TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --The Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 2 nationally on InterMat's Tournament Power Index, open up Big Ten action with two dual meets in Rec Hall. The Lions host No. 24 Illinois (3-1) on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. and No. 12 Northwestern (2-1) on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m. Northwestern hosts Purdue on Friday the 10th while the Lions and Illini battle.
Penn State is coming off a 33-7 win over Penn on Dec. 8 in its last dual meet and then a solid outing at the Wilkes Open on Dec. 22. The transition to the new year will bring a transition to Penn State's line-up. Head coach Cael Sanderson announced on Tuesday, Jan. 7, that top-ranked senior heavyweight Anthony Cassar will miss the remainder of the year with an injury and that All-American transfer senior Kyle Conel will also be out the rest of the year due to injury.
The Nittany Lion line-up features an exciting blend of young talent and proven veteran talent. Freshmen Brandon Meredith and Brody Teske sport good records at 125, 11-4 and 5-2 respectively. Sophomore All-American Roman Bravo-Young is ranked No. 3 at 133 and is 9-0 on the season. Junior two-time All-American Nick Lee is 8-0 and ranked No. 2 at 141. Junior Luke Gardner and sophomore Jarod Verkleeren have been battling at 149 for Penn State. Gardner is 4-1 on the year while Verkleeren is 9-2. Sophomore Brady Berge is 1-0 and ranked No. 4 at 157 while junior Bo Pipher is 8-5.
Senior three-time All-American Vincenzo Joseph is 4-0 and ranked No. 1 at 165. Senior three-time All-American Mark Hall is 11-0 and ranked No. 1 at 174. True freshman Aaron Brooks is 5-0 on the year and ranked No. 8 at 184. Senior Shakur Rasheed has yet to wrestle and looks to move up to 197 with Conel out for the year while sophomore Austin Hoopes is 5-6 at 197 and 285 this year. With defending champion Cassar's season ending, true freshman Seth Nevills will take to the mat at 285 for Penn State. Nevills is 6-0 in open tournaments this year.
Illinois enters the weekend with a 3-1 mark and ranked No. 24 nationally. The Illini feature a talented line-up that includes four ranked wrestlers and some talented young faces. Travis Piotrowski is 13-2 and ranked No. 7 at 133. Dylan Duncan is 10-4 and No. 16 at 141. Danny Braunagel is 13-4 and ranked No. 15 at 165. Joey Gunther is 10-4 and ranked No. 8 at 174. Freshman Zac Branaugel is 12-4 at 184 and freshman Luke Luffman is 10-3 at 285.
Northwestern, which hosts Purdue Friday night, enters the weekend ranked No. 12 on InterMat's TPI and with a 2-1 dual meet record. The Wildcats feature four ranked wrestlers as well. Michael DeAugustino is 11-3 and ranked No. 7 at 125. Sebastian Rivera is 7-2 and ranked No. 5 at 133. Yahya Thomas is 9-4 and ranked No. 13 at 149. Ryan Deakin is 8-0 and ranked No. 1 at 157. Freshman Jack Jessen owns an 11-8 mark at 184 as well.
Penn State returns to action next Sunday, hosting Rutgers in Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 19. The dual begins at 5 p.m. and airs nationally on ESPN2.
