Feb. 27, 2018
WR Notes: 2017-18 B1G I VIDEO: Penn State Prepares for B1G Stage
TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers (14-0, 9-0 B1G) head to East Lansing, Mich., for the 2018 Big Ten Championships on March 3-4. The event, hosted by Michigan State, will take place in the Breslin Center and begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Penn State is coming off yet another perfect regular season. The Lions shut-out Buffalo 55-0 in their dual finale on Feb. 18, capping off a 14-0 dual meet season that included a 9-0 Big Ten mark (and the outright 2018 Big Ten Regular Season crowd), yet another Southern Scuffle title and the Keystone Classic crown. Penn State has now won 45 straight dual meets dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season.
The Big Ten Championships serve as the conference's qualifier for the 2018 NCAA Championships on March 15-17 in Cleveland. The Big Ten received 80 automatic qualifiers: 10 at 125, seven at 133, eight at 141, nine at 149, eight at 157, 10 at 165, seven at 174, eight at 184, six at 197 and seven at 285.
Penn State will send a strong contingent to Michigan State, seeking its sixth Big Ten title in the last eight years. Senior transfers Carson Kuhn and Corey Keener will man 125 and 133 for the Nittany Lions, respectively. Kuhn joined the team in January and has wrestled in Penn State's final three duals, going 1-2 (with the two losses coming to two of the nation's top-ranked wrestlers). Keener has a 14-6 mark, is ranked No. 20 by the coaches and has an RPI of No. 21. True freshman Nick Lee went 22-4 at 141, is ranked No. 8 by the coaches and has a lofty RPI of No. 4. Senior Zain Retherford heads to Big Tens 23-0 at 149, ranked No. 1 by the coaches with a No. 3 RPI and sophomore Jason Nolf is 19-1 overall at 157, with his only loss being an injury default loss in a bout he was winning at the time. Nolf is ranked No. 1 by the coaches with a No. 3 RPI.
Sophomore Vincenzo Joseph sports a 17-1 overall record at 165 and is ranked No. 3 by the coaches and as the nation's No. 1 RPI. Sophomore Mark Hall is 24-0 at 174 on the year, is ranked No. 2 by the coaches and has a No. 2 RPI. Junior Bo Nickal is 23-0 at 184 on the year, is ranked No. 1 by the coaches and has a No. 3 RPI. Junior Shakur Rasheed spots a 17-2 mark at 197, is ranked No. 5 by the coaches and has a No. 4 RPI. Junior Nick Nevills is 22-4 at 285, is ranked No. 4 by the coaches and has a No. 5 RPI.
The strength of Penn State's schedule and overall performance is highlighted by the release of the 2/22 Coaches Ranking and RPI. Seven Lions (Retherford, Nolf, Joseph, Hall, Nickal, Rasheed and Nevills) are top 5 in both Coaches ranking and RPI, an eighth (Lee) is top 5 in RPI and one (Keener) is top 33 in Coaches Ranking and RPI. The Nittany Lions have soared in the Big Ten since 2009-10 with the arrival of head coach Cael Sanderson. The team owns five Big Ten titles, five Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) titles, and has crowned 21 Big Ten individual champions. The Nittany Lions have had six Big Ten Wrestlers of the Year (including Nolf last year), four Big Ten Tournament Outstanding Wrestlers (including Retherford last year) and Sanderson has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year five times.
The 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships will take place on March 15-17 in Cleveland, Ohio. The three day event will take place in Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena and begins on Thursday, March 15, at 12 p.m.
