TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Jan. 29, 2019 -- No. 1 Penn State (9-0, 5-0 B1G) will welcome No. 5 Michigan (9-0, 5-0 B1G) to the Bryce Jordan Center for the 2019 BJC Dual on Friday, Feb. 1. The dual in the near-16,000 seat arena begins at 7 p.m. and will air live on the BTN. The match-up features two of the Big Ten's three unbeaten teams (Iowa being the third) and pits two of the nation's top five teams against each other. All rankings listed and used are InterMat Tournament Power Index (TPI) and InterMat individual as of Jan. 29.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 2-0 road weekend that saw them combine to out score Purdue and Indiana 65-19. Penn State won 30-10 at Purdue on Jan. 25 and 35-9 at Indiana on Jan. 27. The wins kept the Nittany Lions unbeaten on the year.
The Nittany Lions feature a talented line-up featuring nine ranked wrestlers. Sophomore Devin Schnupp, fresh of his first Big Ten dual meet victory last Sunday at Indiana, is 6-10 at 125. True freshman Roman Bravo-Young is 15-2 and ranked No. 15 at 133. Sophomore Nick Lee is 19-1 overall and No. 7 at 141. Redshirt freshman Brady Berge is 14-2 and ranked No. 11 at 149. Senior Jason Nolf is 18-0 and No. 1 at 157. Junior Vincenzo Joseph is 16-0 and No. 1 at 165. Junior Mark Hall is 18-0 and No. 1 at 174. Senior Shakur Rasheed is 14-0 and No. 2 at 184. Senior Bo Nickal is 17-0 and No. 1 at 197. Senior Anthony Cassar is 16-1 and No. 4 at 285.
Michigan enters Friday's BJC Dual fresh off an impressive 19-17 win over Ohio State in Columbus last Friday night. The Wolverines have an identical 9-0, 5-0 B1G, record and are ranked No. 5 nationally. Head coach Sean Bormet's squad features seven ranked grapplers. Drew Mattin is 1-5 and No. 15 at 125. Stevan Micic is 9-0 and No. 1 at 133. Kanen Storr is 17-3 and No. 5 at 141. Malik Amine is 7-2 at 149. Alec Pantaleo is 11-4 and No. 5 at 157. Logan Massa is 12-3 and No. 7 at 165. Myles Amine is 14-1 and No. 3 at 174. J.T. Correll is 0-4 at 184 and Jelani Embree is 9-3. Jackson Striggow is 10-6 at 197. Mason Parris is 23-3 and No. 8 at 285.
The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series with Michigan 31-24. Penn State has won the last seven meetings as well. The Lions won 25-12 at Michigan last year on Jan. 12, 2018, and won the last time in Happy Valley, 35-7, on Jan. 31, 2016.
Penn State heads to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State in its next outing. The dual is set for 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, and will air live on the BTN.
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.
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (9-0, 5-0 B1G)
125 Devin Schnupp So. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 6-10
133 #15 Roman Bravo-Young Fr. Tucson, Ariz./Sunny Side 15-2
141 #7 Nick Lee So. Evansville, Ind./Homeschool 19-1
149 #11 Brady Berge Fr. Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville 14-2
Jarod Verkleeren Fr. Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield 14-4
157 #1 Jason Nolf Sr. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning 18-0
165 #1 Vincenzo Joseph Jr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic 16-0
174 #1 Mark Hall Jr. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley 18-0
184 #2 Shakur Rasheed Sr. Coram, N.Y./Longwood 14-0
197 #1 Bo Nickal Sr. Allen, Texas/Allen 17-0
285 #4 Anthony Cassar Sr. Rocky Hill, N.J./Montgomery 16-1
Nick Nevills Sr. Clovis, Calif./Clovis 8-2
#5 MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (9-0, 5-0 B1G)
125 #15 Drew Mattin So. Delta, Ohio/Delta 11-5
133 #1 Stevan Micic Jr. Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central 9-0
141 #5 Kanen Storr So. Leslie, Mich./Leslie 17-3
149 Malik Amine Sr. Brighton, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central 7-2
157 #5 Alec Pantaleo Sr. Canton, Mich./Canton 11-4
165 #7 Logan Massa Jr. St. Johns, Mich./St. Johns 12-3
174 #3 Myles Amine Jr. Brighton, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central 14-1
184 J.T. Correll Fr. Easton, Pa./Wyoming Seminary 0-4
Jelani Embree Fr. Eastpointe, Mich./Warren Lincoln 9-3
197 Jackson Striggow Jr. Orono, Minn./Orono 10-6
285 #8 Mason Parris Fr. Lawrenceburg, Ind./Lawrenceburg 23-3
Rankings listed are InterMat TPI/InterMat Individual as of 1/29/19
THIS WEEK
#1 Penn State (9-0, 5-0 B1G) will welcome #5 Michigan(9-0, 5-0 B1G) to the Bryce Jordan Center for the 2019 BJC Dual on Friday, Feb. 1. The dual in the near-16,000 seat arena begins at 7 p.m. and will air live on the BTN.
