THIS WEEK'S ACTION:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; January 26, 2022 -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (13-0, 5-0 B1G), ranked No. 1 in InterMat's tournament power index (TPI), will travel to Iowa City once again to take on Iowa (11-0, 5-0 B1G) on Friday, Jan. 28. Iowa is ranked No. 3 in InterMat's TPI and No. 2 in dual meet rankings. The dual meet is a B1G Network national telecast and begins at 9 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. Central).
The dual meet features the last two unbeaten teams in the Big Ten and could feature up to 19 ranked wrestlers. The teams have not met since 2020 and have split the last four meetings 2-2.
Penn State is coming off successful road trip through the state of Michigan. The Nittany Lions downed Michigan 29-6 on Friday night in Ann Arbor, winning eight of ten bouts; and then beat Michigan State 28-9 in East Lansing on Sunday, winning seven of ten. Penn State is 13-0 overall, 5-0 in Big Ten action.
Penn State's line-up features nine ranked grapplers. Senior Drew Hildebrandt is 4-1 at 125 and ranked No. 7 nationally by InterMat. Roman Bravo-Young is 10-0 at 133 and ranked No. 1. Nick Lee is 10- at 141 and ranked No. 1 as well. Sophomore Beau Bartlett is 10-3 and ranked No. 19 at 149. Terrell Barraclough sports a 6-6 record at 157 and Tony Negron is 1-5 at 157 as the duo has split time at the weight. Senior Brady Berge is ranked No. 11 at 165 with a 3-0 mark and sophomore Carter Starocci is 13-0 at 174 and ranked No. 1. Junior Aaron Brooks is 11-0 at 184 and ranked No. 1 while junior Max Dean is 12-1 at 197 and ranked No. 2 nationally. Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet is 11-0 overall and ranked No. 3 at 285.
Iowa is coming off a big conference road victory as well, downing Ohio State 21-12 in Columbus. The Hawkeyes are 11-0 overall, 5-0 in the conference. Iowa's line-up could feature ten ranked wrestlers; Drake Ayala is ranked No. 11 at 125 and is 13-4, Austin DeSanto is 12-0 and No. 3 at 133, Jaydin Eierman is 12-0 and No. 2 at 141, Max Murin is 6-2 and No. 10 at 149, Kaleb Young is ranked No. 12 at 157 and is 10-5, Alex Marinelli is 14-1 and No. 5 at 165, Michael Kemerer is No. 2 at 174 and is 5-0, Abe Assad is No. 17 at 184 and is 9-3, Jacob Warner is No. 4 at 197 and is 11-1, and Tony Cassioppi is No. 5 at 285 with a 9-2 mark. The Hawkeyes own a 28-10-2 lead in the all-time series, including the last meeting (a 19-17 Iowa win also in Carver-Hawkeye on Jan. 31, 2020).
Penn State closes out its Big Ten dual schedule with two home events next weekend. The Nittany Lions welcome Ohio State to town for the 2022 BJC Dual on Friday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. Penn State then hosts Nebraska two days later, on Sunday, Feb. 6, at 12 p.m. in Rec Hall. Both duals are B1G Network national telecasts.
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.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (13-0, 5-0 B1G)
125 #7 Drew Hildebrandt Sr.+ Granger, Ind./Penn 4-1
133 #1 Roman Bravo-Young Sr. Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside 10-0
141 #1 Nick Lee Sr.+ Evansville, Ind./Homeschooled 10-0
149 #19 Beau Bartlett So. Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 10-3
157 Terrell Barraclough So. Kaysville, Utah/Layton 6-6
Tony Negron Jr. North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon 1-5
165 #11 Brady Berge Sr. Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville 3-0
Creighton Edsell Jr. Wyalusing, Pa./Wyalusing 7-3
174 #1 Carter Starocci So. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 13-0
184 #1 Aaron Brooks Jr. Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown 11-0
197 #2 Max Dean Jr. Lowell, Mich./Lowell 12-1
285 #3 Greg Kerkvliet So. Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley 11-0
IOWA HAWKEYES (11-0, 5-0 B1G)
125 #11 Drake Ayala Fr. Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge 13-4
OR Jesse Ybarra Fr. Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside 2-2
133 #3 Austin DeSanto Sr. Exeter, Pa./Exeter 12-0
OR Cullan Schriever Fr. Mason City, Iowa/Mason City 15-5
141 #2 Jaydin Eierman Sr. Columbia, Mo./Father Tolton 12-0
149 #10 Max Murin Sr. Ebensburg, Pa./Central Columbia 6-2
157 #12 Kaleb Young Sr. Punxsutawney, Pa./Punxsutawney 10-5
165 #5 Alex Marinelli Sr. Miamisburg, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 14-1
174 #2 Michael Kemerer Sr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 5-0
184 #17 Abe Assad So. Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North 9-3
197 #4 Jacob Warner Sr. Tolano, Ill./Washington Community 11-1
285 #5 Tony Cassioppi Jr. Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah 9-2
Rankings listed are InterMat (as of 1/25/22)
THIS WEEK
Penn State (13-0, 5-0 B1G) travels to Iowa City once again to take on Iowa (11-0, 5-0 B1G) on Friday, Jan. 28. The dual is a B1G Network national telecast and begins at 9 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. Central).