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 (14-0, 9-0 B1G)
125 Carson Kuhn Sr. Sandy, Utah/Alta / 1-2
Coaches Rank: NR -- RPI: NR
133 Corey Keener Sr. Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain / 14-6
Coaches Rank: #20 -- RPI: #21
141 Nick Lee Fr. Evansville, Ind./Homeschool / 22-4
Coaches Rank: #8 -- RPI: #4
149 Zain Retherford Sr. Benton, Pa./Benton / 23-0
Coaches Rank: #1 -- RPI: #3
157 Jason Nolf Jr. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning / 19-1
Coaches Rank: #1 -- RPI: #3
165 Vincenzo Joseph So. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic / 17-1
Coaches Rank: #3 -- RPI: #1
174 Mark Hall So. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley / 24-0
Coaches Rank: #2 -- RPI: #2
184 Bo Nickal Jr. Allen, Texas/Allen / 23-0
Coaches Rank: #1 -- RPI: #3
197 Shakur Rasheed Jr. Coram, N.Y./Longwood / 17-2
Coaches Rank: #5 -- RPI: #4
285 Nick Nevills Jr. Clovis, Calif./Clovis / 22-4
Coaches Rank: #4-- RPI: #5
Coaches Rank and Official RPI 2/22/18
Team Ranking Final InterMat TPI, 2/20/18
THIS WEEK
No. 1 Penn State (14-0, 9-0 B1G) heads to East Lansing, Mich., for the 2018 Big Ten Championships on March 3-4. The two-day event crowns the conference's champion and serves as the NCAA qualifier for the B1G's 14 teams. Action begins on Saturday, March 3, at 10 a.m.
UP NEXT
Penn State's NCAA qualifiers will head to Cleveland, Ohio, for the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 15-17 in Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.
ON THE AIR
TV - Finals on BTN
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.
NOTES
RETHERFORD WITH A PIN IN HIS REC HALL FINALE
Retherford said goodbye to Rec Hall in fine fashion by pinning Buffalo's Nicholas Palumbo at the 4:10 mark in Penn State's record-setting 55-0 win over the visiting Bulls. Retherford's fall, his team-leading 16th this year, gives him 52 for his career, just one shy of tying Penn State's all-time record with the post-season yet to go. He improves to 23-0 on the year and went 14-0 in dual meets, ending his collegiate dual career unbeaten over four years with a 59-0 career dual meet record (35-0 in Big Ten duals).
LIONS SHUT OUT BUFFALO ON RECORD-SETTING DAY
The Penn State Nittany Lions closed out the 2017-18 dual meet season in record-setting fashion on Sunday, 2/18, shutting out Buffalo 55-0 in front of yet another sold out Rec Hall crowd. The Lions rolled up seven pins (Nick Lee, Zain Retherford, Bo Pipher, Mark Hall, Bo Nickal, Shakur Rasheed and Nick Nevills) in the victory. The 55 points is a new Penn State record for points in a dual and the seven pins ties the school record. Both marks break or tie the record set in a 54-0 win over Millersville on 1/25/83. The Lions will head into next year riding a 45-dual win streak. Penn State has wrestled in front of 41 straight Rec Hall sell-outs and 45 of 47 overall, including four of six sell-outs in the nearly-16,000 seat Bryce Jordan Center.
BUT THIS ONE GOES TO 11....
Bo Nickal stepped on to the mat for the season dual finale on 2/18 to face Buffalo's Brett Perry and walked off 11 seconds later with a pin. Nickal used one quick takedown, turn and fall to get the pin at the 0:11 mark, tying the second fastest pin in Nittany Lion history (David Taylor in 2014). Dylan Alton holds the record with an 0:08 fall in 2013.
BO'S FAST FALLS!
Junior Bo Nickal, 23-0 overall, has 14 pins among those 23 wins. Eight of those pins are fast falls (coming in under 1:00). Nickal has pins in :26, :53, :38, :48, :42, :56, :50 and :11 seconds this year. Four more of his pins have come in the first period, giving him 12 of 14 falls in the opening stanza of his matches.
RETHERFORD CLIMBING UP CAREER WINS AND DUAL MEET VICTORIES LISTS
Senior Zain Retherford now sports a 118-3 career record. A three-time All-American and two-time NCAA Champion, Retherford is now 13th on Penn State's all-time wins list with 117. He went 59-0 in dual meets during his career with his dual victories currently 5th all-time at Penn State. He wrapped up his Big Ten dual meet career with a perfect 35-0 mark with a 6-2 win over #2 Brandon Sorensen of Iowa on 2/10.
