UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Nov. 10, 2019 – The Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 1 nationally by InterMat, opened up the 2019-20 campaign with a resounding 45-0 win over Navy in sold out Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions had four individuals making their Rec Hall debuts with all four coming away victorious.
Another sold out Rec Hall crowd watched pre-dual ceremonies that included the unveiling of the 2019 NCAA Championship banner as Penn State won it's eighth NCAA title in the past nine years last March as well as a special presentation from Nike for head coach Cael Sanderson, recognizing Penn State's success under his guidance over the past decade. The sellout crowd of 6,490 is the 49th straight Rec Hall sellout and the 54th sellout in Penn State's last 56 home events (including five of seven in the Bryce Jordan Center).
The dual began at 141 where junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 3 at 141, opened up the dual season in style with by pinning Cody Trybus at the 6:16 mark. Junior Luke Gardner (Pottsville, Pa.) made his Penn State dual meet debut at 149 and followed suit. Gardner pinned Navy's Jon Park quickly, getting a first period pin at the 1:16 mark to put Penn State up 12-0 early.
Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) stepped in for No. 6 Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) at 157. Pipher battled Scout Skidgel evenly for seven minutes and, with the bout tied 6-6, escaped with just :02 on the clock to grab an exciting 7-6 win to put the Lions up 15-0. Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, dominated No. 11 Tanner Skidgel in his season opener. Joseph rolled to a 20-5 technical fall at the 6:02 mark. Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, ended his season-opening bout early. Hall locked up No. 17 Spencer Carey from his feet and moved him to his back for a fast fall at the 0:58 mark. Hall's pin gave Penn State a 26-0 lead at intermission.
Redshirt freshman Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.) stepped in for No. 3 Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) at 184, making his collegiate debut. Edsell thrilled the Penn State faithful with a strong 5-2 win in his first bout in the Blue and White singlet. Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio), the All-American graduate transfer from Kent State, made his Nittany Lion debut at 197. Conel, ranked No. 3 at 197, used a third period reversal to post a 4-3 win in his first wrestling match in nearly a full calendar year. Conel's debut victory put the Lions up 32-0. Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 285, began the new season in fine fashion as well. Cassar dominated John Birchmeier for half the bout before picking up the pin at the 4:41 mark, giving the Nittany Lions a 38-0 lead.
Freshman Brody Teske (Duncombe, Iowa) made his Nittany Lion debut at 125 and picked up a win in his match as a Penn Stater. Teske used solid pressure in the second and third period to pick up a critical stall point in the third period to post a 2-1 victory. Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, capped the dual off with a tenth victory, using a late four-point move to finalize a 17-6 major decision over Navy's Casey Cobb. Bravo-Young's major cemented Penn State's 45-0 shutout win over the Midshipmen.
Penn State posted a sizeable 29-3 takedown advantage. The Nittany Lions picked up 15 bonus points off four pins (Lee, Gardner, Hall and Cassar), one tech fall (Joseph) and a major (Bravo-Young). The shutout was Penn State's first since a 42-0 shutout over Lehigh last December on Dec. 2, 2018. The Nittany Lions have now won 60 dual meets in a row dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season.
Penn State is now 1-0 on the year, 0-0 B1G. The Midshipmen fall to 2-2. Penn State will trek to West Point, N.Y., next weekend for the Army West Point Invite. The event is slated for Sunday, Nov. 17, and begins at 10 a.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 45, Navy 0
November 10, 2019 – Rec Hall – University Park, Pa.
