No. 1 Penn State Silences Carver Hawkeye Arena in Win Over No. 2 Iowa
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No. 1 Penn State Silences Carver Hawkeye Arena in Win Over No. 2 Iowa

After lots of buildup on social media last week, Penn State silenced Carver Hawkeye Arena in a 19-13 win that put an end to Iowa’s 28-match win streak. Bouts were heated and the dual came down to the very end.

Penn State took the first three bouts, including a major decision at 125. Remember, Spencer Lee is not wrestling this season for Iowa, creating a big opportunity from the get go at this weight class for Penn State to take an early lead. No. 1 RBY met a familiar foe No. 3 Austin DeSanto and won a close 3-2 match. Then another déjà vu match, No. 1 Nick Lee edged out No. 2 Jaydin Eierman. After giving up a late takedown that sent the match to overtime, Lee won it shortly into the sudden victory period.

Iowa won the next three matches with their tough middle lineup consisting of names we all know: No. 10 Max Murin, No. 12 Kaleb Young and No. 5 Alex Marinelli. Marinelli worked for a major decision and tied up the team scores 10-10.

The longest match of the night and probably the most anticipated matchup was No. 1 Carter Starocci and No. 2 Michael Kemerer. Starocci was eager to score and took most of the shots, but couldn’t finish through Kemerer’s tough defense and heavy hips. The match was tied at 1-1 and decided by yet another escape by Starocci in the tiebreaker round. No. 1 Aaron Brooks took care of his opponent with no surprise at 184, but didn’t get any bonus points, which the team needed heading into the final two bouts.

Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, No. 2 Max Dean faced No. 4 Jacob Warner in the match that earned him that title for the week. Warner took charge for most of the match, which was looking like it was going to end in a win for his team as he led 3-0 going into the third period. Dean escaped to make the score 3-1 and never looked back. He move quick on his shots getting Warner on two stall calls for another point. He then connected on a low shot, forced a scramble and got the takedown for the lead late in the third. But, he wasn’t done there, he then turned Warner to his back for four near fall points and sealed the deal for that match and the dual meet victory. With Dean’s win, Penn State took a nine-point lead in the team score and eliminated any chance of an Iowa victory.

After No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet’s thrilling victory over Mason Parris in Michigan last week, he had the advantage over No. 5 Tony Cassioppi. Kerkvliet got caught in a few bad positions and couldn’t break Cassioppi’s ride. Luckily, Penn State already won the dual meet, but Kerkvliet showed he had a few things to work on in practice after the 7-2 loss to Cassioppi.

Penn State returns home this week in the big BJC dual against No. 8 Ohio State on Friday, February 4 at 7 p.m. They host Nebraska on Sunday in Rec Hall. Both matchups will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

BOUT BY BOUT

PSU- 19, IOWA- 13

125: PSU No. 7 Drew Hildebrandt maj. dec. IOWA Jesse Ybarra, 9-0

133: PSU No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young dec. IOWA No. 3 Austin DeSanto, 3-2

141: PSU No. 1 Nick Lee dec. IOWA No. 2 Jaydin Eierman, 6-4 (sv)

149: IOWA No. 10 Max Murin dec. PSU No. 19 Beau Bartlett, 4-1

157: IOWA No. 12 Kaleb Young dec. Terrell Barraclough PSU, 2-0

165: IOWA No. 5 Alex Marinelli maj. dec. PSU No. 11 Brady Berge, 10-2

174: PSU No. 1 Carter Starocci dec. IOWA No. 2 Michael Kemerer, 2-1 (tb)

184: PSU No. 1 Aaron Brooks dec. IOWA No. 17 Abe Assad, 8-3

197: PSU No. 2 Max Dean dec. IOWA No. 4 Jacob Warner, 8-3

285: IOWA No. 5 Tony Cassioppi dec. PSU No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet, 7-2