THIS WEEK'S ACTION:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State (11-0, 4-0 B1G) hits the road for two Big Ten dual meets this weekend. The Nittany Lions visit Ohio State (11-1, 5-0 B1G) on Friday, Feb. 3, for a B1G Network national telecast at 7 p.m. Two days later, the Nittany Lions visit Indiana (7-2, 3-2 B1G) for a 2 p.m. dual on Sunday, Feb. 5. All rankings listed are InterMat/Intermat TPI (team tournament power index).
Penn State is coming off a rousing 23-14 win over Iowa in last Friday's BJC Dual. The dual was wrestled in front of a record-tying sell-out crowd of 15,998 and was viewed on the Big Ten Network by a record-setting viewing audience. Roman Bravo-Young sparked Penn State with a pin at 133, earning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors. The Nittany Lions also got victories from Levi Haines at 157, Carter Starocci at 174, Aaron Brooks at 184, Max Dean at 197 and Greg Kerkvliet at 285.
The Penn State line-up features four freshmen and starts with freshman Gary Steen, who is 5-9 at 125. Bravo-Young, ranked No. 1 at 133, is 10-0. Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 5 at 141 sports a 14-1 mark while freshman Shayne Van Ness is 11-3 and ranked No. 13 at 149. True freshman Levi Haines is 13-1 overall and ranked No. 9 at 157. Freshman Alex Facundo is 11-2 on the year and ranked No. 8 at 165. Starocci is 11-0 and ranked No. 1 at 174, Brooks is 7-1 and ranked No. 1 at 184. Dean is 13-2 at 197 and ranked No. 4 while Kerkvliet is 9-1 and ranked No. 2 at 285.
Ohio State will enter the weekend with an 11-1 mark, 5-0 in the Big Ten. The Buckeye line-up features ten ranked wrestlers. Malik Heinselman is No. 10 at 125, Jesse Mendez is No. 9 at 133, Dylan D'Emilio is No. 19 at 141, Sammy Sasso is No. 3 at 149, Paddy Gallagher is No. 25 at 157, Carson Kharchla is No. 12 at 165, Ethan Smith is No. 7 at 174, Kaleb Romero is No. 5 at 184, Gavin Hoffman is No. 17 at 197 and Tate Orndorff is No. 18 at 285. Penn State leads the all-time series with Ohio State 24-12, including the last seven straight. The Nittany Lions won last season, 32-7 on Feb. 4, 2022, in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Indiana heads into Sunday's dual against the Nittany Lions with a strong 7-2 overall record, 3-2 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers are led by D.J. Washington, who is 18-3 and ranked No. 15 at 174. Jacob Bullock is 16-2 and No. 28 at 285. Henry Porter is 16-6 and No. 29 at 133 and Graham Rooks is 22-5 and No. 30 at 149. Penn State leads the all-time series 22-0-1, including nine straight victories. Penn State won last year, 29-11, on Jan. 9, 2022, in Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions close out the Big Ten portion of their schedule next weekend. Penn State visits Rutgers on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. in the final road dual of the season for the team. Two days later, Penn State hosts Maryland in Rec Hall on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. in its last conference dual of the year.
