UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lions (11-0, 3-0 B1G), ranked No. 1 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index (TPI), rolled to a 27-11 win over No. 14 Rutgers (12-2, 2-2) on Sunday in Rec Hall. Penn State is now 22-0 all-time against Rutgers.
The dual meet featured 13 ranked wrestlers and the return of Penn State's Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) at 165. Berge returned to Penn State after an injury ended his season last year in the NCAA tournament.
Senior Drew Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind.) ranked No. 9 at 125, opened up the dual meet with a thrilling 4-2 win over No. 31 Dylan Shawver, using a last-second takedown to grab the win in regulation. Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 1 at 133, dominated No. 20 Joseph Olivier in an 11-5 decision with 2:01 in riding time to put Penn State up 6-0.
With No. 1 Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.) still out due to protocols, junior Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) moved up a weight and battled No. 3 Sebastian Rivera. Rivera posted a 17-1 technical fall at the 3:36 mark for RU's first win. Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.), ranked No. 19 at 149, battled No. 18 Michael VanBrill in one of the dual's marquee match-ups. The duo tussled through regulation and two extra periods before VanBrill escaped to a 4-3 win in a second tiebreaker. Junior Tony Negron (North Babylon, N.Y.) also went to extra time at 157, falling to Robert Kanniard 6-4 (sv) and the Nittany Lions trailed 11-6 at intermission.
Senior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) made his return to the Penn State line-up, taking the mat at 165. Berge controlled the action in a 5-1 win over Andrew Clark in his first match since an injury ended his NCAA tournament run last March. Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 174, then put Penn State on top 14-11 with a dominating performance, rolling to a 19-2 technical fall over Rutgers' Connor O'Neill.
Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 1 at 184, dominated No. 5 John Poznanski in a highly anticipated bout. Brooks rolled up four takedowns and 2:31 in riding time to post the 10-2 major decision. Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), ranked No. 2 at 197, scored the final six points in a rousing 9-6 win over No. 7 Greg Bulsak at 197 to put Penn State up 21-11. Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), ranked No. 4 at 285, closed out the dual with a fast fall, pinning Alex Esposito at the 1:45 mark, and Penn State rolled to the 27-11 victory.
The Nittany Lions posted a 23-6 takedown margin in takedowns. Penn State had six bonus points off a pin (Kerkvliet), a tech fall (Starocci) and a major (Brooks).
One extra match was contested during the dual meet as well. The bout did not count towards the dual's scoring but is an official NCAA match for the wrestlers. Nittany Lion sophomore Terrell Barraclough (Kaysville, Utah) majored Rutgers' Alex DeSantis 10-1 at 157.
Penn State is now 11-0 overall, 3-0 in Big Ten action. Rutgers falls to 12-2, 2-2 B1G. The Nittany Lions hit the road for two duals next weekend, visiting No. 3 Michigan on Friday night for a 6 p.m. battle and Michigan State on Sunday at 2 p.m.
All rankings listed by Penn State wrestling are InterMat individual and team 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.
#1 Penn State 27, #14 Rutgers 11
January 16, 2022 – Rec Hall – University Park, Pa.
125: #9 Drew Hildebrandt PSU dec. #31 Dylan Shawver RU, 4-2 3-0
133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young PSU dec. #20 Joseph Olivieri RU, 11-5 6-0
141: #3 Sebastian Rivera RU tech fall Brandon Meredith PSU, 17-1 (3:36) 6-5
149: #18 Michael VanBrill RU dec. #19 Beau Bartlett PSU, 4-3 (TB2) 6-8
157: Robert Kanniard RU dec. Tony Negron PSU, 6-4 (SV) 6-11
165: Brady Berge PSU dec. Andrew Clark RU, 5-1 9-11
174: #1 Carter Starocci PSU tech fall Connor O'Neill RU, 19-2 (TF; 4:25) 14-11
184: #1 Aaron Brooks PSU maj. dec. #5 John Poznanski RU, 10-2 18-11
197: #2 Max Dean PSU dec. #7 Greg Bulsak RU, 9-6 21-11
285: #4 Greg Kerkvliet PSU pinned Alex Esposito RU, WBF (1:45) 27-11
Extra Bouts (Official NCAA matches, do not count towards team score):
157: Terrell Barraclough PSU maj. dec. Alex DeSantis RU, 10-1
Attendance: 6,246 (59th-straight sellout in Rec Hall, 65th of 67 at home, inc. 6 of 8 in BJC)
Records: Penn State (11-0, 3-0 B1G); Rutgers (12-2, 2-2 B1G)
Up Next for Penn State: at Michigan, Friday, Jan. 21, 6 p.m. (B1G Network); at Michigan State, Sunday, Jan. 23, 1 p.m. (B1G+)
DUAL MEET BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Senior Drew Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind.), ranked No. 9 at 125, took on No. 31 Dylan Shawver. Hildebrandt fought off an early Shawver shot, and the match continued in neutral at the 2:15 mark. Shawver got in on another single and turned it into a takedown and a 2-0 lead with 1:24 on the clock. Hildebrandt escaped quickly after a reset and the bout resumed with the Lion senior down 2-1. Hildebrandt was called for stalling as the period wound down and trailed 2-1 after one. Hildebrandt chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Hildebrandt continued to shoot Shaver backwards as the clock moved below the 1:00 mark. The bout was tied 2-2 after two. Shawver chose neutral to start the third period. Hildebrandt forced Shawver into a stall warning at the 1:34 mark and continued to shoot as the clock hit 1:00. Shawver continued to dance away from the Lion and Hildebrandt forced a scramble that nearly led to a takedown with :30 left. But Shawver scrambled away from the move. Hildebrandt countered a late Shawver shot and scrambled his way to a takedown with just :01 on the clock. The call was reviewed by the officials and was confirmed, and Hildebrand notched the hard-fought 4-2 victory.
