TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 18, 2019 -- No. 1 Penn State (14-0, 9-0 B1G), under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, will head to Pittsburgh, Pa., and the PPG Paints Arena for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The three-day event runs March 21-23. The Nittany Lions have won seven of the last eight NCAA team championships and will have Nine NCAA qualifiers in this year's field.
The event begins on Thursday, March 21, with sessions at 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. Session three begins at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 22, and the national semifinals take place in session four on Friday at 8 p.m. The medal rounds begin day three of the event on Saturday, March 23, at 11 a.m. The Championship Finals are set for 7 p.m. on Saturday. The entire event will air live on the ESPN family of networks. All three morning sessions (1, 3, 5) will air live on ESPNU. All three evening sessions (2, 4, 6) will air live on ESPN. The entire event, including live mat-by-mat coverage is available online via ESPN3 and the ESPN App.
Penn State will be sending nine wrestlers to the tournament. Three of those nine NCAA qualifiers will be the top seeds at their respective weights. A total of seven Penn Staters are seeded in the top three (including the three No. 1 seeds and three No. 2 seeds) and all nine of Penn State's entries are seeded in the top 12. For the first time, the NCAA is seeding all 33 wrestlers whereas last year only the top 16 were seeded. Please note that the records vs. the field listed below for each wrestler may include results against wrestlers at different weights.
True freshman Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.) is the No. 10 seed at 133. Bravo-Young earned an NCAA bid by placing fifth at the Big Ten Championships and is 21-4 on the year. He will meet No. 23 Mario Guillen of Ohio in the opening round of his first NCAA tournament. Bravo-Young is 8-4 vs. this year's field and 0-0 at the tournament all-time.
Sophomore Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.) is the No. 3 seed at 141. Lee, a returning All-American after placing fifth at 141 last year as a true freshman, earned his spot at nationals with a third place finish at Tens and is 27-2 on the year. Lee will take on No. 30 Nate Limmex of Purdue in the first round. Lee is 10-2 vs. this year's field and 6-2 at the tournament all-time.
Redshirt freshman Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) is the No. 12 seed at 149. Berge punched his ticket to Pittsburgh by placing sixth at Big Tens and is 18-3 overall. He will meet No. 21 Khristian Olivas of Fresno State in the opening round of his first NCAA tournament. Berge is 6-3 vs. this year's field and 0-0 at the tournament all-time.
Senior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.) is the No. 1 seed at 157. Nolf, a three-time All-American and two-time defending NCAA Champion, won the Big Ten title to earn the automatic spot and he is 26-0 this year. Nolf will meet the winner of the pigtail match between No. 33 Ben Anderson of Duke and No. 32 Alex Klucker of Lock Haven in the opening round. Nolf is 11-0 vs. this year's field and 14-1 at the tournament all-time.
Junior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is the No. 2 seed at 165. Joseph, a two-time All-American and the two-time defending NCAA Champion, earned his trip to Pittsburgh with a Big Ten runner-up finish at the conference tournament and is 23-1. He will take on No. 31 seed Evan Delong of Clarion in the opening round. Joseph is 10-1 vs. this year's field and 10-0 at the tournament all-time.
Junior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) is the No. 1 seed at 174. Hall, a two-time All-American and the '17 NCAA Champion, won the Big Ten title for his automatic bid to nationals and is 26-0. Hall will meet the winner of the pigtail match between No. 33 Devin Kane of North Carolina and No. 32 Jake Covaciu of Indiana in the opening round. Hall is 16-0 vs. this year's field and 9-1 at the tournament all-time.
Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) is the No. 2 seed at 184. Rasheed, an All-American at 197 last season, was the Big Ten runner-up in Minneapolis to earn a trip to nationals and is 18-0 on the year. Rasheed will meet No. 31 Kevin Parker of Princeton in the opening round of his second NCAA tournament. Rasheed is 5-0 vs. this year's field and 4-2 at the tournament all-time.
Senior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas) is the No. 1 seed at 197. Nickal, a three-time All-American and two-time NCAA Champion at 184, won the Big Ten title to earn the automatic spot and is 25-0 this year. Nickal will meet the winner of the pigtail match between No. 33 Rod Jones of Chattanooga and No. 32 Ethan Laird of Rider in the opening round. Nickal is 13-0 vs. this year's field and 14-1 at the tournament all-time.
Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.) is the No. 2 seed at 285. Cassar, making his first trip to the NCAA tournament, won the Big Ten Championship in Minneapolis to earn his spot in the bracket and is 25-1 overall. Cassar will take on No. 31 Zack Parker of Ohio in the first round. Cassar is 12-1 vs. this year's field and 0-0 at the tournament all-time.
Penn State has won seven of the last eight NCAA Championships, all since Sanderson's arrival at Penn State (he is in his tenth season this year). The Nittany Lions have won eight NCAA titles overall, owning a title from 1953. The Nittany Lions have won the last three NCAA titles (2016, 17 and 18) and will be working towards their second four year title streak (having won in 2011, 12, 13 and 14) since Sanderson's arrival.
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.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (14-0, 9-0 B1G)
2019 B1G CHAMPIONS, B1G DUAL CHAMPIONS
133 #10 Roman Bravo-Young Fr. Tucson, Ariz./Sunny Side 21-4
(8-4 vs. the field in '18-19, 0-0 all-time at NCAAs)
141 #3 Nick Lee So. Evansville, Ind./Homeschool 27-2
(10-2 vs. the field in '18-19, 6-2 all-time at NCAAs)
149 #12 Brady Berge Fr. Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville 18-3
(6-3 vs. the field in '18-19, 0-0 all-time at NCAAs)
157 #1 Jason Nolf Sr. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning 26-0
(11-0 vs. the field in '18-19, 14-1 all-time at NCAAs)
165 #2 Vincenzo Joseph Jr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic 23-1
(10-1 vs. the field in '18-19, 10-0 all-time at NCAAs)
174 #1 Mark Hall Jr. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley 26-0
(16-0 vs. the field in '18-19, 9-1 all-time at NCAAs)
184 #2 Shakur Rasheed Sr. Coram, N.Y./Longwood 18-0
(5-0 vs. the field in '18-19, 4-2 all-time at NCAAs)
197 #1 Bo Nickal Sr. Allen, Texas/Allen 25-0
(13-0 vs. the field in '18-19, 14-1 all-time at NCAAs)
285 #2 Anthony Cassar Sr. Rocky Hill, N.J./Montgomery 25-1
(12-1 vs. the field in '18-19, 0-0 all-time at NCAAs)
Rankings listed are official NCAA seed as of 3/14/19
THIS WEEK
Penn State (14-0, 9-0 B1G), fresh off winning the 2019 Big Ten Championship, will send nine NCAA qualifiers to the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena on Thur.-Sat., March 21-23.
UP NEXT
Season complete :(
ON THE AIR
TV - ESPNU (sessions 1,3,5), ESPN (sessions 2,4,6)
Radio - ESPN Radio 1450
Radio online - Free all year via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Live Web Video - ESPN3, Watch ESPN, ESPN App
NOTES
THE MILESTONE WATCH LIST
A number of team and individual records and milestones are in play as of now:
* Career Wins: 100 win threshold
-- Nickal is 20th all-time with 115, Nolf is at 112
* Career Falls: Record WAS 53
-- Nolf new holder w/ 59, Nickal 56 is 2nd, Hall 31 is 12th, Rasheed 28 is 19th.
* Career Dual Meet Wins
-- Nickal 57 is 7th all-time, Nolf 54 is 13th
* Falls in a season
-- Nickal 15 is 20th, Nolf 14, Joseph 13
* Big Ten Dual Wins
-- Cael Sanderson holds record with 74
CAEL SANDERSON NAMED 2019 B1G COACH OF THE YEAR
Nittany Lion mentor Cael Sanderson was named the 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year in voting done by the conference's head coaches at the conclusion of Penn State's tournament title run in Minnesota on March 9-10. Sanderson was honored for the fifth time in his ten year run at Penn State.
BO NICKAL AND JASON NOLF NAMED CO-BIG TEN WRESTLERS OF THE YEAR
Senior teammates Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf were named Co-Big Ten Wrestlers of the Year in voting done by the conference's head coaches at the conclusion of Penn State's tournament championship performance in Minnesota on March 9-10. They become the eighth and ninth Nittany Lions to win the honor in head coach Cael Sanderson's tenure at Penn State and the 10th and 11th all-time at Penn State. For Nolf it is the second time he's won the award (he won in 2017) and for Nickal it is his first.
JASON NOLF NAMED CO-BIG TEN TOURNAMENT O.W.
