Feb. 1, 2017
WR Notes 16-17 Ohio State I BLOG: Retherford Building Success on Consistency
TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- No. 1 Penn State (10-0, 6-0 B1G) treks to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 3 Ohio State (8-1, 4-1 B1G) in yet another key Big Ten battle on the road. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes will face each other on Friday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m. in a dual that will air live on the Big Ten Network. All rankings listed are InterMat individual and InterMat Tournament Power Index (TPI).
The Nittany Lions are coming off 2-0 weekend that saw them win at #13 Wisconsin 33-11 and at home against Northwestern 45-3. Penn State won 16 of 20 bouts in the Big Ten split weekend to improve to 10- on the year, 6-0 in conference action, and run its current dual meet win streak to 27 straight dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season.
Penn State features a very young line-up, with seven underclassmen in its starting line-up. True freshman Nick Suriano is ranked No. 2 at 125 with a 13-1 overall record. Either sophomore George Carpenter (1-8) or red-shirt freshman Triston Law (0-1) could get the call at 133. Senior Jimmy Gulibon is ranked No. 11 at 141 and 10-6 overall. Junior Zain Retherford is ranked No. 1 at 149 and is 15-0 on the year.
Sophomore Jason Nolf is ranked No. 1 at 157 and is 15-0. Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph is ranked No. 4 at 165 and is 11-2. True freshman Mark Hall is 20-2 on the year and ranked No. 7 at 174. Sophomore Bo Nickal is ranked No. 2 at 184 and is 14-0. Junior Matt McCutcheon is ranked No. 9 at 197 and is 12-2 this season. Sophomore Nick Nevills is 13-1 overall and ranked No. 3 at 285. Six of Penn State's starters are ranked in the top four and all nine ranked individuals are listed in the top 11.
Ohio State enters the dual meet coming off a tough loss to Iowa last weekend. The Buckeyes are 8-1 overall, 4-1 in the conference, and ranked No. 3 in InterMat's TPI. Ohio State also feature a young line-up, with seven potential starters who are underclassmen. Freshman Jose Rodriguez is ranked No. 18 at 125 and is 11-5. Junior Nathan Tomasello is 11-0 and ranked No. 1 at 133. Freshman Luke Pletcher is 21-2 and No. 15 at 141. Sophomore Micha Jordan is 21-1 and ranked No. 5 at 149. Sophomore Jake Ryan is 10-8 at 157 and classmate Cody Burcher is 14-8 at 165. Junior Bo Jordan is 9-0 and No. 1 at 174. Sophomore Myles Martin is 20-4 and No. 10 at 184. Freshman Kollin Moore is 20-2 and No. 4 at 197. Defending NCAA Champion and Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder is 6-0 and ranked No. 1 at 285.
Penn State owns an 18-12 lead in the all-time series between the two teams. The Nittany Lions won the last meeting, a 24-14 victory last season in the Bryce Jordan Center on Feb. 5, 2016. Ohio State won the last meeting in Columbus, a 22-15 victory two years ago on Jan. 11, 2015. Penn
Penn State will host two Big Ten duals in Rec Hall next weekend. The Nittany Lions entertain Illinois on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m., and then close out their home schedule by hosting Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m. Rec Hall duals are sold out but a limited number of standing room only tickets are available to the events. Fans can purchase these SROs on a first-come, first-serve basis by calling the Penn State Athletics ticket office at 1-800-NITTANY while supplies last. 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 2016-17 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (10-0, 6-0 B1G)
125 #2 Nick Suriano Fr. Paramus, N.J./Bergen Catholic / 13-1
133 George Carpenter So. Chapel Hill, N.C./Carrboro / 1-8
OR Triston Law Fr. Windber, Pa./Forest Hills / 0-1
141 #11 Jimmy Gulibon Sr. Latrobe, Pa./Derry Area / 10-6
149 #1 Zain Retherford Jr. Benton, Pa./Benton / 15-0
157 #1 Jason Nolf So. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning / 15-0
165 #4 Vincenzo Joseph Fr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic / 11-2
174 #7 Mark Hall Fr. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley / 20-2
184 #2 Bo Nickal So. Allen, Texas/Allen / 14-0
197 #9 Matt McCutcheon Jr. Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area / 12-2
285 #3 Nick Nevills So. Clovis, Calif./Clovis / 13-1
#3 OHIO STATE (8-1, 4-1 B1G)
125 #18 Jose Rodriguez Fr. Massillon, Ohio/Massillon Perry / 11-5
133 #1 Nathan Tomasello Jr. Parma, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian / 11-0
141 #15 Luke Pletcher Fr. Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe / 21-2
149 #5 Micah Jordan So. Urbana, Ohio/St. Paris Graham / 21-1
157 Jake Ryan So. Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty / 10-8
165 Cody Burcher So. Gnadenhutten, Ohio/Claymont / 14-8
174 #1 Bo Jordan Jr. Urbana, Ohio/St. Paris Graham / 9-0
184 #10 Myles Martin So. Penns Grove, N.J./McDonogh School / 20-4
197 #4 Kollin Moore Fr. Burbank, Ohio/Norwayne / 20-2
285 #1 Kyle Snyder Jr. Woodbine, Md./Good Counsel / 6-0
Individual rankings are InterMat, team ranking is InterMat TPI
(Tournament Power Index) as of 1/31
THIS WEEK
No. 1 Penn State (10-0, 6-0 B1G) treks to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 3 Ohio State (8-1, 4-1 B1G) in yet another key Big Ten battle on the road. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes will face each other on Friday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m. in a dual that will air live on the Big Ten Network.