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 NITTANY LIONS (3-1, 0-0 B1G)
125 Brody Teske Fr. Duncombe, Iowa/Fort Dodge 5-2
Brandon Meredith Fr. Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford 11-4
133 #3 Roman Bravo-Young So. Tucson, Ariz./Sunny Side 9-0
141 #2 Nick Lee Jr. Evansville, Ind./Homeschool 8-0
149 Luke Gardner Jr. Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville 4-1
Jarod Verkleeren So. Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield 9-2
157 #4 Brady Berge So. Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville 1-0
Bo Pipher Jr. Paonia, Colo./Paonia 8-5
165 #1 Vincenzo Joseph Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic 4-0
174 #1 Mark Hall Sr. Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley 11-0
184 #8 Aaron Brooks Fr. Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown 5-0
197 Shakur Rasheed Sr. Coram, N.Y./Longwood 0-0
Austin Hoopes So. Afton, Wyo./Star Valley 5-6
285 Seth Nevills Fr. Clovis, Calif./Clovis 6-0
#24 ILLINOIS ILLINI (3-1, 0-0 B1G)
125 Justin Cardani Fr. Champaign, Ill./Centennial 7-5
133 #7 Travis Piotrowski Sr. Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge 13-2
141 #16 Dylan Duncan Jr. Winfield, Ill./Montini Catholic 10-4
149 Mousa Jodeh Sr. Chicago, Ill./Oak Forest 2-6
157 Eric Barone Sr. Crystal Lake, Ill./South 6-7
165 #15 Danny Braunagel Fr. Belleville, Ill./Althoff Catholic 13-4
174 #8 Joey Gunther Sr. Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville 10-4
184 Zac Braunagel Fr. Belleville, Ill./Althoff Catholic 12-4
197 Matt Wroblewski So. Mt. Prospect, Ill./Prospect 6-7
285 Luke Luffman Fr. Urbana, Ill./Urbana 10-3
#12 NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS (*2-1, 0-0 B1G)
125 #7 Michael DeAugustino Fr. Palm Coast, Fla./Flagler Palm Coast 11-3
133 #5 Sebastian Rivera Jr. Jackson N.J./Christian Brothers Academy 7-2
141 Alec McKenna Sr. Winnetka, Ill./New Trier 2-3
149 #13 Yahya Thomas So. Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel 9-4
157 #1 Ryan Deakin Jr. Broomfield, Colo./Legacy 8-0
165 Shayne Oster Sr. Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport 8-6
174 Tyler Morland So. Brighton, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central 7-6
184 Jack Jessen Fr. Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook 11-8
197 Lucas Davison Fr. Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton 6-4
285 Jack Heyob Fr. Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier 0-5
Rankings listed are InterMat TPI/InterMat Individual as of 1/7
* Northwestern hosts Purdue on 1/10 while Penn State hosts Illinois
THIS WEEK
Penn State (3-1, 0-0 B1G) hosts two Big Ten duals this weekend. The Lions entertain #24 Illinois (3-1) on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. and #12 Northwestern (2-1) on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m. Both duals are in Rec Hall. Northwestern hosts Purdue on Jan. 10.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will host Rutgers on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 5 p.m. in an ESPN2 national telecast.
ON THE AIR
TV - Lehigh (SE2/PLN) / Penn (none)
Radio - WRSC (93.3 FM) or, occasionally, WQWK (103.7 FM)
Radio online - Free all year via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Live Web Video - Both BTN+
NOTES:
PARKING ADVISORY FOR OUR REMAINING REC HALL DUALS!
Penn State Transportation Services has issued a parking advisory for fans attending remaining 2019-20 Penn State Wrestling matches at Rec Hall. With construction of the new West Campus Parking Deck now underway, approximately 275 Red A parking spaces have permanently closed, which will significantly reduce the number of Red A spaces available for Penn State Wrestling events this season. To provide an additional parking option and an overflow location if both Red A and the Nittany Parking Deck reach capacity, Eisenhower Parking Deck will be available for Penn State Wrestling parking for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. No ticket or permit will be required, but like Red A and Nittany Deck, parking will only be available beginning 90 minutes prior to the start of the event through 90 minutes after matches have concluded. Fans are encouraged to arrive as early as possible for the best chance at parking at Red A or Nittany Deck and to have ample time to reach Rec Hall if directed to park at Eisenhower Deck.
For fans who would prefer a closer parking option when Red A and Nittany Deck are full, Transportation Services offers an evening/weekend parking permit for just $6 per month that provides access to most faculty/staff parking areas across campus on weekdays after 4 p.m. and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. This permit would allow Wrestling fans to park at several areas located close to Rec Hall, including Green B, Brown E, Yellow E and Brown A. Visit the Transportation Services website at:
https://transportation.psu.edu/eveningweekend-parking-permit
For more information on Penn State Wrestling parking or the evening/weekend parking permit program, please email parking@psu.edu or call 814-865-1436.
DEFENDING CHAMPION TOP RANKED ANTHONY CASSAR AND ALL-AMERICAN KYLE CONEL LOST FOR THE SEASON
Head coach Cael Sanderson announced on Tuesday, Jan. 7, that top-ranked senior heavyweight Anthony Cassar will miss the remainder of the year with an injury and that All-American transfer senior Kyle Conel will also be out the rest of the year due to injury.
SEVEN LIONS WIN TITLES AT WILKES OPEN
Penn State sent 22 wrestlers, both attached and unattached, to the Wilkes Open on Sunday, Dec. 22. The Lions came away with seven titles at the open tournament. Penn State had 19 of its 22 competitors place in the top five at the event. The Nittany Lions had seven champs, four runners-up, one third-place, four fourth-place and three fifth-place finishes. Freshman Brandon Meredith (125), sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (133), sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (149), true freshman Joe Lee (165), senior Mark Hall (174) and true freshman Michael Beard (197) all won titles.
