THIS WEEK
#1 Penn State (0-0, 0-0 B1G) opens up the 2018-19 season by hosting #24 Kent State (3-1*) in Rec Hall on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m., in the season opener for the Nittany Lions. *Kent State competes on Friday, 9/9, post-press.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions travel to Philadelphia for the 2018 Keystone Classic. The event, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania in the Palestra, begins at 10 a.m.
ON THE AIR
TV - None
Radio - ESPN Radio 1450
Radio online - Free all year via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Live Web Video - ($) BTN2go/BTN-Plus
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (0-0, 0-0 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Devin Schnupp So. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 0-0
133 Roman Bravo-Young Fr. Tucson, Ariz./Sunny Side 0-0
141 #4 Nick Lee So. Evansville, Ind./Homeschool 0-0
149 Jarod Verkleeren Fr. Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield 0-0
#15 Brady Berge Fr. Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville 0-0
157 #1 Jason Nolf Sr. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning 0-0
165 #1 Vincenzo Joseph Jr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic 0-0
174 #2 Mark Hall Jr. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley 0-0
184 #4 Shakur Rasheed Sr. Coram, N.Y./Longwood 0-0
197 #1 Bo Nickal Sr. Allen, Texas/Allen 0-0
285 Anthony Cassar Sr. Rocky Hill, N.J./Montgomery 0-0
#2 Nick Nevills Sr. Clovis, Calif./Clovis 0-0
#24 KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES (3-1)*
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Jake Ferri So. Billerica, Mass./Shawsheen Valley Tech 1-0
OR Tomas Gutierrez So. Arvada, Colo./Pomona 2-0
133 Tim Rooney Jr. Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles 0-0
141 Cory Simpson So. Mogadore, Ohio/Field 2-1
149 Kody Komara Fr. Freedom, Pa./Freedom 1-1
157 Nick Monico So. Meadville, Pa./Saegertown 1-0
165 Isaac Bast Sr. Massillon, Ohio/Perry 1-0
174 Dylan Barreiro So. Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy 2-0
184 Andrew McNally So. Uniontown, Ohio/Lake 3-0
197 #2 Kyle Conel Sr. Ashtabula, Ohio/Lakeside 1-0
OR Shane Mast Jr. Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth 2-0
285 Billy Bolia Fr. Fairport, N.Y./Fairport 1-1
* Kent State competes on Friday night, 11/9, post-press
Rankings listed are InterMat TPI/Intermat Individual as of 10/31
TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Nov. 6, 2018 -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (0-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 1 in the InterMat Tournament Power Index, will open up the 2018-19 season by hosting No. 24 Kent State (3-1*) on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. in Rec Hall. Penn State has won seven of the last eight NCAA championships and return a talented line-up for the new campaign. *Kent State competes on Friday, Nov. 9, post-press.
Penn State is coming off a title-run in 2017-18 that saw it go 14-0 overall and 9-0 in the Big Ten. The Lions enter the new year riding a 45-dual win streak. The Lions had eight All-Americans last year, with five national finalists and four NCAA Champions, winning the 2018 NCAA Championship in Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena. Seven of those All-Americans, including four of the finalists and three of the champions return.
Penn State will bring a veteran line-up into the new year with eight returning starters and eight wrestlers ranked in InterMat's preseason individual rankings. Seven All-Americans return for Penn State, including four wrestlers who have won national titles.
Sophomore Devin Schnupp gets the early nod at 125 for the Nittany Lions. Schnupp started much of last season for Penn State during its undefeated dual meet campaign. True freshman Roman Bravo-Young will make his collegiate debut at 133 for Penn State. Sophomore Nick Lee enters the year ranked No. 4 at 141 after posting a 32-7 record last season. He was a true freshman All-American a year ago, placing fifth at NCAAs. Two red-shirt freshmen are in a battle at 149 for the Nittany Lions. Brady Berge, ranked No. 15 by InterMat, and classmate Jarod Verkleeren will be in the mix with Verkleeren getting the nod Sunday.
Senior Jason Nolf enters the year ranked No. 1 at 157. A three-time NCAA finalist, three-time All-American and the two-time defending champ at 157 went 26-1 last year, coming back from a late-season injury default to win the title in Cleveland. Junior Vincenzo Joseph has won the last two NCAA titles at 165 and heads into the new year ranked No. 1 after going 25-2 last year and winning it all in Cleveland. Junior Mark Hall is a two-time finalist who won the 174 pound title in 2017 and made the finals at 174 in Cleveland last year. Hall is ranked No. 2 at 174 and went 32-1 a season ago.
Senior Shakur Rasheed was an All-American at 197 last year after placing seventh and ending the year with a 24-5 record. This year, he moves down to 184 and enters the season ranked No. 4 nationally. Senior Bo Nickal enters the year ranked No. 1 up a weight at 197. A three-time NCAA finalist, three-time All-American and two-time champion at 184, Nickal was a perfect 31-0 last year. Penn State has an abundance of riches at 285 with All-American Nick Nevills or talented senior Anthony Cassar battling at 285. Nevills is ranked No. 2 at 285 and is a two-time All-American. He placed seventh at nationals a year ago and went 30-7 overall. Cassar spent last year at 197 and was ranked as high as No. 5. He went 16-2 overall, including a key win over Ohio State that clinched the Big Ten regular season title for Penn State. He is moving up to 285 this year and will take to the mat on Sunday against Kent State.
Kent State went 3-1 in its opening weekend of action last weekend and also competes Friday night, Nov. 9, post-press. The Golden Flash will come to Happy Valley with one of the nation's top 197-pounders in senior Kyle Conel, who was a national semifinalist and All-American last year and enters the season ranked No. 2 by InterMat.
