Jan. 25, 2015
VIDEO: Highlights & Post-Match Interviews
| 16 | 17 |
| Rec Hall | University Park, Pa. | 6,540 | |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 10th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson, dropped a hard-fought 17-16 decision to No. 2 Minnesota in a marquee Big Ten wrestling dual Sunday in Rec Hall. The dual was wrestled in front of a season-high Penn State crowd of 6,540, the 24th straight home sell out for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State's line-up featuring four freshmen and two sophomores tangled with a veteran Gopher contingent that included five seniors. The dual meet began at 133 with one of the most anticipated bouts of the day. No. 9 Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.) of Penn State took on No. 1 Chris Dardanes. A frenetic and thrilling bout ended with Dardanes fighting off a late Gulibon escape and reversal attempt to hold on for a 3-2 victory. Dardanes sealed the win with a takedown at the :08 mark. Red-shirt freshman Kade Law (South Jordan, Utah) battled No. 4 Nick Dardanes tough but lost 14-6, with a late stall call giving Dardanes the major and putting Minnesota up 7-0 early.
Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), ranked No. 18 at 149, scored nine unanswered points in the third period to roll to a 9-4 win over Jake Short, cutting the Minnesota lead to 7-3 and sending the capacity crowd to its feet . With No. 9 Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) held out, red-shirt freshman Cody Law (Windber, Pa.) took on No. 1 Dylan Ness at 157. Ness used a riding time point to post a 9-1 major and put Minnesota up 9-1. Lion freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) dropped an 8-4 decision to No. 17 Nick Wanzek at 165 and Minnesota led 14-3 at the break.
Another marquee match-up of top-ranked wrestlers took place at 174 where No. 4 Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) took on No. 3 Logan Storley of Minnesota. Brown dominated the bout's later half, notching a takedown and building up 2:15 in riding time to roll to a 4-1 win, cutting Minnesota's lead to 14-6. Minnesota's Brett Pfarr, ranked No. 11 at 184, stunted Penn State's momentum with an 11-5 win over Lion red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 16.
Another bout featuring two All-Americans facing each other took place at 197 where No. 6 Morgan McIntosh took on No. 1 Scott Schiller. McIntosh dominated the bout from start to finish, tallying three takedowns while not giving any up to roll to a 7-4 win. Penn State senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), ranked No. 6 at 285, got Penn State into striking distance with a strong 3-1 win over No. 13 Michael Kroells, cutting Minnesota's lead to 17-12. In the dual meets final bout, No. 8 Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) put forth a furious effort, trying to grab the dual victory by pinning Minnesota's Ethan Lizak at 125. Conaway collected five takedowns and two near fall points, nearly getting pins twice. But Lizak was able to stave off the pin and Conaway posted the 13-3 major. Minnesota escaped with a 17-16 dual meet win.
Minnesota posted a slim 16-14 edge in takedowns as well. The dual is the second straight that Minnesota won by one point. The Nittany Lions are now 8-2, 4-2 in the Big Ten while Minnesota is 10-0, 6-0 Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions hit the road for two duals once again on Super Bowl weekend. Penn State is at Michigan on Friday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. and then visits Michigan State on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. Penn State will next return to Happy Valley for the 2015 version of the BJC Dual. The Nittany Lions will host Iowa in a Big Ten battle in the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 1 p.m. The dual meet 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 16, #2 Minnesota 17
January 25, 2015 - Rec Hall - University Park, Pa.
133: #1 Chris Dardanes MIN dec. #9 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, 3-2 / 0-3
141: #4 Nick Dardanes MIN maj. dec. Kade Moss PSU, 14-6 / 0-7
149: #18 Zack Beitz PSU dec. Jake Short MIN, 9-4 / 3-7
157: #1 Dylan Ness MIN dec. Cody Law PSU, 9-1 / 3-11
165: #17 Nick Wanzek MIN dec. Garett Hammond PSU, 8-4 / 3-14
174: #4 Matt Brown PSU dec. #3 Logan Storley MIN, 4-1 / 6-14
184: #11 Brett Pfarr MIN dec. #16 Matt McCutcheon PSU, 11-5 / 6-17
197: #6 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. #1 Scott Schiller MIN, 7-4 / 9-17
285: #6 Jimmy Lawson PSU dec. #13 Michael Kroells MIN, 3-1 / 12-17
125: #8 Jordan Conaway PSU maj. dec. Ethan Lizak MIN, 13-3 / 16-17
Attendance: 6,540 (24th straight sell-out)
Records: Penn State 8-2, 4-2 B1G; Minnesota 10-0, 6-0 B1G
Up Next for Penn State: at Michigan, Friday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
133: Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 9 at 133, took on unbeaten and undefeated Chris Dardanes, who was ranked No. 1. Gulibon turned a quick Dardanes shot into a single leg and nearly scored a counter takedown at the 2:00 mark. But a potentially dangerous hold stopped the action and the bout remained scoreless. Gulibon continued to set the tempo throughout the opening period, forcing Dardanes to step back from his offense for the rest of the period. Dardanes chose down to start the second period and Gulibon controlled the action for :38 before Dardanes escaped to a 1-0 lead. The Lion sophomore looked to connect on a high single but Dardanes was once again able to step back and force a reset with :34 left on the clock. Trailing 1-0, Gulibon chose down to start the third period. A quick escape tied the bout at 1-1 and action resumed in the center circle at the 1:48 mark. Dardanes tried to establish control of Gulibon's head and shoulders for the next minute-plus. Gulibon connected on a high single with :20 left and Dardanes countered the shot and scored the decisive takedown with just :08 left. Gulibon escaped quickly and worked for a winning reversal but Dardanes defended and time ran out, giving the Gopher the 3-2 victory.
