Feb. 11, 2015
| PENN STATE VS. VIRGINIA TECH | |
| Sunday, February 15 - 3 p.m. ET | |
| Gallagher-Iba Arena | Stillwater, Okla. | | College Sports Live Web ($ via OSU) | |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers (10-3), ranked No. 5 nationally by Intermat, will head west to take on No. 8 Oklahoma State (9-2*) on Sunday, Feb. 15. Action begins in Stillwater at 3 p.m. Eastern/2 p.m. Central. Oklahoma State hosts Clarion on Friday, Feb. 13, post-press.
The dual meet, which shapes up to be a heated battle on the Cowboys' home mat, could feature 17 ranked wrestlers in a battle of top-ranked squads. Head coach Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lions will enter the dual with a 10-3 mark after a close loss to No. 1 Iowa on Sunday in the 2015 BJC Dual (wrestled in front of nearly 16,000 fans in the sold out Bryce Jordan Center on Feb. 8).
Penn State's line-up start with junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), who is ranked No. 8 at 125 with a 19-4 mark. Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.) is ranked No. 5 at 133 with an 18-4 mark and is one of three Lions ranked in the top five by Intermat. Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) is 17-12 at 141 and sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.) is ranked No. 18 at 149 with a 13-7 mark. Senior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is ranked No. 8 at 157 with an 8-3 record and could return to action this weekend. Red-shirt freshman Cody Law (Windber, Pa.) and junior Luke Frey (Montoursville, Pa.) have both seen action at 157 as well.
Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) is 20-8 at 165 and ranked No. 18 nationally. Senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) is ranked No. 2 at 174 with a 20-2 overall record and red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.) is ranked No. 19 at 184 with a 20-10 mark. Junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) is 21-2 at 197 and ranked No. 4 while senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.) is 11-1 and No. 6 at 285. Senior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) is 13-2 at 285 as well.
The Cowboys are 9-2 overall and hosts Clarion on Friday, Feb. 13, post-press. Oklahoma State is being led by junior Alex Dieringer, ranked No. 1 at 165 with a 22-0 record. Senior Josh Kindig is 12-1 and No. 4 at 149 and junior Austin Marsden is 20-1 and No. 5 at 285. Junior Eddie Klimara checks in with a No. 9 ranking at 125 and is 15-4 overall as well. Kyle Crutchmer (No. 11 at 174), Dean Heil (No. 15 at 141), Anthony Collica (No. 18 at 157) and Nolan Boyd (No. 18 at 184) are ranked as well for Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 12-6-1. Penn State won the last meeting, a 23-12 victory in Rec Hall on Feb. 16, 2014. Oklahoma State downed Penn State in the 2010 Virginia Duals, 24-13. Penn State won the last meeting in Stillwater, 21-18, on Dec. 9, 2007.
The Nittany Lions will return to Happy Valley for Penn State's home finale against Rider on Feb. 22 in Rec Hall. Action begins at 2 p.m. A limited number of standing room only tickets remain for that dual as of Feb. 11. 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.
#5 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (10-3, 6-3 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #8 Jordan Conaway Jr. Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford / 19-4
133 #5 Jimmy Gulibon So. Latrobe, Pa./Derry Area / 18-4
141 Kade Moss Fr. South Jordan, Utah/Bingham / 17-12
Michael Waters Jr. Advance, N.C./Davie / 10-7
149 #18 Zack Beitz So. Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata / 13-7
Luke Frey Jr. Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville / 11-5
157 #8 Dylan Alton Sr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain / 8-3
Cody Law Fr. Windber, Pa./Forest Hills / 13-7
165 #18 Garett Hammond Fr. Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg / 20-8
174 #2 Matt Brown Sr. West Valley City, Utah/Cyprus / 20-2
184 #19 Matt McCutcheon Fr. Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area / 20-10
197 #4 Morgan McIntosh Jr. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel / 21-2
285 #6 Jimmy Lawson Sr. Toms River, N.J./Manchester Township / 11-1
OR Jon Gingrich Sr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area / 13-2
#8 OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (*9-2)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #9 Eddie Klimara Jr. Joliet, Ill./Providence Catholic / 15-4
133 Gary Wayne Harding Fr. Collinsville, Okla./Collinsville / 24-8
141 #15 Dean Heil Fr. Brunswick, Ohio/St. Edward / 18-6
149 #4 Josh Kindig Sr. Auburn, Pa./Blue Mountain / 12-1
157 #18 Anthony Collica So. Solon, Ohio/Solon / 17-9
165 #1 Alex Dieringer Jr. Port Washington, Wis./Port Washington / 22-0
174 #11 Kyle Crutchmer So. Tulsa, Okla./Union / 13-5
184 #18 Nolan Boyd So. Edmond, Okla./Deer Creek / 19-7
197 Luke Bean So. Wichita, Kan./Mt. Carmel Catholic / 7-11
285 #5 Austin Marsden Jr. Crystal Lake, Ill./Central / 20-1
* Oklahoma State hosts Clarion on Friday, Feb. 13, post-press
Team ranking is Intermat Tournament Power Index (TPI) as of 2/10/15
Individual rankings are Intermat as of 2/10/15
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 125-23-2 dual meet mark in this, his ninth year as a head coach. He is 81-13-2 at Penn State.
