UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; The Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2, 4-1 B1G), ranked No. 2 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index, lost a hard-fought dual at No. 1 Iowa (9-0, 6-0 B1G) in sold out Carver-Hawkeye Arena Friday night. Penn State led late in the dual but Iowa came back to post the 19-17 victory in front of 14,905 fans in Iowa City.
The loss was the first in the Big Ten for Penn State since Feb. 8, 2015, an 18-12 loss to Iowa in State College. Including tonight's dual, Penn State is in the midst of a run that four-of-five road duals in 16 days, including action at Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota with a home dual against Maryland on Sunday splitting the four road dates. All rankings listed are InterMat.
The dual began at 125 where freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) suffered a 16-1 technical fall to No.1 Spencer Lee at the 3:17 mark. Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, rolled out to a quick lead over No. 2 Austin DeSanto with two first period takedowns. Bravo-Young locked up a cradle on the second but DeSanto called for an injury time on the move and was unable to continue. Leading 5-0, Bravo-Young received the injury default victory at the 1:50 mark to put Penn State up 6-4 as Iowa lost a team point after the bout as well.
Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 3 at 141, rolled up seven takedowns on his way to a dominating 20-5 technical fall over Carter Happel. Lee's tech fall, at the 5:53 mark, gave the Nittany Lions an 11-4 lead. Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) battled No. 3 Pat Lugo at 149 and dropped a hard-fought 6-1 decision. Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) battled No. 5 Kaleb Young at 157 and dropped a 6-1 decision. With two bonus point wins, Penn State led 11-10 at halftime.
Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, picked up a big win to open the second half. Joseph used a six point move in the second period to roll out to a big lead over No. 2 Alex Marinelli, nearly pinning the Hawkeye in the process. The Lion senior added an escape in the third period and notched an impressive 7-5 win to put Penn State up 14-10. Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, then suffered his first loss of the year, an 11-6 upset to No. 2 Michael Kemerer. Kemerer's win cut the Penn State lead to 14-13.
True freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 9 at 184, extended Penn State's lead. The freshman used two first period takedowns to open up a big lead and rolled to a 7-3 victory over No. 6 Abe Assad, giving the Lions a 17-13 lead. Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 18 at 197, lost a hard-fought 4-2 decision to No. 7 Jacob Warner and Penn State's lead was trimmed to one, 17-16.True freshman Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 15 at 285, stepped to the mat to take on No. 3 Tony Cassioppi in the dual's final bout. Nevills nearly took an early lead in the first during a scramble, but Cassioppi countered and notched what would be the pivotal takedown on his way to a 7-0 win. The victory in the final match gave the Hawkeyes a 19-17 come-from-behind victory.
Penn State posted a 13-12 edge in takedowns in the dual. The Nittany Lions picked up five bonus points off Bravo-Young's injury default victory and Lee's technical fall.
Penn State is now 7-2 overall, 4-1 in the Big Ten. Iowa moves to 9-0, 6-0 Big Ten. Penn State returns home to host Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 2 p.m. in Rec Hall.
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.
#2 Penn State 17, #1 Iowa 19
January 31, 2020 – Iowa City, Iowa
125: #1 Spencer Lee IOWA tech fall Brandon Meredith PSU, 16-1 (TF; 3:17) 0-5
133: #3 Roman Bravo-Young PSU inj. def. #2 Austin DeSanto IOWA, Inj.Def. (1:50) 6-4*
141: #2 Nick Lee PSU tech fall Carter Happel IOWA, 20-5 (TF; 5:53) 11-4
149: #3 Pat Lugo IOWA dec. Jarod Verkleeren PSU, 6-1 11-7
157: #5 Kaleb Young IOWA dec. Bo Pipher PSU, 6-1 11-10
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU dec. #2 Alex Marinelli IOWA, 7-5 14-10
174: #2 Michael Kemerer dec. #1 Mark Hall PSU, 11-6 14-13
184: #9 Aaron Brooks PSU dec. #6 Abe Assad IOWA, 7-3 17-13
197: #7 Jacob Warner IOWA dec. #18 Shakur Rasheed PSU, 4-2 17-16
285: #3 Tony Cassioppi IOWA dec. #15 Seth Nevills PSU, 7-0 17-19
*Iowa deducted one team point
Attendance: 14,905
Records: Penn State (7-2, 4-1 B1G); Iowa (9-0, 6-0 B1G)
Up Next for Penn State: home vs. Maryland, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m. in Rec Hall
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) took on No. 1 Spencer Lee of Iowa at 125. Lee came out and took Meredith down off the whistle and turned him for two back points for an early 4-0 lead. Meredith was unable to work his way free of Lee's control and the clock moved below the 2:00 mark. Lee cut Meredith loose and took him down to lead 6-1 at the 1:22 mark. He turned the Lion for four back points and upped his lead to 10-1 at the 1:11 mark. Lee turned Meredith one more time for four points and led 14-1 after the opening period. Lee chose neutral to start the second period and took Meredith down for a 16-1 tech fall at the 3:17 mark.