141: Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah), took to the mat at 141 against No. 4 Nick Dardanes. Moss worked his way into a high single right off the clock and forced an early scramble. The Lion freshman nearly picked up the takedown as nearly 6,500 Rec Hall fans roared but Dardanes was able to eventually roll out of trouble and keep the bout scoreless. Dardanes then scored off a high single to take a 2-1 lead with 1:00 left in the period. Dardanes added a second takedown with :28 left and rode Moss out to lead 4-1 after one. Moss chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 deficit. Moss took another shot at Dardanes' left thigh but the Gopher countered for a takedown and a 6-2 lead with :55 on the clock. Moss escaped to a 6-3 score with :18 left but Dardanes added a fourth takedown to lead 8-3 after two. Dardanes chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 9-3 lead. Moss then caught the Gopher in a headlock, nearly turning him to his back. Dardanes fought off the back points but Moss picked up the takedown to cut the lead to 10-5 after a quick Gopher escape. Dardanes took Moss down at the :40 mark and led 12-6 after a quick Moss escape. Moss was hit for a very quick stall and the extra point would turn into a major decision as 1:28 in riding time gave Dardanes the 14-8 win.
149: Lion sophomore Zack Beitz, ranked No. 18 at 149, took on Gopher Jake Short. Beitz had the bout's first opening at the 1:00 mark, trying to connect on a low single. But Short fought the move off and the bout continued scoreless. Short countered another Beitz shot and connected on a counter takedown with :22 left. A short ride out gave the Gopher a 2-0 lead after one. Short chose down to start the second period and Beitz controlled the action from the top for well over a minute, building up over 1:00 in riding time. Short nearly escaped with :32 on the clock but action moved out of bounds forcing a reset with Beitz still on top. Short escaped to a 3-0 lead at the :20 mark. Trailing 3-0, Beitz chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-1 deficit, all while maintaining a 1:06 riding time edge. The Lion pressured the Gopher backwards, forcing him into defense but not picking up a stall call. Short was hit with his first stall at the 1;12 mark and Beitz continued to press the action. The Lion then got in deep on a single leg and grabbed Short's right ankle to tie the bout at 3-3 with a takedown at the :45 mark. Short escaped to a 4-3 lead with Beitz having a clinched riding time point. Beitz forced a stalemate with :17 left and then used a low single to takedown to take a 5-4 lead. He then turned Short to his back for three late near fall points and, with 1:28 in riding time, posted the thrilling 9-4 win.
157: With senior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) out, red-shirt freshman Cody Law (Windber, Pa.) took to the mat at 157 to take on No. 1 and undefeated Dylan Ness. Ness picked up an early takedown to open up a 2-0 lead with 1:55 on the clock. The Gopher then built up over 1:00 in riding time with strong control from the offensive position. Ness rode Law out and led 2-0 with 1:55 riding time after one. Ness chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 3-0 lead. Law looked to connect on a high single but Ness countered for a slick takedown on the edge of the mat and then added two back points with a late cradle. Down 7-0 after two, Law chose down to start the third period and was hit for a stall warning. He gave up a point on a second stall and trailed 8-1 after a quick escape. Ness had a clinched riding time point as well. The riding time point gave Ness the 9-1 major decision.
165: Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) met No. 17 Nick Wanzek in a key battle at 165. Hammond nearly connected on a quick takedown and then a headlock as Wanzek worked his way out of trouble. The Gopher was able to keep the bout scoreless as he moved out of bounds with 2:20 on the clock. The duo then battled evenly for the next minute plus before Wanzek connected on a quick double leg to take a 2-0 lead with 1:06 left. Hammond escaped quickly to a 2-1 deficit but Wanzek answered with another takedown off the reset. Hammond escaped to a 4-2 score with :15 left in the period. Leading by two, Wanzek chose down to start the second period. Hammond was able to control the action from the offensive position for nearly a minute and then got too high on a turning combo. Wanzek slid out of control and picked up the reversal to lead 6-3 after a quick Hammond escape. The Lion worked his way into a high single but Wanzek forced a stalemate with :32 left in the middle stanza. Trailing 6-3, Hammond chose down to start the third period escaped to a 6-4 scored with 1:40 left to wrestle. Hammond worked his way into control of another single but Wanzek was able to move out of bounds to keep the two point lead. Wanzek iced the bout with another takedown with :25 left and went on to post the 8-4 win.
