PHILADELPHIA, Pa.; November 18, 2018 – No. 1 Penn State (1-0 0-0 B1G) won the 2018 Keystone Classic, rolling up a lofty 192.0 points and crowning eight champions. This marks the third straight year that Penn State has claimed the crown, wrestled in the University of Pennsylvania's historic Palestra.
A total of 18 Nittany Lion wrestlers competed at the event. At a weight where the Lions had more than one athlete competing, the top point scorer at that weight had his points tallied into the team score. The entire Penn State contingent tasted success at the event, with every Nittany Lion collecting at least one victory and 14 of the 18 Penn Staters competing placing.
Penn State crowned eight champions at the event. All-in-all, Penn State had 14 place winners: eight champions, one runner-up, one third, one fourth, one fifth and two sixths. Penn State posted a gaudy 60-16 overall record, including 10 majors, 11 technical falls and 21 pins.
True freshman Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.) was the first of Penn State's nine finalists, taking to the mat in the title bout at 133. The Lion freshman dominated the field, rolling to a 3-0 record with a pin and a tech fall. He picked up his tech in the finals, posting a 24-9 victory (TF; 7:00) over Drexel's Chandler Olson to win the title. Sophomore Nick Lee (Evanston, Ind.), ranked No. 4 at 141, was equally impressive. The Lion sophomore went 5-0 with three techs, a pin and a major to win the 141-pound title, majoring Duke's Josh Finesilver 17-9 in the finals.
Redshirt freshman Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 15 at 149 won a hard-fought semifinal match-up against teammate and classmate Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.). Berge got two points late to post a 3-2 win to advance to the finals. Berge was dinged a bit in the Verkleeren bout and did not wrestle in the finals, taking a medical forfeit (not a loss). Berge went 4-0 on the day with two tech falls and a major, placing second. Verkleeren rebounded from the tough loss to Berge to go 1-1 in conso action. He posted a 4-2 record with two majors and a pin to place fourth at 149.
Senior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, rolled through the field in Philadelphia. Nolf went 4-0 with three pins and a major, including a fall at the 4:46 mark over Drexel's Evan Barczak to claim the 157-pound title. Nolf now has 49 career pins, four shy of tying Penn State's all-time record. Junior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, was dominant as well. Joseph blasted through the Keystone field, going 5-0 with four pins and a tech fall to win the title. He posted a 21-6 tech fall over Drexel's Ebed Jarrell in the finals. Joseph was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler as well.
Junior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, also won the Keystone title. Hall posted a 4-0 mark with two pins to win the crown. He posted a 6-4 win over No. 18 Matt Finesilver in the finals to win it. Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 4 at 184, also stacked up the pins on his way to the 184-pound title. Rasheed went 4-0 with three pins and a tech fall to win at 184, including a pin at the 1:00 mark over Appalachian State's Alan Clothier. Senior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 197, was also dominant. Nickal went 3-0 with two pins and a major to win it. He downed No. 10 Stephen Loiseau of Drexel 18-4 with 3:32 in riding time in the finals. Nickal now has 44 career pins, just nine shy of tying Penn State's all-time record.
Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.) met teammate and classmate Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 2 at 285 in the semifinals. Cassar notched a 7-2 victory to advance to the finals where he dominated No. 14 Joey Goodhart of Drexel, posting an 11-3 major. Cassar went 3-0 with a pin and a major to win the heavyweight crown. Nevills rebounded from the loss to Cassar to two straight in consolation action and placed third at 285. The Lion senior went 3-1 with a pin and a tech fall.
Sophomore Luke Gardner (Pottsville, Pa.) went 5-2 with two techs and a pin to place fifth at 149. Sophomore Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) went 4-2 with a pin to finish sixth at 157. Junior Francisco Bisono (Hauppauge, N.Y.) went 2-3 with a major at 184 and took sixth place.
Sophomore Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) went 2-2 with one major victory at 125 while classmate Justin Lopez (Yonkers, N.Y.) posted a 2-2 mark at 125 as well. Senior Scott Stossel (Pittsburgh, Pa.) went 1-2 at 133, with the victory coming off a first period major. Junior Dominic Giannangeli (Murrysville, Pa.) had a solid 2-2 showing at 141.