UP NEXT
Penn State will host two Big Ten duals in Rec Hall next weekend. The Nittany Lions entertain Illinois on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m., and then close out their home schedule by hosting Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m.
ON THE AIR
TV - Big Ten Network (national)
Live Web Video - BTN2go.com
Radio All Season - Penn State Radio Network. All live streaming of Penn State audio is free this year. All audio and some video (both free and $) can be accessed through GoPSUNow ( http://www.gopsusports.com/collegesportslive/ ).
NOTES: PENN STATE'S RUGGED B1G ROAD TRIP...
As the Big Ten dual meet schedule rotates, 2016-17 is a season that has the Penn State Nittany Lions at home for four duals and on the road for five (last year the team was home five/four away). In addition to having one more conference dual on the road and starting seven underclassmen, the schedule broke in such a way that the Nittany Lions have faced of the toughest road dual schedules in recent memory. In conference, Penn State has been at #9 Minnesota (a 33-6 win), at #6 Nebraska (a 27-14 win), at #3 Iowa (a 26-11 win) and at #13 Wisconsin (a 33-11 win). Penn State treks to #3 Ohio State on 2/3 and will certainly face one of the nation's best non-Big Ten teams on 1/19 when it takes part in one of the dual meets in the NWCA Dual Championship Series.
ZAIN AND NOLF ON ALL-TIME PINS LIST; NICKAL NEAR
Junior Zain Retherford is now tied for 11th on Penn State's all-time pins list with 30. Retherford has 11 pins this year alone. Sophomore Jason Nolf is already tied for 19th on the all-time list with 24 career pins. He has nine this season. Sophomore Bo Nickal is nearing the top 20 list. Nickal has 11 pins this year and 19 for his career.
LIVINGSTON'S PIN LEADS NITTANY LIONS TO 45-3 VICTORY OVER NORTHWESTERN
Senior Caleb Livingston had a `dream come true' moment in Penn State's 45-3 victory over Northwestern on 1/29. Livingston got the nod at 165 in front of a sold out Rec Hall crowd of over 6,600 fans and thrilled the raucous building by pinning NU's Anthony Petrone at the 2:19 mark in the first period. The win was Livingston's first dual meet victory as a Nittany Lion. Penn State won nine of ten bouts in the lopsided victory.
GULIBON MAJORS #15 MARTIN & McCUTCHEON DOWNS #12 ROBERTSON TO LEAD LIONS TO 33-11 WIN AT WISCONSIN
Senior Jimmy Gulibon majored #15 Cole Martin of Wisconsin at 141 to lead the Nittany Lions to a dominating 33-11 win in Madison on 1/27. Junior Matt McCutcheon was also impressive, posting a 2-0 victory over #12 Ricky Robertson at 197.Gulibon tallied five takedowns in the victory. Penn State won seven of ten bouts in the win.
NICKAL'S FAST PIN OF #5 BROOKS SPARKS PENN STATE TO 26-11 WIN AT #3 IOWA
Sophomore Bo Nickal silenced a raucous Carver Hawkeye Arena crowd of over 14,000 fans by catching and pinning #5 Sammy Brooks at the 0:38 mark to remain unbeaten on the year. Nickal's pin was one of seven Penn State wins in the dual as the Nittany Lions rolled to a 26-11 win over the homestanding Hawkeyes on 1/20.