All rankings listed are InterMat individual/InterMat TPI. The 2022-23 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 (11-0, 4-0 B1G)
125 Gary Steen Fr. Hermitage, Pa./Reynolds 5-9
133 #1 Roman Bravo-Young Sr.+ Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside 10-0
141 #5 Beau Bartlett Jr. Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 14-1
149 #13 Shayne Van Ness Fr. Somerville, N.J./Blair Academy 11-3
157 #9 Levi Haines Fr. Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville 13-1
165 #8 Alex Facundo Fr. Essexville, Mich./Davison 11-2
174 #1 Carter Starocci Jr. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 11-0
184 #1 Aaron Brooks Sr. Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown 7-1
197 #4 Max Dean Sr. Lowell, Mich./Lowell 13-2
285 #2 Greg Kerkvliet Jr. Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley 9-1
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (11-1, 5-0 B1G
125 #10 Malik Heinselman Sr. Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View 18-2
133 #9 Jesse Mendez Fr. Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point 11-1
141 #19 Dylan D'Emilio Jr. Curtice, Ohio/Genoa 12-7
149 #3 Sammy Sasso Sr. Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth 18-3
157 #25 Paddy Gallagher Fr. Chesterfield, Ohio/St. Edward 8-4
165 #12 Carson Kharchla Jr. Powell, Ohio/Olentangy 8-3
174 #7 Ethan Smith Sr. Latrobe, Pa./Sparrows Point (Md.) 14-4
184 #5 Kaleb Romero Sr. Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg 19-3
197 #17 Gavin Hoffman Sr. Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville 15-4
285 #18 Tate Orndorff Sr. Spokane, Wash./University 9-4
INDIANA HOOSIERS (7-2, 3-2 B1G)
125 Jacob Moran Jr. Portage, Ind./Portage 19-10
133 #29 Henry Porter Fr. Gilroy, Calif./Gilroy 16-6
141 Cayden Rooks Sr. Columbus, Ind./Columbus East 10-8
149 #30 Graham Rooks Sr. Columbus, Ind./Columbus East 22-5
157 Derek Gilcher Jr. Novi, Mich./Detroit Cathlic Central 21-7
165 Nick South Jr. North Vernon, Ind./Columbus East 7-5
174 #15 D.J. Washington Jr. Portage, Ind./Portage 18-3
184 Clayton Fielden Jr. Garret, Ind./Garrett 9-9
197 Nick Willham Sr. Greenwood, Ind./Greenwood 14-8
285 #28 Jacob Bullock Sr. Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia 16-2
Individual Rankings listed are InterMat and Team Rankings are
Intermat Tournament Power Index (as of 1/31/23)
THIS WEEK
Penn State (11-0, 4-0 B1G) hits the road for two conference dual meets this weekend. The Nittany Lions head to Ohio State (11-1, 5-0 B1G) on Friday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. and then visit Indiana (7-2, 3-2 B1G) on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m.
UP NEXT
Penn State has two conference duals next weekend. Penn State heads to Rutgers on Friday, Feb. 10, for a 7 p.m. dual meet, the Lions' last road dual of the season. Two days later, Penn State hosts Maryland in its B1G dual finale. The Rec Hall dual is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12.
ON THE AIR
TV - B1G Network for Ohio State; B1G+ for Indiana
Radio online - Free all year via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Live Web Video - B1G+ for Indiana
NOTES
PENN STATE BEATS IOWA IN RECORD-TYING SOLD OUT BJC DUAL; RBY B1G AOW
The Penn State Nittany Lions gave up only two takedowns in a thrilling 23-14 win over visiting Iowa on Jan. 27 in a second sold out BJC Dual. 15,998 fans packed the venue, tying the NCAA indoor dual meet attendance record (also set in the BJC when PSU beat Iowa in 2018), to see the Nittany Lions win six of ten bouts and give up only a couple takedowns in the win. Roman Bravo-Young pinned #17 Brody Teske at 133, Levi Haines beat #15 Cobe Siebrecht 3-2 at 157, Carter Starocci beat #16 Nelson Brands 2-1 at 174, Aaron Brooks teched Drake Rhodes at 184, Max Dean downed #7 Jacob Warner 2-0 at 197 and Greg Kerkvliet beat #3 Tony Cassioppi 4-1 at 285. Bravo-Young was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (co-) for his efforts in the dual meet.
FRESHMEN STEEN, VAN NESS AND FACUNDO LEAD PENN STATE TO 34-6 WIN OVER MICHIGAN STATE
Two days after three Nittany Lion freshmen won against Michigan, Penn State got a trio of wins out of the rookie class again. This time, Gary Steen (125), Shayne Van Ness (149) and Alex Facundo (165) came up with the victories (Levi Haines did not wrestle in the dual). Steen began the dual by picking up his first Big Ten dual meet victory, a thrilling 3-1 (sv) triumph over #24 Tristan Lujan at 125. Van Ness pinned Braden Stauffenberg at 149 (5:44) and Facundo notched a critical 3-1 (sv) win over #25 Caleb Fish at 165. The Nittany Lions posted a 34-6 dual win, also picking up victories from Roman Bravo-Young (133), Beau Bartlett (141), Carter Starocci (174), Max Dean (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (285).