UP NEXT
Penn State will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face Ohio State on Friday, Feb. 8, at 8:30 p.m.
ON THE AIR
TV - BTN
Radio - ESPN Radio 1450
Radio online - Free all year via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Live Web Video - Fox Sports App/BTN2go ($)
NOTES
THE MILESTONE WATCH LIST
A number of team and individual records and milestones are in play as the 2018-19 wrestling season begins to play itself out:
* Career Wins: 100 win threshold -- Nickal 107, Nolf 104
* Career Falls: Record WAS 53 (Retherford, Taylor, Moore) -- Nolf new holder w/ 56, Nickal 52 is 5th
* Career Dual Meet Wins: Nickal 52 is 15th all-time, Nolf 49 is 20th
* Big Ten Dual Wins: Cael Sanderson holds record with 70
SCHNUPP GETS FIRST B1G DUAL WIN IN PENN STATE'S ROAD VICTORY AT INDIANA
Penn State finished off a Big Ten road weekend with another win, winning eight of ten bouts (and eight of nine contested) in a 35-9 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers on Jan. 27. The Lions had won at Purdue two nights earlier. Sophomore Devin Schnupp downed Liam Cronin 5-2 at 125 to pick up his first Big Ten dual meet victory. Bo Nickal, Jason Nolf and Vincenzo Joseph each had pins in the win as well.
LIONS ROLL OVER PURDUE IN WEST LAFAYETTE
Penn State rolled into West Lafayette on Jan. 25 and dominated the Boilermakers in a 30-10 victory. Wrestling shorthanded without two ranked wrestlers, Penn State won seven of ten bouts. Bo Nickal majored #12 Christian Brunner 17-6 and Mary Hall controlled #14 Dylan Lydy 6-2 to highlight the win. Jason Nolf and Vincenzo Joseph each picked up pins as well.
NOLF DOWNS #2 BERGER, JOSEPH DOWNS #6 WHITE AS LIONS ROLL OVER #7 NEBRASKA
Senior Jason Nolf and junior Vincenzo Joseph both posted big wins in anticipated match-ups as Penn State rolled over #7 Nebraska 25-6 on Jan. 20 in sold out Rec Hall. Nolf dominated #2 Tyler Berger 10-4 at 157, notching the bout's only four takedowns. Joseph shutout #2 Isaiah White 2-0 at 165 in his first match in two weeks. In all, Penn State won all six bouts featuring ranked opponents. Mark Hall downed #9 Mikey Labriola 5-3 at 174, Bo Nickal beat #11 Eric Schultz 8-6 at 197, Anthony Cassar beat #14 David Jensen 10-4 at 285 and Nick Lee downed #19 Chad Red 5-4 at 141.
CASSAR DOWNS #9 HILLGER AS LIONS TOP WISCONSIN
Heavyweight Anthony Cassar dominated #9 Trent Hillger 11-5 to lead the Penn State Nittany Lions to a 24-13 win over #19 Wisconsin in sold out Rec Hall on Jan. 13. Cassar's win was the highlight in a hard fought dual that included tech falls from Jason Nolf and Mark Hall.
PENN STATE ROLLS UP 51 TDS IN WIN AT #11 NORTHWESTERN
The Penn State Nittany Lions put on an offensive show in their first Big Ten road dual of the season, collecting 51 takedowns in a 33-8 win at #11 Northwestern on Jan. 11. The Nittany Lions only gave up 7 takedowns in the big victory. Jason Nolf won his 100th career match with a dominating 19-7 major over #3 Ryan Deakin at 157. Nolf had eight takedowns, two stall points and a penalty point in the win, Deakin's only points were escapes. Anthony Cassar majored #19 Conan Jennings 12-3 at 285 as well.
NOLF DOMINATES #3 DEAKIN FOR 100TH CAREER VICTORY; EARNS B1G WRESTLER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Senior Jason Nolf won his 100th career bout in dominating fashion on Jan. 11, rolling to a 19-7 major decision over #3 Ryan Deakin in the Lions' dual at Northwestern. Nolf reeled off eight takedowns and forced Deakin into three stall warnings and a locked hands in the lopsided win. Deakin's only points came from escapes. Nolf, who won by tech fall two days later in a win over Wisconsin, was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for his efforts.
