THIS WEEK'S ACTION:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 2 in InterMat's tournament power index (TPI), head to Niceville, Fla., to take part in the Collegiate Wrestling Duals on Dec. 20-21 at Northwestern Florida State College. Penn State will battle #22 Northern Iowa (0-2) and #9 Cornell (1-0) on Monday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern respectively. The Lions then have one dual on Tuesday, Dec. 21, foe and time to be determined.
The dual meet is part of a uniquely bracketed event and Penn State's three duals can be watched live as part of the Pay Per View event from Journeymen Wrestling via Rokfin: https://rokfin.com/ppv/1/Collegiate-Wrestling-Duals.
Penn State will be wrestling for the first time since winning two intra-state non-conference duals on Dec. 3 and Dec. 5. A shorthanded Nittany Lion squad, wrestling without multiple All-Americans, won at Penn 20-16 on Dec. 3 and then downed Lehigh 23-16 in sold out Rec Hall on Dec. 5.
Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad features eight ranked wrestlers. Roman Bravo-Young is ranked No. 1 at 133, Nick Lee is No. 1 at 141, Carter Starocci is No. 1 at 174 and Aaron Brooks is No. 1 at 184. Max Dean is No. 3 at 197 and Greg Kerkvliet is No. 4 at 285. Beau Bartlett is No. 22 at 149 and Creighton Edsell is No. 26 at 165.
Northern Iowa enters this week with an 0-2 mark and a No. 22 ranking in the InterMat TPI. The Panthers have seven ranked grapplers. Brody Teske is No. 10 at 125, Kyle Biscoglia is No. 31 at 133, Cael Happel is No. 26 at 141, Triston Lara is No. 28 at 149, Austin Yant is No. 23 at 165, Parker Keckeisen is No. 4 at 184 and Carter Isley is No. 21 at 285. Penn State owns a 4-0 lead in the all-time series. Penn State won the last meeting, a 31-9 victory at the Virginia Duals on Jan. 17, 2004.
Cornell enters the week with a 1-0 mark. Eight Big Red wrestlers are ranked. Vito Arujau is No. 5 at 133, Yianni Diakomihalis is No. 1 at 149, Colton Yapoujian is No. 25 at 157, Julian Ramirez is No. 3 at 165, Chris Foca is No. 12 at 174, Jonathan Loew is No. 15 at 184, Jacob Cardenas is No. 19 at 197, and Lewis Fernandes is No. 18 at 285. The Nittany Lions own a 55-12-3 lead in the all-time series between the two schools. Cornell won the last meeting, a 24-10 victory on Nov. 21, 2008.
The teams on the opposite end of Penn State's bracket are No. 3 Arizona State, No. 7 Virginia Tech and Hofstra. Action on the 21st is bracketed up and announced based on results from Monday's duals.
Penn State opens up Big Ten action on Friday, Jan. 7, at Maryland in a 7 p.m. dual meet. The Nittany Lions then host Indiana at Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 9, time to be determined per the B1G Network.
All rankings listed are InterMat individual/InterMat 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 NITTANY LIONS (5-0, 0-0 B1G)
125 Baylor Shunk So. Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley 2-2
Brandon Meredith Jr. Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford 0-2
133 #1 Roman Bravo-Young Sr. Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside 4-0
141 #1 Nick Lee Sr.+ Evansville, Ind./Homeschooled 4-0
149 #22 Beau Bartlett So. Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 4-1
157 Terrell Barraclough So. Kaysville, Utah/Layton 1-2
Joe Lee So. Evansville, Ind/Evansville 0-0
Tony Negron Jr. North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon 0-1
165 #26 Creighton Edsell Jr. Wyalusing, Pa./Wyalusing 5-0
174 #1 Carter Starocci So. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 5-0
184 #1 Aaron Brooks Jr. Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown 3-0
197 #3 Max Dean Jr. Lowell, Mich./Lowell 5-0
Michael Beard So. Pottstown, Pa./Malvern Prep 3-0
285 #4 Greg Kerkvliet So. Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley 3-0
#22 NORTHERN IOWA PANTHERS (0-2)
125 #10 Brody Teske So. Duncombe, Iowa/Fort Dodge
133 #31 Kyle Biscoglia So. Waukee, Iowa/Waukee
141 #26 Cael Happel Fr. Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon
149 #28 Triston Lara Jr. Fort Doge, Iowa/Fort Doge
157 Derek Holschlag Jr. La Porte City, Iowa/Union
Evan Yant Fr. Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock
165 #23 Austin Yant Jr. Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock
174 Lance Runyon Fr. Pleasant Hill, Iowa/Southeast Polk
184 #4 Parker Keckeisen Fr. Glendale, Wis./Nicolet
197 Noah Glaser So. New Hampton, Iowa/New Hampton
285 #21 Carter Isley Sr. Albia, Iowa/Albia
#9 CORNELL BIG RED (1-0 )
125 Greg Diakomihalis Fr. Rochester, N.Y./Hilton
133 #5 Vito Arujau So. Syosset, N.Y./Syosset
Dom LaJoie Sr. Gaylord, Mich./Gaylord
141 Cole Handlovic Fr. Bethlehem, Pa./Beca
149 #1 Yianni Diakomihalis Jr. Rochester, N.Y./Hilton
157 #25 Colton Yapoujian So. Byers, Colo./Jeffco Virtual Academy
Adam Santoro Gr. Valhalla, N.Y./Fordham Prep
165 #9 Julian Ramirez Fr. Miami, Fla./Blair Academy
174 #12 Chris Foca So. Cliffside Park, N.J./Bergen Catholic
184 #15 Jonathan Loew Jr. Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh
197 #19 Jacob Cardenas So. Kearny, N.J./Bergen Catholic
285 #18 Lewis Fernandes So. Tewksbury, N.J./Voorhees
Drew Flynn Sr. Pompton Lakes, N.J./Pompton Lakes
Rankings listed are InterMat (as of 12/14/21)
THIS WEEK
#2 Penn State (5-0, 0-0 B1G) heads to Niceville, Fla., to take part in the Collegiate Wrestling Duals on Dec. 20-21 at Northwestern Florida State College. Penn State will battle #22 Northern Iowa (0-2) and #9 Cornell (1-0) on Monday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern respectively (6 and 8 p.m. Central/local to site). The Lions then have one dual on Tuesday, Dec. 21, foe and time to be determined.
