Nov. 18, 2015
TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- No. 1 Penn State (2-0, 0-0 B1G) heads to California for two duals this weekend. The Nittany Lions visit CSU-Bakersfield (3-1) on Friday, Nov. 20, at 10 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Pacific. Two days later, Penn State visits No. 18 Stanford (2-0) on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 4 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Pacific. The Stanford dual will air live on the Pac-12 Network Bay Area.
The Nittany Lions are coming off an outstanding opening weekend. Penn State shut-out Lock Haven 50-0 on Friday, Nov. 13, in front of over 6,300 fans in sold out Rec Hall. Four red-shirt freshmen opened up their careers with wins in the dual. Two days later, Penn State won at No. 7 Virginia Tech in front of a record Hokie crowd. The Lions rode strong performances from both veterans and new faces to the 21-15 win.
Penn State sports a balanced line-up that features eight ranked wrestlers. Senior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) is ranked No. 1 at 197 to lead Penn State's eight ranked grapplers (all of whom are listed in the top 14). McIntosh is 2-0 on the year. Sophomore Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) is ranked No. 2 at 149 with a 2-0 mark and senior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) is ranked No. 4 at 125 with a 1-1 record. Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.) is ranked No. 4 at 157 with a 2-0 record. Junior All-American Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.) is ranked No. 5 at 141 at 1-1. Senior All-American Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) is ranked No. 8 at 133 with a 2-0 record while red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Tex.) is ranked No. 8 at 174 at 2-0. Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.) is ranked No. 14 at 184 with a 2-0 record.
CSU-Bakersfield will enter Friday's dual with a 3-1 mark. The Roadrunners feature a talented line-up that could include all ten starters hailing from the state of California and as many as six potential starters alumni of Bakersfield High School. Senior Bryce Hammond is ranked No. 16 at 174 to lead the CSUB squad. Seniors Adam Fierro and Reuben Franklin, junior Sergio Mendez and sophomore Coleman Hammond are all 4-0 on the year.
Stanford enters the weekend 2-0 and ranked No. 18 nationally. Sophomore Connor Schram is 5-0 at 125 and ranked No. 18, freshman Joey McKenna is 6-0 and ranked No. 4 at 141, junior Jim Wilson is 5-1 and No. 6 at 165 and sophomore Nathan Butler is 4-1 and ranked No. 17 at 285. The Cardinal line-up is a veteran one with one senior and three juniors and five sophomores listed as possible starters for the Sunday dual.
Penn State leads the all-time series with CSU-Bakersfield 2-0. The Nittany Lions won 43-3 at the Virginia Duals on Jan. 10, 2003, in the last meeting. The Lions also won the only meeting in Bakersfield, 21-12, on Jan. 4, 1997. Penn State and Stanford have never wrestled in a dual meet.
Penn State returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 6, when the team takes part in the Nittany Lion Open in Rec Hall. Penn State's next home dual meet will be the first of two BJC Duals as the Nittany Lions host Wisconsin on Sunday, Dec. 13, in the near-16,000 seat venue.
