PISCATAWAY, N.J.; – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (12-2, 8-1 B1G) will have five wrestlers in tomorrow's Big Ten finals as day one of the 2020 Big Ten Wrestling Championship has concluded at Rutgers University. The Nittany Lions, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, have six NCAA qualifiers with one more alive to earn a spot on Sunday. The two-day event is being held at Rutgers University's RAC. Penn State entered the tournament with five top-two seeds and five wrestlers making their first-ever appearances at the event, including three freshmen.
Penn State won its first five semifinal bouts before dropping its last by just one point. The Nittany Lions will look to up their qualifier total to seven tomorrow.
Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 2 nationally at 133 in the NCAA coaches poll, met No. 3 Austin DeSanto of Iowa in Penn State's first semifinal bout of the evening. Bravo-Young exploded out of the gates, taking DeSanto down off the opening whistle for an early 2-0 lead. The Hawkeye escaped after a brief ride and the bout continued in neutral for the remainder of the first period. With Bravo-Young leading 2-1, DeSanto chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Bravo-Young and DeSanto battled evenly for the next :40 before DeSanto forced a scramble with a low shot. Bravo-Young was able to work action to a stalemate and the bout resumed with just :20 on the clock. Trailing 3-2, Bravo-Young chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. DeSanto forced another scramble with a shot and Bravo-Young once again worked action to a stalemate. The duo worked the outside circle as the clock wound its way down to :25. Bravo-Young worked on defense for the final seconds and walked away with a 3-2 victory. Bravo-Young will take on Northwestern's Sebastian Rivera in the final tomorrow.
Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 1 at 141, faced off against No. 6 Chad Red of Nebraska in the semifinals at 141. Lee got in on a single leg at the 2:10 mark and steadily worked Red to the mat for a takedown and a 2-0 lead. He controlled the action from the top position for the next minute-plus, building up a riding time advantage with a strong ride. He finished the period on top and led 2-0 with 1:46 in riding time after the opening period. Lee chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He connected on another low single and took Red down for a 5-0 lead. Red notched a late takedown and Lee led 5-2 with 2:16 in riding time after two periods. Red chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 5-3 score. Red notched a late takedown to briefly tie the bout, but Lee added an escape and riding time to post the 7-5 victory. Lee will take on Ohio State's Luke Pletcher in the finals.
Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, met No. 4 Isaiah White of Nebraska in the semifinals. Joseph opened up an early lead, lifting White off the mat and taking him down for a 2-0 lead at the 2:20 mark. The Lion build up :43 in riding time before White escaped to a 2-1 score. Joseph fought off a solid White shot with :55 in the period and maintained his lead as action moved out of bounds. The duo battled evenly for the remainder of the period and Joseph led by one after the first period. White chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Joseph controlled the middle of the mat for the rest of the period, forcing White into a first stall. Tied 2-2, Joseph chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Joseph worked his way in on a low single, pulled White's other foot in bounds and finished off a takedown to up his lead to 5-2 at the :20 mark. White picked up a late escape and Joseph added riding time, giving the Nittany Lion the 6-3 victory. Joseph will take on Iowa's Alex Marinelli in tomorrow's finals.
Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, met No. 4 Dylan Lydy of Purdue in his semifinal match-up. Hall and Lydy battled through the first half in neutral, working the clock down towards the 1:00 mark with no scoring. Lydy notched a quick takedown as the period wound down and Hall escaped before the clock hit 0:00, sending the bout to the second period tied 2-2. Hall chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. He worked a single leg into a takedown to lead 5-2 with 1:10 left in the middle stanza. Lydy managed an escape and Hall led 5-3 after two periods. Lydy chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 5-4 score. Hall fought off Lydy's late offense and walked away with a 5-4 win. Hall will take on Iowa's Michael Kemerer in the finals tomorrow.
True freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 5 at 184, took on No. 9 Taylor Venz of Nebraska in the semis at 184. Brooks scored quickly, taking Venz down for an early 2-1 lead. The Husker countered a Brooks shot, working shoulder control into a takedown on the edge of the mat. Brooks quickly escaped and the bout continued in neutral, tied 3-3 at the 1:49 mark. Brooks fought off a Venz shot with :30 left in the period. Tied 3-3, Venz chose down to start the second period. He escaped to a 4-3 lead and then Brooks worked his way in on a low shot. He turned the shot into a cradle, locking Venz up and turning him to his back. After a bit of work, Brooks got the fall at the 4:00 mark. Brooks will now take on Michigan State's Cameron Caffey in the finals tomorrow.
Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 24 at 197, faced off against No. 5 Eric Schultz of Nebraska in his semifinal bout. Rasheed came out hot and notched a quick takedown to open up a 2-1 lead on the Husker. The duo then battled in neutral in the middle of the mat for the next minute-plus. Schultz turned a high shot into a takedown to open up a 3-2 lead on Rasheed with :40 on the clock. Rasheed was unable to break free of Schutz's ride and trailed 3-2 after one period. Schultz chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 4-2 lead with 1:40 on the clock. Rasheed was unable to break through Schultz's defense and trailed 4-2 after two. Rasheed chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 4-3 deficit. The Lion continued to work on offense, forcing Schultz into a first stall at the :25 mark. Rasheed continued to chase the Husker around the mat. He almost locked up a mixer, turning Schultz to his back as the clock moved to 0:00, but Schultz rolled out of the move, killed the final seconds, and Rasheed dropped a tough 4-3 decision. Rasheed will wrestle in consolation action tomorrow, still alive for third place.
Freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.), the 14th-seed at 125, took on Logan Griffin of Michigan State in Penn State's first match of the session in consolation action at 125. Meredith fell behind 2-0 at the 2:00 mark and escaped to a 2-1 deficit over a minute later. The Lion trailed 2-1 after the opening stanza. Griffin took neutral to start the second period and neither wrestler threatened offensively. Down by one but already giving up a riding time edge, Meredith chose neutral to start the third period. He nearly connected on a single at the 1:30 mark but Griffin was able to step out of trouble and keep his lead. Griffin added another takedown and, with over 2:00 in riding time, posted the 5-1 win. The loss ended Meredith's scoring chances in the tournament but the Lion continued on in the ninth place mini-bracket. He took on No. 17 Nic Aguilar of Rutgers in his first mini-bracket bout. Meredith notched an early first period takedown and led 2-1 after the opening period. Aguilar escaped to start the second period and the bout moved to the third knotted at that score. Meredith chose down to start the third period. Aguilar maintained control until the Lion escaped to a 3-2 lead with :47 on the clock. Aguilar notched a late takedown and posted the 4-3 win. Meredith ends his tournament with a 1-3 record.
Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.), ranked No. 20 nationally at 149, took on No. 16 Collin Purinton of Nebraska in his first consolation bout. Verkleeren and Purinton battled evenly for the first minute-plus. The Lion stepped back from a slight Purinton shot and continued in neutral as the clock hit 1:30. Verkleeren and Purinton battled through three scoreless minutes to start the bout. The Lion sophomore chose down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 1-0 lead at 1:40. He gave up a takedown with :30 on the clock and fell behind 2-1 but escaped to tie the bout 2-2 before the period ended. Purinton chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Verkleeren forced a late scramble looking for a go-ahead takedown, but Purinton countered and finished off the bout with another takedown for the 5-2 win. With 10 149-pounders going to NCAAs, Verkleeren moved into the placer mini-bracket. He received a bye in his first placer bracket bout. Verkleeren will continue in the mini-bracket tomorrow morning.
Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.), the 13th-seed at 157, went 0-2 in the morning session and bowed out of the tournament. True freshman Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 16 at 285, suffered an injury default loss in his first match during session one and ended the tournament at 0-1.
The Nittany Lions conclude day one with a 13-9 record including two majors, a tech fall and three pins. Penn State has six wrestlers qualified for NCAAs with Verkleeren still alive for a spot at 149.
The Big Ten received 79 automatic qualifiers: eight at 125, seven at 133, eight at 141, ten at 149, six at 157, eight at 165, nine at 174, ten at 184, six at 197 and seven at 285. In all, the NCAA allocated 283 automatic bids for 330 slots (33 per 10 weight classes). The remaining spots will be announced as at-large bids on Wednesday, March 11.
The tournament concludes tomorrow, Sunday at 12 p.m. with consolation bouts, followed up by the Big Ten finals after that. The full tournament is a BTN production and can be viewed as part of the BTN's BTN+ subscription package. The finals will air live nationally on BTN. The Big Ten Tournament decides the Big Ten's automatic qualifiers for the 2020 NCAA Championship at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
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 at 2020 Big Ten Championship – Session 2
March 7, 2020 – Piscataway, N.J. – Rutgers University
TEAM STANDINGS AFTER SESSION 2 (top 5):
1: Iowa 121.5
2: Nebraska 102.5
3: Ohio State 94.0
4: Penn State 93.5
5: Purdue 77.5
Weight-by-weight agate (RANKINGS LISTED ARE OFFICIAL NCAA COACHES POLL, 2/27/20):
125: Brandon Meredith, Fr., Limerick, Pa.