133: Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, met No. 2 Austin DeSanto. DeSanto took a quick shot and forced a scramble that ended in an Iowa injury timeout. Action resumed just :13 into the bout with Bravo-Young taking down on the reset. He escaped on the reset and led 1-0. Bravo-Young quickly shot and took the Hawkeye down to up his lead to 3-0. The Lion then kept control of the Hawkeye long enough to build his time up over 1:00 but got hit with one stall warning in the process. DeSanto escaped at the 1:20 mark and quickly got in on a low single. Bravo-Young countered and locked up a cradle. While taking DeSanto to his back, the Hawkeye took a second injury time and was unable to continue. Bravo-Young, leading 5-0 at the time, picked up the injury default win at the 1:50 mark. Iowa was deducted a team point after the bout as well.
141: Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, battled Carter Happel. Lee scored quickly, taking Happel down for a quick takedown and a 2-1 lead. The Lion continued to work the middle of the mat, hit a high single and notched a second takedown. The Lion locked up a cradle and turned Happel for four near fall points to lead 8-1 at the :44 mark. Lee finished on top and led 8-1 with 2:11 in time after the opening period. Happel chose down to start the second period. Lee turned a high single into a third takedown and led 10-3 with 1:21 on the clock. Lee picked up a stall point and added another takedown to build his lead to 13-3. He finished the period on top and carried that lead, and 3:22 in time, into the third period. Lee chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 14-3 lead. He added two more takedown and and led 18-5. He finished the bout with a final takedown and posted the 20-5 tech fall at the 5:53 mark.
149: Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) met No. 3 Pat Lugo at 149. Lugo shot early, working his way in on a low shot that led to a scramble for :30. But Verkleeren worked out of trouble and the bout continued on tied 0-0. Lugo turned a high single into a takedown and a 2-0 lead with 1:20 on the clock. Lugo worked up 1:29 in riding time by riding Verkleeren out and led 2-0 after the opening period. Lugo chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Verkleeren gave up two quick stalls and trailed 4-0 as the clock moved to the 1:00 mark. The Lion then battled Lugo in the middle of the mat for the next :30. Verkleeren took a slight shot that Lugo stepped away from and the bout moved to the third period with the Lion trailing 4-0. Verkleeren chose down to start the third period. Lugo maintained control for :15 before Verkleeren escaped to a 4-1 score. The Lion had a second shot defended, then a third as the clock hit 1:00. Verkleeren got called for another stall and trailed 5-1 with :45 left with Lugo clinching riding time. Verkleeren got in on a low single at the :35 mark and forced a scramble that killed the clock. Lugo posted the 6-1 win with 1:43 in riding time.
157: Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) took on No. 5 Kaleb Young at 157. The duo battled through the first half of the opening period evenly with each wrestler taking a couple shots to no avail. Pipher worked neutral in the middle of the mat as the clock moved tot the 1:07 mark before Young worked his way in on a low shot for a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Pipher worked to break free of Young's ride but the Hawkeye was able to maintain control for the remainder of the period. Pipher trailed 2-0 after one. Pipher chose down to start the period but Young reversed the Lion to up his lead to 4-0. Pipher worked his way to his feet as the clock moved to the :39 mark. Young finished the period on top and led 4-0 after two. Pipher chose down to start the third period but Young was able to control the Lion from the top position. Pipher worked his way into control of Young's foot, looking for a reversal, but the action ended in a stalemate. Young clinched his riding time and Pipher escaped to a 4-1 score with 1:05 to wrestle. Pipher gave up a late stall point, Young added a riding time point and Pipher dropped a hard-fought 6-1 decision to the ranked Hawkeye.
165: Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, took on No. 2 Alex Marinelli. Marinelli took a quick shot but Joseph deftly moved back from it. The Lion then fought off another Marinelli burst and action continued in the middle of the mat in neutral. Joseph scrambled for a shot at the 2:10 mark and Marinelli was able to step away from the move at 2:00. The duo battled evenly for the next minute as the clock moved below 1:00. Neither wrestler was able to gain control of the other and Joseph fought off a throw attempt by Marinelli as the clock hit 0:00. Marinelli chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead. Marinelli took a slight shot and Joseph attacked. The Lion locked Marinelli up on his feet, threw the Hawkeye to the mat for two points and four near fall to open up a 6-1 lead, nearly picking up the pin the process. After a reset for blood time, Joseph was able to control the Hawkeye until the :05 mark. Marinelli worked his way to his feet and a throw attempt by the Hawkeye at the end led to an official review as the period ended. A reversal was awarded to Joseph and the Lion led 6-3 after two. Joseph chose down to start the third period. Joseph worked his way to an escape and a 7-3 lead at the 1:30 mark. The clock moved down to the :45 mark with Joseph fighting off a Marinelli shot. Marinelli added a takedown at the :10 mark but it was not enough and Joseph posted the strong 7-5 win.
