Jan. 17, 2018
WR Notes: 2017-18 PUR/MD I VIDEO: New Nittany Lions Shaping Roster
TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State (7-0, 3-0 B1G) will take part in a `split' Big Ten weekend, hosting Purdue (5-3, 0-2 B1G) on Friday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall and then visiting Maryland (5-7, 0-6 B1G) on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 4 p.m. Head coach Cael Sanderson and his squad head into the weekend riding a 38-dual win streak.
Penn State is coming off successful swing through the state of Michigan last weekend, winning 16 of 20 bouts while dominating No. 4 Michigan 25-12 and Michigan State 48-3. Continuing to impress offensively, Penn State is 57-13 in dual meets this season, with 41 of those victories coming with bonus points (20 pins, one forfeit, seven tech falls and 13 majors).
The Nittany Lions have eight ranked wrestlers in a talented line-up. Senior Zain Retherford is ranked No. 1 at 149 and is 16-0, sophomore Jason Nolf is 16-0 and No. 1 at 157, Vincenzo Joseph is 11-0 and No. 1 at 165, Bo Nickal is 16-0 and No. 1 at 184, Mark Hall is 17-0 and No. 2 at 174, Nick Lee is 16-3 and No. 7 at 141, Nick Nevills is 16-3 and No. 8 at 285 and Shakur Rasheed is 13-2 and No. 10 at 197. Anthony Cassar is also 13-2 at 197, senior Corey Keener is 10-3 at 133 and red-shirt freshman Devin Schnupp is 1-11 at 125.
Purdue comes in to Friday's dual with a 5-3 overall record, 0-2 in Big Ten dual meets. The Boilermakers have lost close duals to Michigan and Minnesota. Head coach Tony Ersland's team is being led by a trio of ranked grapplers. Senior Luke Welch is 20-4 and ranked No. 12 at 125, sophomore Dylan Lydy is 23-8 and No. 12 at 174 and freshman Shawn Streck is 21-9 and ranked No. 15 at 285. Purdue also features junior Ben Thornton, who is 19-7 at 133; sophomore Nate Limmex, who is 18-9 at 141; and senior Jacob Morrissey, who is 16-11 at 165.
Maryland will enter Sunday's dual with a 5-7 record, 0-6 in Big Ten action. The Terrapins are coached by former Nittany Lion national champion Kerry McCoy. Maryland is coming off a 2-0 dual weekend, picking up wins over Brown and Harvard. The Terrapins are led by junior Youssif Hemida, who is 20-1 and ranked No. 6 at 285. Junior Ryan Diehl is 8-7 at 141 and classmate Alfred Bannister is 15-5 at 149.
Penn State leads the all-time series with Purdue, owning a 14-1-1 mark. The Nittany Lions have won four straight, including a 42-3 win at Purdue on 1/8/16. Penn State won the last meeting in Rec Hall, a 26-9 victory on 1/18/15. The Nittany Lions own a 40-2-2 lead over Maryland as well. Penn State has won 25 straight over the Terrapins, including a 45-6 win on 2/12/17 in Rec Hall and a 383-3 win at Maryland on 12/11/14.
Penn State will embark upon a second straight Big Ten `split' weekend when it hosts Minnesota on Friday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. in a BTN national telecast and then visits Rutgers on Sunday, Jan. 28, at 2 p.m. in another BTN national dual. With all home dual meets sold out, a limited number of Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets are available to select Rec Hall duals based on availability. Call 1-800-NITTANY for information or to purchase tickets.
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.
