PITTSBURGH, Pa.; March 21, 2019 – The Penn State Nittany Lions, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, finished off a solid first day at the 2019 NCAA Championships by pushing six wrestlers through to the national quarterfinals and keeping all nine individuals alive for All-America status. The three-day event began today and runs through Saturday night. After an unbeaten first session, the Lions lead the team race after round two. While Penn State was done for the night, consolation action continued and Penn State leads the team race with 32.5 points as of 9:15 p.m. Ohio State is in second with 25.0 and Iowa is third with 24.0.
Sanderson's squad followed up a perfect 9-0 first round with a 6-3 second round. The Nittany Lions pushed six wrestlers in to the national quarterfinals set for Friday morning. The three Nittany Lions who dropped their second round bouts are all still alive for All-America laurels and can finish as high as third.
True freshman Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), the No. 10 seed at 133, took on No. 7 Austin DeSanto of Iowa in the second round. DeSanto was able to get an early takedown and led 2-1 after a quick Bravo-Young escape. The duo then battled in the center of the mat for the next minute with neither wrestler able to score. Bravo-Young nearly scored as the first period ended but clock hit zeroes and he trailed by one after one. Bravo-Young chose down to start the second period and worked his way to an escape and a 2-2 tie with 1:11 on the clock. His escape was the only scoring of the second period. DeSanto chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Bravo-Young nearly scored at the 1:12 mark but after a long review, no takedown was given and action resumed neutral with the Hawkeye leading by one. Bravo-Young forced a scramble late in the match but DeSanto countered it with seconds left and finished off a 7-2 win with a takedown and near fall points.
Sophomore Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), the No. 3 seed at 141, met No. 19 Se'Derian Perry of Old Dominion in the second round. The Lion sophomore worked his way into an early takedown to open up a 2-1 lead. He added a quick second takedown and led 4-1 after the opening period. The Nittany Lion ended the bout quickly in the second period, taking Perry to the mat and to his back for nearfall points before finishing off the match by pinning the ODU grappler at the 3:42 mark.
Redshirt freshman Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), the No. 12 seed at 149, met No. 5 Matt Kolodzik of Princeton in the second round. Kolodzik drew first blood with a quick takedown to open up an early 2-1 lead after Berge escaped right away. The duo battled evenly for the rest of the period and the Lion freshman trailed by one after the opening stanza. Kolodzik chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. The Princeton senior added a second takedown midway through the period to open up a 5-1 lead and moved his riding time over 1:00. Berge would escape and cut into Kolodzik's lead as the period moved on. Trailing 7-4, Berge forced Kolodzik into a stall to cut the lead to 7-5 but the Tiger was able to wind out the clock and, with a riding time point, down Berge 8-5.
Senior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 157, took on No. 16 John Van Brill of Rutgers in the second round. Nolf quickly took Van Brill down to open up a quick 2-1 lead, then added a second takedown to lead 4-2 midway through the opening stanza. The Lion tacked on more points, including near fall points, to lead 8-2 after the opening period. Nolf chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 9-2 lead. He tacked on another takedown, then another, and nearly pinned Van Brill at the end of the period. He picked up four near fall points and led 17-3 after two. Van Brill chose down to start the third period and Nolf went to work on top. He built up over 3:00 in riding time before cutting Van Brill loose to a 17-4 lead. He finished off the bout with a final takedown to post the 19-4 technical fall at the 6:47 mark.
Junior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), the No. 2 seed at 165, took on No. 18 Connor Flynn of Missouri in the second round. Joseph scrambled his way for a near takedown a minute into the bout but Flynn was able to work his way out of bounds and the match continued scoreless through the second minute of the opening period. The Lion junior took a 2-0 lead with a strong shot at the :40 mark and then finished the period on top to lead by two after the opening period. Joseph chose down to start the second period and worked his way to an escape and a 3-0 lead. He continued to pressure Flynn, forcing the Tiger grappler back out of bounds. Joseph finally got the stall call on Flynn and then took him down as the period ended to lead 5-0 after two. Flynn escaped to start the third period. Joseph notched another takedown after cutting him loose to lead 7-1. With time running out, Joseph pressed for a final takedown for bonus points but slipped through the move and Flynn got a late counter takedown. Joseph, with a riding time point, rolled to the 8-4 win.
Junior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), the No. 1 seed at 174, faced off against No. 16 Brandon Womack of Cornell in the second round. The Lion junior set the tempo for the first period but was unable to break through Womack's defense until late in the opening period. Hall led 2-0 with a late takedown after the opening three minutes. Hall upped his lead to 3-0 with an escape to start the second period and then added a takedown to lead 5-0 midway through the stanza. The Lion carried the big lead into the third period and finished off the match with a takedown and riding time to roll to an 8-3 win.
Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), the No. 2 seed at 184, took on No. 15 Chip Ness of North Carolina in the second round. Rasheed opened up an early lead with a first period takedown. Ness was able to escape to cut the lead to 2-1 after the opening period. Ness chose down to start the second stanza and Rasheed was able to control the action for over 0:30 before Ness escaped to a 2-2 tie. The Lion senior continued to press the action, however, and finished off the period with a takedown and rideout to lead 4-2 with over 1:00 in riding time after 5:00 of wrestling. Rasheed chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead. Continuing to be aggressive, Rasheed forced a scramble that Ness was able to counter as the clock moved below the 0:30 mark. With Rasheed on offense, Ness was able to work his way into control of the scramble and managed to pick up four near fall points as Rasheed tried to get control of Ness' ankles. The late scrambling move, good for six points, put Ness up 8-5 in a flash and the score held, Handing Rasheed his first loss off the season, 8-5.
Senior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), the No. 1 seed at 197, battled No. 16 Josh Hokit of Fresno State in the second round. Nickal wasted no time in rolling out to a big lead. He took Hokit down right out of the gates to lead 2-1. He then took Hokit down again and nearly pinned the Bulldog early but settled for four back points. Leading 8-2 after cutting Hokit loose, Nickal quickly took the Fresno State grappler down and finished off the match with yet another fast fall, this one at the 2:27 mark.
Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), the No. 2 seed at 285, met No. 15 Tate Orndorff of Utah Valley in the second round. The Lion battled Orndorff evenly for the bulk of the first period and took a 2-0 lead into the second period with a late takedown. Orndorff chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-1 score. But Cassar continued to showcase his offense, tossing Orndorff to the mat for a hard takedown to lead 4-1 at the 1:10 mark. Cassar finished on top to lead 4-1 with nearly 2:00 in riding time after two periods. He chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. He then took Orndorff down once more, upping his lead to 7-1 at the :50 mark. Looking for bonus points, Cassar cut Orndorff loose late and then finished off the bout with a takedown with just 0:04 left. With 2:13 in riding time, Cassar posted the 10-2 major decision.
The Nittany Lions went 6-3 overall during the session two and added another 6.5 bonus points off a major, a technical fall and two more pins. Penn State went a combined 15-3 on the first day of the three-day event and tallied 18-5 bonus points off three majors, a tech and seven pins. Nickal now has 117 career wins, 15th all-time at Penn State. He has 58 pins, just two shy of the Nittany Lion record of 60, held by teammate Nolf. Nolf now has 114 career wins, tied for 19th all-time at Penn State. Nickal's 17 falls this season is the fifth best single season mark in Penn State history.
Penn State is aiming for its eighth NCAA title in the last nine years and its fourth straight, which would be a second four-year title streak within this, Sanderson's 10th year as Penn State's mentor. The Nittany Lions concluded the 2019 dual season with a 14-0 record and won a share of the Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) title with a 9-0 conference mark. Penn State has now won 59 straight dual meets dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. The Nittany Lions won the 2019 Big Ten Championship on March 9-10 in Minneapolis, crowning four champions to run away from the rest of the field, winning by 30.0 points.
The event continues with session three 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 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.
2019 NCAA Championships – Top 3 Teams as of 9:15 p.m. near the end of session 2:
Thursday, March 21, 2019 – PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, Pa.
1: PENN STATE – 32.5
2: Ohio State – 25.0
3: Iowa – 24.0
133: #10 Roman Bravo-Young, Fr.
Rd. 1: #23 Mario Guillen, Ohio – W, 8-2 dec.
Rd. 2: #7 Austin DeSanto, Iowa – L, 2-7 dec.
Cn. 2: tomorrow
Bravo-Young took on No. 23 Mario Guillen in Penn State's first match of the tournament and Bravo-Young's first-ever NCAA tournament bout. Bravo-Young fought off an early Guillen shot and spent the rest of the first period in neutral to go to the second stanza tied 0-0. The Lion freshman chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Guillen then took the Lion down, Bravo-Young escaped and the match was tied 2-2 at the 1:20 mark. Bravo-Young took a 4-2 lead with a takedown at the 0:46 mark and finished on top to carry that lead into the third period. Gillen chose neutral to start the third period and Bravo-Young was able to withstand a solid Guillen effort as the clock moved below 0:30. The Lion then iced the bout with a takedown and two near fall points to post the 8-2 win
141: #3 Nick Lee, So.
Rd. 1: #30 Nate Limmex, Purdue – WBF (3:38)
Rd. 2: #19 Sa'Derian Perry, Old Dominion – WBF (3:42)
Qtrs: tomorrow
Lee met No. 30 Nate Limmex of Purdue in his first bout. Lee notched his first takedown seconds into the bout and took an early 2-1 lead. He added one more takedown to lead 4-1 with 1:34 in riding time after one period. Lee chose down to start the second period and quickly reversed Limmex to take a 6-2 lead. He then worked the Boilermaker over to his back and planted his shoulders for the pin at the 3:38 mark.
149: #12 Brady Berge, Fr.
Rd. 1: #21 Khristian Olivas, Fresno State – W, 6-3 dec.
Rd. 2: #5 Matt Kolodzik, Princeton – L, 5-8 dec.