2015 BJC DUAL ANOTHER SELL-OUT, EPIC BATTLE WITH IOWA IN FRONT OF HISTORIC ATTENDANCE NUMBERS
The 2015 version of the BJC Dual was another one for the record books. On Feb. 8, 2015, No. 5 Penn State took on No. 1 Iowa in what turned out to be an epic Big Ten dual meet. With Iowa claiming the slim dual victory and each bout going hotly contested, 15,967 frenetic collegiate wrestling fans packed the Bryce Jordan Center for the event. The sell-out was the 25th straight home sell-out for Penn State including two duals in the BJC. The total is the second highest in NCAA history, just 29 shy of the national record of 15,996, set last year in this same building when Penn State defeated Pittsburgh on Dec. 8, 2013. The attendance this year's battle vs. Iowa and last year's Pitt dual are the two largest crowds ever for an athletic event ever in the BJC and are the two largest crowds at any athletic event in Penn State history not held in Beaver Stadium.
HAMMOND DOWNS #7 MOORE FOR BIG WIN VS. IOWA
Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond picked up his 20th win of the season at 165 in a big way, using a last second lift-to-takedown for a 4-2 decision over #7 Nick Moore of Iowa on Feb. 8. The win, Hammond's first over a ranked wrestler this year, took place in the 2015 BJC Dual in front of nearly 16,000 fans in the sold out Bryce Jordan Center.
GULIBON, BROWN, McINTOSH THRILL 16K WITH BIG WINS OVER HAWKEYE FOE IN 2015 BJC DUAL
A trio of Nittany Lion veterans picked up big wins over ranked foes and thrilled nearly 16,000 fans in the 2015 BJC Dual vs. Iowa on Feb. 8. Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon used a late four-point move (takedown and two back points) to down No. 3 Cory Clark 8-5 at 133, senior Matt Brown used an escape and a full third period ride of No. 2 Mike Evans to roll to a 2-0 win at 174 and junior Morgan McIntosh dominated No. 6 Nathan Burak 7-1 at 197 in front of 15,967 fans in the sold out Bryce Jordan Center.
LIGHTER WEIGHTS LEAD LIONS TO WIN AT #15 MICHIGAN BEITZ NAMED B1G WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Penn State won four of the first five bouts in its dual at #15 Michigan on 1/30 and six of ten overall to claim a 19-15 victory over the Wolverines. The dual was wrestled in front of a sold out Cliff Keen Arena crowd. Penn State got wins over ranked wrestlers from Jimmy Gulibon at 133, Kade Moss at 141 and Zack Beitz at 149 to open up an early lead and roll to victory. Gulibon downed #8 Rossi Bruno 9-3 at 133, Moss picked up his first win over a ranked wrestler with a 6-3 decision over #17 George Fisher at 141 and Beitz notched a 6-4 victory over #9 Alex Pantaleo at 149. Beitz was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for his efforts against Michigan and MSU, his first such honor.
BROWN'S 30TH PIN DRIVES PENN STATE TO SHUT-OUT VICTORY AT MICHIGAN STATE
Senior Matt Brown posted his 30th career pin with a second period fall (4:54) over NIck Proctor at 174 to lead Penn State to a 35-0 shut-out victory at Michigan State on 2/1. The shut-out was the second of the year for Penn State as well. Penn State also got major decision victories from Zack Beitz at 149 and Cody Law at 157. Law tallied ten takedowns in his 22-11 win over Josh Pennell.
BROWN DOWNS #3 STORLEY, McINTOSH DOWNS #1 SCHILLER IN MINNESOTA DUAL
Senior Matt Brown posted a strong 4-1 win over #3 Logan Storley and Morgan McIntosh beat #1 Scott Schiller 7-4 in Penn State's 17-16 loss to the Golden Gophers on 1/25. Each team won five bouts but Minnesota had two major decisions to Penn State's one to claim the hard-fought dual victory, wrestled in front of 6,540 fans in sold out Rec Hall. Jordan Conaway posted a major at 125, Zack Beitz got a victory at 149 and Jimmy Lawson downed #13 Michael Kroells 3-1 at 285.
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 SEASON WITH 2 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.
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.
LIONS RANKED #5 ON INTERMAT'S TPI
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team is ranked No. 5 on the latest Intermat Tournament Power Index (TPI). Nine Nittany Lions are ranked nationally at their respective weights as well: Jordan Conaway is No. 8 at 125; Jimmy Gulibon is No. 5 at 133; Zack Beitz is No. 18 at 149; Dylan Alton is No. 8 at 157; Garett Hammond is No. 18 at 165; Matt Brown is No. 2 at 174; Matt McCutcheon is No. 19 at 184; Morgan McIntosh is No. 4 at 197 and Jimmy Lawson is No. 6 at 285.