GULIBON, RETHERFORD, NOLF, NICKAL PICK UP RANKED WINS IN PENN STATE'S 26-11 VICTORY AT #3 IOWA
Senior Jimmy Gulibon notched four third-period takedowns in an 8-6 comeback win over #18 Topher Carlton at 141, Zain Retherford held on for a hard-fought 9-8 (tb2) win over #3 Brandon Sorensen and Jason Nolf used four takedowns to dominated #2 Michael Kemerer 9-4 in Penn State's 26-11 victory at Iowa on 1/20. Sophomore Bo Nickal's pin of #5 Sammy Brooks at the 0:38 mark at 184 gave the Nittany Lions four ranked wins in its seven victories in the dual.
LIONS DOMINATE #21 RUTGERS 37-6 FOR B1G WIN
The Penn State Nittany Lions downed #21 Rutgers 37-6 to win their 24th straight dual meet dating back to the 2014-15 season. The Lions won eight of ten bouts, including two pins, three techs and a major, to roll to the Big Ten win in front of the 32nd straight Rec Hall sell out crowd. Zain Retherford pinned #14 Ken Theobold (5:33), Bo Nickal pinned #14 Nicholas Gravina (4:27), Jason Nolf teched #16 John Van Brill while both Vincenzo Joseph and Nick Nevills picked up techs as well. Nick Suriano stayed unbeaten with a major and Geno Morelli and Matt McCutcheon picked up decisions.
NOLF'S BIG WEEKEND NOTCHES HIM B1G WoW HONORS
Sophomore Jason Nolf dominated two of the Big Ten's best in a road swing through the midwest. Nolf pinned #9 Jake Short of Minnesota at the 3:44 mark of the second period. Nolf's fall came after opening up a gaudy 14-4 lead after one period. His win helped Penn State roll over the homestanding Gophers 33-6. Two days later, the Nittany Lion All-American cruised past #3 Tyler Berger of Nebraska with a 15-7 major. Nolf dominated the match from start to finish, posting a six to one takedown edge. Nolf's win helped propel Penn State to a dominating 27-14 win over #6 Nebraska in Lincoln. The honor is the second for Nolf (he won once last year) and the first for Penn State this year.
NITTANY LIONS HAND MINNESOTA LOPSIDED DEFEAT IN MINNEAPOLIS
The Nittany Lion wrestling team roared through Minneapolis on Friday, Jan. 6, handing the homestanding Golden Gophers a 33-6 defeat. Penn State won eight of ten bouts in the lop-sided dual, including three pins. True freshman Nick Suriano downed #6 Ethan Lizak 8-6, rolling up four takedowns to get the win at 125. Jimmy Gulibon downed #9 Tommy Thorn 6-3 at 141, Vincenzo Joseph beat #14 Nick Wanzek 7-4 at 165 and Nick Nevills shut-out #8 Michael Kroells 4-0 at 285. Penn State got pins from Zain Retherford at 149, Jason Nolf (over #9 Jake Short) at 157 and Bo Nickal at 184.
PENN STATE'S YOUTH TAKES DOWN SENIOR-LADEN NEBRASKA SQUAD IN LINCOLN
Penn State's line-up featuring six underclassmen rolled through Lincoln, Neb., on Sunday, Jan. 8, to beat #6 Nebraska 27-14. The Nittany Lions youthful line-up won seven of 10 bouts against a veteran NU squad that featured six seniors. True freshman Nick Suriano downed #5 Tim Lambert 3-2 in one marquee match-up while sophomore Nick Nevills pinned senior Collin Jensen at the 6:01 mark in another key bout at 285. Sophomore Bo Nickal handled No. 3 TJ Dudley in the showcase bout at 184, with Nickal rolling up four takedowns in a 10-5 win over the senior. Penn State also got key wins from Zain Retherford at 149, Jason Nolf with a 15-7 major over No. 3 Tyler Berger at 157, Vincenzo Joseph at 165 and Geno Morelli at 165.
SO ABOUT TRUE FRESHMAN Nick Suriano'S EARLY SEASON STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE...
True freshman Nick Suriano, less than a year removed from winning yet another New Jersey state high school title, has faced perhaps one of the nation's toughest early season schedules. Suriano has met 14 foes thus far. Five of those 14 wrestlers were all ranked among the nation's best, each within the top six. Suriano has defeated (with rankings listed at the time of the match) #4 Connor Schram of Stanford (3-0), No. 4 Darian Cruz of Lehigh (7-0), No. 6 Ethan Lizak of Minnesota (8-6, with four takedowns) and No. 5 Tim Lambert of Nebraska (3-2). His lone loss was a tough 3-2 decision to No. 1 Thomas Gilman in CHA on 1/23.
Mark Hall WINS SOUTHERN SCUFFLE TITLE; NAMED OW!