Penn State is 1-0 in dual meets. The Nittany Lions will now prepare a road trip to Lewisburg, Pa., where the team will wrestle at Bucknell for the first time ever. The dual is set for Friday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. Penn State also has a home dual that weekend. The Nittany Lions wrestle Lehigh on Sunday, Dec. 2, in sold out Rec Hall. The match-up will air live nationally on the Big Ten Network and begins at 1:30 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. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
#1 Penn State at the 2018 Keystone Classic
November 18, 2018 – The Palestra – Philadelphia, Pa.
TEAM SCORES (top 3):
1: PENN STATE, 192.0
2: Drexel, 109.5
3: Penn, 108.0
Up Next for Penn State: at Bucknell, Friday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.
Weight-by-weight agate (rankings listed InterMat as of 11/13/18)
125: Devin Schnupp, So.
Rd. 1: DeAndre Swinson-Barr, Appalachian State – L, 4-6 (sv)
Cn. 1: Ryan Burns, Sacred Heart – W, 16-5 maj.
Cn. 2: Dante Minnino, Drexel – W, 10-4
Cn. 3: Andy Richard, Appalachian State – L, 3-10
Schnupp lost a hard-fought 6-4 (sv) decision in the opening round to Appalachian State's DeAndre Swinson-Barr. He rebounded with a solid 16-5 major over Sacred Heart's Ryan Burns and a solid 10-4 win over Dante Minnino of Drexel. His tournament ended with a 10-3 loss to Appalachian State's Andy Richard in his next consolation bout.
125: Justin Lopez, So.
Rd. 1: Nolan Hellickson, Harvard – L, 0-9 maj.
Cn. 1: Mike Simonetti, Franklin and Marshall – W, 7-5
Cn. 2: Blair Orr, Penn – W, 3-2
Cn. 3: Antonio Minnino, Drexel – L, 3-5
Lopez opened up his tournament by dropping a 9-0 major to Harvard's Nolan Hellickson. He responded by posting a hard-fought 7-5 win over Franklin and Marshall's Mike Simonetti and downing Blair Orr of Penn 3-2. He bowed out of the tournament after a 5-3 loss to Drexel's Antonio Minnino in his next conso bout.
133: Roman Bravo-Young, Fr.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtrs: Jon Guevera, Penn – WBF (0:38)
Semis: Lukus Stricker, Harvard – W, inj.def.
Finals: Chandler Olson, Drexel – W, 24-9 (TF; 7:00)
Bravo-Young had a first round bye and then made quick work of Penn's Jon Guevera in the quarterfinals. The Lion true freshman turned a quick takedown into a fast fall, getting the pin at the 0:38 mark to advance to the semifinals. He was up 6-2 on Harvard's Lukus Stricker when the Harvard wrestler took an injury default. Bravo-Young then dominated Chandler Olson of Drexel, rolling to a 24-9 tech fall at the 7:00 mark to claim the 133-pound crown.
133: Scott Stossel, Sr.
Rd. 1: Tristin Devincenzo, Penn – W, 11-3 maj.
Qtrs: Chandler Olson, Drexel – L, 4-6
Cn. 3: bye
Cn. 4: Doug Zapf, Penn – L, 4-5
Stossel dominated Penn's Tristin Devincenzo to open up the tournament at 133, rolling to an 11-3 major decision. He then dropped a tough 6-4 decision to Chandler Olsen in the quarterfinals to slide into consolation action. Stossel drew a bye in his first consolation match and then lost a hard-fought 5-4 decision to Doug Zapf of Penn to close out his tournament run.
141: #4 Nick Lee, So.
Rd. 1: Tucker Ribman, Harvard – W, 16-0 (TF; 3:51)
Rd. 2: Dominick Gallo, VMI – W, 18-3 TF (TF; 5:41)
Qtrs: Grant Aronoff, Penn – WBF (4:07)
Semis: Anthony Brito, Appalachian State – W, 20-3 (TF; 3:00)
Finals: Josh Finesilver, Duke – W, 17-9 maj.