141: #3 Nick Lee PSU pinned Cody Trybus NAVY, WBF (6:16) 6-0
149: Luke Gardner PSU pinned Jon Park NAVY, WBF (1:46) 12-0
157: Bo Pipher PSU dec. Scout Skidgel NAVY, 7-6 15-0
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU TF #11 Tanner Skidgel NAVY, 20-5 (TF; 6:02) 20-0
174: #1 Mark Hall PSU pinned #17 Spencer Carey NAVY, WBF (0:58) 26-0
184: Creighton Edsell PSU dec. Andrew Buckley NAVY, 5-2 29-0
197: #3 Kyle Conel PSU dec. Jacob Koser NAVY, 4-3 32-0
285: #1 Anthony Cassar PSU pinned John Birchmeier NAVY, WBF (4:41) 38-0
125: Brody Teske PSU dec. Logan Treaster NAVY, 2-1 41-0
133: #3 Roman Bravo-Young PSU maj. dec. Casey Cobb NAVY, 17-6 45-0
Attendance: 6,490 (49th straight sellout in Rec Hall, 54 of 56 including five of seven in BJC)
Records: Penn State (1-0, 0-0 B1G); Navy (2-2)
Up Next for Penn State: Sunday, Nov. 17, at Army West Point Invite, 10 a.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
141: Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 3 at 141, battled Cody Trybus. Lee quickly got in on a single leg and picked up the first dual takedown of the season :35 into the bout. Trybus escaped to a 2-1 score but Lee stayed connected and continued to work on offense. Lee took Trybus down for two and picked up two nearfall points to open up a 6-1 lead at the 1:20 mark. Lee maintained control as his riding time edge moved over the 1:00 mark and he forced Trybus into a first stall. Lee carried the 6-1 lead and 1:40 in time into the second period. The Lion junior chose down to start the second period, quickly reversed Trybus, cut him loose and took him down again to lead 10-2 with 1:40 on the clock. Lee added another takedown with :38 in the period. He picked up a point on another Trybus stall and led 13-3 with 3:14 in riding time after two periods. Trybus chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 13-4 score. Lee quickly took him down again and cut him loose to up his lead to 15-5. Another Lee takedown and stall point gave the Lion an 18-5 lead with 1:10 left to wrestle. He then worked Trybus' shoulder to his back and picked up the season-opening pin at the 6:16 mark.
149: Junior Luke Gardner (Pottsville, Pa.) faced off with Navy's Jon Park at 149, making his Lion dual debut. Gardner wasted no time taking Park down for a quick 2-0 lead. The Lion junior cut Park loose :30 later and then went back to work, blowing through a high double to force a scramble that led to another takedown and a 4-1 lead at the 1:40 mark. Gardner then wasted no time bringing the sold out Rec Hall crowd to its feet, rolling Park to his back and steadying himself for the pin. Gardner got the fall in his Lion dual debut at the 1:46 mark.
157: Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) moved in at 157 for No. 6 Brady Berge and took on Scott Skidgel. Skidgel took Pipher down for Navy's first takedown to open up a 2-1 lead after a quick Pipher escape. Skidgel worked himself into near control of Pipher but the Lion worked his way out of bounds to force a reset at the 2:00 mark. Skidgel used a scramble to notch a takedown to open up a 4-1 lead with 1:12 left but gave up a point on an illegal hold. Pipher escaped off a reset and the bout resumed neutral at the :50 mark with Pipher trailing 4-3. Pipher worked his way into control of Skidgel's legs and got a last second takedown to lead 5-4 after the opening period. Skidgel chose down to start the second period and Pipher took advantage by controlling the action deep into the period to move his riding time mark up over 1:00. The Lion finished the period on top and led 5-4 with 1:13 in time after two periods. Pipher chose down to start the third period. Skidgel controlled the Lion long enough to erase the riding time edge. Pipher was able to scramble his way into control of the Midshipmen's ankle. Skidgel maintained control until action moved out of bounds. Pipher was cut loose to a 6-4 lead with :25 on the clock and then gave up a first stall. Skidgel took Pipher down with :15 left and Pipher thrilled the Lion crowd with an escape at the :02 mark to grab the exciting 7-6 win.
165: Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, met No. 11 Tanner Skidgel. Joseph took Skidgel down quickly for an early 2-0 lead. Joseph cut the Navy wrestler loose, took him down a second time and then locked up a cradle at the 1:40 mark to pick up four back points, upping his lead to 8-1. Skidgel tried to go chest-to-chest with Joseph only to have the Lion control the move, trip him to his back and pick up six more points off a takedown and four nearfall. The move gave Joseph a 14-3 lead after the opening period. Skidgel chose down to start the second period. Joseph cut him loose to a 14-4 score and went to work on offense. Joseph added two more takedowns and led 18-5 with over 2:00 in riding time after two periods. Joseph chose neutral to begin the third period and ended the bout quickly with a final takedown. Joseph picked up the 20-5 technical fall at the 6:02 mark to open up the new campaign.
174: Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, faced off with No. 17 Spencer Carey. Hall wasted no time getting the new season off to a hot start. The Lion locked up the ranked Midshipmen from his feet, moved him right to his back and, after a few seconds of adjustment, got the fast fall at the 0:58 mark.