UP NEXT
Penn State visits Maryland on Friday, Jan. 7, for a 7 p.m. dual to start Big Ten action. The Nittany Lions then host Indiana on Sunday, Jan. 9, time TBA per B1G Network.
ON THE AIR
TV - none
Radio online - Free all year via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Live Web Video - Pay per view at Rokfin: https://rokfin.com/ppv/1/Collegiate-Wrestling-Duals
NOTES
LEE'S 100TH CAREER WIN SPARKS PENN STATE IN WIN OVER LEHIGH
Senior Nick Lee dominated Lehigh's Connor McGonagle, rolling to a 13-6 win with 3:36 in riding time to earn the 100th victory of his illustrious Nittany Lion career. Lee's win helped spark a short-handed Penn State team to a 23-16 victory over the visiting Mountain Hawks in sold out Rec Hall on Dec. 5.
EDSELL, BALL COME UP BIG IN WIN OVER LEHIGH
With multiple starters out in Penn State's dual vs. Lehigh on Dec. 5, junior Creighton Edsell and sophomore Donovon Ball came up with big wins as Penn State outlasted visiting Lehigh 23-16 in Rec Hall. Edsell used a riding time point to notch a 2-1 win over No. 27 Brian Meyer at 165 and Ball downed J.T. Burkhart 5-3 at 184 for his second win in three days.
STAROCCI AND BARTLETT GRAB RANKED WINS AS LIONS WIN AT PENN
With three starters out in Penn State's dual at Penn on Dec. 3, Sophomores Carter Starocci and Beau Bartlett notched big ranked wins to lead Penn State to a hard-fought 20-16 win in Philadelphia. Starocci dominated #21 Nick Incontrera 13-3, adding 2:53 in riding time during his major decision victory at 174. Bartlett used an escape in extra time to notch a 4-3 (TB) win over #23 Anthony Artalona at 149 as well.
BEAU BARTLETT DOWNS #20 P.J. OGUNSANYA TO LEAD LIONS TO 32-7 WIN OVER ARMY WEST POINT
Sophomore Beau Bartlett posted a thrilling 3-1 (sv) win over #20 P.J. Ogunsanya to help lead Penn State to a rousing 32-7 win over Army West Point on Nov. 18 in sold out Rec Hall. The dual meet was wrestled in front of nearly 6,500 fans in a sold-out Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions have wrestled in front of 56 straight sellouts in Rec Hall and 62 of 64 including six of eight sellouts at the 16,000-seat Bryce Jordan Center). The dual also marked the first time Penn State wrestled in front of its home fans since Feb. 23, 2020, when Penn State beat American in Rec Hall.
GREG KERKVLIET NAMED BIG TEN W.O.W. (11/16)
Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Nov. 14, 2021. Kerkvliet went 2-0 in Penn State's season-opening action at Spooky Nook in Manheim, Pa., on Nov. 13. The Lion heavyweight picked up a pin in Penn State's 47-3 win over Sacred Heart and then dominated No. 24 Gary Traub of Oregon State, rolling to a 16-0 tech fall (4:15) in Penn State's 32-7 victory over the Beavers.
LEE, BARTLETT, KERKVLIET NOTCH RANKED WINS
IN 32-7 WIN OVER OREGON STATE
Senior Nick Lee dominated #10 Grant Willits in Penn State's 32-7 win over Oregon State on Nov. 13, rolling to an 11-4 victory at 141. Lee's win was one of three ranked victories for the Lions in the win. Sophomore Beau Bartlett posted a 1-0 win over #24 Cory Crooks at 149 and sophomore Greg Kerkvliet rolled to a 16-0 tech fall (5:58) over #24 Gary Traub at 285. Penn State won eight bouts in the dual. Aaron Brooks had a pin and Max Dean had a major as well.
