE PLACERS AT EVENT
Senior Matt Brown dropped a hard-fought 3-2 dec. to #1 Robert Kokesh of Nebraska in the finals at 174 of the 2015 Southern Scuffle to earn runner-up laurels and lead Penn State to its fifth straight Scuffle crown. Brown went 5-1 overall with a pin a tech and a major. Brown was joined as a runner-up by true freshman (wrestling unattached as he is red-shirting this year) Jason Nolf at 157. Nolf went 4-1 including wins over #4 Brian Realbuto and #12 Russell Parsons before dropping a 7-4 dec. to #2 James Green of Nebraska in the finals. Morgan McIntosh went 5-1 to place third at 197, his only loss a 2-1 decision to defending NCAA champ J'Den Cox in the semifinals. Jon Gingrich went 7-1 to place third at 285, including a major over #16 Tanner Harms of Wyoming. Jimmy Gulibon went 4-2 to place fourth at 133 and Zack Beitz was 4-2 to finish fourth at 149. Dylan Alton as 5-2 to place fourth at 157 and Matt McCutcheon was 5-2 to finish fourth at 184. Luke Frey was 6-2 to finish fifth at 149, Kade Moss was 7-3 to finish sixth at 141 and Nick Nevills was 3-1 to finish sixth at 285. Jordan Conaway rounded out Penn State's placers with a seventh place nod at 125 with a 5-2 mark.
BROWN PICKS UP 100TH CAREER WIN AT SCUFFLE
Senior Matt Brown posted an 11-6 win over Oklahoma State's Jordan Rogers on Jan. 2, 2015, for the 100th win of his Penn State career. Brown's quarterfinal victory was part of a 5-1, runner-up performance for the two-time All-American.
Dylan Alton AND Kade Moss SHINE IN CHATTANOOGA
Senior Dylan Alton and freshman Kade Moss put forth outstanding performances as part of Penn State's fifth-straight title run at the 2015 Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga. Alton made his season debut at the event and posted a 5-2 mark at 157. The fifth seed, Alton placed fourth, including a pin over #4 Brian Realbuto of Cornell and another fall over #19 Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State. He also notched a 5-4 win over #12 Russell Parsons of Army. Moss, unseeded at 141, went 7-3 to place sixth and led Penn State with 11.0 bonus points. The Utah-native had three pins, a major and two forfeit victories. His pins came at 1:43, 1:50 and 4:18.
CONAWAY AND LAWSON LEAD NITTANY LIONS OVER #9 VIRGINIA TECH
Penn State claimed a hard-fought 20-15 win over No. 9 Virginia Tech in jam packed Rec Hall on Friday, 12/19, led by Jordan Conaway and Jimmy Lawson. Junior Conaway opened up the dual with a 7-5 win over No. 5 Joey Dance to give Penn State a leg up. Senior Lawson then downed No. 6 Ty Walz at 285, posting a 5-3 sudden victory win, to send over 6,300 fans to their feet and clinch the dual for Penn State. In all, Penn State won six of ten bouts and owned a slim 16-14 takedown edge in the hotly contested dual meet. Jimmy Gulibon downed No. 19 Kevin Norstrem at 133, Cody Law got a decision at 157, Garett Hammond tech falled NCAA qualifier Chris Moon at 165 and Morgan McIntosh got a decision at 197 to round out the Lion victories.
LAWSON EARNS BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Jimmy Lawson has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Nov. 21, 2014. The honor is the second weekly award for Penn State this year. Lawson won the award with his dual clinching win over No. 6 Ty Walz at heavyweight in Penn State's 20-15 victory over Virginia Tech on Dec. 19. Over 6,300 fans were brought to their feet as the Lion senior posted a 5-3 (sv) win over Walz to secure the victory. Lawson joins Jimmy Gulibon, who was honored on Nov. 11.
GULIBON DOWNS ALEXANDER TO LEAD PENN STATE OVER MARYLAND
Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon reeled off nine unanswered points, including two near falls, on his way to a 9-2 victory over No. 11 Geoffrey Alexander at Maryland on 12/11. The win helped lead Penn State to a 38-3 victory over the Terrapins in the XFINITY Center in the Big Ten opener for Penn State. Matt Brown (1:12) and Morgan McIntosh (0:51) each notched first period pins while Jordan Conaway, Zack Beitz, Garrett Hammond, Matt McCutcheon and Jimmy Lawson tallied majors. Cody Law rounded out Penn State's nine wins in the dual meet.