Lee began his tournament with a rousing 16-0 technical fall over Harvard's Tucker Ribman, ending the match at the 3:51 mark. He followed that up with an 18-3 tech fall over Dominick Gallo of VMI at the 5:41 mark to move into the quarterfinals. Lee continued his tournament by pinning Penn's Grant Aronoff at the 4:07 mark to advance to the semifinals. Lee roared his third tech fall in the semis, a 20-3 tech at the 3:00 mark over Anthony Brito of Appalachian State. Lee took care of Duke's Josh Finesilver in the finals, posting a strong 17-9 major to claim the 141-pound title.
141: Dominic Giannangeli, Jr.
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: Nick Widmann, Drexel – W, 5-3
Qtrs: Josh Finesilver, Duke – L, 5-9
Cn. 3: Julian Flores, Drexel – W, 4-3
Cn. 4: A.J. Vindici, Penn – L, 4-10
Giannangeli opened up the tournament with a good 5-3 win over Drexel's Nick Widmann. He met second-seeded Josh Finesilver of Duke in the quarterfinals and lost a tough 9-5 decision to drop into consolation action. He rebounded with a 4-3 win over Drexel's Julian Flores in his first consolation bout but dropped a 10-4 decision to Penn's A.J. Vindici in his next match to end his day.
149: #15 Brady Berge, Fr.
Rd. 1: Anthony DeMartino, Duke – W, 20-5 (TF; 5:34)
Rd. 2: Mason Rambarose, Sacred Heart – W, 18-0 (TF; 3:43)
Qtr: Brock Wilson, Harvard – W, 13-4 maj.
Semis: Jarod Verkleeren, Penn State – W, 3-2
Finals: #8 Matt Finesilver, Duke – DNC, Medical Forfeit (not a loss)
Berge made his Penn State debut at the Keystone Classic and rolled to a 20-5 technical fall over Duke's Antony DeMartino (5:34) in his first bout in the blue and white singlet. He picked up a second tech fall in round two, getting an 18-0 shutout at the 3:43 mark over Sacred Heart's Mason Rambarose. Berge posted a 13-4 major over Harvard's Brock Wilson in the quarterfinals and moved on to the semis where he met teammate Jarod Verkleeren. Verkleeren led 2-1 late but Berge got two points as the match ended to grab a close 3-2 victory and advance to the finals. After getting dinged a bit in the Verkleeren match, Berge took a medical forfeit in the finals and placed second (not a loss).
149: Jarod Verkleeren, Fr.
Rd. 1: Jerrod Hunziker, VMI – WBF (1:56)
Rd. 2: Vince Foggia, Drexel – W, 12-4 maj.
Qtrs: Evan Fidelibus, Rider – W, 14-3 maj.
Semis: #15 Brady Berge, Penn State – L, 2-3
Cn. S: Jonathan Milner, Appalachian State – W, 7-4
3rd: Anthony Artalona, Penn – L, 2-4 (sv2)
Verkleeren made short work of his first round foe, pinning VMI's Jerrod Hunziker at the 1:56 mark of the first period. He then majored Drexel's Vince Foggia 12-4 to advance to the quarterfinals. Verkleeren rolled to a 14-3 major over Evan Fidelibus of Rider in the quarters to move on to a semifinal matchup against teammate Brady Berge, ranked No. 15 nationally. Verkleeren led 2-1 late but Berge to a late two points to grab a close 3-2 victory, sending Verkleeren into consolation action. He downed Jonathan Milner of Appalachian State 7-4 to advance to the third place bout where he lost a hard-fought 4-2 (sv2) decision to Anthony Artalona of Penn. Verkleeren took fourth with the close defeat.
149: Luke Gardner, So.
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: #8 Mitch Finesilver, Duke – L, 0-4
Cn. 2: Jerrod Hunziker, VMI – W, 16-1 (TF; 3:55)
Cn. 3: Robert Groves, Harvard – W, 15-0 (TF; 3:03)
Cn. 4: Brock Wilson, Harvard – W, 2-1
Cn. 5: Evan Fidelibus, Rider – WBF (1:13)
Cn. S: Anthony Artalona, Penn – L, 1-3
5th: Jonathan Milner, Appalachian State – W, med. forf.