Limited SRO tickets are available for select Rec Hall dual meets and limited single dual tickets remain for Penn State's two BJC Duals. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY. 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. The 2015-16 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (2-0, 0-0 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #4 Nico Megaludis Sr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional / 1-1
133 #8 Jordan Conaway Sr. Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford / 2-0
141 #5 Jimmy Gulibon Jr. Latrobe, Pa./Derry / 1-1
149 #2 Zain Retherford So. Benton, Pa./Benton / 2-0
157 #4 Jason Nolf Fr. Yatesboro, Pa./Kittanning / 2-0
165 Shakur Rasheed Fr. Coram, N.Y./Longwood / 1-1
174 #8 Bo Nickal Fr. Allen, Texas/Allen / 2-0
184 #14 Matt McCutcheon So. Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area / 2-0
197 #1 Morgan McIntosh Sr. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel / 2-0
285 Jan Johnson Fr. Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin / 1-0
CSU-BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (3-1)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Sergio Mendez Jr. Arleta, Calif./Escalon / 4-0
133 Carlos Herrera Fr. Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield / 1-3
141 Ian Nickell Sr. Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield / 3-1
149 Coleman Hammond So. Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield / 4-0
157 AJ Fierro So. Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield / 3-1
165 Adam Fierro Sr. Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield / 4-0
174 #16 Bryce Hammond Sr. Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield / 2-1
184 Dylan Bollinger Fr. Pinon Hills, Calif./Sultana / 5-2
197 Reuben Franklin Sr. Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta v4-0
285 Matt Williams So. Apple Valley, Calif./Sultana / 4-3
#18 STANFORD CARDINAL (2-0)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #18 Connor Schram So. Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan / 5-0
OR Brian Rossi Fr. Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township / 7-3
133 Mason Pengilly So. Porterville, Calif./Porterville / 6-3
141 #4 Joey McKenna Fr. Towaco, N.J./Blair Academy / 6-0
149 Tommy Pawelski So. Park Ridge, Ill./Montini Catholic / 2-3
157 Maxwell Hvolbek Jr. West Hills, Calif./Blair Academy / 3-2
165 #6 Jim Wilson Jr. Lodi, Calif./McNair / 5-1
174 Keaton Subjeck So. El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge / 6-1
184 Ryan Davies Jr. Clovis, Calif./Clovis / 4-6
197 Michael Sojka Sr. Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago / 7-5
285 #17 Nathan Butler So. Leavenworth, Kan./Leavenworth / 4-1
Team ranking is Intermat Tournament Power Index (TPI) as of 11/17/15
All Individual Rankings are Intermat as of 11/17/15
THIS WEEK
#1 Penn State (2-0, 0-0 B1G) heads to California for two duals this weekend. The Nittany Lions visit CSU-Bakersfield (3-1) on Friday, Nov. 20, at 10 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Pacific. Two days later, Penn State visits #18 Stanford (2-0) on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 4 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Pacific. The Stanford dual will air live on the Pac-12 Network Bay Area.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will take part in the Nittany Lion Open on Sunday, Dec. 6, in Rec Hall.
ON THE AIR
TV - Stanford: Pac-12 Network Bay Area
Live Web Video - none
Radio All Season - Penn State Wrestling Radio Network (1390 WRSC AM locally); go to http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/110915aad.html for full listing. All audio is streamed live thru GoPSUsports and College Sports Live (CBS).
HEAD COACH Cael Sanderson
Cael Sanderson completed sixth season as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team. The veteran head coach already has four NCAA and four Big Ten titles in hand. He has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year four times and was named the 2013 National Coach of the Year (his second such honor).
THE PENN STATE YEARS...
In his first year at Penn State (2009-10), he guided the Lions to a 13-6-1 dual meet mark, 5-3 in Big Ten action, and crowned his first Big Ten Champion. The Lions finished No. 10 in the final USA Today/Coaches dual meet poll and placed ninth at NCAAs.
In 2010-11, Sanderson guided the Nittany Lions to its first-ever Southern Scuffle Co-Championship and its first Virginia Duals Championship since 1991. In guiding Penn State to a 6-1-1 conference mark, Sanderson equaled the most Big Ten dual meet wins in Penn State history in just his second year at the helm of the Nittany Lions (Penn State won six Big Ten duals in 1998). Sanderson led Penn State to the school's first ever Big Ten Championship on March 5-6 and was named 2011 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Saving the best for last, he led the Nittany Lions to the 2011 NCAA National Championship in Philadelphia on March 17-19, Penn State's first since 1953 and Sanderson's first as a collegiate head coach.
In 2011-12, Sanderson led Penn State to a school record 7-1 Big Ten dual record and a share of the 2012 Big Ten dual meet championship. Sanderson then made it two in a row by leading Penn State to the 2012 Big Ten Championship at Purdue on March 3-4 and was named 2012 Big Ten Coach of the Year, earning the honor for the second straight season. Two weeks later, Sanderson led Penn State to a second straight NCAA crown, helping Penn State to become just the sixth team in NCAA history to win back-to-back titles.