LIONS CLAIM FIVE TITLES AT NITTANY LION OPEN
Junior Jordan Conaway picked up Penn State's first title of the day. Conaway went 3-0 with two technical falls and a major to advance to the finals, where he handled Dalton Macro, a non-collegiate grappler. While the finals victory doesn't count in his record, the win gave Conaway the 2014 Nittany Lion open title at 125. Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon won the 133-pound title with a 3-1 win over Rutgers' Anthony Giraldo in the finals. Gulibon went 3-0 to win the crown. Two Nittany Lions met in the finals at 157. True freshman Jason Nolf took on red-shirt freshman Cody Law, with Nolf posting the 21-8 major decision to take the 2014 NLO crown at 157. Nolf went 5-0 with three pins, a tech fall and a major to win the crown while Law was strong with a 3-1 mark, including a pin, to take second. Likewise, at 174, two Nittany Lions met in the finals with All-American Matt Brown taking on true freshman Bo Nickal. The duo put on quite a show with Brown posting a thrilling 10-7 win to win the crown. Brown posted a 3-0 mark to take first place while Nickal was 2-1 to finish second. Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon won his first Nittany Lion Open title. The Apollo native posted a 4-0 mark with a pin, a tech fall and a major to win the title. Junior Morgan McIntosh posted a perfect 4-0 mark and took second place at 197 (he did not compete in the finals). McIntosh had two pins and two majors. At 285, the finals bout between Nittany Lions Jimmy Lawson and true freshman Nick Nevills was not contested and the duo split second place. Lawson was 1-0 (with two more wins over non-collegiate grapplers) and Nevills was 2-0 with a pin (and another pin over a non-collegiate).
LAWSON RETURNS TO THE MAT, WINS MAT-TOWN TITLE
Senior Jimmy Lawson won the 285-pound title at the 2014 Mat Town Open at Lock Haven University today. In all, six Nittany Lion wrestlers competed at the event, both attached and unattached. Lawson returned to the mat for the first time this season. The heavyweight, who injured his knee on Jan. 19, 2014, in a Rec Hall dual against Northwestern then competed in the season finale last year, went 4-0 to win the crown, including two majors, one tech fall and a pin. He downed Lock Haven's Brad Emerick in the finals, posting an 18-3 technical fall.
MOSS, LAW, McCUTCHEON GET FIRST DUAL WINS AS PSU SHUTS OUT CLARION 44-0
Red-shirt freshmen Kade Moss, Cody Law and Matt McCutcheon each picked up their first dual meet wins as Penn Staters in the Nittany Lions' 44-0 shut-out win at Clarion on 11/22. Moss posted a 12-1 major over John Pezze, Law notched a 5-1 decision over Even Delong and McCutcheon majored Danny Sutherland 12-3. The shut-out win was Penn State's first sine a 34-0 victory at Rutgers on Feb. 24, 2013.
McINTOSH PINS #10 BONACCORSI IN PENN STATE'S WIN AT PITTSBURGH
Junior All-American Morgan McIntosh pinned #10 Nick Bonaccorsi at the 4:05 mark at 197 pounds to clinch Penn States 24-12 victory in the Petersen Events Center on 11/21. McIntosh's win was one of two Penn State victories over ranked grapplers as Zack Beitz dominated #13 Mike Racciato 11-5 at 149 pounds as well. The dual, in Pitt's basketball venue, was wrestled in front of over 7,100 fans.
HAMMOND, NOLF, NEVILLS WIN ESU OPEN TITLES
Three members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team claimed titles at the 2014 ESU Open, concluded late Sunday evening at East Stroudsburg University. Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond and true freshmen Nick Nevills and Jason Nolf all took first place at the event. Twelve Penn Staters competed in the Poconos, split between attached and unattached status. Hammond went a perfect 6-0 with two pins, a tech fall and a major to improve his record to 7-0 on the year and win the 165-pound crown. One of Hammond's pins came in just 0:43. Nevills and Nolf made their open tournament debuts at the event. Nevills went 5-0 at 285, with three pins (including one at the 1:00 mark), to roll through the big man bracket. Nolf was equally impressive, going 6-0 with two pins and two tech falls to win the 157-pound title. Two other Nittany Lions took third place at the event. Junior Michael Waters (Advance, N.C.) went 5-1 with a major and a tech fall to take third place at 141 while red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon was 5-1 with a pin and a tech fall to take third at 184. He downed #5 Ophir Bernstein of Brown in the third place match by a 12-5 score and his lone loss was a 4-2 decision to #4 Lorenzo Thomas of Penn in the semifinals. Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss posted a 3-0 mark at 141 before bowing out of the tourney and classmate Cody Law went 4-1 with a major at 157 before ending competition as well.
