Feb. 27, 2017
Live Audio
Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3/4
I VIDEO: This Week in Penn State Wrestling
TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; February 27, 2017 --No. 1 Penn State (14-0, 9-0 B1G) will trek to Bloomington, Ind., and Indiana University for the 2017 Big Ten Wrestling Championship. The two-day NCAA qualifier for the conference takes place on Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5, in Assembly Hall. All rankings listed are InterMat/InterMat Tournament Power Index (TPI) as of 2/21/17.
The Nittany Lions will take a very young and very talented line-up to Bloomington in their search for a sixth conference crown. Penn State's line-up features seven underclassmen, including two true-freshmen. True freshman Nick Suriano is 16-2 overall and ranked No. 2 nationally at 125. Red-shirt freshman Triston Law is 0-2 at 133. Jimmy Gulibon, the lone senior in Penn State's starting line-up, is 13-7 overall and ranked No. 10 at 141. Junior Zain Retherford is the defending Big Ten and NCAA Champion and ranked No. 1 at 149 with a perfect 19-0 mark. Sophomore Jason Nolf, a Big Ten finalist last year, is a perfect 19-0 overall and ranked No. 1 at 157.
Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph is 14-3 overall and ranked No. 4 at 165. True freshman Mark Hall is 24-2 overall and ranked No. 5 at 174. Sophomore Bo Nickal, a Big Ten Champion at 174 last year, is a perfect 18-0 overall and ranked No. 2 at 184. Junior Matt McCutcheon is 15-3 overall and ranked No. 7 nationally. Sophomore Nick Nevills is 16-2 overall and ranked No. 3 at 285. Penn State's starting line-up boasts a gaudy 155-31 overall record with 28 majors, 22 technical falls and 56 pins.
Penn State won the 2016 Big Ten Wrestling Championship and has claimed five of the last six (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016) overall. In addition, the Nittany Lions claimed their fourth Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) title this year as well as the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship Series title. Penn State has 35 Big Ten individual champions won by 21 different individuals. Last year, Zain Retherford (149), Bo Nickal (174) and Morgan McIntosh (197) won Big Ten crowns.
The 2017 Big Ten Championship will serve as the NCAA National Qualifier for the conference as wrestlers look to earn automatic bids to the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. The Big Ten will receive 77 automatic qualifiers: seven at 125, nine at 133, nine at 141, six at 149, nine at 157, seven at 165, nine at 174, nine at 184, seven at 197 and five at 285. The NCAA allocated a total of 281 automatic spots: 27 at 125, 29 at 133, 29 at 141, 28 at 149, 28 at 157, 26 at 165, 29 at 174, 28 at 184, 28 at 197 and 29 at 285. Each weight class will feature 33 wrestlers, meaning that after all national qualifying tournaments are complete, 49 at-large bids will be allocated by the NCAA's selection committee: six at 125, 4 at 133, four at 141, five at 149, five at 157, seven at 165, four at 174, five at 184, five at 197 and four at 285.
The Championship finals will air live on the Big Ten Network on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern. All other sessions (both Saturday sessions and the first half of Sunday's session 3/4 final day) will be streamed live on btn2go.com
The Nittany Lions will venture to St. Louis, Mo., and the Scottrade Center for the 2017 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The three-day event runs Thursday through Saturday, March 16-18, in the Scottrade Center. 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 (14-0, 9-0 B1G)
2017 B1G REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS; 2017 NWCA DUAL CHAMPIONS
125 #2 Nick Suriano Fr. Paramus, N.J./Bergen Catholic 16-2
0-0 All-Time in B1G Tournament / #2 InterMat / #2 CR / #3 RPI
133 Triston Law Fr. Windber, Pa./Forest Hills 0-2
0-0 All-Time in B1G Tournament / NR InterMat / NR CR / NR RPI
141 #10 Jimmy Gulibon Sr. Latrobe, Pa./Derry Area 13-7
7-6 All-Time in B1G Tournament / #10 InterMat / #11 CR / #16 RPI
149 #1 Zain Retherford Jr. Benton, Pa./Benton 19-0
7-1 All-Time in B1G Tournament / #1 InterMat / #1 CR / #3 RPI
157 #1 Jason Nolf So. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning 19-0
3-1 All-Time in B1G Tournament / #1 InterMat / #1 CR / #3 RPI
165 #4 Vincenzo Joseph Fr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic 14-3
0-0 All-Time in B1G Tournament / #4 InterMat / #4 CR / #2 RPI
174 #5 Mark Hall Fr. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley 24-2
0-0 All-Time in B1G Tournament / #5 InterMat / #5 CR / #5 RPI
184 #2 Bo Nickal So. Allen, Texas/Allen 18-0
3-0 All-Time in B1G Tournament / #2 InterMat / #2 CR / #1 RPI
197 #7 Matt McCutcheon Jr. Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area 15-3
5-3 All-Time in B1G Tournament / #7 InterMat / #7 NCAA / #4 RPI
285 #3 Nick Nevills So. Clovis, Calif./Clovis 16-2
1-2 All-Time in B1G Tournament / #3 InterMat / #3 NCAA / #2 RPI
Individual rankings are InterMat, team ranking is InterMat TPI
(Tournament Power Index) as of 2/21
CR (Coaches Ranking) and NCAA RPI are final as of 2/23
THIS WEEK
No. 1 Penn State (14-0, 9-0 B1G) will trek to Bloomington, Ind., and Indiana University for the 2017 Big Ten Wrestling Championship. The two-day NCAA qualifier for the conference takes place on Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5, in Assembly Hall.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will venture to St. Louis, Mo., and the Scottrade Center for the 2017 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The three-day event runs Thursday through Saturday, March 16-18, in the Scottrade Center.