Penn State owns a 7-0 lead in the all-time series with the Golden Flash. The Nittany Lions won the last meeting 27-15 back on Jan. 8, 2011, at the Virginia Duals. The Lions won 38-2 in the last meeting in Happy Valley, back on Dec. 2, 1972.
The Nittany Lions will head to Philadelphia next Sunday for the 2018 Keystone Classic at the University of Pennsylvania. The day-long event will take place in the historic Palestra and begins at 10:00 a.m.
The 2018-19 Penn State wrestling season is sponsored by The Family Clothesline. 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.
NOTES:
LIONS BEGIN THE YEAR RANKED NO. 1 ACROSS THE BOARD
The Penn State Nittany Lions (0-0, 0-0 B1G), winners of seven of the last eight NCAA titles, will enter the 2018-19 season ranked No. 1 in InterMat's Tournament Power Index (TPI). Eight Nittany Lions are ranked individually, including seven ranked in the top four. Penn State sits at No. 1 in the preseason team TPI with 140.5 points with Ohio State a distant second with 99.0. Oklahoma State is third with 87.0, Iowa fourth with 86.5 and Michigan fifth with 72.5. Sophomore Nick Lee, who placed fifth at 141 last year to become a true freshman All-American, begins the season ranked No. 4 at 141. Red-shirt freshman Brady Berge, who wrestled unattached in open tournaments, begins the season ranked No. 15 at 149. Senior defending NCAA Champion Jason Nolf is ranked No. 1 at 157. Junior defending NCAA Champion Vincenzo Joseph is ranked No. 1 at 165. Junior two-time finalist and '17 NCAA Champion Mark Hall is ranked No. 2 at 174. Senior Shakur Rasheed, who earned his first All-America honor with a seventh place finish at 197 last year, is ranked No. 4 at 184. Senior defending 184-pound NCAA Champion Bo Nickal is ranked No. 1 at 197. Senior heavyweight Nick Nevills, who earned his second All-America honor with a seventh place finish last year, is ranked No. 2 at 285. Penn State is also ranked No. 1 as a team (either TPI or dual) by every other major wrestling outlet. The Lions are also a preseason unanimous No. 1 in the preseason NWCA Coaches Poll.
NATIONAL TV DATES SET FOR 2018-19 SEASON
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, winner of seven of the last eight NCAA titles, will have a bevy of games air nationally on the Big Ten Network and ESPN2 this season. All times listed are Eastern. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change. Penn State's home dual with Lehigh on Sunday, Dec. 2, will air nationally on the BTN. The dual will take place in Rec Hall and starts at 1:30 p.m. Arizona State comes to Penn State for a dual in Rec Hall on Friday, Dec. 14, for a 6 p.m. dual that will air live nationally on ESPN2. The 2018 BJC Dual against Michigan on Friday, Feb. 1, will air on the BTN. The dual in the 16,000-seat venue begins at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions trek to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State on Friday, Feb. 8, at 8:30 p.m. and the dual will also air on the BTN. In addition, the Big Ten Network will air the Big Ten Championships live on Sunday, March 10. The entire two-day tournament will also stream live on BTN2go/BTN-Plus. ESPN and its family of networks will once again air the entire three-day NCAA Championships on March 23-25 from Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena. ESPN will announce details of its ever-expanding coverage later. All eight of Penn State's duals will stream live online as well. Check the Penn State wrestling schedule at GoPSUsports.com for a complete listing. BTN2go/BTN-Plus ($) and Lionvision (free) will be available for seven of the dates. ESPN typically streams much of its live ESPN/2/U contents as well and streaming of the PSU/ASU dual in December will be confirmed later.
FORMER LION GREAT DAVID TAYLOR A WORLD CHAMP!
Former Penn State wrestling great David Taylor roared through the world's best to win the 2018 World Championship at 86 kg. The four-time All-American, four-time NCAA finalist and two-time NCAA Champion went 5-0 in a two-day run in Budapest, Hungary, to win his first world championship. Taylor began his title run by going 4-0 on day one of the event. The former Nittany Lion opened up one of the tournament's toughest draws by downing former World and Olympic Champion Hassan Yazdanicharti of Iran 11-6. He then rolled to a 10-0 technical fall over Hajy Rajabau of Belarus. Taylor posted an 8-0 decision over Cuba's Yurieski Torreblanca in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Taylor met Russia's Dauren Kuruglieve and, after taking a kick to the head in the first period, fell behind 5-1. But in typical Taylor fashion, the former Lion roared back in the second period, reeling off six straight unanswered points to post a 7-5 victory and advance to Sunday's World Championship bout. Taylor, the tournament's No. 2 seed, met No. 1 seed Fatih Erdin of Turkey in the championship match. Taylor left no doubt to his dominance by bolting out to a quick 4-0 lead and rolling to a 12-2 technical fall over his Turkish opponent.
5 LIONS BEGIN OPEN TOURNEY SEASON AT CLARION
Five members of head coach Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lion wrestling team competed at the Clarion Open today, officially opening up the 2018-19 open tournament season. Every Nittany Lion competing came away with at least one victory. Sophomore Alex Nicholas posted the most victories for Penn State, going 3-2 with a technical fall at 285. Sophomore Brian Friery went 2-2 with a tech fall at 157 as well. Sophomore Justin Lopez posted a 2-2 mark at 125 while red-shirt freshman Scott Obendorfer went 1-2 with a pin 141. Redshirt freshman Austin Hoopes went 1-2 at 184.