Nittany Lions Step Ahead with Wins Over Michigan and Michigan State
Penn State freshmen continue to light up the lineup with overtime and upset wins. These newcomers plus the seasoned bonus-point pros are making the Nittany Lions nearly impossible to beat. They began the weekend in a much-anticipated matchup with last year’s Big Ten Team Champions and NCAA runner-up, Michigan.
With several ranked Wolverines, Michigan should have given Penn State a run for its money, but with three key wins at 149, 157, and 165, the dual was over before the half. Michigan desperately needed these wins, and probably a miracle upset, to have a chance, but freshman Shayne Van Ness, Levi Haines, and Alex Facundo wouldn’t allow it. Van Ness didn’t see the opponent we were expecting at 149 with No. 21 Chance Lamer and instead won a decisive major over Fidel Mayora. One word sums up the battle to sudden victory between No. 17 Haines and No. 10 Will Lewan…defense. Tied at one escape, Haines scored the one and only takedown of the match with 42 seconds left and sent the sold-out BJC crowd to its feet.
No. 16 Alex Facundo showed endurance and grit in his matchup with No. 5 Cameron Amine, which truly sent the BJC over the edge. He scored a takedown early and exchanged escapes with Amine for a 3-2 lead late in the third. Facundo fought off an Amine attempt scrambling for what looked like a reversal for a 5-2 lead, but after a red brick review that was wiped off. Now down 4-3 with 20 seconds left, Facundo escaped quickly to tie things up and send the bout into OT. Down first to start the tiebreaker, Facundo again used a quick escape (10 seconds) to put the pressure on Amine. The Nittany Lion then controlled action on top for a total of 16 seconds in the second tiebreaker and won the tight match with the six seconds of riding time advantage.
Friday night highlights also include a Carter Starocci pin and majors for Dean and Brooks, then an unfortunate loss at heavyweight to No. 2 Mason Parris. On Sunday the Nittany Lions returned to Rec Hall for another dominating show over Michigan State winning 34-6. At 125, fans saw a spark with Gary Steen’s sudden victory upset win over No. 24 Tristan Lujan, then another bonus-point clinic with pins by RBY and Van Ness, and tech falls for Starocci and Kerkvliet.
The victories move Penn State to 10-0 on the season. This Friday, they go back to the BJC for the dual of the season with a familiar foe, the No. 2 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. Again, the match will be televised on Big Ten Network and kicks off at 8:30 p.m. Stay tuned for the following matchups and the usual Brands brothers drama:
141: PSU No. 4 Beau Bartlett vs IOWA No. 2 Real Woods
149: PSU No. 14 Shayne Van Ness vs IOWA No. 7 Max Murin
157: PSU No. 17 Levi Haines vs IOWA No. 21 Cobe Siebrecht
165: PSU No. 16 Alex Facundo vs IOWA No. 10 Patrick Kennedy
197: PSU No. 4 Max Dean vs IOWA No. 8 Jacob Warner
285: PSU No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet vs IOWA No. 3 Tony Cassioppi
BOUT BY BOUT:
No.1 PSU - 30, No. 14 MICH - 8
125: MICH No. 23 Jack Medley tech fall PSU Gary Steen, 19-3 (5:37)
133: PSU No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young dec. MICH No. 12 Dylan Ragusin, 4-2
141: PSU No. 4 Beau Bartlett dec. MICH No. 23 Cole Mattin, 7-2
149: PSU No. 14 Shayne Van Ness maj. dec. MICH Fidel Mayora, 14-4
157: PSU No. 17 Levi Haines dec. MICH No. 10 Will Lewan, 3-1 (SV)
165: PSU No. 16 Alex Facundo dec. MICH No. 5 Cameron Amine, 5-5 (TB1; RT)
174: PSU No. 1 Carter Starocci pinned MICH No. 30 Max Maylor, WBF (4:15)
184: PSU No. 1 Aaron Brooks maj. dec. MICH No. 9 Matt Finesilver, 14-4
197: PSU No. 4 Max Dean maj. dec. MICH Brendan Yatooma, 10-1
285: MICH No. 2 Mason Parris dec. PSU No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet, 3-1
No. 1 PSU - 34, MSU - 6
125: PSU Gary Steen dec. MSU No. 24 Tristan Lujan, 3-1 (sv)
133: PSU No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young pinned MSU No. 16 Rayvon Foley, WBF (6:26)
141: PSU No. 4 Beau Bartlett dec. MSU Jordan Hamdan, 7-1
149: PSU No. 14 Shayne Van Ness pinned MSU Braden Stauffenberg, WBF (5:44)
157: MSU No. 15 Chase Saldate dec. PSU Terrell Barraclough, 6-2
165: PSU No. 16 Alex Facundo dec. MSU No. 25 Caleb Fish, 3-1 (sv)
174: PSU No. 1 Carter Starocci tech fall MSU Ceasar Garza, 19-4 (TF; 6:39)
184: MSU No. 15 Layne Malczewski dec. PSU Donovon Ball, 6-0
197: PSU No. 4 Max Dean dec. MSU No. 14 Cameron Caffey MSU, 4-0
285: PSU No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet tech fall MSU Ryan Vasbinder, 19-4 (TF; 6:15)