Gardner drew top-seed and No. 8 Mitch Finesilver of Duke in the first round and dropped a tough 4-0 decision. He then rebounded nicely in consolation action, picking up two tech falls in his first two bouts. Gardner got a 16-1 tech fall (3:55) over Jerrod Hunziker of VMI and a 15-0 tech fall (3:03) over Harvard's Robert Groves. Gardner then posted a hard-fought 2-1 win over Harvard's Brock Wilson continued his consolation run by pinning Rider's Evan Fidelibus at the 1:13 mark to move into the consolation semifinals. He lost 3-1 to Penn's Anthony Artalona in that bout and then received a medical forfeit victory for fifth place.
157: #1 Jason Nolf, Sr.
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: Carl Antrassian, Penn – WBF (2:15)
Qtrs: Gary Dinmore, Rider – W, 23-10 maj.
Semis: Matt Zovistoski, Appalachian State – WBF (2:23)
Finals: Evan Barczak, Drexel – WBF (4:46)
Nolf notched a first period pin of Penn's Carl Antrassian in his first bout of the tournament, getting the fall at the 2:15 mark. He then dominated Rider's Gary Dinmore in the quarterfinals, notching a 233-10 major to move on to the semifinals. Nolf pinned Appalachian State's Matt Zovistoski in just 2:23 to advance to the title bout. Nolf dominated the action against Evan Barczak of Drexel, getting a pin at the 4:46 mark for the title.
157: Bo Pipher, So.
Rd. 1: Gino Fluri, Rider – W, 6-4 (sv)
Rd. 2: Hunter Ladnier, Harvard – L, 1-4
Cn. 2: Brandon Leynaud, Duke – WBF (1:21)
Cn. 3: Emmett LiCastri, Franklin and Marshall – W, 10-8
Cn. 4: Willy Kaiser, Penn – W, 5-4
Cn. S: Hunter Ladnier, Harvard – L, 0-4
5th: Matt Zovistoski, Appalachian State – Med. Forf.
Pipher scored with just :04 left in extra time to post a thrilling 6-4 (sv) win over Rider's Gino Fluri to begin his tournament. He then dropped into consolation action after a 4-1 loss to Harvard's Hunter Ladnier. Pipher rebounded in his first consolation bout, pinning Duke's Brandon Leynaud early at the 1:21 mark. He then roared back from an early 7-2 deficit to beat F&M's Emmett LiCastri 10-8 to stay alive in consolation action. He then rode a riding time point to a 5-4 win over Penn's Willy Kaiser to advance to the consolation semifinals. Pipher lost once more to Ladnier of Harvard, this time 4-0 and then took a medical forfeit in the fifth place bout (not a loss), placing sixth.
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph, Jr.
Rd. 1: Michael Manley, Drexel – WBF (2:25)
Rd. 2: Will Schmidt, Sacred Heart – WBF (0:31)
Qtrs: Evan DeLuise, Penn – WBF (4:29)
Semis: Joshua Kim, Harvard – WBF (2:13)
Finals: Ebed Jarrell, Drexel – W, 21-6 (TF; 6:19)
Joseph began his tournament run with a quick pin of Michael Manley of Drexel, getting the first-period fall at the 2:25 mark. He followed that performance up with an even quicker first period fall, pinning Will Schmidt of Sacred Heart at the 0:31 mark. Joseph made it three straight pins with a fall at the 4:29 mark against Penn's Evan DeLuise to advance to the semifinals. Joseph made it four-for-four falls by pinning Harvard's Joshua Kim at the 2:13 mark to advance to the finals. He then rolled over Ebed Jarrell of Drexel in the finals, posting a 21-6 tech fall at the 6:19 mark for the championship.
174: #2 Mark Hall, Jr.
Rd. 1: George Walton, Rider – WBF (3:35)
Qtrs: Jason Hoffman, Drexel – WBF (4:40)
Semis: Neal Richards, VMI – W, 5-0
Finals: #18 Matt Finesilver, Duke – W, 6-4
Hall opened up his tournament by pinning Rider's George Walton, hitting a mixer at the 3:35 mark to advance to the quarterfinals. He then pinned Drexel's Jason Hoffman in the second period, getting the fall (4:40) to advance to the semifinals. Hall posted a 5-0 win over VMI's Neal Richards to move on to the title bout. Hall then battled No. 18 Matt Finesilver of Duke in the finals and took home the crown with a tough 6-4 victory.