#2 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (7-0, 3-0 B1G)
125 Devin Schnupp Fr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick / 1-11
133 Corey Keener Sr. Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain / 10-3
141 #7 Nick Lee Fr. Evansville, Ind./Homeschool / 16-3
Jered Cortez Jr. Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North / 11-1
149 #1 Zain Retherford Sr. Benton, Pa./Benton / 16-0
157 #1 Jason Nolf Jr. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning / 16-0
165 #1 Vincenzo Joseph So. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic / 11-0
174 #2 Mark Hall So. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley / 17-0
184 #1 Bo Nickal Jr. Allen, Texas/Allen / 16-0
197 Anthony Cassar So. Rocky Hill, N.J./Montgomery / 13-2
#10 Shakur Rasheed Jr. Coram, N.Y./Longwood / 13-2
Matt McCutcheon Sr. Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area / 5-3
285 #8 Nick Nevills Jr. Clovis, Calif./Clovis / 16-3
PURDUE BOILERMAKERS (5-3, 0-2 B1G)
125 #12 Luke Welch Sr. Newburgh, Ind./Castle / 20-4
133 Ben Thornton Jr. Stoddard, Wis./La Crosse Central / 19-7
141 Nate Limmex So. Ada, Mich./Grand Rapids Catholic Central / 18-9
149 Austin Nash So. Florham Park, N.J./Hanover Park / 4-12
OR Koby Reyes Jr. Billings, Mont./Billings West / 4-13
157 Griffin Parriott Fr. New Prague, Minn./New Prague / 11-9
OR Cole Wysocki So. Edwardsville, Ill./Triad / 12-10
165 Jacob Morrissey Sr. Oconto Falls, Wis./Oconto Falls / 16-11
174 #12 Dylan Lydy So. Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis / 23-8
184 Max Lyon Fr. Dyersville, Iowa/Western Dubuque / 11-9
197 Christian Brunner So. East Dundee, Ill./Dundee-Crown / 16-5
OR Kobe Woods Fr. Mishawaka, Ind./Penn / 4-3
285 #15 Shawn Streck Fr. Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville / 21-9
MARYLAND TERRAPINS (5-7, 0-6 B1G)
125 Brandon Cray Fr. Steinert, N.J./Steinert / 9-10
133 Danny Bertoni Fr. Jefferson, Md./Middletown / 4-8
141 Ryan Diehl Jr. Berkeley Springs, W.V./Liberty Univ. / 8-7
149 Alfred Bannister Jr. La Plata, Md./Bishop McNamara / 15-5
157 Justin Alexander Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic / 4-7
165 Brendan Burnham So. Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland / 10-12
174 Josh Ugalde So. Bound Brook N.J./Bound Brook / 7-8
184 Nico Cappello Fr. Cranford, N.J./Cranford / 1-14
197 Mansur Abdul-Malik Fr. Laurel, Md./Wyoming Seminary / 0-5
285 #6 Youssif Hemida Jr. Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck / 20-1
Individual rankings InterMat, team ranking InterMat TPI
(Tournament Power Index, 1/16/18)
THIS WEEK
Penn State (7-0, 3-0 B1G) will have a Big Ten `split' weekend next weekend when it hosts Purdue (5-3, 0-2 B1G) on Friday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. and visits Maryland (5-7, 0-6 B1G) on Sunday, Jan. 21, for a 4 p.m. match-up.
UP NEXT
Penn State will take part in a second straight `split' weekend, hosting No. 15 Minnesota on Friday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. in a BTN national telecast. The Lions then visit No. 14 Rutgers on Sunday, at 2 p.m., in another BTN national telecast.
ON THE AIR
TV - None
Live Web Video - btn2go (click here)
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 (click here)
NOTES
JOSEPH NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK (1/16)
Sophomore Vincenzo Joseph was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (co-, sharing the honor with Ohio State's Nathan Tomasello) for the week ending Jan. 14. Joseph grabbed Penn State's first weekly honor of the year by majoring #5 Logan Massa 12-3 and pinning Michigan State's Austin Hiles.