Senior Jason Nolf was named the 2019 Co-Big Ten Tournament Outstanding Wrestler, sharing the honor with Iowa's Alex Marinelli. Nolf becomes the fifth Nittany Lion to earn tournament O.W. honors in Sanderson's coaching run at Penn State and the eighth overall in school history. It is his first such honor.
NITTANY LIONS WIN BIG TEN TITLE; SIXTH IN LAST 10 YEARS
No. 1 Penn State (14-0, 9-0 B1G) rolled through the competition to claim the 2019 Big Ten Championship. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad crowned four individual champions to out-distance second place Ohio State by over 30 points. Sanderson's squad had nine wrestlers place in the top six, qualifying all nine competitors for the 2019 NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh on March 21-13. Penn State won the team title with 157.5 points, far out in front of second place Ohio State, who had 122.5. Iowa was third with 107.5 and host Minnesota was fourth with 101.5.
BO NICKAL BECOMES 3X BIG TEN CHAMPION
Senior Bo Nickal went 3-0 at the 2019 Big Ten Championships to win his third Big Ten title, all at different weights. Nickal won the 174 pound title in 2016, the 184 pound title in 2018 and the 197 pound title this year. He teched Brad Wilton of Michigan State and majored #13 Eric Shultz of Nebraska to meet #2 Kollin Moore of Ohio State in the finals. Nickal dominated Moore, posting a 10-3 win with nearly 3:00 in riding time to win the crown.
JASON NOLF BECOMES 2X BIG TEN CHAMPION
Senior Jason Nolf went 3-0 at the 2019 Big Ten Championships to win his second Big Ten title. After winning the 157 pound title in 2017 and going 2-0 in 2018 before medically forfeiting to get ready for another NCAA title run, Nolf claimed his second crown by pinning #12 Eric Barone of Illinois, beating #7 Alex Pantaleo of Michigan 7-1 and majoring #2 Tyler Berger of Nebraska 12-4 in the finals.
MARK HALL BECOMES 2X BIG TEN CHAMPION
Junior Mark Hall went 3-0 at the 2019 Big Ten Championships to win his second straight Big Ten title at 174. Hall won in 2018 and followed it up this season to win again. He pinned Michigan State's Drew Hughes and downed #12 Devin Skatzka of Minnesota 4-2 before taking care of #4 Myles Amine of Michigan 3-2 in the finals.
ANTHONY CASSAR WINS FIRST BIG TEN TITLE AT 285
Senior Anthony Cassar capped off the 2019 Big Ten Championships by winning the 285 pound title in the tournament's final bout. Cassar went 4-0 at the tournament. He majored Purdue's Jacob Aven 12-4, beat #13 David Jensen 8-4 and majored #14 Conan Jennings 10-2 to advanced to the finals where he met #1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota. Tied 1-1 heading into the third, Cassar fell behind 3-1 on a Steveson takedown at the 1:25 mark. Cassar quickly escaped to cut the lead to 3-2. He then notched a title-clinching takedown with :20 on the clock to grab the win and become a Big Ten Champion in his first trip to the tournament. The loss was Steveson's first of the year, and the takedown for Cassar was the first given up by the Gopher all season long.
JOSEPH AND RASHEED B1G FINALISTS
Junior Vincenzo Joseph and senior Shakur Rasheed each advanced to the Big Ten Championship bouts at 165 and 184 respectively. Joseph won his first two bouts, a 21-6 tech fall over Joey Gunther of Illinios and a fall over #7 Logan Massa of Michigan, before dropping a tough 9-3 decision to #2 Alex Marinelli of Iowa in the finals. Rasheed went 2-0 at the tournament, pinning #20 Cameron Caffey and beating #6 Taylor Venz of Nebraska. He was unable to compete in the finals, taking a medical forfeit to finish second with a 2-0 mark.