184: Redshirt freshman Creighton Edsel (Wylausing, Pa.), stepping in for No. 3 Shakur Rasheed at 184, made his Nittany Lion debut against junior Andrew Buckley. The duo battled evenly for the first minute with neither man finding an opening to score. Edsel fought off a Buckley shot at the 1:30 mark and action continued tied 0-0. Edsel then worked his way in on a high single and took a 2-0 lead with a takedown on the edge of the mat with 1:05 on the clock. Buckley escaped to a 2-1 score and the bout continued neutral. Buckley chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. The Lion freshman withstood another slight Buckley shot as the clock moved to the :45 mark. Edsell chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 3-2 lead at the 1:40 mark. The Lion freshman worked to control the middle of the mat. The Lion got called for a first stall at the :30 mark and then fought off a slight Buckley shot as the clock wound down. Edsell finished the bout with a late counter takedown to post a 5-2 in his Lion dual debut.
197: Graduate Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio), the All-America transfer from Kent State who is ranked No. 3 at 197, made his Nittany Lion debut against Navy's Jacob Koser. Conel got in on an early single leg but Koser was able to force a stalemate and keep the bout scoreless at the 1:55 mark. Conel picked up his first Lion takedown at the 1:10 mark to open up a 2-0 lead. He then maintained control for :29 before Koser escaped to a 2-1 score. The Lion grad student carried that score into the second period. Koser chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 2-2 tie. The duo worked the center circle for the next minute-plus before Conel worked his way into a high single. Koser was able to force a scramble that killed the clock and the bout moved to the third period tied 2-2. Conel chose down to start the third period. Conel steadily worked his way to his feet, forcing Koser up and over his shoulders, before slipping through for a reversal and a 4-2 lead. Koser escaped and Conel led 4-3 at the :25 mark. The newly minted Nittany Lion withstood a late Koser shot and posted a 4-3 win in his first bout as a Penn Stater. The bout was Conel's first wrestling action in nearly a year.
285: Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 285, met Navy's John Birchmeier. Cassar roared through a high shot at the 1:55 mark and took Birchmeier to his back to open up an early 6-0 lead. Cassar controlled the action from the top position for :37 before cutting the Midshipmen loose to a 6-1 score. Cassar added a second takedown to up his lead to 8-1 with :40 on the clock. He carried that lead into the second stanza with over 1:00 in time. Birchmeier chose down to start the second period and a Cassar cut him loose to an 8-2 score. The Lion then quickly took Birchmeier down once more to up his lead to 10-2. He added four back points, stepped to the side and turned the Midshipmen to his back for the fall at the 4:41 mark, getting the new campaign off to a fast start.
125: Junior Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) took on Army junior Logan Treaster at 125. The duo battled evenly for two minutes with neither grappler connecting on a solid offensive effort. Teske circle the middle of the mat working for shoulder control with Treaster as the first period wound down, sending the bout to the second stanza tied 0-0. Teske chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 1-0 lead. The Lion freshman and the Navy junior continued to battle evenly as the second period worked its way to the :30 mark. Treaster gave up a late stall and the clock moved to 0:00. Trailing 1-0, Treaster chose down to begin the third period. Treaster escaped to a 1-1 tied at the 1:20 mark and action resumed neutral. Teske's offensive pressure forced Treaster out of bounds a second time and the Nittany Lion freshman took a 2-1 lead with :35 left in the bout. Teske fought off a late Navy shot and killed the clock with the late scramble to post a 2-1 win in his Nittany Lion debut.
133: Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, met Navy's Casey Cobb in the dual's final bout. The duo battled evenly for the first minute before Bravo-Young took a 2-0 lead with a solid shot and takedown. Cobb escaped to a 2-1 score but Bravo-Young continued to press and picked up a second takedown to lead 4-2 after the opening stanza. Cobb chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 4-3 score. Bravo-Young continued to look for low shots against Cobb as the second period hit its mid-point. The Lion sophomore switched things up, blew through a high double and added a third takedown to lead 6-4 after cutting Cobb loose. Bravo-Young finished with one more takedown and led 8-4 with 1:22 in riding time after two periods. Leading by four, Bravo-Young chose neutral to start the third period. He worked his way in on a low shot and picked up a takedown to lead 10-4 with 1:15 on the clock. Bravo-Young cut Cobb loose on a reset, then added a sixth takedown to lead 12-5 with :20 on the clock. Bravo-Young cut Cobb loose one last time and then used an outstanding four-point move to post a 17-6 major decision.