STAROCCI WINS AT 174, BEARD AND LEE SHINE AS UNATTACHED FRESHMEN AT THE SCUFFLE
– The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team had three true freshmen competing unattached at the 2020 Southern Scuffle. The two-day event took place in Chattanooga on Jan. 1-2. All three Lions placed at the tournament with Carter Starocci winning the 174-pound crown. Starocci went 6-0 with a pin, a tech and two majors to win yet another tournament title. Michael Beard went 3-2 with two majors and two wins over top-six ranked foes to take fourth at 197 and Joe Lee went 5-2 with ranked wins, two techs and a pin to take fifth at 165.
MEREDITH DOWNS #10 COLAIOCCO, BROOKS WINS BY TECH FALL IN PSU'S 33-7 VICTORY OVER PENN
Redshirt freshman Brandon Meredith downed #10 Michael Colaiocco of Penn 8-5 to spark Penn State to a 33-7 victory over Penn in sold out Rec Hall on Dec. 8. True freshman Aaron Brooks posted a 19-4 tech fall over Penn's Jesse Quatse at the 6:03 mark as well. Both Lions were making their Rec Hall dual debuts.
MARK HALL WINS 100TH CAREER MATCH
Senior Mark Hall posted a 19-4 technical fall over Penn's Neil Antrassian on Dec. 8, 2019, to win his 100th match as a Nittany Lion. Hall's victory helped spark the Lions to a 33-7 win over the Quakers and improved his career mark, at the time, to 100-5.
AARON BROOKS MAKES DUAL DEBUT WITH WIN AT LEHIGH
True freshman Aaron Brooks made his Penn State dual meet debut in the Nittany Lions' 23-10 dual victory at Lehigh on Dec. 6. Brooks rolled to a 10-5 win over Mountain Hawk junior Chris Weiler, notching three early takedowns to set up the win.
HALL HAMMERS #2 KUTLER TO LEAD LIONS IN BIG WIN AT #14 LEHIGH
Senior Mark Hall dominated #2 Jordan Kutler in Penn State's rousing 23-10 victory at #14 Lehigh on Dec. 6. Hall rolled to a 7-2 victory as the Nittany Lions won seven of ten bouts in front of a record-setting sellout crowd in Lehigh's Stabler Arena.
STAROCCI DOWNS #12 HARVEY TO WIN GMU OPEN TITLE
True freshman Carter Starocci claimed the 174-pound title with a win over a nationally ranked foe in the finals. Starocci went 4-0 with two pins to win his second open tournament title of the year, having already won the Clarion Open earlier this season. Starocci took on Army's Ben Harvey in the finals and posted a 3-2 victory. Harvey entered the tournament ranked No. 12 nationally by InterMat at the time.
TRIO OF LIONS WIN MAT-TOWN OPEN TITLES
Seven members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team took part in the Mat-Town Open at Lock Haven University on Sunday, Dec. 1, in Lock Haven, Pa. All seven wrestled unattached and three true freshmen won individual titles at their respective weight classes. True freshman Aaron Brooks went 3-0 at 184 to win Penn State's first title of the day. Brooks had one pin along the way to the 184-pound crown. True freshman Michael Beard went 3-0 at 197 to win his title. Beard had two tech falls and a major decision. True freshman Seth Nevills went 3-0 at 285 to win the heavyweight crown. Nevills had two pins in his three victories.
RBY, JOSEPH, HALL, CASSAR PICK UP RANKED WINS & LEE GETS TF IN DUAL AT #6 ARIZONA STATE
Penn State, wrestling down two starters and giving up a forfeit victory, split bouts with Arizona State 5-5 but had its 60-dual win streak (dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season) snapped in a close 19-18 loss at #6 Arizona State on Nov. 22. Wrestling in front of an ASU record crowd of over 8,500, the Lions won five of the nine matches wrestled, all in impressive style. #3 Nick Lee rolled to an 18-3 tech fall at 141, #3 Roman Bravo-Young posted a 7-6 win over #16 Josh Kramer at 133, #1 Vincenzo Joseph notched a strong 7-4 win over #5 Josh Shields at 165, #1 Mark Hall rolled to an 11-3 major over #8 Anthony Valencia at 174 and #1 Anthony Cassar dominated #5 Tanner Hall in a 9-5 victory. But ASU had four bonus points to Penn State's three and grabbed the dual victory in Tempe.