LEE THIRD, BRAVO-YOUNG FIFTH, BERGE SIXTH; EARN NCAA BIDS AS THEY HELP LIONS TO B1G CROWN
Sophomore Nick Lee went 3-1 with two majors at the 2019 Big Ten Championships, placing third at the event. Lee's only loss was a close 5-4 decision to eventual champion #3 Joey McKenna of Ohio State in the semifinals. Lee beat #16 Max Murin of Iowa 8-3, majored #8 Tristan Moran of Wisconsin and majored #9 Mitch McKee of Minnesota in the third place bout. True freshman Roman Bravo-Young placed fifth at 133 to earn a trip to the NCAA Championships as a true freshman. Bravo-Young went 4-2 in his first trip to Big Tens. He majored Nebraska's Jevon Parrish, majored Jens Lantz of Wisconsin and picked up a medical forfeit victory in the fifth place bout. His lone losses were close ones to #7 Luke Pletcher of Ohio State (8-5) and #3 Austin DeSanto of Iowa (12-8) in conso action. Redshirt freshman Brady Berge qualified for the NCAA tournament with a 2-1 run at 149 in his first Big Ten tournament. Berge majored Purdue's Parker Filius 12-3 then posted a thrilling 4-2 (sv2) win over #9 Pat Lugo of Iowa in the quarterfinals. He dropped a 13-4 major to #2 Micah Jordan of Ohio State. He was unable to compete after that match and medically forfeited, placing sixth to earn the automatic bid to NCAAs.
LIONS HAMMER BUFFALO IN SEASON DUAL FINALE
Penn State hammered visiting Buffalo in the dual meet finale for the Nittany Lions, capping off the team's fourth straight undefeated season. Penn State won nine of ten bouts, including five straight pins, to roll to a 47-3 win and end the season 14-0 overall. Penn State won a share of its fourth straight Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) title a week prior when it finished its conference schedule with a 9-0 mark. This marks the fourth straight year that Penn State has gone undefeated, including going 9-0 in the Big Ten. The sellout crowd of 6,614 was the 48th straight Rec Hall sellout and the 53rd in the last 55 home events at Penn State, including five of seven in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions have won 59-straight dual meets dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. Sanderson's Lions won their last dual of that campaign, went 16-0 in 2015-16, went 14-0 in 2016-17 and went 14-0 in 2017-18.
LIONS CLAIM SHARE OF 2019 B1G DUAL MEET TITLE
Penn State closed out its Big Ten dual meet schedule with a home win over Michigan State (37-10) on Feb. 15 and a road win at No. 19 Illinois (39-9) on Feb. 17 to finish the conference slate 9-0. Penn State and Iowa both ended the season with 9-0 records and are Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) co-champions. For Penn State, it is the fourth straight season the team has won or shared the regular season crown and the fourth straight season that the Lions posted a 9-0 mark in conference duals. Penn State has won or shared six regular season titles since head coach Cael Sanderson took over the program.
STOSSEL PICKS UP FIRST DUAL WIN AT ILLINOIS
Senior Scott Stossel stepped in at 133 for Penn State in its 39-9 road win at Illinois on Feb. 17, filling in for Roman Bravo-Young who returned to Arizona for a funeral. Stossel posted a 6-4 win over Illinois' Joshua Contreras to help spark the Lions to the victory, earning his first-ever dual meet victory as a Nittany Lion.
LIONS HAMMER NO. 19 ILLINOIS FOR B1G ROAD WIN
Penn State closed out the Big Ten dual slate with a dominating 39-9 victory at Illinois on Feb. 17. The Loins won eight of ten bouts, including pins from Mark Hall and Anthony Cassar. Nick Lee and Bo Nickal won by tech falls, Brady Berge and Vincenzo Joseph had majors and Jason Nolf won by injury default. Scott Stossel also picked up a decision at 133, his first ever dual win.
PENN STATE DOWNS MICHIGAN STATE 37-10 IN REC HALL
Penn State won seven of ten bouts in front of another sold out Rec Hall crowd to take care of visiting Michigan State 37-10 on Feb. 15. The Nittany Lions got pins from Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph and Bo Nickal in the victory.
LIONS STORM COLUMBUS, DOWN #2 OHIO STATE 28-9
Penn State stormed into Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 8 and dominated #2 Ohio State in front of over 13,000 fans in sold out St. John Arena. Penn State won seven of ten bouts to post the 28-9 win. All seven match-ups featuring ranked foes were won by the Nittany Lions in the dual as Penn State handed Ohio State its worst dual meet loss since the last time the Lions wrestled at Ohio State, a 32-12 win on Feb. 13, 2017.
NICKAL PINS #2 MOORE IN B1G DUAL WIN AT OHIO STATE NAMED B1G WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Senior Bo Nickal continued his national dominance by handing No. 2 Kollin Moore of Ohio State his first loss of the season on Moore's home mat. Nickal locked up a textbook cradle midway through the opening period of their marquee match-up in Columbus on Friday night and pinned the second-ranked Buckeye at the 1:38 mark. The pin was one of many highlights in Penn State's 28-9 win over No. 2 Ohio State in the nationally televised dual in sold out St. John Arena. Nickal's pin was his 13th of the year and the 54th of his career. He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (his second time this year) for his efforts).
