MANHEIM, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (1-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 2 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index (TPI), dominated Sacred Heart (1-1) by a score of 47-3 in the season opening dual for the Nittany Lions. The dual was the first of two consecutive for the Lions at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa.
The Nittany Lions won nine bouts, including four by fall. Penn State immediately got back on the mat to take on Oregon State right after the SHU dual.
The dual began at 125 where sophomore Baylor Shunk (Centre Hall, Pa.) made his Penn State dual meet debut. Shunk dominated the action in his first Penn State dual. He dominated Kyle Randall on his way to an 18-0 technical fall at the 4:15 mark to put Penn State up 5-0 early. Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 1 at 133, took care of business with a second period fall over SHU's Anthony Petrillo. Bravo-Young got the pin at the 3:40 mark. Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, also made quick work of his Sacred Heart opponent, taking Jordan Carlucci down early in the first and ending the match with a fast fall at the 0:54 mark to give the Lions a 17-0 lead.
Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.) controlled SHU's Shaun Williams, rolling to an 12-3 major at 149 to put Penn State up 21-0. Senior Joey Blumer (Leechburg, Pa.) moved up to 157 for his Penn State dual meet debut. Blumer battled junior Nick Palumbo tough before dropping an 8-3 decision. The Palumbo win cut Penn State's lead to 21-3 at the dual's midway point.
Junior Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.) got Penn State back on track with a strong 11-3 major over Sacred Heart's Scotty Jarosz at 165. Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 174, pinned Pioneer Alex Marciniak in the first period, giving Penn State a 31-3 lead with a fall at the 2:12 mark. Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 1 at 184, put on a takedown clinic against Joe Accousti, rolling up nine takedowns on his way to a 23-8 tech fall at the 7:00 mark. Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), ranked No. 4 at 197, made his Penn State dual debut quick. Dean took Dante Del Bonis down early in the first and rolled up four four-point turns to post the 18-0 tech fall at the 3:00 mark. Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), ranked No. 5 at 285, finished off Penn State's dominant show with a fall as well, pinning Mark Blokh early in the second period. Kerkvliet got the fall at the 3:57 mark. Kerkvliet's win capped off Penn State's 47-3 victory.
Penn State posted a 33-4 takedown margin and rolled up 20 bonus points off four pins (Bravo-Young, Lee, Starocci, Kerkvliet), three tech falls (Shunk, Brooks, Dean) and two majors (Bartlett, Edsell).
Penn State is 1-0 after the opening dual while Sacred Heart falls to 1-1. The Lions immediately face Oregon State at Spooky Nook in the second dual of the day. The Nittany Lions will host Army West Point on Thursday, Nov. 18, in the home opener for Penn State. The dual begins at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.
All rankings listed by Penn State wrestling are InterMat individual and team TPI. The 2021-22 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. 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 47, Sacred Heart 3
November 13, 2021 – Spooky Nook -- Manheim, Pa.
125: Baylor Shunk PSU tech fall Kyle Randall SHU, 18-0 (TF; 4:15) 5-0
133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young PSU pinned Anthony Petrillo SHU, WBF (3:40) 11-0
141: #2 Nick Lee PSU pinned Jordan Carlucci SHU, WBF (0:54) 17-0
149: Beau Bartlett PSU maj. Dec. Shaun Williams SHU, 12-3 21-0
157: Nick Palumbo SHU dec. Joey Blumer PSU, 8-3 21-3
165: Creighton Edsell PSU maj. Dec. Scotty Jarosz SHU, 11-3 25-3
174: #1 Carter Starocci PSU pinned Alex Marciniak SHU, WBF (2:12) 31-3
184: #1 Aaron Brooks PSU tech fall Joe Accousti SHU, 23-8 (TF; 7:00) 36-3
197: #4 Max Dean PSU tech fall Dante Del Bonis SHU, 18-0 (TF; 3:00) 41-3
285: #5 Greg Kerkvliet PSU pinned Mark Blokh, WBF (3:57) 47-3
Attendance: 1,350 (sold out)
Records: Penn State (1-0, 0-0 B1G); Sacred Heart (1-1)
Up Next for Penn State: Oregon State immediately following SHU dual
DUAL MEET BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Penn State sophomore Baylor Shunk (Centre Hall, Pa.) made his Penn State dual debut at 125 against Sacred Heart's Kyle Randall. Shunk began the dual with a takedown less than a minute into the first period. He worked up over 1:00 in riding time, working the clock down below the 1:30 mark and then turned Randall for two back points and a 4-0 lead. He continued his strong ride, turned Randall for another four points and led 8-0 with :50 left in the period. Shunk finished the period on top and led 8-0 after one. He chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way into a reversal and a 10-0 lead. He added another four-point turn, reset, and ended the bout with another four point turn for an 18-0 tech fall at the 4:15 mark.
133: Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 1 at 133, battled Pioneer Anthony Petrillo. Petrillo scored first, taking RBY down for an early 2-1 lead. Bravo-Young scored quickly after his escape and took a 3-2 lead. The Lion senior cut Petrillo loose to a 3-3 score, then went back to work on his feet. Bravo-Young picked up a second takedown at the 1:30 mark, fought off a quick Petrillo shot and then used a fast low double for another takedown and a 7-4 lead with :40 on the clock. Bravo-Young finished on top and led 7-4 after one period. The second period began with Bravo-Young taking neutral. He took Petrillo down and cut him to a 9-5 lead. Bravo-Young took Petrillo down once more, turned him and picked up the fall at the 3:40 mark.
