VIDEO: Nittany Lions Shine in Opener
Nov. 13, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (2-0, 0-0 B1G) used four pins to roll over No. 12 Stanford in the 2016-17 home opener for head coach Cael Sanderson's squad. After raising the banner for the 2016 NCAA and Big Ten Championships, the Nittany Lions won eight of ten bouts to post a lopsided 36-6 victory over the visiting Cardinal.
The dual began at 165 where red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 8 nationally, made his Rec Hall dual debut against talented Stanford junior Keaton Subjeck. Subjeck surprised Joseph with two early throws to open up a big lead and the Lion freshman's comeback fell short in an 18-12 loss. Senior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.) answered back at 174, however, dominating No. 13 Jim Wilson on his way to a strong 6-3 win.
Sophomore All-American Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 3 at 184, gave Penn State the lead with a dizzying display of offense. Nickal rolled up a 21-7 lead before catching Austin Flores in a late cradle and notching his second straight fall to start the season, this one at the 6:21 mark. Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at his new weight of 197, posted a 3-2 win over Stanford senior Josh Marchok to give the Nittany Lions a 12-3 lead. Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 14 at 285, notched a big 3-1 win over No. 10 Nathan Butler to give the Nittany Lions a 15-3 lead heading into intermission.
True freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.), ranked No. 12 at 125, made his Rec Hall dual debut against No. 4 Connor Schram in one of the dual's most anticipated match-ups and did not disappoint the sellout crowd. Suriano posted a strong 3-0 win over the fourth-ranked Cardinal, including 1:53 in riding time (thanks to a third period rideout). Sophomore Jered Cortez (Carol Stream, Ill.), ranked No. 9 at 133, made his Rec Hall dual debut with a blistering performance, rolling up a big early lead before getting a first period pin (2:40) over Peter Russo.
Senior All-American Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 141, dropped a hard-fought 6-2 decision to No. 2 Joey McKenna. Junior All-American Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, gave Penn State its second first period pin, this one coming at the 2:16 mark over Tommy Pawelski. Sophomore All-American Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, closed out the dual with Penn State's third pin, a fall at 6:21 over Paul Fox. Penn State's late flurry gave the Nittany Lions the lopsided 36-6 victory.
Penn State started six underclassmen in the dual, including three wrestlers making their Rec Hall dual debuts (Suriano, Cortez and Joseph). Head coach Cael Sanderson's crew posted a lopsided 31-6 takedown edge in takedowns. Penn State collected 12 bonus points off four pins (Cortez, Retherford, Nolf, Nickal). The Nittany Lions went 18-2 in their opening weekend (going 10-0 on Friday in a 45-0 win at Army). The win was Sanderson's 100th as Penn State head coach, he is 100-14-2 in his eighth year at Penn State. He is 144-24-2 overall and in his 11th year.
The Nittany Lions are now 2-0 on the year and have won 19 straight duals dating back to the end of the 2014-15 campaign. The capacity crowd of 6,544 was the 30th straight Rec Hall sellout and the 33rd of 34 home sellouts including the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State will head to the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday, Nov. 20, for the Keystone Classic. Action in the Palestra begins at 9 a.m. 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.
#4 Penn State 36, #12 Stanford 6
November 13, 2016 -- Rec Hall -- University Park, Pa.
165: Keaton Subjeck STAN dec. #8 Vincenzo Joseph PSU, 18-12 / 0-3
174: Geno Morelli PSU dec. #13 Jim Wilson STAN, 6-3 / 3-3
184: #3 Bo Nickal PSU pinned Austin Flores STAN, WBF (6:21) / 9-3
197: #16 Matt McCutcheon PSU dec. Josh Marchok STAN, 3-2 / 12-3
285: #14 Nick Nevills PSU dec. #10 Nathan Butler STAN, 3-1 / 15-3
125: #12 Nick Suriano PSU dec. #4 Connor Schram STAN, 3-0 / 18-3
133: #9 Jered Cortez PSU pinned Peter Russo STAN, WBF (2:40) / 24-3
141: #2 Joey McKenna STAN dec. #12 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, 6-2 / 24-6
149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU pinned Tommy Pawelski STAN, WBF (2:16) / 30-6
157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU pinned Paul Fox STAN, WBF (5:46) / 36-6
Attendance: 6,544 (30th straight sell-out in Rec Hall, 33 of 34 including BJC)
Records: Penn State 2-0, 0-0 B1G; Stanford 1-1
Up Next for Penn State: at Keystone Classic, Penn, Philadelphia, Pa. -- Sunday, Nov. 20, 9 a.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
165: Redshirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 165, made his Rec Hall dual meet debut against Stanford junior Keaton Subjeck. Subjeck came out of the gates firing, catching Joseph with a throw and near fall to take an early 6-1 lead. He turned the trick once more, taking a fast 12-2 lead before Joseph could notch his first victory to gut the lead to 13-4. Subjeck took Joseph down and the Lion escaped quickly and the Cardinal senior had a 15-5 lead after one period. Subjeck chose down to start the second period and Joseph maintained control for :30 before cutting him loose to a 16-5 score. Joseph quickly took Subject down and to his back but did not get the call for back points. Trailing 17-7 after a Subject escape, the Lion freshman entered the third period down by ten. Joseph chose down to start the third period but could not work his way free of a strong Subjeck ride. The Cardinal killed nearly a full minute before Joseph escaped to a 17-8 score. Joseph could not break through Subjeck's defense until the :30 mark, taking him down to cut the lead to 17-10. Subjeck escaped to an 18-10 lead but Joseph would avoid the major with a last second takedown, dropping the 18-12 decision.