UP NEXT
Penn State closes out its Big Ten season with two home duals. The Lions entertain Ohio State in the 2022 BJC Dual on Friday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. and host Nebraska on Sunday, Feb. 6, at 12 p.m. in Rec Hall. Both duals are B1G Network national telecasts.
ON THE AIR
TV - B1G Network
Radio online - Free all year via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Live Web Video - None
NOTES:
#FUNSTATS
// Most Individual NCAA Titles Since 2011 -- PENN STATE 27, Cornell 10, Oklahoma State 10, Ohio State 9, Iowa 7
// Penn State National Finalists Since 2011 -- 40
// Penn State in NCAA Finals Since 2011 -- 27-13 (Penn State's winning percentage in NCAA finals is .675)
// Penn State in NCAA Semifinals Since 2011 -- 40-4 (Penn State's winning percentage in NCAA semis is .901)
// Penn State Team Championships Since 2011 -- 8 (of 10, no NCAA tournament in 2020)
// Penn State Percentage of Team Titles Won Since 2011 - .800 (no NCAA tournament in 2020)
KERKVLIET'S PIN AT 285 CAPS OFF 28-9 WIN AT MSU
The Penn State Nittany Lions finished off a two-dual sweep in the state of Michigan on Sunday, Jan. 23, by rolling over homestanding Michigan State 28-9 in East Lansing. Penn State picked up major decisions from Drew Hildebrandt at 125 and Nick Lee at 141, a tech fall from Carter Starocci at 174 and a pin from Greg Kerkvliet at 285 as part of the Lions' seven wins in the dual. Kerkvliet's pin capped off the victory and, along with his win two nights earlier over #2 Mason Parris at Michigan, helped earn him Penn State Male Athlete of the Week (1/26/22).
BROOKS, KERKVLIET GRAB TOP-2 WINS AS LIONS DOMINATE #3 MICHIGAN 29-6 IN ANN ARBOR
Penn State won eight of ten bouts in a dominating 29-6 win at #3 Michigan on Friday, Jan. 21, in Crisler Arena. Both Aaron Brooks and Greg Kerkvliet grabbed impressive wins over second-ranked foes as Penn State totalled six ranked wins overall. Brooks used a third period takedown to notch a 3-1 win over #2 Myles Amine at 184. Kerkvliet rolled up three takedowns in an impressive 8-5 win over #2 Mason Parris at 285. Other ranked wins included Roman Bravo-Young's 8-1 victory over #8 Dylan Ragusin at 133, Brady Berge's win 3-1 win over #10 Cameron Amine at 165, Carter Starocci's 3-2 victory over #6 Logan Massa at 174 and Max Dean's 6-4 (sv) win over #8 Patrick Brucki at 197. The Nittany Lions gave up only five takedowns as a team in the victory.
BROOKS' MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS PSU'S WIN OVER INDIANA; NAMED B1G WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Junior Aaron Brooks majored #8 D.J. Washington 13-4 in the marquee match-up in Penn State's 29-11 victory over Indiana. Brooks' win was one of five straight to close out the dual for the Nittany Lions in Rec Hall. Drew Hildebrandt took down #25 Jacob Moran in his Rec Hall debut at 125 as well. He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for th week ending Jan. 11, his second honor of the season to that date.