141: Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, took on SHU's Jordan Carlucci. Lee took Carlucci down right out of the gate for an early 2-0 lead. Lee worked his way into a two-point turn, then reset, locked up a cradle and nailed the fast fall at the 0:54 mark.
149: Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.) faced off against Shaun Williams at 149. Bartlett controlled the action from the start and took a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 2:15 mark. Williams escaped after a :45 Bartlett ride and continued to shoot from the center circle. Williams was able to defend his way through the next two minutes and Bartlett led 2-1 after the opening period. Bartlett chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. He then worked his way to a second takedown and a 5-1 lead. He forced Williams into a stall warning and then turned Williams for two back points to lead 7-1 with nearly 2:00 in riding time after two. Williams chose neutral to start the third and Bartlett quickly took the Pioneer down. Williams escaped and Bartlett took him down once more to up his lead to 11-3 with 2:06 in riding time. Bartlett picked up the riding time point with 1:49 in time and rolled to the 12-3 major decision.
157: Senior Joey Blumer (Leechburg, Pa.) moved up to 157 for dual debut and took on Nick Palumbo. The duo battled evenly for nearly two minutes before Palumbo forced a scramble with a double leg. Blumer worked the Pioneer into danger, nearly picking up back points, but Palumbo countered and picked up the takedown to open up a 2-0 lead. Blumer escaped and trailed 2-1 after the first period. Blumer chose down to start the second stanza but could not work his way free of Palumbo's ride and trailed 2-1 after two. Palumbo chose down to start the final period and Blumer went to work on top. He controlled the action and nearly turned Palumbo for back points early in the ride. But Palumbo was able to roll out of the hold, got the escape, and then took Blumer down for a 4-2 lead with 1:19 in riding time after a quick Blumer escape. Palumbo finished with one more takedown and posted the 8-3 win with riding time.
165: Junior Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.) met Scotty Jarosz in the bout at 165. Edsell scored early for Penn State, taking Jarosz down for a 2-0 lead at the 2:20 mark. He built up 1:07 in riding time before cutting the Pioneer loose. The duo battled evenly for the next minute-plus and Edsell carried the 2-1 lead into the second period. Edsell chose down to start the second period. Jarosz was able to keep control of the Lion for nearly two minutes, but the Nittany Lion worked his way to a reversal in the final seconds and carried a 4-1 lead into the third period. Jarosz chose down to start the third period and Edsell began looking for a chance to turn the Pioneer. Edsell picked up two near fall points at the 1:00 mark and went back to work with a 6-2 lead. Edsell rolled through a high double and upped his lead to 8-2 with :25 on the clock. He cut Jarosz loose in the final seconds, took him down one last time, and with 1:06 in riding time posted the 11-3 major decision.
174: Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 174, met Alex Marciniak. Starocci took Marciniak down quickly, cut him loose and took him down again. He turned Marciniak for four back points, cut the Pioneer loose again, and quickly added a third takedown to up his lead to 10-2. He added another four-point turn and then went back to work on top. Starocci turned him for four points, reset, added another turn and finished the match with the first period pin at the 2:12 mark.
184: Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 1 at 184, battled Joe Accousti. Brooks took Accousti down twice in the opening minute to lead 4-1 early. He cut Accousti loose at the 1:50 mark to lead 4-2 and continued to work the center circle on offense. Brooks forced Accousti into a stall warning and then used a low single for a third takedown and a 6-2 lead with :32 left in the period. He finished the period on top to carry that lead into the second. Brooks chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead. Brooks blew through a high double for another takedown and a 9-2 lead at the 1:20 mark. He cut Accousti loose and took him down quickly again. Brooks added another takedown at the :15 mark, rode Accousti out, and carried a 13-4 lead with 1:42 in time into the third period. Accousti chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 13-5 score. Brooks quickly took him down again to up his lead to 15-5 with over 2:00 in time. Brooks picked up a stall point at the 1:00 mark, and then used a strong double leg to up his lead to 18-6 with :40 left.
197: Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), ranked No. 4 at 197, made his Penn State debut against SHU's Dante Del Bonis. Dean took Del Bonis down quickly, opening up a 2-0 lead in his Lion debut. He worked his way into control of the Pioneer and turned him for four back points and a 6-0 lead with 1:35 on the clock. Dean reset himself and turned him again. Dean picked up a third turn to open up a 14-0 lead at the :20 mark. Dean finished off his Penn State debut quickly, turning Del Bonis a final time as the clock wound down to roll to an 18-0 technical fall at the 3:00 mark.
285: Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), ranked No. 5 at 285, took on Mark Blokh. Kerkvliet took Blokh down quickly, cut him loose, took him down a second time, added a third takedown and led 6-2 with 1:48 on the clock. Kerkvliet added a fourth takedown at the 1:20 mark, cut Blokh loose again, and finished off the first period with a fifth takedown at the :30 mark. He rode the Pioneer out and led 10-4 with 2:09 in riding time. Kerkvliet chose down to start and quickly escaped. He added two more takedowns before locking Blokh up and pinning him at the 3:57 mark.
