NICEVILLE, Fla. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (8-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 2 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index (TPI), hammered No. 3 Arizona State (3-1) in the Blue Pool title match-up at the Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Niceville, Fla. Penn State won seven of ten bouts and posted a dominating 29-10 win over the third-ranked Sun Devils at the event held at Northwestern Florida State College and hosted by Journeymen Wrestling.
The dual began at 125 where senior Jake Campbell (Pottstown, Pa.) battled No. 3 Brandon Courtney tough before dropping an 18-7 major decision. Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 1 at 133, then controlled the action against No. 14 Michael McGee, rolling to a 6-2 win to cut the Sun Devil lead to 4-3. Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 1 at 141, then put Penn State on top with a dominating win over No. 15 Jesse Vasquez. Lee tallied five takedowns and rolled to a 14-3 major with 3:10 in riding time to give the Lions a 7-4 lead.
Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.), ranked No. 22 at 149, then notched a dazzling win over No. 5 Kyle Parco. After battling the fifth-ranked Sun Devil evenly for seven minutes, with each wrestler notching an escape, the bout moved to extra time tied 1-1. With less than a minute left, Bartlett stepped away from a Parco shot, locked him up and used a throw for a winning takedown to post the 3-1 (sv) win. His victory put Penn State up 10-4. Tony Negron (North Babylon, N.Y.) got the nod at 157 for Penn State and battled No. 3 Jacori Teener tough before dropping an 8-3 decision. The ASU cut Penn State's lead to 10-7 at the dual's midway point.
Junior Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.), ranked No. 26 at 165, lost a hard-fought 10-5 decision to No. 6 Anthony Valencia and the dual meet was tied 10-10 after six bouts. Penn State did not look back. Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 174, posted a lopsided 17-2 technical fall over Zen Coleman, getting the tech at the 4:50 mark to give the Lions a 15-10 lead. Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 1 at 184, then pinned Josh Nummer in the first period, rolling out to a 10-0 lead before getting the fall at the 1:48 mark to put Penn State up 21-10.
Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), ranked No. 3 at 197, was dominating as well. He controlled No. 8 Kordell Norfleet in a 110-1 major decision, getting three takedowns and forcing three stalls while rolling up 4:00 in riding time. Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), ranked No. 4 at 285, closed out the dual with an impressive 9-0 major over ASU's Chad Porter, rolling up 4:24 in riding time in the process.
Penn State rolled out to a 22-13 edge in takedowns over the third-ranked Sun Devils. In winning seven of ten bouts, Penn State tallied eight bonus points off a pin (Brooks), a tech fall (Starocci) and three majors (Lee, Dean, Kerkvliet).
Penn State is now 8-0 overall while Arizona State falls to 3-1. Penn State opens up Big Ten action on Friday, Jan. 7, when the Nittany Lions visit the Maryland Terrapins for a 7 p.m. dual in College Park, Md. Penn State then hosts Indiana in Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 9, with time to be determined by the Big Ten Network.
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 29, #3 Arizona State 10
December 21, 2021 – Niceville, Fla.
125: #3 Brandon Courtney ASU maj. dec. Jake Campbell PSU, 18-7 0-4
133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young PSU dec. #14 Michael McGee ASU, 6-2 3-4
141: #1 Nick Lee PSU maj. dec. #15 Jesse Vasquez ASU, 14-3 7-4
149: #22 Beau Bartlett PSU dec. #5 Kyle Parco ASU, 3-1 (SV) 10-4
157: #3 Jacori Teemer ASU dec. Tony Negron PSU, 8-3 10-7
165: #6 Anthony Valencia ASU dec. #26 Creighton Edsell PSU, 10-5 10-10
174: #1 Carter Starocci PSU tech fall Zane Coleman ASU, 17-2 (TF; 4:50) 15-10
184: #1 Aaron Brooks PSU pinned Josh Nummer ASU, WBF (1:48) 21-10
197: #3 Max Dean PSU maj. dec. #8 Kordell Norfleet ASU, 10-1 25-10
285: #4 Greg Kerkvliet PSU maj. dec. Chad Porter ASU, 9-0 29-10
Records: Penn State (8-0, 0-0 B1G); Arizona State (3-1)
Up Next for Penn State: at Maryland, Friday, Jan. 7, 7 p.m.
DUAL MEET BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Senior Jake Campbell (Pottstown, Pa.) met No. 3 Brandon Courtney at 125. Courtney scored quickly, taking a 2-1 lead off the opening whistle. He added a quick second takedown and then locked up a cradle. Campbell was able to roll through the move and escaped to a 4-2 score. Courtney went on to add three more takedowns and led 10-5 after one. Courtney chose down to start the second period and quickly reversed Campbell to a 12-5 lead. Campbell escaped to cut the lead to 12-6. After Campbell was called for stalling, Courtney notched another takedown to up his lead to 14-6 with over 2:00 in riding time after two periods. Campbell chose down to start the third period. He escaped to a 14-7 score, but Courtney had the riding time point clinched. Campbell got in on a high single, but the Sun Devil was able to force a stalemate with 1:00 on the clock. Campbell gave up a stall point at the :25 mark and Courtney added another takedown and a riding time point to post an 18-7 major.