VERKLEEREN WINS HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL OPEN
Five members of the Penn State wrestling team competed at the Floyd 'Shorty' Hitchcock Memorial Classic at Millersville University on Saturday. Wrestlers competed both attached and unattached at the event. Redshirt freshman Jarod Verkleeren rolled through the field at 149, winning the title with a 4-0 mark. Verkleeren had two pins and a technical fall. Redshirt freshman Austin Hoopes went 2-2 at 184. Sophomore Justin Lopez competed 125 and picked up a victory as did true freshman Paul Feite at 157, whose win was a tech fall. Junior Aarif Asif competed at 165 as well for Penn State.
LIONS ROLL TO 8TH SOUTHERN SCUFFLE TITLE; 6 CHAMPS, NICKAL CLAIMS O.W. AND GORRIARAN
The Penn State Nittany Lions won their eighth Southern Scuffle title in their last eight visits on Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga. Penn State crowned eight champs, had two runners-up and three third place finishes in a strong team showing. Twelve of Penn State's 18 competitors placed at the event. Nick Lee went 6-0 to win the 141-pound title, Jason Nolf went 5-0 with three pins to win at 157, Vincenzo Joseph went 5-0 with two pins to win at 165, Mark Hall went 5-0 with two tech falls to win at 174, Shakur Rasheed went 4-0 with a pin to win the crown at 184 and Bo Nickal went 5-0 with five pins to win at 197. Nickal was honored as the Outstanding Wrestler (his second such honor having won in 2016) and he won the Gorriaran Award with five pins in a total of 10:32 (Nickal wrestled only 10:32 of a potential 35:00 of total time). Marquee wins for Penn State's six champs included Vincenzo Joseph's 6-5 win over #3 Chance Marsteller of Lock Haven in the finals and Mark Hall's 5-1 win over Oklahoma State's Joe Smith in the finals.
LIONS PLACE 12 AT SOUTHERN SCUFFLE
In addition to Penn State's six champions at the 2019 Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Penn State had six other place winners at the event. Sophomore Bo Pipher lost in the finals to teammate Jason Nolf to finish second at 157 and Anthony Cassar dropped a 3-2 decision to #3 Derek White of Oklahoma State in the finals to place second at 285. Both Pipher and Cassar went 4-1 overall. True freshman Roman Bravo-Young went 5-1 to place third at 133 while redshirt freshman Brady Berge went 6-1 to finish third at 149. Senior Nick Nevills went 5-1 to finish third at 285. Redshirt freshman Mason Manville went 4-2 in placed seventh at 165.
NICKAL ECLIPSES 100-WIN MILESTONE AT SCUFFLE; GOES 5-0 WITH 5 PINS TO WIN B1G WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Senior Bo Nickal became the 34th member of the 100-wins at Penn State club, eclipsing the mark during his 5-0 run to the Southern Scuffle title on Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga. Nickal went 5-0 with five pins, with the fifth pin his 50th career fall. Nickal was named tournament OW and won the Gorriaran Award having five pins in just 10:32. He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Jan. 6, 2019, for his efforts.
NOLF BECOMES PENN STATE'S ALL-TIME FALLS LEADER
Senior Jason Nolf went 5-0 with three pins to win the Southern Scuffle title on Jan. 1-2. His third pin, on Jan. 2, was historic as it was his 54th career fall and moved him into first place alone on Penn State's all-time pins list. Nolf broke the record of 53 held by Lion greats Josh Moore, David Taylor and Zain Retherford.
PENN STATE COMPETES AT WILKES AND F&M OVER BREAK
A handful of Nittany Lions competed at the Wilkes Open in late December and the Franklin and Marshall Open in early January, wrestling both attached and unattached. Top performers included Brian Friery, placing fourth at Wilkes at 157 with a 3-2 mark and Scott Stossel going 3-2 at Franklin and Marshall to finish T-7th at 133.
HALL AND JOSEPH'S TOP-FIVE WINS LEAD LIONS TO BIG VICTORY OVER #9 ARIZONA STATE
Juniors Mark Hall and Vincenzo Joseph notched impressive top-five victories to spark Penn State to a dominating 41-3 win over #9 Arizona State in sold out Rec Hall on Dec. 14. Hall took down previously unbeaten and top-ranked Zahid Valencia at 174, posting a 4-0 shutout with 4:24 in riding time. Joseph majored No. 5 Josh Shields at 165, rolling to a convincing 11-2 major. Their two wins were two of Penn State's nine in the dual victory.
BRAVO-YOUNG, BERGE, NOLF WITH RANKED WINS IN DUAL VICTORY OVER ARIZONA STATE
With Hall and Joseph notching top-five wins, three other Nittany Lions posted victories over ranked wrestlers in Penn State's dual meet win over the Sun Devils. True freshman Roman Bravo-Young dominated seventh-ranked 125-pounder Ryan Millhof, who moved up to 133 in the dual. Bravo-Young was untouched, posting a 14-1 major over the returning All-American. Brady Berge made his Rec Hall dual debut and posted a solid 5-4 win over #11 Josh Maruca at 149. Senior Jason Nolf majored #16 Christian Pagdilao 18-3 at 157, giving the Nittany Lions a sweep of all five matches against a ranked Sun Devil.