133: Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 1 at 133, met No. 20 Joseph Olivieri. Bravo-Young used a fast slide by to take a 2-0 lead just :10 into the match. He cut Olivieri loose and went back to work on his feet. Bravo-Young quickly added a second takedown at the 2:00 mark and upped his lead to 4-1. The Lion senior added a third takedown with :50 on the clock and finished the period on top to lead 6-2 with 1:31 in time after one. Bravo-Young chose down to start the second period and steadily rolled through a reversal to up his lead to 8-2. Trailing 8-3, Olivieri chose down to start the third period and escaped to an 8-4 score. Bravo-Young young added a takedown and cut to up his lead to 10-5 at the 1:00 mark and, with riding time, posted the convincing 11-5 win.
141: With No. 1 Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.) still out due to illness, junior Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) moved up a weight and took on No. 3 Sebastian Rivera of Rutgers. Rivera got in on a quick single and took a 2-0 lead :30 into the bout. Meredith cut the lead to 2-1 with an escape and action resumed in neutral. Rivera added a second takedown on the edge of the mat with 1:30 on the clock. Rivera as able to turn the Lion to his back and picked up four nearfall points to up his lead to 8-1. The third-ranked Knight added another four-point tilt and led 12-1 after one. Rivera chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 13-1 lead. A quick takedown put the Knight up 15-1 with 1:40 left in the period. Rivera finished off the bout with a two-point turn to post the 17-1 tech fall at 3:36.
149: Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.), ranked No. 19 at 149, battled No. 18 Michael VanBrill. The duo battled evenly for 1:30 before Bartlett connected on a quick low single, taking a 2-0 lead with a takedown. The Nittany Lion sophomore was called for an illegal hold while he built up over 1:00 in riding time. VanBrill escaped to a 2-2 tie with :05 left and the match moved to the second period tied. VanBrill chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Bartlett and VanBrill worked the center of the mat as the clock hit 1:00 in the middle stanza. Bartlett tried to counter a slight VanBrill shot at the :30 mark but the Knight skipped out of reach and the second period ended with Bartlett trailing 3-2. Bartlett chose down to start the third period and worked his way to an escape and 3-3 tie at the 1:32 mark (his riding time dipped to :51). The duo worked the center of the mat for the next :30 before Van Brill got in on a high shot. But Bartlett fought the move off and then countered in the final seconds for what looked to be a takedown. Not takedown was awarded, and Penn State challenged the call. The officials did not award the takedown and the bout moved to sudden victory. Bartlett shot VanBrill backwards for the first minute of extra time, but the Scarlet Knight was able to force a stalemate at 1:06. VanBrill turned a low shot into a scramble that Bartlett nearly turned into a takedown. But once again no points were awarded, and the bout moved to a tie-breaker. Bartlett was down first and was unable to escape. VanBrill was down next, and Bartlett was able to keep control as well, sending the bout to a second sudden victory period. Neither wrestler scored and the match moved to tiebreaker two. Bartlett was down first and once again could not escape. Bartlett let VanBrill up to start the next :30 and nearly got the win with a late takedown. But time ran out and VanBrill posted the 4-3 (TB2) win.
157: Junior Tony Negron (North Babylon, N.Y.) met Robert Kanniard at 157. Negron notched the first takedown, opening up a 2-0 lead with a counter takedown at the 2:04 mark. The Nittany Lion junior was able to build up over 1:00 in riding time with a strong ride as he looked for a turning combination. Negron maintained control of Kanniard until the :30 mark before the Knight escaped to a 2-1 score. As the first period ended, Negron scrambled through a scramble and notched a late takedown to lead 4-1 with 1:36 in time after the opening stanza. Negron chose down to start the second period. He nearly worked his way for a reversal, but Kanniard was able to fight off the move and maintained offensive control. Negron gave up one stall warning as the period ended and led 4-1 after two with Kanniard getting hit with one stall as well. Kanniard chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 Negron lead. Kanniard turned a low shot into a scramble and a takedown at the :45 mark to tie the bout at 4-4. Negron fought off a late Knight turn effort and the bout moved to sudden victory. Negron took a low shot that Kanniard countered for the winning takedown, posting the 6-4 (sv) win.