133: Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 1 at 133, took on No. 14 Michael McGee. The duo battled through a scoreless first minute before Bravo-Young connected on a low single and then scrambled his way into a near takedown. But the action moved out of bounds and the bout continued in neutral scoreless. Bravo-Young continued to press the action and rolled through a low shot for the bout's first takedown and a 2-0 lead at the :55 mark. Bravo-Young finished the period on top and led 2-0 with nearly 1:00 in time after one. McGee chose down to start the second period and Bravo-Young controlled the action from the top position. The Lion senior worked his riding time edge up to 1:47 before escaped to a 2-1 score. Bravo-Young fought off a fast McGee shot at the :45 mark to hold his one-point lead and the second period ended with the Lion leading by one with 1:47 in time. Bravo-Young chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead while maintaining a 1:30 time edge. Bravo-Young had two low shots just miss as the third period hit the 1:00 mark and then worked his way into a scramble with a high double. But the action was stopped on a stalemate at the :47 mark. With the riding time point clinched, Bravo-Young finished off the match with a low shot and a final takedown and posted the strong 6-2 win.
141: Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 1 at 141, wrestled No. 15 Jesse Vasquez. Lee began the match by nearly tossing the Sun Devil to his back for a quick fall. Vasquez rolled through the action and Lee settled for an opening takedown and a 2-0 lead with 2:20 on the clock. Lee went to work on top, using an arm bar to try and turn the Devil to his back but Vasquez wriggled out of the Lion's control and escaped to a 2-1 score. Lee quickly took Vasquez down one more time to up his lead to 4-1. He finished the period on top to carry that lead, and 1:49 in riding time, into the second period. Lee chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. He added a third takedown and forced a first stall warning, all before the 1:00 mark in the second stanza. Vasquez escaped after a reset and Lee quickly added another takedown to move out to a 9-2 lead with 2:54 in time after two periods. Vasquez chose neutral to start the third period, Lee picked up a stall point and then took him down again. Lee added another stall point to lead 13-3 with clinched time at the :45 mark. Lee shot nearly 10 times in the final minute, did not get another stall point, and settled for the 14-3 major with 3:10 in riding time.
149: Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.), ranked No. 22 at 149, faced No. 5 Kyle Parco. The duo battled evenly for the first minute. Bartlett fought off two early Parco shots and then nearly connected on a low single of his own at the 2:00 mark. But Parco stepped back from the effort and the bout continued in neutral. Parco got in on a single leg, but Bartlett countered the move and forced a scramble in the middle of the mat. Bartlett nearly finished off the counter takedown, but a stalemate was called at the :27 mark with the bout still scoreless. An action packed first period ended in a 0-0 tie. Bartlett chose down to start the second period. Parco was able to control the action for :39 before Bartlett scrambled to an escape and a 1-0 lead. Bartlett and Parco battled evenly for the next minute-plus with Bartlett getting hit for one stall warning to wind out the period. Trailing 1-0, Parco chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. The duo worked the center of the mat as the clock hit the 1:00 mark. Parco took a slight shot and Bartlett nearly connected on another counter. But the action remained in neutral. Bartlett almost slid through a duck-under at the :40 mark but once again Parco was able to escape the move and keep the bout tied. Bartlett almost scored as regulation ended but the bout moved into a two-minute sudden victory period. Bartlett worked the middle of the mat as the clock moved to the 1:00 mark. Bartlett countered a Parco shot, worked his way into control of Parco's shoulders and tossed the Devil to the mat for a takedown and a thrilling 3-1 (sv) win at the :37 mark of the extra period.
157: Junior Tony Negron (North Babylon, N.Y.) got the nod at 157 and met No. 3 Jacori Teemer. Teemer scored first, taking Negron down early for a 2-0 lead. The Lion junior worked his way to an escape and a 2-1 score after just :26 and action resumed in neutral. Teemer worked his way into a high single, but Negron was able to slide his leg back and force a stalemate with 1:10 on the clock to keep the score at 2-1. Negron nearly took the lead with a takedown as the opening period ended but time ran out and the Lion trailed by one after one. Negron chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. The duo battled evenly for the next minute-plus with action saddled in the center circle. Teemer was able to slide through a low shot to take a 4-2 lead at the :40 mark with another takedown. Negron escaped to a 4-3 score with :25 on the clock and trailed by one heading into the third period. Teemer chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 5-3 lead. With riding time not, a factor at this point, Negron worked the center circle, looking for a tying takedown. The Lion junior connected on a high single at the 1:10 mark but Teemer was able to counter the effort and force a scramble with :55 on the clock. Action moved out of bounds and a reset was called with :50 on the clock. Negron took a final shot, but Teemer countered and took the Lion down as the bout ended. With a riding time point, Teemer was able to post the hard-fought 8-3 win over Negron.