BRAVO-YOUNG OVER #6 PLETCHER; LEE OVER #2 McKENNA SPARK LIONS IN WIN AT OHIO STATE
True freshman Roman-Bravo Young returned to action after being sidelined briefly to down #6 Luke Pletcher of Ohio State 2-1 (tb) in the first match of Penn State's B1G road dual at Ohio State on Feb. 8. Sophomore Nick Lee followed that win up by handing #2 Joey McKenna his first loss of the season at 141, notching a 7-6 victory. The two wins helped spark Penn State to a 28-9 win at OSU in sold out St. John Arena.
NOLF, JOSEPH, HALL AND CASSAR NOTCH RANKED WINS IN B1G VICTORY OVER OHIO STATE
Penn State won all seven match-ups featuring ranked foes in its 28-9 win at Ohio State on Feb. 8. Joining the aforementioned Bo Nickal, Roman Bravo-Young and Nick Lee with big ranked wins were four other Nittany Lions, all of whom won by bonus. Senior Jason Nolf posted a 21-6 tech fall over #6 Ke-Shawn Hayes at 157, junior Vincenzo Joseph majored #12 Te'Shawn Campbell 11-2 at 165, junior Mark Hall majored #18 Ethan Smith 12-4 at 174 and Anthony Cassar majored #19 Chase Singletary 18-8 at 285.
LIONS ROLL OVER #5 MICHIGAN IN SOLD OUT BJC DUAL
Top-ranked Penn State rolled over No. 5 Michigan in front of nearly 16,000 fans in the sold out Bryce Jordan Center in a marquee Big Ten wrestling dual. The Nittany Lions won seven of ten bouts to roll to the 25-11 victory over the visiting Wolverines and remain unbeaten on the year. The loss was Michigan's first of the season. Penn State posted a convincing 21-13 advantage in takedowns in the dual. The Nittany Lions picked up four bonus points off one pin (Bo Nickal at 197) and one major (Anthony Cassar at 285). The sellout crowd of 15,703 is the sixth highest indoor attendance figure in NCAA wrestling and the fifth highest at Penn State. The Nittany Lions own the top four indoor figures in NCAA history, including the all-time record of 15,998 set last year against Iowa on Jan. 10, 2018. Penn State has wrestled in front of 51 sell-outs in its last 53 home outings, including 46 straight in Rec Hall and five of seven in the BJC.
LEE, NOLF, JOSEPH, HALL AND CASSAR TAKE DOWN TOP TEN OPPONENTS IN BJC DUAL WIN OVER MICHIGAN
Penn State won all five match-ups featuring ranked opponents in the team's 25-11 victory over Michigan on Feb. 1. No. 7 Nick Lee dominated No. 5 Kanen Storr 10-4 at 141, No. 1 Jason Nolf controlled No. 5 Alec Pantaleo 9-2 at 157, No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph used a last second takedown to down No. 7 Logan Massa 4-2 in sudden victory at 165, No. 1 Mark Hall edged No. 3 Myles Amine 3-2 at 174 and No. 4 Anthony Cassar majored No. 8 Mason Parris 19-8 at 285.
FOUR LIONS PLACE AT MESSIAH OPEN
Penn State had four wrestlers competing at the Messiah Open on Feb. 2, attached and unattached, and all four placed. Junior Patrick Higgins went 3-1 with two pins to place third at 133; true freshman Brandon Meredith went 3-1 with two majors for third at 125; true freshman Paul Feite went 3-3 with two majors for sixth at 157; and true freshman Konner Kraezig went 5-1 with a major, two techs and two pins for third at 165.
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.
FORMER LION GREAT DAVID TAYLOR NAMED UWW FREESTYLE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR FOR 2018
Former Penn State great and current Nittany Lion Wrestling Club resident David Taylor was named the UWW Best Freestyle Wrestler of the Year for 2018. The award was based on the number of ranking points each wrestler attained over the course of the 2018 season. Petra Olli of FInland won the women's ward and Peter Bacsi of Hungary won the Greco-Roman award.
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-5 WINS LEAD LIONS TO 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 GET RANKED WINS IN 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.