HALL EARNS B1G AND USA WRESTLING WoW HONORS
Junior Mark Hall was named both Big Ten Wrestler of the Week and USA Wrestling National Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Dec. 16, 2018. Hall earned the honor after his impressive 4-0 shutout win, including 2:41 in riding time, over then No. 1 Zahid Valencia in Penn State's 41-3 dual victory over Arizona State on Dec. 14.
PENN STATE SHUTS OUT #10 LEHIGH IN SOLD OUT REC HALL
Penn State won all ten bouts in a 42-0 shutout win over #10 Lehigh in sold out Rec Hall on Dec. 2. The win over the short-handed Mountain Hawks was highlighted by three ranked wins for the Lions and sophomore Devin Schnupp's first dual victory in Rec Hall. Mark Hall posted a 6-2 win over No. 7 Jordan Kutler at 174, Bo Nickal teched No. 15 Jake Jakobsen 25-10 at 197 and Anthony Cassar notched a 12-3 major over No. 6 Jordan Wood at 285. Schnupp downed Luke Resnick 6-1 at 125 for his first dual victory in Rec Hall.
PENN STATE AND BUCKNELL COMPETE IN HISTORIC DUAL MEET AT STOJKA PAVILION
The Penn State Nittany Lions and Bucknell Bison competed in an historic dual meet in Lewisburg, Pa., on Nov. 30. The dual, won by Penn State 42-3, was the first-ever trip for Penn State to Bucknell for a dual and was wrestled in BU's Stojka Pavilion. A sellout crowd of 4,279 witnessed the Lion win, a Bucknell wrestling record and the third highest in the building's history. Key wins for Penn State included sophomore Devin Schnupp getting his first dual victory at 125 and redshirt freshman Brady Berge making his Lion dual debut with a technical fall win at 149.
PENN STATE PINS ITS WAY TO KEYSTONE CLASSIC TITLE
Penn State won the 2018 Keystone Classic on Nov. 18, 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.
LIONS CROWN 8 CHAMPS AT KEYSTONE CLASSIC
Penn State had eight wrestlers win titles at the Keystone Classic on Nov. 18 in Philadelphia. Roman Bravo-Young went 3-0 with a pin and a technical fall to win at 133; Nick Lee went 5-0 with a pin, three techs and a major to win at 141; Jason Nolf went 4-0 with three pins and a major to win at 157; Vincenzo Joseph went 5-0 with four pins and a tech to win at 165, earning OW honors; Mark Hall went 4-0 with two pins to win at 174; Shakur Rasheed went 4-0 with three pins and a tech to win at 184; Bo Nickal went 3-0 with two pins and a major to win at 197; and Anthony Cassar went 3-0 with a pin and a major to win at 285.
BLUMER LEADS PENN STATE CONTINGENT AT MAT-TOWN
Six members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team competed at the Mat-Town Open today at Lock Haven University. Three Nittany Lions placed at the event as wrestlers competed both attached and unattached. Redshirt freshman Joey Blumer led Penn State with a runner-up finish at 149. Blumer went 2-1, advancing to the finals before losing in the title bout. Sophomore Brian Friery picked up a win at 157, placing fourth. His victory was a major. Redshirt freshman Scott Obendorfer placed fourth at 141 as well, going 2-2.
LIONS USE SEVEN PINS TO DOMINATE #24 KENT STATE
Penn State opened up the 2018-19 season in stellar fashion, rolling to a 52-3 victory over #24 Kent State in sold out Rec Hall on Nov. 11. The Lions won nine of ten bouts, including seven pins and two technical falls. Penn State got pins from two freshmen in their collegiate debuts. True freshman Roman Bravo-Young got a pin at 133 and redshirt freshman Jarod Verkleeren got a fall at 149. Also picking up pins were Jason Nolf at 157, Vincenzo Joseph at 165, Mark Hall at 174, Shakur Rasheed at 184 and Bo Nickal at 197. Nick Lee (141) and Anthony Cassar (285) got the tech falls.
GARDNER AND MANVILLE PLACE AT BEARCAT OPEN
Seven members of the Penn State Nittany Lions competed at the 2018 Bearcat Open in Binghamton, N.Y., today. Two Nittany Lions came away as place-winners at the day-long event at Binghamton. Wrestlers competed both attached an unattached at the open tournament. Sophomore Luke Gardner and freshman Mason Manville led the Nittany Lions, each placing fourth at their respective weight classes. Gardner went 4-2 with a major and a pin to finish fourth at 149. Manville went 3-2 at 174, earning fourth place as well. Sophomore Bo Pipher went 2-2 with a pin at 157 as well.
5 LIONS 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.
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.