166: Junior Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.), ranked No. 26 at 165, faced off against No. 6 Anthony Valencia. The duo battled through an even minute-plus with neither wrestler threating as the clock hit the 1:40 mark. Valencia forced a scramble that Edsell countered working his way into control of Valencia's right leg as the clock hit 1:10. Edsell worked for a takedown on the edge of the mat. He worked to pull Valencia back on to the mat, but the Sun Devil was able to escape out of bounds and action resumed in neutral at the :25 mark. Valencia hit a big double leg as the first period ended to take a 2-0 lead after one. Edsell chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-1 score. Edsell and Valencia worked the center circle in neutral, but Valencia was able to take the Lion down and then turn him to his back for four back points, opening up an 8-1 lead. Edsell escaped to an 8-2 score that carried into the third period. Valencia chose neutral to start the third period. Edsell and Valencia battled for the next minute in neutral until Valencia worked a low double into a takedown and a 10-2 lead with :45 on the clock. Edsell quickly escaped to a 10-3 score with :32 left in the period. Edsell was able to fight off a late ASU shot and finished the period with a takedown to cut Valencia's final margin to 10-5.
174: Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 174, took on Zane Coleman. Starocci scored first, countering a Coleman shot for his own takedown and a 2-0 lead with 2:12 on the clock. The Nittany Lion sophomore then went to work on top. He worked to roll Coleman over and the Sun Devil was able to roll through the move without giving up any back points. With over 1:00 in riding time, Starocci continue to work on top. He picked up what ended up being two one-counts from the official and did not pick up any back points. He finished the period on top and led 2-0 with 2:12 in time after one. Starocci chose down to start the second period and quicky escaped to a 3-0 lead. Starocci took a 5-1 lead with a takedown and cut as the clock hit 1:20. The Lion sophomore then blew through a high double leg and led 7-2. He quickly took him down again and then added four back points to up his lead to 13-2. Starocci then finished off the match with another turn, finishing off the 17-2 tech fall at the 4:50 mark.
184: Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 1 at 184, met Josh Nummer. Brooks took a quick 2-1 lead with a fast takedown. He added another takedown and nearly pinned Nummer, settling for a four-point turn and an 8-2 lead at the 1:50 mark. Brooks quickly took Nummer down once more and opened up a 10-2 lead at the midway point of the first period. Brooks worked his riding time up over the 1:00 mark and then locked up a cradle and ended the bout with a pin at the 1:48 mark.
197: Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), ranked No. 3 at 197, battled No. 8 Kordell Norfleet. Deans sidestepped a series of quick Norfleet shots to open the bout. He steadied his position and began to pressure Norfleet out of bounds, forcing a stall warning with 2:12 on the clock. Norfleet got in on a low single, but Dean was able to stop the move and forced a stalemate with 1:57 left in the opening period. Norfleet took another low shot and forced a scramble on the outside circle, but Dean countered the effort and finished off the counter takedown at the 1:00 mark, opening up a 2-0 lead. Dean then controlled Norfleet for the rest of the period and finished on top to lead by two with 1:02 in time after one. Norfleet chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 2-1 Dean lead. Dean continued to force the Sun Devil backwards and then dipped behind Norfleet for another takedown and a 4-1 lead with 1:45 on the clock. Dean built up over 2:00 in time while looking to turn Norfleet as the second period clock hit the :30 mark. He picked up a stall point and led 5-1. Dean almost picked up two back points as the period ended but Norfleet was able to roll through and Dean led 5-1 with 2:35 in time after two. Dean chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-1 lead. Dean turned a low shot into a third takedown and an 8-1 lead with a clinched riding time point. Dean worked the top position and picked up another stall point. He finished the period on top and, with a whopping 4:00 in riding time, posted the dominating 10-1 major decision.
285: Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), ranked No. 4 at 285, took on Chad Porter. The wrestlers banged heads just seconds into the match, drawing blood from both grapplers. Kerkvliet went into concussion protocol and Porter got his head wrapped while that happened. After a lengthy blood break, Kerkvliet took a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 2:10 mark and finished the period on top. Porter chose neutral to start the second period. Kerkvliet used a fast low double to open up a 4-0 lead with another takedown at the :55 mark. The Nittany Lion sophomore controlled the action from the top position as the clock hit 0:00 and led 4-0 with a clinched time point (3:11) after two. Kerkvliet chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 5-0 lead. He forced a stall warning and then took Porter down for a 7-0 lead. Kerkvliet broke Porter down, picked up a stall point, and another point off 4:24 in riding time to roll to a 9-0 major.