174: Senior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.) met No. 13 Jim Wilson of Stanford at 174. The duo battled evenly for half the period, with Morelli maintaining position on the Nittany Lion logo in the middle of the mat. Morelli forced Wilson into a first stall at the :40 mark, shooting the Cardinal grappler off the mat. Morelli continued to shoot and Wilson continued to play defense, sending the bout to the second tied 0-0. Wilson chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Morelli blew through a quick low double. He cut Wilson loose and the bout continued tied 2-2 at the 1:15 mark. Morelli took a 3-2 lead as Wilson got hit with a second stall and carried it into the third period. Morelli chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 4-2 lead with 1:36 on the clock. Morelli gained control of Wilson's waist and worked him to the mat for another takedown and a 6-2 lead. Wilson escaped with :06 left but Morelli's strong offense gave the Lion a 6-3 win.
184: Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 3 at 184, took to the mat against Stanford's Austin Flores. Nickal wasted no time taking Flores down, opening up an early 2-1 lead. The Lion sophomore added a second takedown after forcing Flores into a stall warning and then cut him loose to a 4-2 lead with 1:25 on the clock. Nickal took Flores down again, cut him loose with :45 left and tacked on a fourth takedown with :30 left. Nickal then rode Flores out and carried the 8-3 lead with over 1:00 in time into the second period. Flores chose down to start the second period and escaped to an 8-4 score. Nickal picked up a stall point and then a quick takedown before turning Flores for four back points and a 15-4 lead. Flores escaped to a 15-5 score and Nickal quickly took him down again, upping his lead to 17-5. Flores managed a late escape and Nickal led 17-6 after two. Nickal chose neutral to start the third period and took Flores down right off the whistle. Leading 19-6, Nickal cut Flores loose, took him down to a 21-8 lead after another cut, locked up a late cradle and nailed down the pin at the 6:21 mark.
197: Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at his new weigh of 197, met Stanford senior Josh Marchock. McCutcheon was steady to start the match, finding an opening at the 1:30 mark taking Marchok down for an early 2-1 lead. The duo battled evenly for the final minute-plus and McCutcheon carried the one point lead into the second period. McCutcheon chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. McCutcheon worked the middle of the mat, keeping the Stanford senior on defense for the bulk of the second period but not managing to break through to score. Trailing 3-1, Marchok chose down to start the third period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 3-2 score at the 1:30 mark. McCutcheon stepped back from a slight Marchok shot at the :30 mark and then killed the clock with strong defense to escape with a hard fought 3-2 win.
285: Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 14 at 285, faced off against No. 10 Nathan Butler in a bout featuring two ranked opponents. The duo battled evenly for over two minutes, with Nevills controlling the middle of the mat and Butler fending off numerous Nevills shots. Nevills finally connected on a low ankle pick and worked his way into control of Butler's feet. After a brief struggle, Nevills broke through Butler's defense and finished off the takedown to lead 2-0 after one period. Butler chose down to start the second period and Nevills controlled the action from the top position long enough to build up a :33 riding time edge. Butler escaped to a 2-1 score with 1:40 left in the middle period. Nevills continued to set the tempo but Butler fought off the Lion's offense and the bout moved to the third period with Nevills lead 2-1. Nevills chose down to start the third period and worked his way to an escape and a 3-1 lead with 1:35 left in the period. Butler took a shot at the :55 mark, but Nevills quickly stepped back and regained control of the action in the middle of the mat. A low Nevills single with :40 left forced a scramble that had Nevills holding on to Butler's ankle to kill the clock. Nevills' defense held and the Lion sophomore posted the 3-1 upset victory.
