Jan. 24, 2018
WR Notes: 2017-18 MINRU I VIDEO: Nevills Continues Climb Toward the Top
TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State (9-0, 5-0 B1G) Nittany Lion wrestlers will venture through another Big Ten `split' weekend this week that will air to a BTN national audience. The Lions host No. 16 Minnesota (7-5, 2-2 B1G) on Friday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall and then visit No. 13 Rutgers (5-4, 1-3 B1G) on Sunday, Jan. 28, at 2 p.m. Both duals will air live on the BTN.
Penn State is coming off a `fall' weekend, downing Purdue last Friday and winning at Maryland last Sunday by a combined score of 90-9. Penn State won 18 of 20 bouts with 10 of those 18 victories coming by `fall'. The Nittany Lions had four pins vs. Purdue (Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Bo Nickal and Shakur Rasheed) and a season-high six at Maryland just two days later (Corey Keener, Retherford, Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Nickal). The Lions won 43-6 against Purdue and 47-3 at Maryland.
The Nittany Lions are being led by a powerful line-up including eight ranked wrestlers. True freshman Nick Lee is 18-3 and ranked No. 7 at 141, senior Zain Retherford is 18-0 and No. 1 at 149, junior Jason Nolf is 18-0 and No. 1 at 157, sophomore Vincenzo Joseph is 13-0 and No. 1 at 165, sophomore Mark Hall is 19-0 and No. 2 at 174, junior Bo Nickal is 18-0 and No. 1 at 184, junior Shakur Rasheed is 14-2 and No. 10 at 197 and junior Nick Nevills is 18-3 and No. 6 at 285. Sophomore Anthony Cassar is 14-2 at 197 and has been ranked as well while senior Corey Keener is 12-3 at 133, also having been ranked at 133 during the year. Red-shirt freshman Devin Schnupp has been getting the nod at 125 for head coach Cael Sanderson's squad.
Minnesota will enter the weekend with a 7-5 mark, 2-2 in the Big Ten. The Gophers feature a talented line-up as well, with seven ranked opponents. There could be as many as five bouts featuring ranked wrestlers in the match-up: Lee vs. No. 10 Tommy Thorn at 141, Retherford vs. #20 Steve Bleisse at 149, Nolf vs. No. 18 Jake Short at 157, Joseph vs. No. 7 Nick Wanzek at 165 and Nickal vs. No. 19 Owen Webster at 184. Nittany Lion senior Keener will match-up with No. 12 Mitch McKee at 133 in another key bout.
Rutgers will head into Sunday's dual with a 5-4 mark, 1-3 in Big Ten action. Rutgers features a strong line-up as well, with six ranked individuals. This dual meet could include as many as four bouts pitting ranked opponents against each other: Retherford could take on No. 13 Eleazar DeLuca at 149, Nolf could meet No. 17 John Van Brill at 157, Joseph could tangle with No. 11 Richie Lewis at 165 and Nickal could take on No. 12 Nicholas Gravina at 184.
Minnesota leads the all-time series with Penn State 15-7-1. The Nittany Lions won 33-6 last season at Minnesota on 1/6/17. The Gophers won the last meeting in Rec Hall, a 17-16 win, on 1/25/15. Penn State owns a 19-0 lead in the all-time series with Rutgers including a 37-6 victory in Rec Hall last season on 1/13/17. Penn State won 28-6 in The RAC on 1/16/15 as well.
The Nittany Lions will host Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 6 or 8 p.m. in Rec Hall. The dual will air live nationally on the BTN and the start time will be determined soon. 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 (9-0, 5-0 B1G)
125 Devin Schnupp Fr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick / 1-12
133 Corey Keener Sr. Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain / 12-3
141 #7 Nick Lee Fr. Evansville, Ind./Homeschool / 18-3
Jered Cortez Jr. Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North / 11-1
149 #1 Zain Retherford Sr. Benton, Pa./Benton / 18-0
157 #1 Jason Nolf Jr. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning / 18-0
165 #1 Vincenzo Joseph So. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic / 13-0
174 #2 Mark Hall So. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley / 19-0
184 #1 Bo Nickal Jr. Allen, Texas/Allen / 18-0
197 Anthony Cassar So. Rocky Hill, N.J./Montgomery / 14-2
#10 Shakur Rasheed Jr. Coram, N.Y./Longwood / 14-2
Matt McCutcheon Sr. Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area / 5-3
285 #6 Nick Nevills Jr. Clovis, Calif./Clovis / 18-3
#16 MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (7-5, 2-2 B1G)
125 #6 Ethan Lizak Jr. Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland v18-3
133 #12 Mitch McKee So. St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville / 9-4
141 #10 Tommy Thorn Jr. St. Michale, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville / 17-6
149 #20 Steve Bleise Jr. Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea / 15-5
157 #18 Jake Short Sr. Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley / 9-7