PENN STATE'S DUAL MEET BONUS BONANZA
Penn State had a dominating dual meet season to date, having gone 14-0 on the year. Penn State went 112-28 in its 14 duals, with 80 of those wins coming via bonus (41 pins, 3 forfeits, 10 tech falls and 26 majors). So yes, only 32 of Penn State's 112 dual meet wins were regular decisions.
PENN STATE'S PIN PARADE
The race for the Penn State pin crown is on fire. Zain Retherford (149) is 23-0 with 16 pins; Jason Nolf (157) is 19-1 on the year with 15 pins; Bo Nickal (184) is 23-0 with 14 pins; Shakur Rasheed (197) is 17-2 with 12 pins and Mark Hall (174) is 24-0 with 10 pins.
RETHERFORD A PERFECT 35-0 IN B1G DUALS
Junior Zain Retherford dominated #2 Brandon Sorensen of Iowa 6-2 on Feb. 10, 2018, in his final Big Ten dual meet. Retherford wrapped up is conference dual career unbeaten, going 35-0 overall for his career in Big Ten duals (8-0 in 2013-14, 9-0 in 2015-16, 9-0 in 2016-17 and 9-0 this year).
RETHERFORD TAKES CARE OF #2 SORENSEN IN BJC DUAL
Zain Retherford dominated No. 2 Brandon Sorensen of Iowa on 2/10 in a sold out Bryce Jordan Center, posting a 6-2 win over the second-ranked Hawkeye to help lead Penn State to a 28-13 victory. His win in the final Big Ten dual meet of his career allowed the Lion to end his conference dual career with an unblemished record. Retherford wrapped up is conference dual career unbeaten, going 35-0 overall for his career in Big Ten duals (8-0 in 2013-14, 9-0 in 2015-16, 9-0 in 2016-17 and 9-0 this year). Retherford's performance was just one of many dominant Penn State efforts in the team's 28-13 victory over Iowa in front of 15,998 fans in the sold out Bryce Jordan Center.
RASHEED AND NEVILLS NOTCH BIG WINS IN BJC DUAL VICTORY OVER IOWA
Juniors Shakur Rasheed and Nick Nevills capped off a dominating 28-13 dual meet win over Iowa in the Bryce Jordan Center on 2/10. Rasheed rolled over #7 Cash Wilcke at 197, dominating the Hawkeye on his way to an 11-2 major decision. Classmate Nick Nevills then sent the sellout crowd of nearly 16,000 home cheering with a 3-2 victory over #3 Sam Stoll at 285. The big men's victories were two of Penn State's seven in the Big Ten victory, helping Penn State finish off the conference season unbeaten at 9-0.
MARK AND BO SET THE TONE IN WIN OVER IOWA
Sophomore Mark Hall and junior Bo Nickal electrified a capacity crowd in the Bryce Jordan Center on 2/10, notching back-to-back `fast falls' in Penn State's 28-13 win over Iowa. Hall cradled up and pinned Hawkeye Joey Gunther at the 1:00 mark to put the Nittany Lions on top in the dual. Nickal followed suit, with a cradle of his own, pinning Mitch Bowman at the :50 mark, setting Penn State on course for a lopsided 28-13 victory over the Hawkeyes.
LIONS TAKE DOWN OHIO STATE TO CLINCH SHARE OF B1G DUAL TITLE
Penn State, wrestling without top-ranked Jason Nolf at 157, took care of business in a key Big Ten dual meet by beating visiting Ohio State in sold out Rec Hall on 2/3. The Lions roared back from a ten point halftime deficit to post a thrilling 19-18 win, clinching a share of the 2018 Big Ten Dual Meet Championship. The Lions won four of five bouts in the second half to grab the win. Penn State's victory kept it dual meet win streak alive at 43 and clinched a share of its fifth Big Ten dual crown under head coach Cael Sanderson.
