Nov. 11, 2015
Match Notes -- Lock Haven/Virginia Tech | VIDEO: Media Day Interviews
TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers (0-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 1 in Intermat's pre-season Tournament Power Index (TPI), will begin the 2015-16 season with a two dual weekend. Penn State hosts Lock Haven (0-0, 0-0 EWL) in the 2015-16 season opener for the Nittany Lions. Action begins in Rec Hall at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13. Penn State then treks to Blacksburg, Va., to face #7 Virginia Tech (1-0, 0-0 ACC) on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 1 p.m.
Penn State will send one of the nation's most talented and deepest line-ups into action during the season's opening weekend. Senior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) is ranked No. 1 at 197 to lead Penn State's nine ranked grapplers (all of whom are listed in the top 14). Two All-Americans return after red-shirt seasons. Senior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) is ranked No. 2 at 125 and sophomore Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) is ranked No. 2 at 149.
Junior All-American Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.) is ranked No. 2 at 141 and senior All-American Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) is ranked No. 8 at 133. Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.) is ranked No. 14 at 184 and sophomore Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) is ranked No. 14 at 165. Red-shirt freshman Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) is also in the mix at 165 for Penn State. Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.) is ranked No. 6 at 157 and classmate Bo Nickal (Allen, Tex.) is ranked No. 14 at 174. True freshman Jan Johnson (Mohnton, Pa.) is unranked at 285 after joining the team in late October after ranked red-shirt freshman Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) was sidelined with an injury.
Lock Haven enters the weekend having a couple open tournaments under its belt. Senior Dan Neff leads the Bald Eagle charge and is ranked No. 12 at 141. Neff is 3-2 on the year. Sophomore Jake Field is 6-4 at 125, senior Bobby Rehm is 3-1 at 133 and classmate Phil Sprenkle is 3-1 at 197. Freshman Tristan Sponseller sports a 4-0 record at 184 as well. The Bald Eagles are coached by former Penn State All-American Scott Moore.
Virginia Tech opened its dual season last weekend with a 32-3 win over #13 Iowa State. The Hokies feature a strong and deep line-up that showcases seven ranked wrestlers. Joe Dance is ranked No. 6 at 125, Keivn Norstrem is No. 18 at 133, Sal Mastriani is No. 13 at 149, Nick Brascetta is No. 3 at 157, Zach Epperly is No. 3 at 174, Jared Haught is No. 17 at 197 and Ty Walz is No. 2 at 285.
Penn State leads the all-time series with Lock Haven 36-4-0. The Lions have won 12 straight in the series, including a 34-6 win in Rec Hall in the last meeting, Nov. 24, 2013. The Nittany Lions own a 6-0 lead in the all-time series with Virginia Tech, including last year's thrilling 20-15 victory in Rec Hall on Dec. 19, 2014. This year's trip to Blacksburg will be Penn State's first since Jan. 23, 1965, when the Lions grabbed a 25-5 victory.
Next weekend, Penn State will head to the west coast for two duals meets. The Nittany Lions visit CS-Bakersfield on Friday, Nov. 20, at 10 p.m. (Eastern) and Stanford on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 4 p.m. (Eastern). Penn State's next home dual meet will be the first of two BJC Duals as the Nittany Lions host Wisconsin on Sunday, Dec. 13, in the near-16,000 seat venue.
Limited SRO tickets are available for select Rec Hall dual meets and limited single dual tickets remain for Penn State's two BJC Duals. Fans can purcahse tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The 2015-16 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (0-0, 0-0 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #2 Nico Megaludis Sr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional / 0-0
133 #8 Jordan Conaway Sr. Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford / 0-0
141 #2 Jimmy Gulibon Jr. Latrobe, Pa./Derry / 0-0
149 #2 Zain Retherford So. Benton, Pa./Benton / 0-0
157 #6 Jason Nolf Fr. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning / 0-0
165 #14 Garett Hammond So. Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg / 0-0
OR Shakur Rasheed Fr. Coram, N.Y./Longwood / 0-0
174 #14 Bo Nickal Fr. Allen, Texas/Allen / 0-0
184 #14 Matt McCutcheon So. Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area / 0-0
197 #1 Morgan McIntosh Sr. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel / 0-0
285 Jan Johnson Fr. Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin / 0-0
LOCK HAVEN BALD EAGLES (0-0, 0-0 EWL)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Jake Field So. South Elgin, Ill/Marmion Academy / 6-4
133 Bobby Rehm Sr. Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor / 3-1
141 #12 Dan Neff Sr. Quarryville, Pa./Solanco / 3-2
149 Cody Wheeler Sr. Towanda, Pa./Towanda / 0-0
157 Aaron McKinney Sr. McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny / 4-3
165 Dillon Gavlock Jr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 1-2
174 Tyler Wood Jr. West Chester, Pa./Rustin 3-2
184 Tristan Sponseller Fr. East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs 4-0
197 Phil Sprenkle Sr. Seven Valleys, Pa./Dallastown 3-1
285 Brad Emerick Jr. Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Coughlin 2-2
#7 VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #6 Joey Dance Jr. Christianburg, Va./Christianburg
133 #18 Kevin Norstrem So. Brandon, Fla./Brandon
141 Solomon Chishko So. Jeanete, Pa./Canon-McMillan
149 #13 Sal Mastriani Jr. Towaco, N.J./Don Bosco Prep
157 #3 Nick Brascetta Sr. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris-Graham
165 Dave McFadden Fr. West Milford, N.J./DePaul
174 #3 Zach Epperly So. Christianburg, Va./Christianburg
184 Zack Zavatsky So. Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe
197 #17 Jared Haught So. Parkersburg, W. Va./Parkersburg
285 #2 Ty Walz Jr. Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edward
Team ranking is Intermat Tournament Power Index (TPI) as of 11/10/15
All Individual Rankings are Intermat as of 11/10/15
HEAD COACH Cael Sanderson
Cael Sanderson completed sixth season as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team. The veteran head coach already has four NCAA and four Big Ten titles in hand. He has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year four 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 2014-15, Sanderson led Penn State to an 11-4 dual meet record, a fifth straight Southern Scuffle title and garnered five All-Americans and another National Champion at the NCAA Championships. Sanderson has now coached 80 NCAA qualifiers, 46 All-Americans and 11 NCAA Champions.