184: #4 Shakur Rasheed, Sr.
Rd. 1: Jacob Harrison, Sacred Heart – WBF (0:34)
Qtrs: Reid Robilotto, Franklin and Marshall – WBF (1:08)
Semis: Kaden Russell, Duke – W, 15-0 (TF; 3:50)
Finals: Alan Clothier, Appalachian State – WBF (1:00)
Rasheed ended his first match quickly, locking up a cradle to pin Sacred Heart's Jacob Harrison at 0:34. He notched a second straight first period fall, pinning Reid Robilotto of Franklin and Marshall at the 1:08 mark to move into the semifinals. Rasheed rolled to a 15-0 tech fall at 3:50 to advance to the finals. In the title tilt, he met Alan Clothier of Appalachian State and ended the bout early once again. Rasheed got a first period pin at the 1:00 mark to win the 184 pound championship.
184: Francisco Bisono, Jr.
Rd. 1: Michale Fagg-Daves, Rider – L, 2-4 (sv)
Cn. 2: Ryan Farber, Penn – W, 11-2 maj.
Cn. 3: Jimmy Stillerman, Franklin & Marshall – W, 2-0
Cn. S: Clifton Wang, Harvard – L, 5-6
5th: Michale Fagg-Daves, Rider – L, 3-5
Bisono lost a hard-fought 4-2 sudden victory decision to veteran Michale Fagg-Daves or Rider in the opening round. He rebounded in fine fashion, dominating Penn's Ryan Farber to the tune of an 11-2 major. Bisono then used a full third period ride to down F&M's Jimmy Stillerman 2-0 to move into the conso semis. He lost a tough 6-5 decision to Harvard's Clifton Wang and met Fagg-Daves of Rider once more in the fifth place match. This time he dropped a 5-3 decision to Fagg-Daves and placed sixth.
197: #1 Bo Nickal, Sr.
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: Ben Markulec, VMI – WBF (0:37)
Semis: Ethan Laird, Rider – WBF (1:35)
Finals: #10 Stephen Loiseau, Drexel – W, 18-4 maj.
Nickal wasted little time ending his first match-up, pinning VMI's Ben Markulec at the 0:37 mark to move into the semifinals. The Lion senior made it two straight first period pins, getting the fall over Rider's Ethan Laird at the 1:35 mark to move into the title bout. Nickal took on No. 10 Stephen Loiseau of Drexel in the finals and dominated him, posting an 18-4 major with 3:32 in riding time to win the 197-pound title.
285: #2 Nick Nevills, Sr.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtrs: James Brady, Rider – W, 21-6 (TF; 6:50)
Semis: Anthony Cassar, Penn State – L, 2-7
Cn. S: Evan Callahan, Harvard – WBF (2:13)
3rd: Cary Miller, Appalachian State – W, 10-4
Nevills made his season debut in fine fashion, rolling to a 21-6 technical fall over Rider's James Brady, getting the tech at the 6:50 mark. He moved into the semifinals where he met teammate Anthony Cassar. Cassar notched three takedowns in the bout and Nevills dropped a 7-2 decision to slide down to consolation action. He rebounded by pinning Evan Callahan of Harvard early, at the 2:13 mark, and then clinched third place with a 10-4 win over Cary Miller of Appalachian State.
285: Anthony Cassar, Sr.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtrs: Ben Goldin, Penn – WBF (1:20)
Semis: #2 Nick Nevills, Penn State – W, 7-2
Finals: #14 Joey Goodhart, Drexel – W, 11-3 maj.
Cassar notched yet another first period pin for Penn State, getting the fall over Ben Goldin of Penn at 1:20. The win moved him into the semifinals where he took on teammate Nick Nevills, ranked No. 2 nationally. Cassar posted three takedowns to post a 7-2 win advance to the title bout at 285. Cassar took on No. 14 Joey Goodhart of Drexel in the finals and rolled to a resounding 11-3 major decision over the ranked grappler to win the heavyweight title.