165: Senior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) made his return to the Penn State line-up and too on Andrew Clark at 165. Berge took a quick high shot, forcing action to the mat in the opening seconds. Clark was able to force a stalemate with 2:22 on the clock and the bout resumed in neutral. Berge continued to work on offense, turning a high shot into another scramble on the Lion logo that Clark was able to stop with another stalemate. Berge countered a Clark shot and appeared to take the Knight down on the outside circle, but no takedown was awarded, nor a stall warning given, and the bout continued tied 0-0. Clark chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead at the 1:45 mark. Berge took a low single and Clark once again wrestled for a stalemate with :42 left in the period. Clark took a slight low single and Berge quickly countered, turning the shot into a takedown of his own as the period ended. Berge led 2-1 after two periods. Berge chose down to start the third period. Clark was able to control the action on top until the :55 mark when Berge escaped to a 3-1 lead. Berge scrambled his way to a second takedown and a 5-1 lead with :18 left and finished the period on top, posting the 5-1 win in his return to Rec Hall.
174: Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 174, faced off against Connor O'Neill. Starocci scored quickly, taking O'Neill down for a quick 2-1 lead. The Lion sophomore added a second takedown with a high double at the 2:10 mark and led 4-1. Starocci cut O'Neill loose and went back to work in neutral. Starocci quickly took the Knight down for a 6-2 lead, forcing a stall warning in the process. Starocci turned O'Neill for four back points and led 10-2 with :30 left in the opening period. He added two more back points and led 12-2 with 2:21 in time after one. Starocci chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 13-2 lead. He blew through a high shot for another takedown and a 15-2 lead. Starocci then locked up a cradle on the edge of the mat and finished off the bout with a four-point tilt, posting the 19-2 technical fall at the 4:25 mark.
184: Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 1 at 184, battled No. 5 John Poznanski in one of the dual's marquee bouts. Brooks fought off a slight Poznanski shot in the opening seconds, forcing action back to neutral and then going to work on offense. The Lion junior circled the Lion logo as the clock hit 1:00. Brooks' pressure forced Poznanski to the outside circle and out of bounds, with a reset called at the :30 mark. Brooks turned a low shot into a scramble and a takedown with :10 left in the period. He finished on top and led by two after the opening stanza. Brooks chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He then bulled his way through a low shot and added another takedown to up his lead to 5-0 with 1:20 left in the period. Brooks controlled Poznanski for the remainder of the period and led 5-0 with 1:34 in riding time after two periods. Poznanski chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 5-1 score. Brooks slipped away from a Poznanski shot and gained control of the Knight's foot. He turned the scramble into another takedown and, with the riding time point clinched, cut Poznanski loose, looking for bonus points with :38 left in the bout. Brooks deftly connected on a low single and, with the rideout, secured the 10-2 major decision with 2:31 in riding time.
197: Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), ranked No. 2 at 197, took on No. 7 Greg Bulsak. Dean set the tempo early, forcing an early scramble that led to a takedown and a 2-0 lead with 2:00 on the clock. But Bulsak quickly reversed the Lion to tie the bout at 2-2. Dean steadily moved to his feet and escaped to lead 3-2 with 1:15 left in the opening period. Dean forced a scramble as the period wound down, but Bulsak was able to counter the move as the period ended and Bulsak led 4-3 after one. Bulsak chose down to start the second period. Dean gave up a penalty point during the action and, after a Bulsak escape, trailed 6-3 with 1:25 on the clock. Dean scrambled for a takedown at the 1:00 mark but action was stopped for a potentially dangerous position. The Lion junior turned a low single into a takedown at the :18 mark. He finished the period on top and trailed 6-5 after two periods. Dean chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-6 tie. Dean shot low, forcing a scramble that ended in a Dean takedown and an 8-6 lead with :47 left in the bout. Dean maintained control of Bulsak, giving up a stall warning as the clock hit :27. Dean finished the period on top and, with 1:07 in riding time, posted the thrilling 9-6 win.
285: Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), ranked No. 4 at 285, met Alex Esposito. Kerkvliet scored quickly, taking Esposito down in the opening seconds. He cut the Knight grappler loose and went back to work on offense, lifting Esposito off the mat and returning him for a 4-1 lead at the 2:00 mark. Kerkvliet went to work on top and turned a cradle into a pin at the 1:45 mark of the first period.