ON THE AIR
TV - None for day one or Sunday morning / Finals will air live on BTN on Sunday
Live Web Video - BTN2go ($)
Radio All Season - FREE!!! 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/ ).
NICKAL'S QUICK PIN OF #4 BOYD NETS B1G WoW
Sophomore Bo Nickal wasted little time in stacking yet another top-ranked opponent. Nickal took the mat against #4 Nolan Boyd of Oklahoma State looking to continue a Nittany Lion roll and ended things in 0:38. The Lion sophomore worked through an early scramble, locked up yet another cradle and turned Boyd to his back in fast fashion. Nickal's pin helped lead Penn State to a lop-sided 27-13 win at #2 Oklahoma State to win the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship crown. He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for his efforts, his second of the season and the fourth for his career.
SEVEN STRAIGHT WINS LEAD LIONS OVER #2 OKLAHOMA STATE IN STILLWATER
Fall behind early for the first time all season long? Not a problem. In the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship title tilt, the Nittany Lions fell behind early to the homestanding Oklahoma State Cowboys, 13-0, marking the first time all season long that Penn State was forced to scramble from a big deficit. The Nittany Lions were undaunted, winning the final seven bouts of the dual to roll to a lop-sided 27-13 win over the Cowboys (finishing a season that saw PSU win at least seven bouts in every single dual meet). After #2 Nick Suriano, leading 3-1, was forced to take an injury default; a loss at 133 and Jimmy Gulibon nearly pinning #1 Dean Heil at 141 before dropping a 3-2 decision, Penn State got six straight wins over ranked foes and a final victory at 285. #1 Zain Retherford downed #2 Anthony Collica 2-1; #1 Jason Nolf teched #6 Joe Smith 24-9 (TF; 7:00); #4 Vincenzo Joseph majored #8 Chandler Rogers 12-4; #7 Mark Hall downed #9 Kyle Crutchmer 3-2; #2 Bo Nickal pinned #4 Nolan Boyd at the 0:38 mark; #9 Matt McCutcheon handled #8 Preston Weigel 4-3; and Nick Nevills downed Derek White 10-5.
NITTANY LIONS CLAIM SECOND STRAIGHT NWCA DUAL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES TITLE
Penn State downed Oklahoma State 27-13 in Stillwater on 2/19 to win the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship title. The win gave head coach Cael Sanderson's squad its second straight NWCA Dual crown. Penn State beat Oklahoma State 29-17 last year in Rec Hall on 2/21/16 to win the championship.
NICKAL GOES DUAL SEASON WITHOUT GIVING UP A TD
Sophomore Bo Nickal completed the 2016-17 dual meet season (not including tournaments) without giving up a takedown. Nickal posted a 45-0 takedown margin in Penn State's 14 duals this year (27-0 in the first period, 5-0 in the second and 13-0 in the third). Nickal had nine pins in 14 duals, seven -- fully half -- in the first period.
PENN STATE RIDING A 31-DUAL WIN STREAK
The Penn State Nittany Lions are riding a 31-dual win streak dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad won its final dual of the 2014-15 season. The Nittany Lions went a perfect 16-0 last year, winning both the Big Ten dual meet crown and the NWCA Dual Meet Championship Series title win a victory over Oklahoma State in Rec Hall. Penn State went 14-0 this season. In addition, the Nittany Lions have won 18 straight Big Ten dual meets (9-0 in 2015-16 and 9-0 this year).
NOT JUST WINNING, BUT WINNING BIG; LIONS WON 7 MATCHES IN EACH DUAL THIS SEASON
Penn State didn't just win all its dual meets this year, it did so in dominant fashion. Besides the 31-dual win streak dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season, Penn State won by large margins. This year alone, Penn State has scored at least 24 points in all 14 of its duals to date and won seven or more bouts in each dual meet.
ZAIN AND NOLF ON ALL-TIME PINS LIST; NICKAL NEAR
Junior Zain Retherford is now tied for 7th on Penn State's all-time pins list with 32. Retherford has 13 pins this year alone. Sophomore Jason Nolf is already tied for 17th on the all-time list with 26 career pins. He has 11 this season. Sophomore Bo Nickal is nearing the top 20 list. Nickal has 13 pins this year and 21 for his career.