165 #7 Nick Wanzek Sr. Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley / 18-3
174 Chris Pfarr Sr. Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson / 12-7
184 #19 Owen Webster So. Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee / 8-3
OR Dylan Anderson Fr. Hudson, Wis./Hudson / 21-9
197 Bobby Steveson So. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley / 4-9
OR Brandon Krone Jr. Anoka, Minn./Anoka / 5-3
285 Rylee Streifel So. Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake / 8-8
#13 RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (5-4, 1-3 B1G)
125 #1 Nick Suriano So. Paramus, N.J./Bergen Catholic / 18-0
133 #19 Scott Delvecchio Sr. South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield / 13-3
141 Michael Van Brill Fr. Mullica Hill, N.J./Clearview / 11-7
149 #13 Eleazar DeLuca Sr. Talent, Ore./No. Colorado / 8-6
157 #17 John Van Brill Jr. Mullica Hill, N.J./Clearview / 10-6
165 #11 Richie Lewis Sr. Toms River, N.J./Toms River East / 10-2
174 Jordan Pagano Jr. South Brunswick, N.J./Bergen Catholic / 13-8
OR Joe Grello Fr. Newtown, N.JU./Bergen Catholic / 11-5
184 #12 Nicholas Gravina Sr. Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands / 10-4
197 Kevin Mulligan Fr. Blauvelt, N.Y./Bergen Catholic / 9-9
285 Razohnn Gross Sr. Franklin Park, N.J./Don Bosco Prep / 12-9
Individual rankings InterMat, team ranking InterMat TPI
(Tournament Power Index, 1/23/18)
THIS WEEK
The Penn State (9-0, 5-0 B1G) Nittany Lion wrestlers will venture through another Big Ten `split' weekend this week that will air to a BTN national audience. The Lions host No. 16 Minnesota (7-5, 2-2 B1G) on Friday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall and then visit No. 13 Rutgers (5-4, 1-3 B1G) on Sunday, Jan. 28, at 2 p.m. Both duals will air live on the BTN.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will host Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 6 or 8 p.m. in Rec Hall. The dual will air live nationally on the BTN and the start time will be determined soon.
ON THE AIR
TV - BTN national / both duals
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 Lionvision ( http://www.gopsusports.com/collegesportslive/ ).
NOTES
NEVILLS B1G WEEKEND VS. PURDUE AND MARYLAND
Junior heavyweight Nick Nevills rolled through two ranked Big Ten foes this week, helping to keep Penn State unbeaten on the year. Nevills notched the bout's only takedown in a 4-2 win over #15 Shawn Streck of Purdue on Friday 1/19, including 1:24 in riding time. He then dominated #6 Youssif Hemida of Maryland on the road, posting a 4-1 win with 2:20 in riding time on Sunday 1/21.
PENN STATE WITH A `FALL' WEEKEND IN JANUARY
Penn State rolled through a `fall' weekend in the middle of January's winter chill, downing Purdue on 1/19 and winning at Maryland on 1/21 by a combined score of 90-9. Penn State won 18 of 20 bouts with 10 of those 18 victories coming by `fall'. The Nittany Lions had four pins vs. Purdue (Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Bo Nickal and Shakur Rasheed) and a season-high six at Maryland just two days later (Corey Keener, Retherford, Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Nickal).
NITTANY LIONS ROLL PURDUE
Penn State won all nine contested bouts vs. Purdue on 1/19, dropping only a forfeit at 125 with every Lion 125-pounder out with an illness. The Lions got pins from Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Bo Nickal and Shakur Rasheed and majors from Nick Lee and Mark Hall in the 43-6 victory. Corey Keener had a win at 133, Nick Nevills downed #15 Shawn Streck at 285 as well, and Hall's major was over #12 Dylan Lydy at 174.
SEASON-HIGH 6 PINS V. MARYLAND, INCLUDING 5 STRAIGHT
Penn State won nine of 10 bouts at Maryland on 1/21 in a 47-3 victory over the Terrapins. The Nittany Lions got a season-high six falls from Corey Keener, Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Bo Nickal in the win (the last five coming in a row). In addition, Nick Nevills downed #6 Youssif Hemida in the final bout, using a third period ride-out to roll to a 4-1 win with 2:20 in riding time.
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, 9-0 in duals and winners of both the Keystone Classic and Southern Scuffle, comes on the shoulders of a bonus point bonanza. Penn State is 75-15 in its nine duals, with 56 of those wins coming via bonus (30 pins, 1 forfeit, 8 tech falls and 17 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 18-0 on the year with 15 pins; Zain Retherford (149) is 18-0 with 15 pins; Bo Nickal (184) is 18-0 with 11 pins; Shakur Rasheed (197) is 14-2 with 10 pins and Mark Hall (174) is 19-0 with eight pins.
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 1/23/19). 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. 6 at 285.