SHUNK, DEAN WIN PENN STATE DEBUTS IN 47-3 SEASON-OPENING WIN OVER SACRED HEART
Sophomore Baylor Shunk and junior Max Dean each won their Penn State dual meet debuts in Penn State's 47-3 win over Sacred Heart on Nov. 13, the dual opener for the Lions. Shunk posted an 18-0 tech fall (4:15) over Kyle Randall and Dean rolled to an identical 18-0 tech fall (3:00) over Dante Del Bonis. Penn State won nine of ten bouts in the victory. Roman Bravo-Young, Nick Lee, Carter Starocci, and Greg Kerkvliet all had pins; Shunk, Dean, and Aaron Brooks had tech falls; and Beau Bartlett and Creighton Edsell had majors.
BEARD GOES 3-0 AT JOURNEYMEN COLLEGIATE
Sophomore Michael Beard posted a 3-0 record to win his round-robin pool at the Journeymen Collegiate in Manheim, Pa., on Nov. 14. Beard majored JT Davis of Lehigh 22-8, teched Lock Haven's Parker McClellan 15-0 and majored #20 JT Brown of Army.
MATT LEE RUNNER-UP AT BEARCAT OPEN
Freshman Matt Lee led a contingent of seven wrestlers at the Bearcat Open in Binghamton, N.Y., on Nov. 14. Lee went 3-1 (plus one victory over a non-collegiate wrestler) with a tech fall to place second at 165. David Evans went 3-0 at 133 and placed fourth while Jack Kelly posted a 4-2 mark to finish sixth at 174. Aurelius Dunbar went 4-2 at 157, Brian Borden with 2-2 at 165 and Levko Higgins went 2-2 at 197.
EVANS TAKES 2ND AT CLARION OPEN; THREE OTHER LIONS PLACE
Eight members the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team took part in the Clarion Open on Nov. 6 in the first open tournament of the 2021-22 season. For Penn State, the Clarion Open is the first open tournament in almost two years after last season's abbreviated campaign. Redshirt freshman David Evans led the way with a second-place finish at 133. Evans went 3-1 with a pin, advancing to the finals before dropping his first match. True freshman Alex Facundo rolled up five wins with three majors and two pins and placed fifth. The true freshman's only loss was a tie-breaker defeat. Classmate Brian Borden placed sixth at 165, going 5-1 as well with a pin and three majors. True freshman Lucas Cochran finished fifth at 197, posting a 5-1 record with two majors and a pin. True freshman Shayne Van Ness began the tournament with two wins at 149. Van Ness picked up a major and a pin in just :54 before taking a medical forfeit (not a loss) and ending his action with a 2-0 mark. True freshman Sean Wang went 2-2 with a major at 141. True freshman Jack Kelly went 1-2 at 174. True freshman Gary Steen also competed at 125.
PARKING CHANGES THIS YEAR FOR ALL PENN STATE ATHLETIC EVENTS AT REC HALL
Parking for Penn State Wrestling duals in Rec Hall will be available at the following locations beginning two hours prior to the start of each event.
• Nittany Deck, West Deck (No charge with a valid Penn State parking permit; $5.50 prepaid through ParkMobile (season package available for $5 per game; Note: does not include BJC Dual) - https://psu.parkmobile.io/rec-hall; $10 day-of-event without a valid permit or prepayment (must use ground level or in-lane pay station after the event)
• Rec Hall and Lion Shrine ADA Parking; Available on a first-come, first-served basis with a valid Penn State permit, ParkMobile prepayment ($5.50) or day-of-event ParkMobile app payment ($10 – zone no. 95105); Note: The Rec Hall and Lion Shrine parking areas are not selectable prepayment options. Fans must elect Nittany Deck or West Deck.
REC HALL PARKMOBILE PREPAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS
• Visit https://psu.parkmobile.io/rec-hall; Select game or season package at the bottom of the page; Select parking area; Enter the license plate information for the vehicle being driven to the event; Note: If a different vehicle must be driven than the one registered at purchase, users must contact ParkMobile Member Support through the ParkMobile website or app (Settings – Chat Support) to request a vehicle change for that reservation.; Purchase parking for the event
• Note: Prepayment is required by 11:59 p.m. the night before each event or the day-of-event rate will apply; If the Rec Hall and Lion Shrine ADA parking areas are not available upon arrival, fans must park at the lot selected on the ParkMobile website at the time of purchase; Guests must scan their ParkMobile QR code (from mobile device or printed copy) at Nittany Deck and West Deck in-lane machines to enter and exit.; Head-in parking is required at the Nittany and West decks.
MILESTONES
Individual records and milestones that are in play as of now:
* 100 Career victories
Nick Lee, 100
* 200 Career coaching wins (overall career)
Cael Sanderson, 207
* 100 Career Big Ten coaching wins
Cael Sanderson, 88
* 175 Career coaching wins at Penn State
Cael Sanderson, 163