NINE LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT
Ten Nittany Lions are ranked by InterMat in the latest release by the site. Nick Suriano is #2 at 125, Jimmy Gulibon #10 at 141, Zain Retherford #1 at 149, Jason Nolf #1 at 157, Vincenzo Joseph #4 at 165, Mark Hall #5 at 174, Bo Nickal #2 at 184, Matt McCutcheon #7 at 197 and Nick Nevills #3 at 285.
NITTANY LIONS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT B1G DUAL TITLE; FOURTH OVERALL
Penn State beat Illinois and Maryland in its final two duals of the year on 2/10 and 2/12, closing out the Big Ten dual season with a second straight unbeaten 9-0 mark. The Nittany Lions claimed their second straight Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) Championship and their fourth overall.
PENN STATE AVERAGES NEARLY 8,000 PER HOME DUAL
Penn State closed out its home slate the weekend of 2/10 and 2/12 with two more Rec Hall sellouts. The Nittany Lions average nearly 8,000 fans per dual this year (7,833). Penn State has wrestled in front of 35 straight Rec Hall sell outs and has sold out 38 of its last 40 dual meets, including three of five sellouts in the near-16,000 seat Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State owns the three top all-time NCAA dual meet attendance figures for indoor venues (not outdoor stadiums): 15,996 vs. Pitt on 12/8/13; 15,983 vs. Ohio State on 2/5/16 and 15,967 vs. Iowa on 2/8/15. Penn State hosted Lehigh in the BJC this year in front of 15,424 fans, the sixth largest indoor attendance total in NCAA history.
RETHERFORD WITH TWO FALLS IN FINAL HOME WEEKEND
Junior Zain Retherford notched two thrilling pins in Penn State's final two home duals of the year. Retherford pinned #19 Eric Barone of Illinois at the 4:09 mark on 2/10 and then got a fall over Maryland's Adam Whitesell at 3:17 on 2/12. The falls were Retherford's 12th and 13th of the year at that point.
LIONS DAZZLE WITH 5 STRAIGHT PINS IN MARYLAND WIN
The Nittany Lions dazzled a sellout crowd in their home finale, notching five straight pins in a 45-6 victory over visiting Maryland on 2/12. Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165), Mark Hall (174) and Bo Nickal (184) each got falls to lead the Nittany Lions. The five falls is the most for Penn State since picking up five vs. Rider on 2/17/13 (Nico Megaludis, Bryan Pearsall, David Taylor, Matt Brown and Ed Ruth).
PENN STATE USES FIVE RANKED WINS TO DOWN #11 ILLINOIS
Penn State dominated #11 Illinois, rolling to a 34-7 victory in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions used five ranked wins to roll to victory. Zain Retherford pinned #19 Eric Barone at 149, Jason Nolf teched #12 Kyle Langenderfer at 157, Mark Hall teched #12 Zac Brunson at 174, Bo Nickal majored #12 Emery Parker at 184 and Nick Nevills decisioned #15 Brooks Black at 285.
BISONO WINS MESSIAH OPEN TITLE
Red-shirt freshman Francisco Bisono won the Messiah Open title today, one of three Nittany Lions to place at the event. Penn State had a number of wrestlers in action both attached and unattached at two open tournaments, Messiah and the Edinboro Open. Bisono went 4-0 to win the 174-pound title. He was joined as a placer by true freshmen Brian Friery, who went 4-2 with two pins and a major to take fourth at 141; and true freshman Luke Gardner, who went 3-2 with a technical fall to take fourth at 149. True freshman heavyweight Alex Nicholas went 3-2.
NICKAL DOMINATES MARTIN IN WIN AT OHIO STATE; ONE OF FOUR LIONS WITH RANKED WINS IN ROAD VICTORY
Sophomore Bo Nickal controlled #10 Myles Martin of Ohio State from start to finish, posting three takedowns on his way to an 8-2 victory in Columbus on 2/3. Nickal was one of four Nittany Lions to pick up win versus ranked opponents in Penn State's 32-12 victory over #3 Ohio State. Nick Suriano teched #18 Jose Rodriguez 19-4 at 125, Jimmy Gulibon downed #15 Luke Pletcher at 141 and Zain Retherford teched #5 Micah Jordan 20-5 at 149.
RETHERFORD TECHS #5 JORDAN OF OHIO STATE
Junior Zain Retherford rolled over #5 Micah Jordan of Ohio State, posting a 20-5 tech fall with 1:20 in riding time in Penn State's 32-12 win at Columbus on 2/3. Retherford's victory was one of seven for the Nittany Lions in the lopsided dual win.
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), at #13 Wisconsin (a 33-11 win) and at #3 Ohio State (a 32-12 win) 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.
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 Carton 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.
HALL SOUTHERN SCUFFLE CHAMP; 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.
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
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.