FRESHMEN VAN NESS, HAINES AND FACUNDO LEAD PENN STATE TO 30-8 WIN OVER MICHIGAN IN BJC DUAL
The Penn State Nittany Lions rolled to a 30-8 win over visiting Michigan in the first BJC Dual of the season on Jan. 20, 2023. Three of Penn State's eight wins came from freshmen making their BJC Dual debuts. Shayne Van Ness rolled to a 14-4 major over Michigan's Fidel Mayora at 149. Levi Haines notched a thrilling 3-1 (sv) win over #10 Will Lewan at 157. Alex Facundo made it three straight for the freshman class with a 5-5 (TB1; RT crit.) victory over #5 Cameron Amine at 165. Roman Bravo Young (133), Beau Bartlett (141), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (184) and Max Dean (197) also won for the Nittany Lions. The dual was wrestled in front of 15,975 fans, the sixth-largest crowd for an indoor dual meet in NCAA history (Penn State holds the top seven marks for indoor dual meet attendance records).
HAINES DOWNS #16 MODEL AS PENN STATE ROLLS OVER WISCONSIN IN MADISON
True freshman Levi Haines made his Big Ten dual meet debut in Penn State's conference opener in Madison, Wis., on Jan. 6. Haines posted a convincing 6-6 major over #16 Garrett Model to help spark the Nittany Lions to a lopsided 28-11 win over the homestanding Badgers in a B1G Network national telecast. Roman Bravo-Young majored #27 Taylor LaMont at 133, Max Dean majored #14 Braxton Amos at 197 and Greg Kerkvliet beat #11 Trent Hillger at 285 for three other Penn State ranked wins.
NITTANY LIONS DOWN #5 IOWA STATE IN COLLEGIATE DUALS FINALE
Roman Bravo-Young, carter Starocci and Max Dean each posted wins over ranked foes and Penn State pushed through to a strong 22-12 win over #5 Iowa State in the blue pool finale at the 2022 Collegiate Duals in New Orleans on Dec. 20, 2022. Bravo-Young majored #21 Ramazan Attasauov 10-2 at 133, Starocci controlled #21 Julien Broderson 5-1 at 174 and Dean rolled to a 4-1 win over #2 Yonger Bastida at 197. Penn State also picked up wins from Beau Bartlett (141), Levi Haines (157) and Greg Kerkvliet (285).
NITTANY LIONS ROLL OVER #24 NORTH CAROLINA AT COLLEGIATE DUALS
Penn State won nine of ten bouts in a lop-sided 37-3 win over #22 North Carolina in its second dual at the 2022 Collegiate Duals in New Orleans. After downing Central Michigan 50-3 just prior, Penn State continued its outstanding night in the Morial Convention Center with another win. Beau Bartlett downed #25 Lachlan McNeil 4-1 at 141, Aaron Brooks pinned #17 Gavin Kane in just :54 at 184 and Max Dean majored #31 Max Shaw at 197.
PENN STATE TIES SCHOOL RECORD WITH 7 PINS IN WIN OVER CENTRAL MICHIGAN
The Penn State Nittany Lions tied a school record with seven pins in a rousing 50-3 win over Central Michigan in their first action of the 2022 Collegiate Duals in New Orleans. Roman Bravo-Young (133), Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (184) and Max Dean (197) all recorded pins while Alex Facundo and Seth Nevills had majors. Haines made his Penn State dual debut against the Chippewas. Penn State also had seven pins against Millersville in 1983 and Kent State in 2015.
MAX DEAN DOWNS #11 HARVEY TO LEAD PENN STATE TO 31-3 VICTORY OVER OREGON STATE; NAMED B1G WOW
Max Dean posted a strong 6-3 win over #11 Tanner Harvey at 197 to lead Penn State to a 31-3 victory over visiting Oregon State in sold out Rec Hall. Dean's win was one of nine for Penn State as the Nittany Lions won all four bouts featuring ranked opponents. Penn State also got majors from Roman Bravo-Young and Carter Starocci and a technical fall from Greg Kerkvliet. Dean was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (12/13/22) for his efforts.
VAN NESS AND KERKVLIET PICK UP BONUS IN RANKED WINS AS LIONS TAME LEHIGH ON THE ROAD
Redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness notched a first period pin (2:28) over #26 Manzona Bryant IV and Greg Kerkvliet rolled to an 18-0 tech fall (4:01) over #22 Nathan Taylor as Penn State tamed Lehigh 24-12 for another road win. The Nittany Lions won six of ten bouts in the dual. Aaron Brooks beat #22 Tate Samuelson 8-3 and Beau Bartlett downed #30 Malyke Hines 8-4 as well.
