THIS WEEK'S ACTION:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State (13-0, 6-0 B1G) visits Rutgers (10-5, 2-4 B1G) on Friday, Feb. 10, for its third straight Big Ten road dual. The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights tangle at 7 p.m. in Piscataway. Two days later, Penn State welcomes Maryland (*8-7, 0-6 B1G) to Rec Hall on Sunday, Feb. 12, for a 1 p.m. dual. *Maryland hosts Purdue on Friday while Penn State is at Rutgers. All rankings listed are InterMat/Intermat TPI (team tournament power index).
Penn State is coming off an impressive 2-0 road swing last weekend, winning 16 of 20 bouts at Ohio State and Indiana. The Nittany Lions won eight of ten at Ohio State on Friday, posting a 29-9 win in the Covelli Center. Two days later, Penn State won eight more in a 35-8 win at Indiana.
The Nittany Lion line-up features redshirt freshman Gary Steen, who is 5-10 at 125. Roman Bravo-Young is ranked No. 1 at 133 with an 11-0 mark while Beau Bartlett is 16-1 overall and ranked No. 6 at 141. Redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness is 12-4 at 149 and ranked No. 13 while true freshman Levi Haines is 15-1 and ranked No. 8 at 157. Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo is 13-2 and ranked No. 9 at 165 while Carter Starocci is 13-0 and ranked No. 1 at 174. Aaron Brooks is 8-1 overall and ranked No. 1 at 184 and Max Dean is 15-2 and ranked No. 3 at 197. Greg Kerkvliet rounds out the Lion line-up, ranked No. 2 at 285, with an 11-1 record.
Rutgers enters Friday's battle 10-5 overall, 2-4 in Big Ten duals. The Scarlet Knights have six ranked wrestlers. Dean Peterson is No. 16 at 125, Joe Heilmann is No. 15 at 133, Joseph Olivieri is No. 19 at 141, Andrew Clark is No. 33 at 157, Brian Soldano is No. 14 at 184 and Boone McDermott is No. 21 at 285. Penn State leads the all-time series with RU 22-0. The Lions won 27-11 on Jan. 16, 2022, last season in Rec Hall.
Maryland enters the weekend 8-7 overall, 0-6 in Big Ten action. The Terrapins, who host Purdue Friday night, have four ranked wrestlers. Braxton Brown is No. 15 at 125, Ethan Miller is No. 18 at 149, Jaxon Smith is No. 13 at 197 and Jaron Smith is No. 25 at 285. The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series with the Terrapins 45-1-2. Penn State won 46-0 on Jan. 7, 2022, last season at Maryland.
The Nittany Lions wrap up their dual meet schedule next weekend, hosting Clarion at 1 p.m. in Rec Hall on Sunday, Feb. 19.
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 (13-0, 6-0 B1G)
125 Gary Steen Fr. Hermitage, Pa./Reynolds 5-10
133 #1 Roman Bravo-Young Sr.+ Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside 11-0
141 #6 Beau Bartlett Jr. Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 16-1
149 #13 Shayne Van Ness Fr. Somerville, N.J./Blair Academy 12-4
157 #8 Levi Haines Fr. Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville 15-1
165 #9 Alex Facundo Fr. Essexville, Mich./Davison 13-2
174 #1 Carter Starocci Jr. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 13-0
184 #1 Aaron Brooks Sr. Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown 8-1
197 #3 Max Dean Sr. Lowell, Mich./Lowell 15-2
285 #2 Greg Kerkvliet Jr. Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley 11-1
RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (10-5, 2-4 B1G)
125 #16 Dean Peterson So. Barnegat, N.J./Saint John Vianney 19-6
133 #15 Joe Heilmann Gr. South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield 20-6
141 #19 Joseph Olivieri So. East Hanover, N.J./Hanover Park 13-3
149 Tony White So. South Plainfield, N.J./South Palinfield 11-9