CASSAR TAKES DOWN NO. 1 MOORE; NAMED B1G WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Anthony Cassar took down No. 1 Kollin Moore of Ohio State at 197 pounds, defeating the formerly unbeaten Buckeye 6-3. Cassar's victory helped spark a Nittany Lion run that led to a 19-18 victory over the visiting Buckeyes in sold out Rec Hall on 2/3. Cassar notched takedowns in the second and third periods and picked up 1:16 in riding time while not giving up a takedown to roll to the win. He improves to 16-2 on the year for Penn State. His win was one of four straight in the second half as Penn State overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to down the Buckeyes in front of nearly 7,000 fans in the 40th straight Rec Hall sellout for Penn State. Cassar was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for his efforts.
RETHERFORD, JOSEPH, HALL, NICKAL OWN BIG BUCKEYE WINS IN DUAL VICTORY
With Anthony Cassar grabbing the capstone win over No. 1 Kollin Moore in Penn State's 19-18 victory over Ohio State on 2/3, defending NCAA Champions Zain Retherford, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Bo Nickal each posted dominating wins over highly ranked foes in the victory. Retherford posted a 20-4 tech fall over No. 7 Ke-Shawn Hayes at 149; Joseph rolled over #14 Te-Shawn Campbell, notching a 12-3 major at 165; Hall rolled up 1:40 in riding time in a 6-4 win over #3 Bo Jordan at 174; and Nickal dominated #2 Myles Martin, using two late near fall points to cruise to a 10-2 major.
Carson Kuhn MAKES PENN STATE DEBUT VS. OHIO STATE
Graduate student transfer Carson Kuhn, who joined Penn State in January as a transfer from Boise State, made his Nittany Lion debut in front of nearly 7,000 fans in Penn State's 19-18 victory over Ohio State on 2/3. Kuhn was up in the dual's first match and set the tone for Penn State, despite dropping a hard-fought 21-12 major to No. 4 Nathan Tomasello. Kuhn took the returning All-American down three times in the first period, including a headlock throw in front of the scorers table that nearly led to back points. The bout was the first for the Utah native in over a year.
BISONO WINS MESSIAH OPEN TITLE/ HOEG 2ND
Sophomore Francisco Bisono rolled to the Messiah Open title at 174 pounds on 2/3, going 4-0 with a major and a tech fall to win the crown. True freshman James Hoeg took runner-up laurels at 197 pounds, posting a 3-1 mark with a major and a pin. True freshman Richie McClanahan took seventh at 149 with a 4-2 mark as well.
LIONS HANDLE RUTGERS TO REMAIN UNBEATEN
Penn State took care of home-standing Rutgers 25-15 on 1/28, winning seven of ten bouts in front of a sold out RAC crowd. One of Penn State's losses, an injury default by defending NCAA champion Jason Nolf, occurred with the Lion in the lead at 157. Zain Retherford hammered #13 Eleazor DeLuca at 149, rolling to a 14-2 major. Vincenzo Joseph took care of Richie Lewis at 165 and Bo Nickal took down Nicholas Gravina at 184 in other battles of ranked opponents.
LEE MAJORS #10 THORN IN PSU'S WIN OVER MINNESOTA
True freshman Nick Lee majored #10 Tommy Thorn at 141 in Penn State's 35-8 victory over the visiting Gophers in a sold out Rec Hall on 1/26. Lee's win was one of eight for the Nittany Lions in the dual. Penn State also got ranked wins from Jason Nolf over #18 Jake Short at 157 and Vincenzo Joseph over #7 Nick Wanzek at 165.
NOLF'S UNBEATEN B1G MARK ENDS W/ INJURY DEFAULT
Junior Jason Nolf, the defending NCAA champion at 157, was beating Rutgers' John Van Brill in the second period of the Lions' dual in New Jersey on 1/28 when he was injured and took an injury default loss in the bout. The loss was Nolf's first-ever in a Big Ten dual and ended his personal win streak at 46.
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).
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.