VAN NESS DOWNS #24 KINNER AS LIONS ROLL AT RIDER
Penn State freshman Shayne Van Ness dominated #24 Quinn Kinner of Rider to lead the Nittany Lions to a lop-sided 37-3 road victory in New Jersey. The dual, wrestled in front of over 3,000 fans in Trenton's CURE Arena, featured nine Penn State wins. Freshman Gary Steen got his first Lion dual victory at 125, Donovon Ball picked up a dual win at 184 and the Lions had a pin and four majors to roll to the win.
STAROCCI, BROOKS, KERKVLIET DOMINATE AT NWCA ALL-STAR EXHIBITION.
Three Penn State Nittany Lions took part in the NWCA All-Star Exhibition on Nov. 22 in Austin, Tex. No. 1 Carter Starocci took on No. 2 Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech at 174 and rolled to a 2-0 win thanks to an escape and a strong third period rideout to clinch riding time. No. 1 Aaron Brooks rolled up five takedowns on his way to a convincing 11-8 win over No. 2 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa at 184. No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet posted a strong 8-5 win over No. 4 Tony Cassioppi of Iowa, using three takedowns and escape and a riding time point. The event was an exhibition and the results DO NOT COUNT AS WINS/LOSSES FOR ANY WRESTLER NOR TOWARDS RPIs.
MAX DEAN NAMED BLACK KNIGHT INVITE O.W., ONE OF FIVE PENN STATE CHAMPS
Max Dean rolled through the field at the 2022 Black Knight Invite at Army West Point on Nov. 20, going 4-0 with two pins and a tech, including a pin of #25 Trey Rogers of Hofstra in the finals. Dean was one of five Penn State champions at the event, joined by Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Levi Haines (157) and Alex Facundo (165).
PENN STATE PLACES 11 OF 13 AT BLACK KNIGHT
The Nittany Lions took 13 wrestlers to the Black Knight Invite on Nov. 20 and, in addition to the five champions mentioned above, had 11 of its entrants place. Three Nittany Lions advanced to the finals before losing to teammates in a series of three all-PSU title bouts. David Evans took second at 141, Terrell Barraclough was second at 157 and Matt Lee was second at 165. Gary Steen took third at 125 and Donovon Ball was third at 184 while Lucas Cochran placed fifth at 197.
THREE FRESHMEN DEBUT IN PENN STATE'S 44-3 SEASON OPENING WIN OVER LOCK HAVEN
A trio of Penn State redshirt freshmen made their Nittany Lion debuts when Penn State downed visiting Lock Haven 44-3 on Nov. 11. Gary Steen (125), Shayne Van Ness (149) and Alex Facundo (165) all competed in their first Penn State duals in front of a sold out Rec Hall crowd. Shayne Van Ness pinned Connor Eck at the 6:32 mark in his first Lion bout while Alex Facundo tallied 13 takedowns in a 27-12 tech fall (5:35) over Aiden Gaughler. Steen dropped a tough 14-4 bout to #13 Anthony Noto. Penn State had three pins (Van Ness, Max Dean, Greg Kerkvliet), three tech falls (Facundo, Roman Bravo-Young, Aaron Brooks), two majors (Beau Bartlett, Carter Starocci), and Terrell Barraclough downed #28 Ashton Eyler 3-1 at 157.
8 OF 12 LIONS PLACE AT BEARCAT OPEN
Penn State sent 12 wrestlers to Binghamton University on Sunday, Nov. 13, for the Bearcat Open. Eight of the 12 Lions competing placed at the event. Connor Pierce led the way with a second place finish, going 4-0 but dropping the title bout to a non-collegiate entry in the finals. Konner Kraeszig took third at 174, Lucas Cochran took third at 197, David Evans took fifth at 141 (with three pins), Levi Haines took fifth at 157, Joe Lee took fifth at 165, Donovon Ball took fifth at 184 and Levko Higgins placed sixth at 197.
MILESTONES
Individual records and milestones that are in play as of now:
* 250 Career coaching wins (overall career)
Cael Sanderson, 230
* 100 Career Big Ten dual meet coaching wins
Cael Sanderson, 100
* 200 Career coaching wins at Penn State
Cael Sanderson, 186