In only six seasons as Penn State's coach, Sanderson has led the Nittany Lions to five straight Southern Scuffle titles, two B1G dual meet titles (co-), four Big Ten Championships, four NCAA Championships, collected 31 All-Americans, eight National Champions, three Gorriaran winners, two NCAA tourney Outstanding Wrestlers, one CoSIDA Academic All-American of he Year, one NCAA Top 10 Award winner and two Hodge Trophy winners. Sanderson, who has coached 46 total All-Americans and 11 total National Champions (including his three years at Iowa State) now sports a 126-24-2 dual meet mark. He is 82-14-2 at Penn State.
MORELLI RUNNER-UP TO LEAD STRONG LION SHOWING AT 2015 BEARCAT OPEN
Nine members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team opened up the open tournament season at the 2015 Bearcat Open in Binghamton, N.Y., which wrapped up late Sunday night. Five Nittany Lions wrestled attached while four more wrestled unattached. Junior Geno Morelli led Penn State with a 5-1 run at 165, advancing all the way to the finals before dropping a match. Morelli notched a tech fall and a major during his run. True freshman Kellan Stout posted a 5-1 mark at 184 to place sixth, including two majors. Red-shirt freshman Kenny Yanovich was a strong fourth at 125 after going 4-1 with a major. Senior Caleb Livingston went 2-2 at 165 with a pin while red-shirt freshman Devon Van Cura went 1-2 with a pin at 184. True freshman Dom Giannangeli went 2-2 at 141 while classmate Francisco Bisono went 1-2 at 165. True freshman Scott Stossel went 1-2 at 125 and sophomore George Carpenter also competed at 125 for Penn State.
Nick Nevills OUT
Red-shirt freshman Nick Nevills will be out to start the season with an injury. No time table has been set for his return.
PENN STATE RIDING 26-MATCH HOME SELL-OUT STREAK
Penn State will open up the 2015-16 season riding a streak of 26 straight home sell-outs (including multiple duals in the near-16K Bryce Jordan Center). Penn State sold out this year's Rec Hall duals in advance of the season once again, leaving only limited Standing Room Only tickets available for the five Rec Hall duals.
BJC DUAL TIX STILL AVAILABLE, GROUP RATES SET!
Penn State athletics has set the group prices for the 2015-16 BJC Duals. With ticket demand at an all-time high, Penn State wrestling will compete twice in the near-16,000 seat Bryce Jordan Center this season and group tickets are now available. Fans can now purchase 20 tickets or more for just $8 per ticket for the two events by calling 1-800-NITTANY. The public sale of single dual tickets under the group level (20 or more) are also available at $16 for adults and $8 for youth (12-and-under).
The Nittany Lions host Wisconsin on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 1 p.m. in the first of two BJC Duals this year. Penn State will then welcome Ohio State to the BJC on Friday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m. in a BTN nationally televised match-up. Penn State heads into the 2015-16 season riding a streak of 26-straight home sell-outs (including duals held in the near-16,000 seat BJC over the prior two years). A limited number of Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets for Penn State's five Rec Hall home dual meets are also set to go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 20, beginning at 10 a.m. Fans may purchase these single-match tickets only by calling 1-800-NITTANY. SRO's for Rec Hall are $15 per person.
LIONS RANKED #1 ON INTERMAT'S TPI!
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (0-0, 0-0 B1G) remains the top-ranked team in the country in the Nov. 10 release of InterMat Wrestling's Tournament Power Index (TPI). Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad also tops InterMat's Dual Meet Rankings. Penn State sits in the No. 1 spot with 103.5 points while Oklahoma State is in second at 96.0. Cornell is third back at 76.5 and Big Ten foes Iowa (75.0) and Michigan (75.0) are tied for fourth. Penn State also owns the No. 1 spot on Intermat's Dual Meet rankings with Oklahoma State, Iowa, Michigan and Lehigh rounding out the top five.
Senior Morgan McIntosh is ranked No. 1 at 197 to lead Penn State's nine ranked grapplers (all of whom are listed in the top 14). Two All-Americans return after red-shirt seasons. Senior Nico Megaludis is ranked No. 2 at 125 and sophomore Zain Retherford is ranked No. 2 at 149. Junior All-American Jimmy Gulibon is ranked No. 2 at 141 and senior All-American Jordan Conaway is ranked No. 8 at 133. Sophomore Matt McCutcheon is ranked No. 14 at 184 and sophomore Garett Hammond is ranked No. 14 at 165. Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf is ranked No. 6 at 157 and classmate Bo Nickal is ranked No. 14 at 174.