True freshman Mark Hall, red-shirting and wrestling unattached, blazed through a rugged field of nationally ranked opponents to win the 174-pound title at the 2017 Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. Hall went 5-0 with two pins and a major to claim the crown and was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. He pinned Martin Duane of the Citadel in the first round and majored Oklahoma State's Jordan Rogers 12-4 in the second. He then dominated tourney top seed and No. 3-ranked Casey Kent of Penn 9-4 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he pinned No. 15 Ryan Preisch of Lehigh to advance to the championship finals. Hall then roughed up No. 6 Kyle Crutchmer of Oklahoma State in the finals, opening up a 6-0 lead and rolling to a 10-3 victory.
HALL WINS CSU OPEN TITLE
True freshman Mark Hall, red-shirting this year and competing unattached, posted a perfect 5-0 mark at 174 with three pins and a major to win the 2016 Cleveland State Open on 12/17. Hall's victory was his second open tourney title of the year. Classmate Luke Gardner also competed at the event, picking up a tech fall win at 149.
WEATHER KEEPS LIONS FROM COMPETING AT RENO
A nation-wide weather event, from ice storms in the East to snowstorms in the Rockies, kept the Penn State Nittany Lions from competing at the 2016 Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18. Missing the tournament means that Penn State was out of action from Dec. 11, 2016, to Jan. 6, 2017, nearly one full month.
PENN STATE'S THREE UNBEATENS ON BONUS STREAK
The Penn State Nittany Lions head into the weekend's action with three unbeaten starters, each of which are piling up bonus point victories. Zain Retherford is 15-0 at 149 with 11 pins, one forfeit win, one technical fall and one major. Jason Nolf is 15-0 at 157 with nine pins, four techs and a major. Bo Nickal is 14-0 at 184 with 11 pins and two majors.
NICKAL MAJORS #13 SCHNEIDER TO LEAD PSU TO 46-0 SHUT OUT WIN V. BINGHAMTON
Sophomore Bo Nickal dominated #13 Steve Schneider of Binghamton on 12/11, posting an 18-7 major over the talented Bearcat. The victory was the highlight in Penn State's 46-0 shut out victory over BU in front of a sold out Rec Hall crowd.
SURIANO DOWNS #4 CRUZ IN BJC DUAL WIN OVER LEHIGH
True freshman Nick Suriano continued his superb start to the 2016-17 season with a dominating 7-0 win over returning All-American Darian Cruz of Lehigh on 12/4. The win helped spark Penn State to a 30-10 victory over #9 Lehigh in front of over 15,000 fans in this year's BJC Dual. It was Suriano's second win over a returning All-American.
NICKAL AND RETHERFORD CONTINUE PIN PARADE IN BJC DUAL WIN OVER LEHIGH
Sophomore Bo Nickal and junior Zain Retherford each picked up their seventh straight pin in Penn State's 30-10 win over #9 Lehigh in the BJC Dual on 12/4. Nickal pinned Kyle Gentile at the 2:35 mark for his seventh pin in as many matches while Retherford pinned #9 Laike Gardner at the 3:55 mark for his seventh straight pin in his eighth match.
LIONS CROWN 8 AT KEYSTONE CLASSIC; DOMINATE THE FIELD IN PHILLY
Penn State dominated the field in the Keystone Classic on 11/20, crowning eight champs with ten finalists, to win the team title. Nick Suriano (125) went 4-0 to win at 125; Zain Retherford went 5-0 with five pins to win at 149 and claim OW honors; Jason Nolf went 5-0 with three pins and two techs to win at 157; Vincenzo Joseph went 4-0 with two techs, and wins over #5 and #13, to win at 165; Shakur Rasheed went 5-0 and won the 174-pound title with a 2-1 (tb2) victory over teammate Geno Morelli, who took second with a 4-1 mark and three pins; Bo Nickal went 4-0 with four pins to win at 184; Matt McCutcheon went 4-0 to win at 197 and Nick Nevills went 4-0 to win at 285. Kade Moss was runner-up at 141 with a 4-1 mark; Jered Cortez went 4-1 to take third at 133 and Gary Dinmore went 3-2 to take fourth at 149.
SURIANO, MORELLI AND NEVILLS NOTCH BIG WINS TO LEAD LIONS OVER #12 STANFORD
True freshman Nick Suriano dominated #4 Connor Schram at 125, rolling up nearly 2:00 in riding time to post a 3-0 shutout in his Rec Hall dual debut; senior Geno Morelli dominated #13 Jim Wilson to post a 6-3 win at 174; and sophomore Nick Nevills beat #10 Nathan Butler 3-1 at 285 to lead Penn State to a resounding 36-6 win over 12th-ranked Stanford. Penn State won eight of ten bouts in sold out Rec Hall.