DREW HILDEBRANDT'S DEBUT PIN STARTS PENN STATE'S RUN IN 46-0 SHUTOUT AT MARYLAND
All-American transfer Drew Hildebrandt pinned Maryland's Zach Spence in the first period (1:38) in his debut match for Penn State at 125. Hildebrandt's initial win started a perfect run for the Nittany Lions in a 46-0 shutout victory on the road in College Park. Aaron Brooks majored #12 Kyle Cochran 19-7 at 184 and Greg Kerkvliet teched #26 Zach Schrader at 285 in bouts between ranked opponents.
LUCAS COCHRAN TAKES 4TH AT F&M OPEN
Freshman Lucas Cochran went 3-2 at the Lehman/F&M Open on Friday, Jan. 7. Cochran picked up three wins with a major and advanced to the semifinals. Gary Steen (125), Brian Borden (165) and Levko Higgins (197) all picked up solo wins at the event as well.
BEARD TAKES SECOND AT SOUTHERN SCUFFLE TO LEAD 10-MAN PENN STATE CONTINGENT
Sophomore Michael Beard was the No. 2 seed at 197 at the Southern Scuffle and took second at the two-day event. Beard began the tournament with three wins on Saturday. He posted technical falls over Duke's Kaden Russell (18-2; 2:36) and Eli Sheeren of Buffalo (17-2; 5:36) to begin the tournament and closed out Saturday with a 9-2 win over Navy's XJaxon Smith in the quarterfinals. Beard beat No. 20 Cameron Caffey of Michigan State in the semifinals and then took an injury default loss during the first period of the finals to No. 4 Rocky Elam of Missouri. Junior Brandon Meredith competed at 133 and advanced to the quarterfinals before losing his first match. He went 3-1 overall plus one loss to a non-collegiate wrestler. Sophomore Joe Lee wrested at 157 and won his first two matches to advance to the quarterfinals. He ended the tournament with a 2-2 mark overall. Junior Seth Nevills took to the mat at 285 for the first time this year. Nevills went 3-2 overall with a pin in his first action of the season.
BARTLETT'S WIN OVER #5 PARCO HIGHLIGHTS LOPSIDED 29-10 WIN OVER #3 ARIZONA STATE
Sophomore Beau Bartlett posted a thrilling 3-1 sudden victory decision over #5 Kyle Parco to spark Penn State in a 29-10 win over #3 Arizona State in the Blue Pool Final of the Collegiate Duals in Niceville, Fla. Bartlett's takedown in extra time was one of many highlights as Penn State dominated the Sun Devils, winning seven of ten bouts. Roman Bravo-Young beat #14 Michael McGee 6-2 at 133, Nick Lee majored #15 Jesse Vasquez 14-3 at 141, and Max Dean majored #8 Kordell Norfleet at 197 in other ranked victories for Penn State.
LIONS OUTLAST CORNELL IN FLORIDA
Penn State won six of ten bouts to outlast #9 Cornell 26-11 at the Collegiate Duals in Niceville, Fla. Penn State got four straight wins over ranked wrestlers to close out the dual for the victory. Carter Starocci beat #12 Chris Foca 3-2 at 174, Aaron Brooks majored #155 Jonathan Loew 15-3 at 184, Max Dean downed #19 Jacob Cardenas 4-2 at 197 and Greg Kerkvliet shutout #18 Lewis Fernandes 5-0 at 285.
BROOKS TAKES DOWN #4 KECKEISEN AS LIONS TOP UNI; NAMED B1G W.o.W. (12/29)
Junior Aaron Brooks downed #4 Parker Keckeisen to lead Penn State to a 29-9 win over #22 Northern Iowa in the first of three duals for Penn State at the Collegiate Duals in Niceville, Fla. Brooks' win was one of seven for Penn State in the win, which included Roman Bravo-Young pinning #31 Kyle Biscoglia, Nick Lee majoring #26 Cael Happel and Beau Bartlett beating #28 Triston Lara. Brooks won three matches in Florida overall and was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (12/29).
LEE'S 100TH CAREER WIN SPARKS 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
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, 106
* 200 Career coaching wins (overall career)
Cael Sanderson, 215
* 100 Career Big Ten coaching wins
Cael Sanderson, 93
* 175 Career coaching wins at Penn State
Cael Sanderson, 171