174: Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, met No. 2 Michael Kemerer. Hall had an early duck-under defended, then had an apparent takedown on a throw. The call was not made, Kemerer countered and was awarded a takedown as the Penn State corner challenged the non-call. The call stood and Hall trailed 2-0. Hall quickly reversed the Hawkeye and tied the bout at 2-2. Kemerer escaped to a 3-2 lead and action continued in neutral. Hall worked his way in on a low shot at the :50 mark and took a 4-3 lead with a takedown. Kemerer was able to reverse the Lion and took a 5-4 lead with :10 on the clock. Trailing by one after the first period, Hall chose down to start the second stanza. He quickly escaped to a 5-5 tie with 1:42 on the clock. Hall had a quick single turned into a stalemate by Kemerer at 1:40 and then Kemerer used a high double to take a 7-5 lead with another takedown. Hall escaped to a 7-6 scorer with :40 left in the period. Kemerer led 7-6 after two periods and chose down to start the third period. Hall cut the Hawkeye loose to an 8-6 score and went to work from neutral. Hall took a low shot but Kemerer was able to counter the move and force a scramble on the edge of the mat that moved the clock down to the 1:00 mark before a stalemate was called. Hall took a slight shot that Kemerer countered for another takedown and a 10-6 lead with :40 on the clock. The Hawkeye finished the bout on top and posted the 11-6 win.
184: True freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 9 at 184, met No. 6 Abe Assad. Assad came out and tried a throw in the early going but Brooks fought off the move and controlled the action afterwards to open up a 2-0 lead with a takedown. Brooks was able to control the Hawkeye long enough to build up :51 in time before Assad escaped to a 2-1 score. Brooks fought off an Assad shot and countered but the Hawkeye stepped aside and action continued in neutral. Brooks got in on a high single at the :45 mark but Assad was able to fight off the move as the clock moved below :30. Brooks got in on a high single, lifted Assad off the mat and finished the period with a takedown to lead 4-1 with :55 in riding time. Assad chose down to start the second period. Brooks controlled the action from the top position, building his riding time up towards 2:00 with a strong ride. Assad scrambled to an escaped and a 4-2 score with :45 on the clock. The Lion freshman fought off a solid Assad shot and led 4-2 after two periods with 2:07 in riding time. Brooks chose down to start the third period and quickly reversed the Hawkeye to open up a 6-2 lead. Assad escaped and action continued in neutral as the clock moved to the 1:00 mark. Brooks had clinched his riding time point and finished the bout on his feet to roll to a convincing 7-3 win with 2:03 in riding time.
197: Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 18 at 197, faced off against No. 7 Jacob Warner. Rasheed stepped away from an early Warner shot but the Hawkeye quickly got in on another single leg and finished off the takedown to lead 2-0 at the 2:10 mark. Warner controlled the action from the top position as the clock moved down below the 2:00 mark. Rasheed managed to escape to a 2-1 score with :45 on the clock but Warner and 1:32 in riding time built up. Rasheed took a late shot but time ran out and the Lion senior trailed 2-1 after one. Rasheed chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. The Lion battled in the middle of the mat as the clock moved to the 1:00 mark. Neither wrestler mounted a strong attack for the rest of the period and the bout moved to the third tied 2-2. Warner, with 1:37 in riding time, escaped to start the third period and opened up a 3-2 lead. Rasheed was unable to connect on a high single at the :40 mark and Warner was able to kill the clock with solid defense. With riding time, Warner posted the 4-2 win.
285: True freshman Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 15 at 285, battled No. 3 Tony Cassioppi. The duo battled evenly for the first :40 before Cassioppi got in on a single leg. Nevills countered and gained control of the Hawkeyes leg, forcing a scramble that nearly led to a Nevills takedown. Cassioppi was able to work his way around the Lion on the scramble and notch the takedown for a 2-0 lead at the 1:42 mark. Nevills was unable to work his way free of Cassioppi's control, giving up a stall warning in the process. Nevills chose neutral to start the second period, trailing 2-0. The Lion freshman worked the middle of the mat, looking for an opening to score. But Cassioppi's defense was equal to the task and Nevills trailed by two after two periods. Cassioppi chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-0 lead. He then picked up a second takedown to up his lead to 5-0. Cassioppi clinched his riding time point and then finished the period on top, adding a stall point. His 3:08 in riding time gave the Hawkeye the 7-0 win.