GULIBON DOWNS #2 BECKMAN; NAMED B1G WoW
Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Jimmy Gulibon has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Nov. 9, 2014. The honor is the first such weekly laurel for the Nittany Lion sophomore. Gulibon thrilled a sold out, standing room only Rec Hall crowd of 6,237 with a dominating 8-3 win at 133 over No. 2 Mason Beckman of Lehigh in Penn State's season opener on Sunday. He used a swift four-point move at the end of the first period (a takedown with two back points) and a late second period takedown to roll to victory. Gulibon's win helped spur Penn State on to a 24-10 victory over the Mountain Hawks. Gulibon is coming off an 18-15 freshman campaign in which he qualified for the NCAA Championships and helped Penn State win its fourth straight national title.
BROWN PINS PEPPLEMAN TO LEAD LIONS OVER #17 LEHIGH
Senior Matt Brown pinned Lehigh's Marshall Peppleman at the 4:01 mark at 174 to lead Penn State to a 24-10 season-opening win in front of a sold out Rec Hall crowd on 11/9. Brown's fall was the 23rd of his career, tying him for 19th all-time on Penn State's all-time falls list.
FOUR RS-FRESHMEN MAKE COLLEGIATE DEBUTS AGAINST LEHIGH
Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond downed Lehigh's Santiago Martinez 8-3 at 165 in his first collegiate dual meet. Hammond's win helped spark Penn State to a 24-10 victory on 11/9. Hammond was one of four Penn State red-shirt freshmen making their collegiate debuts: Kade Moss at 141, Cody Law at 157 and Matt McCutcheon at 184.
NICKAL CLAIMS 174-POUND CROWN AT BINGHAMTON OPEN
Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal went a perfect 5-0 at the Binghamton Open on Sunday, claiming his second straight open tournament title. Nickal led a contingent of six Nittany Lions competing, all unattached, at the event. Nickal's 5-0 mark at 174 included one technical fall and one pin. Nickal, who is red-shirting and wrestling unattached, is 9-0 on the year with two tourney titles to his credit.
THE 2015 BJC DUAL VS. IOWA IS SOLD OUT!
The 2015 BJC Dual, pitting the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday, Feb. 8, is sold out. This marks the second straight year that the Penn State wrestlers have sold out the near-16,000 seat venue. This time the event sold out three months in advance. Tickets for the event began selling quickly when Penn State's 5,000-plus season ticket holders were given first opportunity to purchase additional seats. The general public was able to begin buying tickets in groups of 20 or more on Nov. 4 and that allotment was gone on its first day of sale. Nittany Lion Club members were then given an opportunity to purchase a limited number of remaining tickets today and those seats sold out in less than an hour. Penn State students will be admitted on a first come, first serve basis on the day of the event to the reserved student sections. Due to the overwhelming response to the dual, and with the event now at capacity, there will be no further sales for the meet. The dual meet, which begins at 1 p.m., will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
NICKAL CLAIMS 174-POUND TITLE AT CLARION OPEN
Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Bo Nickal posted a perfect 4-0 mark in his debut event at the collegiate level to win the 174-pound title at the Clarion Open late Sunday. Nickal led a contingent of five Nittany Lion true freshmen, all wrestling unattached at the event. Nickal posted four wins at 184, including an 11-2 major in the semifinals. He downed Edinboro's Nick Mitchell in the championship bout by a 3-2 score.
REC HALL SRO'S ON SALE
A limited number of Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets for some of Penn State's remaining Rec Hall duals are on sale. Fans may purchase the single-match SRO tickets only by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Certain duals have already had the SROs sell-out. Only about 300 SROs will be made available for each dual meet. Penn State students are admitted for free on a first-come, first-serve, basis.
LIONS RANKED #10 ON INTERMAT'S TPI
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team is ranked No. 10 on the latest Intermat Tournament Power Index (TPI). Eight Nittany Lions are ranked nationally at their respective weights as well: Jordan Conaway is No. 8 at 125; Jimmy Gulibon is No. 9 at 133; Zack Beitz is No. 18 at 149; Dylan Alton is No. 9 at 157; Matt Brown is No. 4 at 174; Matt McCutcheon is No. 16 at 184; Morgan McIntosh is No. 6 at 197 and Jimmy Lawson is No. 6 at 285.