In 2012-13, Penn State went 13-1 overall in dual meets this year and won its third straight Southern Scuffle title in early January. The Nittany Lions followed that up with a third straight Big Ten Championship on March 9-10 at Illinois and a third straight NCAA National Title in Des Moines on March 21-23. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third straight season (sharing this year's honor as a co-CotY) and 2013 National Coach of the Year (the second time he has earned that honor).
In 2013-14, Sanderson led Penn State to a 15-1 overall record, yet another share of the Big Ten dual meet title with a 7-1 mark, a fourth straight Southern Scuffle title, a fourth straight Big Ten title and a fourth straight NCAA Championship. He was once again named Big Ten Coach of the Year, the third time he has been so honored.
In 2014-15, Sanderson led Penn State to an 11-4 dual meet record, a fifth straight Southern Scuffle title and garnered five All-Americans and another National Champion at the NCAA Championships. Sanderson has now coached 80 NCAA qualifiers, 46 All-Americans and 11 NCAA Champions.
In only six seasons as Penn State's coach, Sanderson has led the Nittany Lions to five straight Southern Scuffle titles, two B1G dual meet titles (co-), four Big Ten Championships, four NCAA Championships, collected 31 All-Americans, eight National Champions, three Gorriaran winners, two NCAA tourney Outstanding Wrestlers, one CoSIDA Academic All-American of he Year, one NCAA Top 10 Award winner and two Hodge Trophy winners. Sanderson, who has coached 46 total All-Americans and 11 total National Champions (including his three years at Iowa State) heads into the 2015-16 season with a 126-24-2 dual meet mark, 82-14-2 at Penn State.
NOLF AND NICKAL DOWN #3-RANKED OPPONENTS IN PENN STATE'S WIN AT #7 VIRGINIA TECH
The top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team won six of ten bouts and grabbed an impressive 21-15 win at No. 7 Virginia Tech in Penn State's first road dual of the year on 11/15. In a dual meet featuring 15 ranked grapplers, head coach Cael Sanderson's crew took control late with three straight victories to grab the win. The Nittany Lions rode the strong performances of red-shirt freshmen Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal, both of whom downed third-ranked opponents, to the road win. The dual was wrestled in front of 5,097 fans, a new Virginia Tech attendance record for wrestling. Nolf took down No. 3 Nick Brascetta 4-1 at 157 and Nickal took care of No. 3 Zach Epperly 6-2 at 174. In addition to those wins, Jordan Conaway beat No. 18 Kevin Norstrem 4-1 at 133, Zain Retherford tech falled No. 13 Sal Mastriani 15-0 (4:25) at 149, Matt McCutcheon got an 18-4 major over Zack Zavatsky at 184 and Morgan McIntosh took care of No. 17 Jared Haught 9-2 at 197.
4 FRESHMEN WIN AS LIONS SHUT-OUT LOCK HAVEN
Penn State shut-out visiting Lock Haven 50-0 on Nov. 13 in the season opener for the Lions. Four red-shirt freshmen won in their collegiate debuts. Jason Nolf got a pin, Shakur Rasheed was up 2-0 when his foe injury defaulted, Bo Nickal got a tech fall and Jan Johnson downed a fourth-year junior after only two-plus weeks of practice. In addition to those victories, Jimmy Gulibon posted a strong 3-1 win over No. 12 Dan Neff at 141.
HAMMOND WINS ESU OPEN TITLE
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team sent eight wrestlers to the East Stroudsburg Open Sunday at East Stroudsburg University. Three of the eight Nittany Lions reached the finals with sophomore Garett Hammond claiming the crown at 165. Hammond went 5-0 at the event, including two technical falls, a pin and a major. He took the title by medical forfeit. Teammate Cody Law went 4-0 at 165 to reach the finals but did not wrestle, allowing Hammond to take the title uncontested. Law had two majors and a tech fall. Junior Zack Beitz reached the finals at 157 and went 3-1 overall to take second place. Beitz had a pin and a major. Red-shirt freshman George Carpenter went 3-2 at 133 and sophomore Kade Moss went 2-1 at 141 with two pins. Triston Law wrestled unattached at 141 and went 2-2 with two pins as well. Junior Geno Morelli picked up a win at 165 while junior Caleb Livingston posted a 3-2 record with a pin and a tech at 165 as well.