Rd. 1: #11 Pat McKee, Minnesota – W, 3-2
Qtr: #10 Michael DeAugustino, Northwestern – L, 2-8
Cn. 2: Logan Griffin, Michigan State – L, 1-5
Pl. 1: #17 Nic Aguilar, Rutgers – L, 3-4
Meredith entered the tournament as the tournament's 14th-seed at 125. Meredith opened the tournament against No. 11 Mitch McKee of Minnesota. The Lion notched an early takedown and led 2-1 after the opening period. McKee escaped to start the second period and tied the bout at 2-2 but Meredith had 1:07 in riding time. Tied 2-2 after two but with 1:07 in time, Meredith chose neutral to start the third period and fought McKee on his feet for the period. With :20 left, Meredith got in on a single that forced a scramble over the final seconds. Time ran out with not takedown called and, after a failed review by Minnesota, Meredith's 1:07 riding time advantage gave the Lion freshman a 3-2 upset in in his Big Ten debut. Meredith took on No. 10 Michael DeAugustino in the quarterfinals. DeAugustino notched a takedown early to open up a 2-1 lead in the first period. DeAugustino added one more takedown and led 4-1 after one and an escape in the second period to lead 5-1 after two. Meredith went on to drop the 8-2 decision.
See above story for this session's recap.
133: #2 Roman Bravo-Young, So., Tucson, Ariz.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: #8 Sammy Alvarez, Rutgers – W, 5-2
Semi: #3 Austin DeSanto, Iowa – W, 3-2
Bravo-Young, ranked No. 2 nationally at 133 in the NCAA coaches poll, is the second seed at the tournament and received a first-round bye. He met No. 8 Sammy Alvarez of Rutgers in the quarterfinals. Bravo-Young scored quickly and took a 2-0 lead. He controlled Alvarez for the next 1:13 before Alvarez escaped. Bravo-Young carried that lead and riding time into the second period where he chose neutral to start. He scrambled his way to a second takedown and upped his lead to 4-1 with :40 left in the period. Bravo-Young finished on top and carried that lead, plus 2:03 in time, into the third. Alvarez chose down to start the third and Bravo-Young maintained control long enough to clinch the riding time point before Alvarez escaped to a 4-2 score. Bravo-Young's riding time edge allowed the Lion sophomore to post the 5-2 victory.
See above story for this session's recap.
141: #1 Nick Lee, Jr., Evansville, Ind.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: #3 Parker Filius, Purdue – WBF (0:37)
Semi: #6 Chad Red, Nebraska – W, 7-5
Lee, ranked No. 1 at 141, is the tournament's top seed and had a first-round bye. Lee met No. 33 Parker Filius of Purdue in the quarterfinals. Lee made short work of the Purdue grappler. He worked his way in on a quick shot, took Filius down and turned him to his back in just 0:37 for the fast fall.
See above story for this session's recap.
149: #20 Jarod Verkleeren, So., Greensburg, Pa.
Rd. 1: #19 Yahya Thomas, Northwestern – L, 3-6
Cn. 1: bye
Cn. 2: Collin Purinton, Nebraska – L, 2-5
Pl. 1: bye
Pl. 2: TBA
Verkleeren, ranked No. 20 nationally at 149, is the 8th-seed and took on No. 19 Yahya Thomas of Northwestern in the opening round. Verkleeren gave up an early takedown and quickly escaped to a 2-1 score. Thomas scored again quickly and the Lion fell behind 4-2 after the opening period. He escaped to start the second period but Thomas led 4-3 and had 1:51 in riding time. Thomas escaped to start the third period, maintaining his riding time edge. Verkleeren could not manage an escape and dropped the 6-3 decision. He received a bye in the first round of consolation action
See above story for this session's recap.
157: Bo Pipher, Jr., Paonia, Colo.
Rd. 1: #8 Will Lewan, Michigan – L, 3-5 (sv)
Cn. 1: Garrett Model, Wisconsin – L, 1-18 (TF; 6:10)
Pipher entered his first conference tournament as the 13th-seed at 157. Pipher took on No. 8 Will Lewan of Michigan in the first round. Pipher battled the fourth seed evenly for the entirety of the first period, sending the bout to the middle stanza tied 0-0. Lewan chose down to begin the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead after :30 of work. Trailing 1-0, the Lion junior chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Lewan lifted Pipher off the mat at the :48 mark but slammed the Lion to the ground. Lewan was called for an illegal move and Pipher led 2-1. Lewan came out and quickly took the Lion down to lead 3-2 at the :38 mark. Pipher escaped to a 3-3 tie with :25 left and then nearly connected on a low shot at :10. The bout moved to sudden victory tied 3-3. Pipher had a chance on a quick low shot seconds into the period but Lewan skipped away to keep the action going. Lewan then worked his way into control of Pipher's legs and got a takedown call as time expired. Pipher dropped the 5-3 (sv) decision and moved into consolation action. He took on Wisconsin's Garrett Model in his first consolation bout. Pipher fell behind 2-0 early and trailed 4-1 at the 1:00 mark of the opening period. He trailed 8-1 after one and 11-1 after two and lost an 18-1 tech fall at the 6:10 mark. He ends the tournament win an 0-2 mark.