PENN STATE CROWNS 4 CHAMPS AT BLACK KNIGHT INVITE
Penn State dominated action at the 2019 Army West Point Invite on Nov. 17 in West Point, N.Y. Fifteen Penn Staters competed at nine weights and the Nittany Lions came away with four champions with 11 total place-winners. The Nittany Lions four champions were Roman Bravo-Young at 133, Nick Lee at 141, Jarod Verkleeren at 149 and Mark Hall at 174. Luke Gardner was runner-up at 149 as well, dropping a tough bout in an all-Penn State final at that weight.
NITTANY LIONS ROLL UP 11 OF 15 PLACE WINNERS AT BLACK KNIGHT INVITE
Penn State had 15 competitors at the Army West Point Black Knight Invite on Nov. 17 and 11 of Penn State's competitors placed at the event. Roman Bravo-Young (133), Nick Lee (141), Jarod Verkleeren (149) and Mark Hall (174) all won titles while Luke Gardner (149) lost to Verkleeren in the finals for second place. Brody Teske took third at 125, Konner Kraeszig took third at 165, Brandon Meredith placed fifth at 125, Bo Pipher was fifth at 157, Creighton Edsell was fifth at 184 and Austin Hoopes was sixth at 197.
FOUR PINS, FOUR DEBUT WINS, A SHUTOUT OVER NAVY
Penn State opened up its 2019-20 season by shutting out Navy 45-0 on Nov. 10 in front of yet another sold-out Rec Hall crowd. Four Lions picked up falls in the victory and four grapplers earned victories in their Nittany Lion dual debuts. Junior Luke Gardner got a fall at 149 in his Lion dual debut, junior Nick Lee picked up a pin at 141, senior Mark Hall got a fast fall in just 0:58 at 174 over #17 Spencer Carey and Anthony Cassar picked up a pin at 285. In addition to Gardner's debut win at 149, redshirt freshman Brody Teske got a victory at 125 in his Lion debut, classmate Creighton Edsell picked up a win at 184 in his first Lion dual and graduate transfer Kyle Conel picked up the victory at 197 in his Nittany Lion dual debut.
LIONS SEND 3 TO BINGHAMTON OPEN
While the Penn State Nittany Lions were opening up their dual season in a raucous Rec Hall by shutting out Navy on Nov. 10, three true freshmen ventured to the Binghamton Open unattached. Donovon Ball and Ritchie Heywood competed at 184 while Keagan Carmenatty went at 285. Heywood picked up his first open tournament victory with a pin while Carmenatty had a fall at heavyweight as well.
JOE LEE, CARTER STAROCCI WIN TITLES AT CLARION OPEN
Eleven members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team competed both attached and unattached at the Clarion Open in the first open tournament of the new season. Three true freshmen advanced to the finals at their respective weights, with Joe Lee and Carter Starocci winning titles. Lee rolled to a 4-0 record including three majors to win the 165-pound title in his first open tournament. Fellow true freshman Starocci also went 4-0 at 174 and won his weight class with two majors as well. True freshman Michael Beard advanced to the finals 197 before losing a close decision, going 2-1 with a major to place second. Redshirt freshman Brandon Meredith had a good showing at 125. Meredith went 4-1 overall with two majors and a tech fall to place third. True freshman Terrell Barraclough also placed third in his first open tournament. Barraclough went 5-1 at 149 with two majors to take third place.
MILESTONES
A number of team and individual records and milestones are in play as of now:
* 100 career win plateau
Mark Hall -- 104 wins
Vincenzo Joseph -- 78 wins
* Dual meet win % in PSU history
Mark Hall -- 7th at 97.4 (38-1)
* Overall winning % (min. 30 matches)
Mark Hall -- 7th at 95.2 (100-5)
* Falls in PSU history
Mark Hall -- 8th at 36
Shakur Rasheed -- 19th at 28
PENN STATE HOSTING 2020 OLYMPIC TRIALS IN THE BJC
Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University in University Park, Pa. has been selected to host the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5. Penn State University is serving as the local organizing committee. The champions from the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling will become eligible to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, August 2-8. In the two-day format, Saturday, April 4 will include start of the Challenge Tournament in all 18 weight classes. Included in Saturday's action will be the Challenge Tournament finals, which will determine one athlete in each weight class who advances to the Final X Championship Series on Sunday. On Sunday, April 5, all 18 best-of-three Final X Championship Series will be held, which determines the U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions in each weight class. This series will feature the top seed and the Challenge Tournament champion, as determined by the 2020 Olympic Games Team Selection Procedures. In addition, the completion of the consolation rounds of the Challenge Tournament will be held on Sunday.