NITTANY LIONS WIN 9 AT MICHIGAN STATE, ALL FOR BONUS
The Penn State Nittany Lions routed homestanding Michigan State on 1/14, winning nine of ten bouts. All nine of Penn State victories were for bonus points, including a dual season-high five pins (tying the five vs. Army on 11/9 to open the season). True freshman Nick Lee capped off his season opening dual weekend with a resounding 16-1 tech fall over #20 Javier Gasca of Michigan State at 141. Mark Hall posted a tech fall at 174 while Corey Keener (133) and Anthony Cassar (197) posted majors. Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Bo Nickal and Nick Nevills all recorded falls as Penn State rolled to the 48-3 victory.
Nick Lee'S DUAL DEBUT LEADS LIONS OVER MICHIGAN
True freshman Nick Lee made his Nittany Lion dual meet debut in Penn State's 25-12 win at #4 Michigan on 1/12. Lee took care of UM's Sal Profaci Sal Profaci at 141, one of seven Penn State wins in the lopsided victory. Joining Lee with big wins for Penn State were Zain Retherford at 149, Jason Nolf over #5 Alec Pantaleo at 157, Vincenzo Joseph with a dominant 12-3 major over #5 Logan Massa at 165, Mark Hall with a win over #6 Myles Amine at 174, Bo Nickal with a victory over #5 Domenic Abounader at 184 and Shakur Rasheed with a big 7-1 win over #11 Kevin Beazley at 197.
JOSEPH, RASHEED TOP LIST OF 5 RANKED WINS AT UM
Sophomore Vincenzo Joseph and junior Shakur Rasheed each posted lopsided wins over highly ranked opponents in Penn State's 25-12 win at Michigan on 1/12. Joseph dominated #5 Logan Massa at 165, rolling to a 12-3 major while Rasheed ran away from #11 Kevin Beazley at 197 with a 7-1 win. Joining the duo with ranked victories were Jason Nolf (a 6-4 win over #5 Alec Pantaleo at 157), Mark Hall (a 6-5 win over #6 Myles Amine at 174) and Bo Nickal (a 5-2 win over #5 Domenic Abounader at 184).
PENN STATE'S DUAL MEET BONUS BONANZA
Penn State's hot start to the season, 7-0 in duals and winners of both the Keystone Classic and Southern Scuffle, comes on the shoulders of a bonus point bonanza. Penn State is 57-13 in its seven duals, with 41 of those wins coming via bonus (20 pins, 1 forfeit, 7 tech falls and 13 majors).
PENN STATE'S PIN PARADE
The race for the Penn State pin crown has gotten off to a fast start and the title is official up for grabs. Jason Nolf (157) is 16-0 on the year with 13 pins; Zain Retherford (149) is 16-0 with 13 pins; Bo Nickal (184) is 16-0 with nine pins; Shakur Rasheed (197) is 13-2 with nine pins and Mark Hall (174) is 17-0 with seven pins.
BO'S FAST FALLS
Okay, so Bo Nickal's fast falls are, well, fast. Nickal is 16-0 on the year with nine pins. Six of them have come in under sixty seconds. That's quick, or fast, or both. His fast falls have come in 0:26, 0:53, 0:38, 0:48 (over #16 Mitch Sliga of Northwestern), 0:42 and 0:56.
LIONS CROWN SIX CHAMPS, WIN 7TH SCUFFLE TITLE
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team rolled through the field at the 2018 Southern Scuffle, crowning six champions to win its seventh team title in as many trips. Penn State had won six straight before not competing in last year's event. Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165), Mark Hall (174), Bo Nickal (184) and Shakur Rasheed (197) all won individual championships. True freshman Nick Lee, wrestling unattached, was took second at 141 and Anthony Cassar was third at 197. Nick Nevills was fourth at 285 as well. The Lions were first with 197.0 points. Penn State posted a 56-19 overall record at the event, with nearly 40 percent of the wins coming by fall (22). Penn State had 22 pins, four techs, 12 majors and three forfeit victories, meaning all but 15 of Penn State's wins were for bonus.