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph, Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: Drew Hughes, Michigan State – W, 16-5 maj. dec.
Semi: #4 Isaiah White, Nebraska – W, 6-3
Finals: #2 Alex Marinelli, Iowa –
Joseph ranked No. 1 nationally and the top-seed at 165, had a first-round bye. He battled Michigan State's Drew Hughes in the quarterfinals. Joseph scored quickly, taking Hughes down for an early 2-0 lead. The Lion senior tacked on a second takedown and picked up a stall point to lead 5-1 with over 2:00 in time after one. Joseph quickly added two more takedowns and led 9-2, then added three more takedowns to lead 15-5 after two periods. The Lion senior picked up a riding time point on over 3:00 of time and rolled to the 16-5 major decision.
See above story for this session's recap.
174: #2 Mark Hall, Sr., Apple Valley, Minn.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: #20 Joey Gunther, Illinois – W, 16-0 (TF; 4:12)
Semi: Dylan Lydy, Purdue – W, 5-4
Finals: #1 Michael Kemerer, Iowa –
Hall, ranked No. 2 nationally and the 2nd-seed at 174, had a first-round bye. Hall took on No. 20 Joey Gunther of Illinois in the quarterfinals. Hall took Gunther down quickly and then spent the rest of the first period in control. Hall turned Gunther to his back multiple times and led 14-0 after the opening period. Gunther chose down to start the second period and Hall looked for an opportunity to pick up a fall. He was able to turn Gunther one more time, settling for a two-point near fall, and rolled to the 16-0 technical fall at the 4:12 mark in the second period.
See above story for this session's recap.
184: #5 Aaron Brooks, Fr., Hagerstown, Md.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: #19 Owen Webster, Minnesota – W, 15-4 maj. dec.
Semi: #9 Taylor Venz, Nebraska – WBF (4:00)
Finals: #7 Cameron Caffey, Michigan State
Brooks, ranked No. 5 nationally at 184, made his Big Ten tourney debut as the tournament's top-seed and had a first-round bye. He met No. 19 Owen Webster of Minnesota in the quarterfinals. Brooks forced Webster into an early stall and then finished the opening period with a takedown and a rideout to lead 2-0 after one. Webster chose down to start the second period and Brooks maintained offensive control for the entire period to lead 2-0 with a clinched riding time edge (3:26). The Lion freshman added a quickly third period takedown, then a second and a third. He went on to post the 15-4 major decision with over 4:00 in riding time.
See above story for this session's recap.
197: #24 Shakur Rasheed, Sr., Coram, N.Y.
Rd. 1: Matt Wroblewski, Illinois – WBF (0:53)
Qtr: #3 Jacob Warner, Iowa – W, 3-1
Semi: #5 Eric Schutlz, Nebraska – L, 3-4
Cn. Semi:
Rasheed, ranked No. 24 nationally, is the 6th-seed at 197. Rasheed battled Illinois' Matt Wroblewski in his first-round bout. Rasheed notched two quick takedowns and opened up a 4-1 lead early. He then deftly locked up a cradle and, after seconds of work, notched the fast fall over the Illini. Rasheed's pin at the 0:53 mark moved the Lion senior into the quarterfinals where he took on No. 3 Jacob Warner of Iowa. Rasheed and Warner battled evenly for the first two minutes with neither wrestler threatening on offense. Rasheed worked his way in on a low single at the :40 mark and forced a scramble over the next :30. But Warner fought the move to a stalemate and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Warner escaped to start the second period and led 1-0. Trailing 1-0 after two, Rasheed chose down to start the second period and worked his way to an escape and a 1-1 tie at the 1:30 mark. Rasheed countered a slight Warner shot as the clock hit :45 and steadily worked his way into control for a takedown to lead 3-1 with :25 left. Rasheed finished the period on top and posted the thrilling 3-1 victory.
See above story for this session's recap.
285: #16 Seth Nevills, Fr., Clovis, Calif.
Rd. 1: Alex Esposito, Rutgers – L, inj.def. (3:29)
Cn. 1: bye
Cn. 2: Forfeit – did not compete
Nevills, ranked No. 16 nationally, made his Big Ten tourney debut as the 7th-seed at 285. Nevills took on Rutgers' Alex Esposito in the opening round. Nevills almost connected on an early single but Esposito was able to fight off the move. The Knight then worked his way in on a single leg and Nevills took an injury timeout. The Lion freshman was able to continue but gave up a quick takedown and fell behind 2-0. Esposito then controlled the Lion for the rest of the period. Nevills chose top to start the second period. Nevills could not continue at the 4:29 mark and dropped the injury default decision. Nevills received a bye in his first consolation bout. He was unable to wrestle the rest of the way and posted an 0-1 mark at the tournament.