174: One of many marquee match-ups took place at 174 where No. 4 Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) took on No. 3 Logan Storley. Brown was the aggressor early, forcing Storley back off the opening whistle. The Lion senior then fought off a quick Storley low double to keep the bout scoreless with a reset at the 2:12 mark. Brown stepped back from a series of slight Storley shots and the opening period moved into its final minute tied 0-0. Tied 0-0, Brown chose down to start the second stanza. He escaped to a 1-0 lead after just ten seconds and then worked his way into a single leg that forced a scramble that ended with a Brown takedown at the 1:04 mark. Brown's strong ride allowed the Lion senior to build up 1:04 in riding time with a ride out. Trailing 3-0, Storley chose down to start the third period but Brown was once again able to control the action from the top. Brown maintained control long enough to clinch the riding time point before Storley escaped to a 3-1 score. Brown's 2:15 in riding time gave the Lion a convincing 4-1 win.
184: Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 184, met No. 11 Brett Pfarr in another critical meeting. McCutcheon almost scored off an early counter takedown over a minute into the bout but Pfarr was able to roll out of trouble and the bout continued scoreless. McCutcheon continued to press the action and turned a solid high shot into a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 1:14 mark. Pfarr escaped quickly and action resumed in the middle of the mat. Pfarr took a 3-2 lead with :40 on the clock with his first takedown. Pfarr then rode McCutcheon out to lead by one after one. The Gopher chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Pfarr added a third takedown with 1:05 left to up his lead to 6-2 at the 1:00 mark. McCutcheon chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 6-3 score. Pfarr tacked on another quick takedown and cut to up his lead to 8-4 at the 1:40 mark. The Gopher added another quick takedown and cut to lead 10-5. Pfarr picked up one more point with 1:56 in riding time to post the 11-5 decision.
197: An anticipated battle took place at 197 where No. 6 Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) met No. 1 Scott Schiller. McIntosh drew first blood with a strong low shot and a takedown to lead 2-1 at the 2:02 mark. The duo then settled in to hand-fighting in the middle of the mat when Schiller looked to connect on a high single. McIntosh quickly forced a stalemate and maintained his one point lead with 1:04 on the clock. The Lion junior then gained control of Schiller's left ankle and forced a mid-mat scramble. McIntosh appeared to have the takedown on the scramble but the official did not award the points. Penn State's bench called for an official review and the takedown was awarded, giving the Lion a 4-2 lead after a quick Schiller escape. Leading 4-2, McIntosh chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead. Schiller nearly connected on quick shoulder control but McIntosh slid out of trouble to stay neutral. The Lion picked up a third takedown with a swift ankle pick to lead 6-3 at the :45 mark. The Lion junior continued to press the action, nearly connecting on yet another low single. Schiller forced a stalemate and a reset with :30 left with McIntosh leading 7-3. Schiller chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 7-4 score. McIntosh took a high single that Schiller tried to counter but McIntosh was able to stay neutral with a stalemate at the 1:10 mark. Not content with his three point lead, McIntosh looked to add another takedown with a low single at the :40 mark, but Schiller forced a stalemate. McIntosh went on to post the convincing 7-4 decision.
285: Lion senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), ranked No. 6, faced off against No. 13 Michael Kroells at 285. The tandem of nationally ranked big men battled evenly for the opening period, with each man fighting off a shot midway through the stanza. Lawson gained control of Kroells on the edge of the mat and took a 2-0 lead with a last second takedown. Kroells chose down to start the second period and Lawson kept control of the action, building up :40 of riding time before the Gopher escaped to a 2-1 Lawson lead. Kroells nearly scored on a single leg but Lawson rolled out of trouble, somersaulting out of the flurry to hold his lead at the buzzer. Minnesota challenged the call of no takedown and the call was confirmed after review. Leading 2-1, Lawson chose down to start the third period. Kroells was strong up top, maintaining control of Lawson until the :30 mark where Lawson escaped to a 3-1 lead. Lawson stepped out of a final Kroells shot and posted the 3-1 decision.
125: In one of the few bouts featuring only one ranked wrestler, No. 8 Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) took on Ethan Lizak at 125. Conaway notched the first takedown to lead 2-0 at the 1:37 mark. Lizak escaped quickly and action resumed in the center circle with the Lion junior up 2-1. Conaway blew through another takedown and nearly sent the capacity crowd through the roof by turning and pinning the Gopher. Lizak stepped out of trouble and Conaway cut him loose to a 4-2 score. Conaway began to press the action, sending bonus points. He tacked on a third takedown with :20 left and led 6-2 after one. Conaway chose down to start the second period and Lizak worked the clock down below 1:00 with a strong ride up top. Lizak completed the ride out and Conaway led 6-2 but Lizak had 1:00 riding time, after two. Lizak chose top to start the final period and Conaway quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead with 1:40 left to wrestle. Conaway upped his lead to 9-2 with another takedown with 1:00 left and cut the Gopher loose to a 9-3 score. Conaway added a late takedown and nearly stole the dual with a pin. But Lizak rolled out of trouble, giving up only two near fall points. Conaway posted the 13-3 major decision.