MORELLI RUNNER-UP TO LEAD STRONG LION SHOWING AT 2015 BEARCAT OPEN
Nine members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team opened up the open tournament season at the 2015 Bearcat Open in Binghamton, N.Y., which wrapped up late Sunday night. Five Nittany Lions wrestled attached while four more wrestled unattached. Junior Geno Morelli led Penn State with a 5-1 run at 165, advancing all the way to the finals before dropping a match. Morelli notched a tech fall and a major during his run. True freshman Kellan Stout posted a 5-1 mark at 184 to place sixth, including two majors. Red-shirt freshman Kenny Yanovich was a strong fourth at 125 after going 4-1 with a major. Senior Caleb Livingston went 2-2 at 165 with a pin while red-shirt freshman Devon Van Cura went 1-2 with a pin at 184. True freshman Dom Giannangeli went 2-2 at 141 while classmate Francisco Bisono went 1-2 at 165. True freshman Scott Stossel went 1-2 at 125 and sophomore George Carpenter also competed at 125 for Penn State.
Nick Nevills OUT
Red-shirt freshman Nick Nevills will be out to start the season with an injury. No time table has been set for his return.
BJC DUAL TIX STILL AVAILABLE, GROUP RATES SET!
Penn State athletics has set the group prices for the 2015-16 BJC Duals. With ticket demand at an all-time high, Penn State wrestling will compete twice in the near-16,000 seat Bryce Jordan Center this season and group tickets are now available. Fans can now purchase 20 tickets or more for just $8 per ticket for the two events by calling 1-800-NITTANY. The public sale of single dual tickets under the group level (20 or more) are also available at $16 for adults and $8 for youth (12-and-under).
The Nittany Lions host Wisconsin on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 1 p.m. in the first of two BJC Duals this year. Penn State will then welcome Ohio State to the BJC on Friday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m. in a BTN nationally televised match-up. Penn State heads into the 2015-16 season riding a streak of 26-straight home sell-outs (including duals held in the near-16,000 seat BJC over the prior two years). A limited number of Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets for Penn State's five Rec Hall home dual meets are also set to go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 20, beginning at 10 a.m. Fans may purchase these single-match tickets only by calling 1-800-NITTANY. SRO's for Rec Hall are $15 per person.
LIONS RANKED #1 ON INTERMAT'S TPI
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (2-0, 0-0 B1G) remains the top-ranked team in the country in the Nov. 17 release of InterMat Wrestling's Tournament Power Index (TPI). Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad also tops InterMat's Dual Meet Rankings. This marks the fourth straight week that Penn State, with eight ranked individuals, holds the No. 1 spot in the TPI. Penn State sits in the No. 1 spot with 101.5 points while Oklahoma State is in second at 99.5. Iowa is third at 81.5 with Michigan and Cornell tied for fourth with 74.5. Stanford, who Penn State visits this weekend, is ranked No. 18. Senior Morgan McIntosh is ranked No. 1 at 197 to lead Penn State's eight ranked grapplers (all of whom are listed in the top 14). McIntosh is 2-0 on the year. Sophomore Zain Retherford is ranked No. 2 at 149 with a 2-0 mark and senior Nico Megaludis is ranked No. 4 at 125 with a 1-1 record. Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf is ranked No. 4 at 157 with a 2-0 record. Junior All-American Jimmy Gulibon is ranked No. 5 at 141 at 1-1. Senior All-American Jordan Conaway is ranked No. 8 at 133 with a 2-0 record while red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal is ranked No. 8 at 174 at 2-0. Sophomore Matt McCutcheon is ranked No. 14 at 184 with a 2-0 record.