157 #33 Andrew Clark So. Collingswood, N.J./Collingswood 17-11
165 Robert Kanniard So. Wall, N.J./Wall Township 4-3
174 Jackson Turley Jr. Chester, Va./St. Christopher's 8-8
184 #14 Brian Soldano Fr. Wantage, N.J./High Point 12-3
197 Bily Janzer Jr. Elk Township, N.J./Delsea 6-8
285 #21 Boone McDermott Jr. Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert 13-2
MARYLAND TERRAPINS (*8-7, 0-6 B1G)
125 #15 Braxton Brown Fr. Allen, Texas/Allen 19-2
133 Conner Quinn So. Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon 0-14
141 Kal Miller Fr. Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill 11-11
149 #18 Ethan Miller Fr. Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill 22-5
157 Michael North Jr. Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth 14-5
165 John Martin Best Fr. Parkersburg, W. Va./Parkersburg 5-12
174 Dominic Solis So. Laurel, Md./McDonogh School 9-9
184 Chase Mielnik So. Downingtown, Pa./West 4-16
197 #13 Jaxon Smith Fr. Cartersville, Ga.Woodland 13-5
285 #25 Jaron Smith Gr. Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills 10-8
Individual Rankings listed are InterMat and Team Rankings are
Intermat Tournament Power Index (as of 2/7/23)
* Maryland Hosts Purdue on Friday, Feb. 10, while Penn State is at Rutgers
THIS WEEK
Penn State (13-0, 6-0 B1G) visits Rutgers (10-5, 2-4 B1G) for its third straight Big Ten road dual on Friday, Feb. 10. The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights tangle at 7 p.m. Two days later, Penn State welcomes Maryland (*8-7, 0-6 B1G) to Rec Hall for a 1 p.m. dual on Sunday, Feb. 12. *Maryland hosts Purdue on Friday while Penn State is at Rutgers.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions close out their dual meet schedule at home on Sunday, Feb. 19, when they host Clarion at 1 p.m. in Rec Hall.
ON THE AIR
TV - B1G+ (national streaming)
Radio online - Free all year via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Live Web Video - B1G+ for both
NOTES:
STAROCCI HANDLES WASHINGTON AS PENN STATE ROLLS TO WIN AT INDIANA
Carter Starocci forced #15 DJ Washington into three stalls and notched three takedowns in a dominant 11-3 major decision at 174, sparking Penn State to a 35-8 win at Indiana on Feb. 5. Starocci's win was one of eight for the Nittany Lions in the dual. Beau Bartlett picked up a pin in just :12 at 141 and Shayne Van Ness majored #30 Graham Rooks 17-5 at 141. Levi Haines got a win at 157 and Alex Facundo picked up a major at 165. Donovon Ball grabbed a win at 184 after Starocci's major at 174. Max Dean picked up a pin at 197 and Greg Kerkvliet posted a 16-0 tech fall over #28 Jacob Bullock at 285.
NITTANY LIONS ROLL OVER #10 OHIO STATE 29-9 FOR IMPRESSIVE B1G ROAD WIN IN COLUMBUS
The Penn State Nittany Lions rolled into Ohio State's Covelli Center on Feb. 3 and dominated the Buckeyes in a 29-9 win in Columbus. Penn State won eight of ten bouts and gave up only three takedowns in the win. The Nittany Lions eight wins all came over ranked wrestlers, led by Aaron Brooks' 3-2 win over #5 Kaleb Romero at 184. Roman Bravo-Young beat #9 Jesse Mendez 8-2, Beau Bartlett beat #19 Dylan D'Emilio 4-2, Levin Haines majored #25 Paddy Gallagher 14-2, Alex Facundo beat #12 Carson Kharchla 4-1, Carter Starocci dominated #7 Ethan Smith 11-5, Max Dean pinned #17 Gavin Hoffman (4:28) and Greg Kerkvliet majored #18 Tate Orndorff 9-0 (with 4:53 in riding time).
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, 232
* 100 Career Big Ten dual meet coaching wins
Cael Sanderson, 102
* 200 Career coaching wins at Penn State
Cael Sanderson, 188
