Nov. 15, 2017
Notes: Binghamton/Keystone I VIDEO: Nolf Focused on Improvement
TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 1 on InterMat's Tournament Power Index (TPI), hits the road this weekend for a dual meet and a team-scored tournament in Philadelphia. The Lions visit Binghamton (0-0) on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. for a dual with the Bearcats. Penn State then treks to Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania for the Keystone Classic on Sunday, Nov. 19. The dual at Binghamton will be streamed on ESPN3.
Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad is coming off 2-0 Rec Hall weekend, with wins over Army West Point (45-3) and Bucknell (36-6). The Nittany Lions tallied seven pins in their 20 matches, including five in the dual victory over Army West Point. Junior Jason Nolf led the charge, going 2-0 with two falls.
Penn State will send redshirt freshman Devin Schnupp into action at 125. Schnupp made his collegiate dual debuts last weekend and dropped two very close matches. No. 15 Corey Keener went 2-0 at 133 in his Penn State debuts, including a pin and a major. Junior Jered Cortez is 2-0 at 141. Top-ranked Zain Retherford is 2-0 at 149 with a pin and a tech fall while No. 1 Nolf is 2-0 at 157 with the two pins.
Top-ranked Vincenzo Joseph is 2-0 at 165 with a major and a tech while second-ranked Mark Hall is 2-0 with a pin and a tech. No. 1 Bo Nickal is 2-0 at 184 with a pin and a major while sophomore Anthony Cassar, unranked by InterMat and ranked No. 18 by TrackWrestling, is 1-1 at 197. Junior Nick Nevills, ranked No. 3 at 285, is 2-0 with a pin.
Penn State will take its ten dual starters as well as ten other individuals for Sunday's Keystone Classic as each team can enter up to 20 individuals in the tournament. The final list of Penn State's additional competitors at The Palestra is to be determined.
Binghamton will be making its season dual debut Friday night, having wrestled in open tournaments to date. The Bearcats are led by senior Steven Schneider, who is ranked No. 14 at 184. The Bearcats could feature a veteran line-up that includes eight upperclassmen, including junior Vincent DePrez at 165 and senior Jacob Nicholson at 133. Penn State owns a 2-0 lead in the all-time series with Binghamton, including last year's 46-0 victory in Rec Hall on 12/11/16. Penn State won 36-8 at Binghamton back on 11/23/08 as well.
This will be Penn State's second straight trip to Penn's Keystone Classic. The Nittany Lions won the team title last year with 245.0 points. Penn State crowned a number of individual champions, including Zain Retherford at 149, Jason Nolf at 157, Vincenzo Joseph at 165, Shakur Rasheed at 174, Bo Nickal at 184, Matt McCutcheon at 197 and Nick Nevills at 285. Other teams scheduled to take part in the team-scored tournament are Penn, Appalachian State, Drexel, Eastern Michigan, Franklin & Marshall, Harvard, Northwestern, Rider, Sacred Heart and VMI.
Penn State will visit Lehigh on Sunday, Dec. 3, for a 2 p.m. dual in Lancaster's PPL Center in its next action. The next time the Nittany Lions grapple in Rec Hall will be on Sunday, Dec. 17, when the Indiana Hoosiers come to down for Penn State's Big Ten dual opener.
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 2017-18 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (2-0, 0-0 B1G)
125 Devin Schnupp Fr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick / 0-2
133 #15 Corey Keener Sr. Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain / 2-0
141 Jered Cortez Jr. Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North / 2-0
149 #1 Zain Retherford Sr. Benton, Pa./Benton / 2-0
157 #1 Jason Nolf Jr. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning / 2-0
165 #1 Vincenzo Joseph So. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic / 2-0
174 #2 Mark Hall So. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley / 2-0
184 #1 Bo Nickal Jr. Allen, Texas/Allen / 2-0
197 Anthony Cassar So. Rocky Hill, N.J./Montgomery / 1-1
#4 Matt McCutcheon Sr. Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area / 0-0
285 #3 Nick Nevills Jr. Clovis, Calif./Clovis / 2-0
BINGHAMTON BEARCATS (0-0)
125 Steven Bulzomi Jr. Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot
133 Jacob Nicholson Sr. Waterloo, N.Y./Waterloo
141 Joe Russ Jr. Smithtown, N.Y./St. Anthony's
149 Frankie Garcia So. Norwich, N.Y./Norwich
157 Tristan Rifanburg So. Norwich, N.Y./Norwich
165 Vincent DePrez Jr. Hilton, N.Y./Hilton
174 Anthony Lombardo Jr. Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic
184 #14 Steven Schneider Sr. Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur
197 Mark Tracy Jr. Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East
285 Connor Calkins Jr. Almond, N.Y./Aldred-Almond
KEYSTONE CLASSIC, at PENN, Philadelphia, Pa.
TEAMS COMPETING (as of Nov. 1, 2017)
Penn
Appalachian State
Drexel
Eastern Michigan
Franklin & Marshall
Harvard
Northwestern
PENN STATE
Rider
Sacred Heart
VMI
Individual rankings are InterMat, team ranking is InterMat TPI
(Tournament Power Index) as of 11/14/17)
THIS WEEK
No. 1 Penn State (2-0, 0-0 B1G) hits the road this weekend for a dual meet and a team-scored tournament in Philadelphia. The Lions visit Binghamton (0-0) on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. for a dual with the Bearcats. Penn State then treks to Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania for the Keystone Classic on Sunday, Nov. 19.