RASHEED, NOLF GRAB INDIVIDUAL HONORS AT SCUFFLE
Junior Shakur Rasheed, unseeded at 197, was named the 2018 Southern Scuffle Outstanding Wrestler after rolling to the title at his weight. Rasheed went 5-0 with wins over three ranked foes to win the championship. He opened his run with two majors and then hammered home three straight pins (all in under 1:00 time) to win the crown. Nolf won the tournament's Most Falls/Least Time award with four pins in just 10:51.
BLUMER TAKES FOURTH AT WILKES
True freshman Joey Blumer went 3-2 to take fourth place at the Wilkes Open in late December. Blumer picked up a major and a tech at 141. Brian Friery also competed, picking up a pin at 157.
LIONS DOMINATE INDIANA 44-3 IN BIG TEN OPENER
Junior Jered Cortez posted a 6-5 win over No. 12 Cole Weaver at 141 pounds and the Penn State Nittany Lions added eight more wins, all by bonus, to roll over the visiting Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten dual opener for Penn State. In front of another sold out Rec Hall crowd, Penn State got the win from Cortez; majors from Corey Keener (133), Anthony Cassar (197) and Nick Nevills (285); a tech fall from Mark Hall (174); a forfeit win for Vincenzo Joseph (165); and pins from Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157) and Bo Nickal (184).
NEVILLS CAPS OFF COMEBACK WIN OVER #7 LEHIGH
Junior All-American Nick Nevills clinched Penn State's 23-19 come-from-behind win over homestanding Lehigh with a third period rideout of No. 14 Jordan Wood to post a 2-0 win. With Penn State leading 20-19 at the time, Nevills' victory helped Penn State finish off a road comeback in front of nearly 10,000 fans in the sold out PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. Nevills used a second period escape and 1:48 in riding time thanks to a full third period rideout of Wood to clinch the victory. Penn State, wrestling with two nationally ranked starters out, had trailed 15-0 after three bouts and 19-11 heading into the final four matches.
NOLF PINS HIS WAY THROUGH FIRST SEVEN BOUTS
Jason Nolf had a pretty solid start to the 2017-18 season. The junior 157-pounder began his season with seven straight pins. He won the Keystone Classic on 11/19 with four pins and went 3-0 in Penn State's first four duals with pins. The pin streak ended when we won by tech fall over Lehigh's Ian Brown (23-8, 6:40) on 12/3 at Lehigh.
Nick Lee WINS MAT-TOWN OPEN
True freshman Nick Lee, wrestling unattached at Lock Haven, won the Mat-Town Open title on Sunday, 11/26, at 141 pounds. Lee went 4-0 with two pins, a tech and a major to win the crown. Red-shirt freshman Patrick Higgins also competed, going 2-2 with a tech fall to finish fourth at 133 as well.
LIONS ROLL TO KEYSTONE CLASSIC TITLE
Penn State rolled to its second straight Keystone Classic title on 11/19. The Nittany Lions posted a perfect 7-0 mark in the finals and won the team crown with 190.5 points, ahead of second place Northwestern's 156.5. Penn State's title winners were: Jered Cortez (141), Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Mark Hall (174), Bo Nickal (184), Anthony Cassar (197) and Nick Nevills (285).
LIONS GRAB ROAD WIN AT BINGHAMTON
Penn State picked up its first road win of the season, winning at Binghamton 40-2 on 11/17. The Lions won nine of ten bouts, including Bo Nickal's 15-6 major over #14 Steven Schneider and three pins (Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf and Mark Hall).
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 Jarod 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, is currently ranked No. 2 on InterMat's Tournament Power Index (TPI) and No. 1 in its dual meet rankings (as of 1/9/19). Eight Nittany Lions are listed in InterMat's pre-season weight-by-weight rankings as well. Nick Lee is No. 7 at 141, 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, Shakur Rasheed is No. 10 at 197 and Nick Nevills No. 8 at 285.