Cn. 2: tomorrow
Berge battled No. 21 Khristian Olivas of Fresno State in his first-ever NCAA Championship match-up. Berge took an early 2-0 lead with a swift takedown at the 1:35 mark. He cut Olivas loose and then quickly took the Bulldog down again to lead 4-1 with 0:55 on the clock. Olivas managed an escape and Berge led 4-2 with 1:11 riding time after one. The Lion freshman chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead. The score held for the second stanza. Olivas, trailing 5-2, chose down to start the third period but Berge controlled him from the top position, working his riding time edge up near 2:00 before the Bulldog escaped to a 5-3 score. Berge controlled the action from neutral for the third period and, with 1:47 in riding time, posted the strong 6-3 win.
157: #1 Jason Nolf, Sr.
Rd. 1: #33 Ben Anderson, Duke – WBF (0:47)
Rd. 2: #16 John Van Brill, Rutgers – W, 19-4 (TF; 6:47)
Qtrs: tomorrow
Nolf met No. 33 Ben Anderson of Duke in the first round. The Lion senior wasted no time, taking Anderson down quickly for an early 2-0 lead. He adjusted his position, locked up a cradle, and began his final NCAA tournament with a fast fall, getting the pin at the 0:43 mark.
165: #2 Vincenzo Joseph, Jr.
Rd. 1: #31 Evan Delong, Clarion – WBF (2:57)
Rd. 2: #18 Connor Flynn, Missouri – W, 8-4 dec.
Qtrs: tomorrow
Joseph took on No. 31 Evan Delong of Clarion. Wrestling in his hometown, the Pittsburgh native took a quick 2-0 lead with a fast takedown in the center circle. He then worked Delong over to his back for four near fall points and led 6-0 midway through the period. The Lion junior continued to control Delong and locked up a tilt as the clock wound down. Joseph finished off the move, getting the fall at the 2:57 mark.
174: #1 Mark Hall, Jr.
Rd. 1: #33 Devin Kane, North Carolina – W, 10-2 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #16 Brandon Womack, Cornell – W, 8-3 dec.
Qtrs: tomorrow
Hall faced off against No. 33 Devin Kane of North Carolina in the first round. Hall quickly took Kane down for an early 2-0 lead. He spent the rest of the first period in control and led 2-0 with 2:21 in riding time after the opening period. The Lion junior chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He notched another takedown and led 5-0 midway through the period. Hall finished the second period on top and led 5-0 with a clinched riding time point (3:34) after two. Kane chose neutral to start the third period and Hall quickly rolled him to the mat for a takedown and a 7-1 lead. He added another takedown to up his lead to 9-2. The Lion added on a riding time point with a 4:28 edge and rolled to the 10-2 major decision.
184: #2 Shakur Rasheed, Sr.
Rd. 1: #31 Kevin Parker, Princeton – W, 11-2 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #15 Chip Ness, North Carolina – L, 5-8 dec.
Cn. 2: tomorrow
Rasheed battled No. 31 Kevin Parker of Princeton in the first round. Rasheed wasted no time taking Parker down, using a low single to open up an early 2-0 lead. Rasheed built up over 1:00 in time before turning Parker for two back points. Parker countered with a quick reversal that Rasheed reversed himself and the Lion led 6-2 after a wild scramble. Rasheed carried that lead into the second period and chose down to start it. He quickly reversed Parker to up his lead to 8-2 with over 4:00 in riding time. The Lion controlled the action on top for the remainder of the period. Parker, down 8-2, chose top to start the third period but Rasheed notched his fourth reversal of the match to open up a 10-2 lead. Another Rasheed rideout gave the Lion a dominating 11-2 major decision with a whopping 6:00 in riding time.
197: #1 Bo Nickal, Sr.
Rd. 1: #32 Ethan Laird, Rider – WBF (2:34)
Rd. 2: #16 Josh Hokit, Fresno State – WBF (2:27)
Qtrs: tomorrow
Nickal met No. 32 Ethan Laird of Rider in his first round match-up. Nickal controlled the action from the start. The Lion notched two quick takedowns, turning Laird for four back points after the second takedown to lead 8-1 midway through the opening stanza. The Lion senior then readjusted his position, locked up a cradle and got the fall at the 2:34 mark, ending the match in the first period.
285: #2 Anthony Cassar, Sr. (2nd seed)
Rd. 1: #31 Antonio Pelusi, Franklin & Marshall – WBF (4:20)
Rd. 2: #15 Tate Orndorff, Utah Valley – W, 10-2 maj. dec.
Qtrs: tomorrow
Cassar met No. 31 Antonio Pelusi of Franklin & Marshall in his first-ever NCAA Championship tournament bout. Cassar battled Pelusi evenly for over a minute, taking a couple of shots that the Diplomat was able to step back from. The Lion senior could not break through Pelusi's defense until the final seconds. After forcing Pelusi into a first stall warning, Cassar roared through a high shot at the Diplomat's waist and notched the takedown with just 0:01 on the clock. Leading 2-0, Cassar chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. The Lion then notched his second takedown to lead 5-0 midway through the second period. Cassar then muscled Pelusi's shoulders over, turning the Diplomat to his back to get the fall at the 4:20 mark.