125: True freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.), ranked No. 12 at 125, made his Rec Hall debut against No. 4 Connor Schram in one of the dual's most anticipated match-ups. Suriano set a fast pace from the onset, maintaining contact with Schram while holding position in the middle of the mat. The ranked duo traded shots over the next minute, with Suriano nearly breaking through at the 1:00 mark to no avail. Suriano pressed the Stanford senior for the rest of the period, forcing Schram into a first stall warning as the period wound down. Tied 0-0 after one, Suriano chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The Lion freshman pressed the Stanford senior for the first minute of the period, keeping Schram backing up while looking for a chance to connect on offense. Suriano upped his lead to 2-0 on another Schram stall and carried that into the third period. Schram chose down to start the third period and Suriano went to work on top, looking to break the Cardinal down and build up a riding time edge. Suriano picked up a stall warning for holding Schram's ankle and a reset was called with 1:35 on the clock. The Lion freshman controlled Schram deep into the period, building up over 1:00 in riding time. Looking to maintain control, Suriano forced Schram back to the mat and kept control for the full two minutes to post a convincing 3-0 win with 1:53 in riding time.
133: Sophomore Jered Cortez (Carol Stream, Ill.), ranked No. 9 at 133, made his Rec Hall dual debut against Peter Russo. Cortez took Russo down quickly and then turned him for two back points to take a 4-0 lead. He then reset himself, turned Russo one more time and turned him for four more back points. Leading 8-1, Cortez cut Russo loose and action resumed in the center circle. Cortez lifted Russo off the mat and sent him down for another takedown and a 10-1 lead. He then worked Russo's shoulders to the mat and picked up the pin in his Rec Hall dual debut at the 2:40 mark.
141: Senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 141, took on No. 2 Joey McKenna in one of the dual's marquee bouts. McKenna drew first blood with a strong double leg to take 2-0 lead with 2:32 on the clock. McKenna controlled the action over a minute, building up a solid riding time edge. He then turned Gulibon for two back points but Penn State challenged whether action had moved out of bounds. The call was confirmed and action resumed with Gulibon down 4-0 at the 1:15 mark. McKenna rode Gulibon out and led 4-0 with 2:32 in riding time after one. McKenna chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 5-0 lead at the 1:45 mark. Gulibon upped the tempo and forced McKenna into a first stall warning with :45 left in the period. McKenna was able to play defense for the rest of the period and led 4-0 after two. Gulibon chose neutral to start the third period. He forced a scramble on a low single but McKenna was able to scramble his way to a stalemate. Gulibon's late flurry of offense led to a final takedown but McKenna, with 2:16 in riding time, posted the strong 6-2 win.
149: Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, faced off against junior Tommy Pawelski of Stanford. Retherford notched his first takedown just :35 into the bout and then worked up :33 in riding time before cutting Pawelski loose. Retherford dove low through a double and finished off the move for control and another takedown. He then worked the Cardinal's shoulders to the mat, reset himself once and pinned Pawelski at the 2:16 mark for his 37th straight victory dating back to the end of the 2013-14 season.
157: Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, met Stanford's Paul Fox. Fox got in on an early single but Nolf deftly moved his way behind the Cardinal, nearly scoring himself before a potentially dangerous call halted the action. Fox initiated a scramble once more and finished off the move to take a 2-1 lead after a quick Nolf escape midway through the first period. Nolf used a quick ankle pick to take Fox down and then cut him loose to a 3-3 tie at the 1:00 mark. Nolf pulled Fox down at the waist for a 5-3 lead and cut him to a 5-4 score. Fox held Nolf off and trailed by one after one. Nolf chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 6-4 lead. Fox tied the match with another takedown and Nolf escaped to a 7-6 lead. He then quickly took Fox down to up his lead to 8-6 with 1:31 on the clock. Fox stalled on his way back to a reset, Nolf cut him loose to a 9-7 lead and then took him down on the edge of the mat to lead 11-7 with 1:18 in the period. Another cut and takedown gave Nolf a 13-8 lead with 1:03 left in the second. Nolf would tack on four more takedowns to lead 22-12 after two periods. Fox chose down to start the third period. Nolf cut him loose after building up 1:00 in riding time and then took him down once more. He locked up a cradle, turned Fox over, and got the dual ending pin at the 5:46 mark.