UP NEXT
Penn State will visit Lehigh on Sunday, Dec. 3, for a 2 p.m. dual in Lancaster's PPL Center.
ON THE AIR
TV - None
Live Web Video - at Binghamton live on ESPN3
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 Lionvision ( http://www.gopsusports.com/collegesportslive/ ).
NOTES
PENN STATE DOMINATES BUCKNELL 36-6
The Nittany Lions won eight of ten bouts in a lopsided 36-6 victory over visiting Bucknell on 11/12. Penn State picked up pins from Jason Nolf and Zain Retherford, tech falls from Vincenzo Joseph and Mark Hall and majors from Corey Keener and Bo Nickal.
LIONS NOTCH 5 PINS IN WIN OVER ARMY WEST POINT
Penn State opened up its 2017-18 season with a resounding 45-3 win over visiting Army West Point on 11/9. The Nittany Lions rode five pins to the victory. Senior Corey Keener made his Penn State debut with a pin at 133, Jason Nolf had a fall at 157, Mark Hall pinned #19 Ben Harvey at 174, Bo Nickal picked up a pin in 0:26 at 184 and Nick Nevills had a pin at 125. The five pins in one dual is the most by a Nittany Lion team since pinning five Maryland Terrapins last year on Feb. 12, 2017.
VERKLEEREN WINS BEARCAT OPEN CROWN
True freshman Jerod Verkleeren competed unattached at 149 and rolled through the field for the 149-pound title at the Bearcat Open in Binghamton on 11/12. The Greensburg native went 5-0 in his first open tournament as a collegian to lead Penn State, which had six of its 13 entrants place. Verkleeren had two tech falls. True freshman Nick Lee went 3-1 with two tech falls and a major to place third at 141. Junior Shakur Rasheed went 3-1 with three pins to take fourth place at 197. Junior Devon Van Cura wrestled at 184 and posted a 5-1 record with a major to place fifth. Sophomore Dominic Giannangeli wrestled at 133 and posted a 5-1 mark as well to finish fifth.
Brady Berge LEADS LIONS AT PRINCETON OPEN
True freshman Brady Berge, wrestling unattached at 157, had a strong debut wrestling at the collegiate level to pace Penn State at the Princeton Open on 11/4. The true freshman, redshirting this season, advanced to the semifinals with two major decisions before dropping a match. He rebounded from that loss to win twice including in the consolation finals, placing third at his first tournament. Berge went 4-1 with two majors.
LEE AND RASHEED STRONG AT CLARION OPEN
True freshman Nick Lee competed unattached at 141 in his first open tournament as a Penn Stater and led the Lions at the Clarion Open on 11/5. Lee was impressive, advancing all the way to the finals. Lee went 4-1 on the day with three dominating tech falls and a major. He dropped a hard-fought 6-4 decision to No. 10 Brock Zacherl of Clarion in the finals. Junior Shakur Rasheed, wrestling at 197, went 4-1 with three pins and a tech fall. The Lion junior placed third, winning the consolation finals with a pin in just 0:39. Redshirt freshman Bo Pipher wrestled at 149. Pipher posted a 3-2 mark, with all three wins coming by fall. Junior George Carpenter competed at 133 and posted a solid 4-2 mark including four straight wins in consolation action.
NEVILLS AND HALL COMPETE AT NWCA EXHIBITION
Penn State All-Americans Mark Hall and Nick Nevills competed in the 2017 NWCA All-Star Classic on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. The exhibition took place at Princeton University. The results from the NWCA All-Star Classic do not count as official wins or losses. Nevills, a 2017 All-American at 285 after placing fifth last year, battled Tanner Hall, also an All-American from Arizona State who placed third last season. Nevills posted a 2-0 win with riding time. Lion sophomore Hall, the 2017 NCAA Champion at 174 as a true freshman, took on Arizona State All-American Zahid Valencia, who finished third last year at nationals. Valencia notched a takedown with just :18 left to grab the 3-2 win. The results are not official wins or losses as the event was an exhibition.
8 LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT
The Penn State wrestling team, winner of six of the last seven NCAA titles, will enter the season ranked No. 1 in the nation in InterMat's preseason Tournament Power Index (TPI). Eight Nittany Lions are listed in InterMat's pre-season weight-by-weight rankings as well. Corey Keener is ranked No. 15 at 133, Zain Retherford No. 1 at 149, Jason Nolf No. 1 at 157, Vincenzo Joseph No. 1 at 165, Mark Hall No. 2 at 174, Bo Nickal No. 1 at 184, Matt McCutcheon No. 4 at 197 and Nick Nevills No. 3 at 285.
CAEL TO SPEAK AT BLAIR COUNTY SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Nittany Lion head coach Cael Sanderson will serve as the guest speaker at the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony on Saturday, April 7, 2018. The event will take place at the Blair County Convention Center. Advance orders for tickets, priced at $75 (or $750 for a table of 10) before Dec. 31 and $85 ($850 for a table of 10) after Dec. 31, are currently being accepted. Checks can be made payable to the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 162, Altoona, Pa., 16603. Tickets can be purchased online at the HOF's website at www.blaircountysportshof.com. For more information contact Kathy Millward at 814-312-0151. Former guest speakers at the prestigious event include Joe Paterno (1987), James Franklin (2015), Terry Bradshaw, Bobby Knight, Dick Vitale, Joe Theisman, Mary Lou Retton, Bobby Bowden, Jim Boeheim, Hines Ward, Chris Fowler, Ben Rothlisberger and Jay Bilas.