LIONS SHUTOUT ARMY WEST POINT 45-0
Penn State opened up its season at Army West Point on 11/11 and won all ten bouts. Three Nittany Lions won their Penn State and collegiate debuts: Nick Suriano (125), Jered Cortez (133) and Vincenzo Joseph (165) all got wins in their inaugural action in the blue and white singlet. Jimmy Gulibon got the night's most impressive win, a 17-6 major over #17 Logan Everett. Matt McCutcheon had a 4-2 win over #11 Rocco Caywood at 197.
HALL WINS BEARCAT OPEN; DINMORE SECOND
Ten members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team trekked to Binghamton, N.Y., for the 2016 Bearcat Kaloust Open today. True freshman Mark Hall, wrestling unattached, came away with 174 pound title while red-shirt freshman Gary Dinmore took second at 149. Five members of the team were competing attached, five unattached. Hall rolled to the title at 174 in his first open tournament wrestling unattached at the collegiate level. Hall went 5-0 with two pins, a tech fall and a 12-4 major over Harvard's Josef Johnson in the finals. Dinmore went 4-0 with a major, winning four straight before losing in the finals to a non-collegiate wrestler (meaning the loss does not count on his record). In addition to Dinmore and Hall, eight other Lions wrestled at Binghamton. Red-shirt freshman Dominic Giannangeli went 2-2 at 141 and red-shirt freshman Kellan Stout went 2-1 at 197. Francisco Bisono picked up a win at 174 and upped his season long win total to seven. Bisono went 6-1 at last week's Clarion Open to place third.
BISONO TAKES THIRD AT CLARION OPEN
Red-shirt freshman Francisco Bisono rolled to a 6-1 record at the Clarion Open on 11/6, placing third at 174. Bisono had one pin during his run as well. True freshman Bo Pipher went 2-2 with a pin at 141 as well. Devon Van Cura picked up a win at 184 while true freshmen Devin Schnupp and Brian Friery competed as well.
NINE LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT AND FLO
Ten Nittany Lions are ranked by InterMat in the latest release by the site. Nick Suriano is #2 at 125, Jimmy Gulibon #11 at 141, Zain Retherford #1 at 149, Jason Nolf #1 at 157, Vincenzo Joseph #4 at 165, Mark Hall #7 at 174, Bo Nickal #2 at 184, Matt McCutcheon #9 at 197 and Nick Nevills #3 at 285. Nine Penn Staters are ranked by Flo Wrestling: Suriano #2, Gulibon #19, Retherford #1, Nolf #1, Joseph #6 at 165, Hall #9 at 174, Nickal #2, McCutcheon #9 and Nevills #5.
PENN STATE RADIO NETWORK SET FOR 2016-17
The Penn State Wrestling Radio Network has been finalized for the 2016-17 campaign. Forever Media's WRSC-AM 1390 will serve as the flagship station for the network. The Penn State Coaches Show featuring Cael Sanderson, presented by Pepsi, will be carried by Forever Broadcasting as well. Forever Media will air the bulk of the season on WRSC-AM 1390 with select dates tabbed for WQWK-AM 1450. In addition to those two stations WIBF-FM 92.5 Mexico/Lewistown and WDBF-FM 106.3 Mt. Union/Huntingdon will broadcast the full season as well. Jeff Byers will once again serve as the voice of Penn State Wrestling, calling each broadcast mat-side with the Nittany Lions. The Penn State Coaches Show featuring Cael Sanderson, presented by Pepsi, will air on Forever Media as well this year. The one-hour program will take place at Lettermans on East College Ave. in State College nearly every Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. from November 11 through mid-March. Fans are encouraged to attend the program throughout the year. The show will air live on WQWK-AM. Sanderson will be the featured guest for most shows from November 16 through mid-March. In addition to Sanderson, The Penn State Coaches Show will include various coaches from other Penn State teams and athletics administrators. The show is slated for Nov. 16, Nov. 30, Dec. 6, Dec. 14, Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 18, Jan 25, Feb. 8, Feb. 15, Feb. 22, March 1 and March 8. The Penn State Coaches Show featuring Cael Sanderson, presented by Pepsi, will feature guests answering questions from fans at Lettermans and online. Fans can submit questions to www.GoPSUsports.com/askthecoach. All Penn State wrestling broadcasts this season, both live action and the Penn State Coaches Show featuring Cael Sanderson, will be streamed online for free on GoPSUsports.com via GoPSUNow.