Nittany Lion Open: Penn State takes first in seven weight classes
After a long day of wrestling on Sunday, the Nittany Lions walked away from this year’s Nittany Lion Open tournament with seven first place titles in weight classes 125, 133, 149, 157, 165, 174 and 197.
In an open competition like this one, Penn State is able to give all of its wrestlers a chance to face collegiate competition. This means even if a wrestler isn’t in the normal lineup for Penn State, he is able to compete in his weight class.
This called for some new faces and names on the mat and really showcased the depth of Penn State’s team.
Two exciting match ups of the day came in the finals of weight class 133 and 165. Both finals brought Penn State wrestlers head to head for first place.
At 133, starter and No. 8 Jordan Conaway went up against redshirt freshman Jered Cortez. The bout went all the way to a tiebreaker where Cortez used a reversal to secure the 5-4 win over his teammate.
Another Nittany Lion face off came at 165 with No. 20 Shakur Rasheed up against junior Geno Morelli. This bout wasn’t quite as exciting considering it ended in regulation time, but Morelli secured a riding point to take the 3-2 win.
As expected, No. 4 Nico Megaludis, No. 1 Zain Retherford, No. 3 Jason Nolf, No. 6 Bo Nickal and No. 1 Morgan McIntosh made up the rest of the first place finishes in each of their prospective weight classes.
No. 6 Jimmy Gulibon continues to adjust to his move up to the 141 weight class and ended up tied for fifth place with teammate Kade Moss. No. 13 Matt McCutcheon didn’t finish the tournament in his 184-weight class due to a tweak in his back during the third round.
This Sunday Penn State will host its Big Ten opener in the Bryce Jordan Center against No. 15 Wisconsin. The match begins at 1 p.m. and season tickets have once again sold out, but standing room only tickets may still be available.
PLACING BY WEIGHT CLASS:
125
1ST PLACE: Nico Megaludis
5TH PLACE: Kenny Yanovich
133
1ST PLACE: Jered Cortez
2ND PLACE: Jordan Conaway
141
TIED FOR 5TH PLACE: Jimmy Gulibon
TIED FOR 5TH PLACE: Kade Moss
8TH PLACE: Gary Dinmore
149
1ST PLACE: Zain Retherford
157
1ST PLACE: Jason Nolf
3RD PLACE: Zack Beitz
165
1ST PLACE: Geno Morelli
2ND PLACE: Shakur Rasheed
5TH PLACE: Cody Law
174
1ST PLACE: Bo Nickal
7TH PLACE: Brian Bill
184
4TH PLACE: Kellan Stout
197
1ST PLACE: Morgan McIntosh
In an open competition like this one, Penn State is able to give all of its wrestlers a chance to face collegiate competition. This means even if a wrestler isn’t in the normal lineup for Penn State, he is able to compete in his weight class.
This called for some new faces and names on the mat and really showcased the depth of Penn State’s team.
Two exciting match ups of the day came in the finals of weight class 133 and 165. Both finals brought Penn State wrestlers head to head for first place.
At 133, starter and No. 8 Jordan Conaway went up against redshirt freshman Jered Cortez. The bout went all the way to a tiebreaker where Cortez used a reversal to secure the 5-4 win over his teammate.
Another Nittany Lion face off came at 165 with No. 20 Shakur Rasheed up against junior Geno Morelli. This bout wasn’t quite as exciting considering it ended in regulation time, but Morelli secured a riding point to take the 3-2 win.
As expected, No. 4 Nico Megaludis, No. 1 Zain Retherford, No. 3 Jason Nolf, No. 6 Bo Nickal and No. 1 Morgan McIntosh made up the rest of the first place finishes in each of their prospective weight classes.
No. 6 Jimmy Gulibon continues to adjust to his move up to the 141 weight class and ended up tied for fifth place with teammate Kade Moss. No. 13 Matt McCutcheon didn’t finish the tournament in his 184-weight class due to a tweak in his back during the third round.
This Sunday Penn State will host its Big Ten opener in the Bryce Jordan Center against No. 15 Wisconsin. The match begins at 1 p.m. and season tickets have once again sold out, but standing room only tickets may still be available.
PLACING BY WEIGHT CLASS:
125
1ST PLACE: Nico Megaludis
5TH PLACE: Kenny Yanovich
133
1ST PLACE: Jered Cortez
2ND PLACE: Jordan Conaway
141
TIED FOR 5TH PLACE: Jimmy Gulibon
TIED FOR 5TH PLACE: Kade Moss
8TH PLACE: Gary Dinmore
149
1ST PLACE: Zain Retherford
157
1ST PLACE: Jason Nolf
3RD PLACE: Zack Beitz
165
1ST PLACE: Geno Morelli
2ND PLACE: Shakur Rasheed
5TH PLACE: Cody Law
174
1ST PLACE: Bo Nickal
7TH PLACE: Brian Bill
184
4TH PLACE: Kellan Stout
197
1ST PLACE: Morgan McIntosh
