Before the sold-out Rec Hall crowd could begin to settle into their seats to watch the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions take on the Penn Quakers, Brandon Meredith had already opened the action with an upset victory at 125.
The redshirt freshman stepped onto the mat with only one dual under his belt and, with the team's struggles at 125 pounds, nothing to lose.
But in the Nittany Lion's 33-7 victory over the Quakers, the team attributed their energy to the very first match as Meredith upset No. 10 Michael Colaiocco in a hard-fought battle down to the third period's buzzer.
"I thought he wrestled well. He fell behind a little early but kept his composure and just gave himself a chance," head coach Cael Sanderson said. "He had a really nice takedown and kept plugging away. I think that's a great win for him and a confidence builder."
Meredith found himself down 5-1 at the beginning of the second period, struggling with defending Colaiocco's quick feet and fast takedowns. But in what felt like seconds, Meredith's energy rose with the crowd as he executed an escape, a stalling call on the Quaker and riding time to pull the score to 8-5 by the end of the third period.
"I think I put a lot of time in the summer and just working and trying to do everything I can to get better every day," Meredith said. "I think that's the main focus to take with me this year versus last year is just focusing on the little things and getting better. Things like this will happen."
The 125-pounder stepped in for teammate Brody Teske at both the Friday match against Lehigh and at his Rec Hall debut against Penn. This match not only signified a spike in energy from the Nittany Lions, but also the first winning notch in Meredith's record. He previously competed unattached in open tournaments as a redshirt last year.
"It definitely helped," Meredith said. "The whole match, just trying to focus on the right things like getting to my tie-ups and to just keep wrestling no matter if I make a mistake. But, I definitely think the experience Friday night helped me with that today."
Though the Nittany Lions are testing a variety of lineup options, Meredith's win may make him a potential 125-pound contender for the remainder of the season, helping to fill one of the holes of contention and surging the Nittany Lions ahead to another NCAA title.
To the 125-pounder, his contribution to Penn State's victory goes deeper than just three added points on the total score.
Meredith came into the wrestling program with 10 relatives sharing his passion for Penn State, including both parents, brother and grandfather Bud Sr., who worked with Penn State Athletics for nearly 50 years and retired in 2015 as the Director of Ticketing Operations.
"I'm trying to focus on getting better and just being grateful every time I get to step on the mat," the 125-pounder said. "Not many people get to do this — to wrestle in Rec Hall — and dream of this as a kid. I'm focusing on that, focusing on getting better and good things will happen."
