Junior All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, opened up the dual with a resounding 15-4 major over Purdue senior Camden Eppert. The Boilermakers got on the board at 133 when All-American Cashe Quiroga notched a 9-2 win over Lion freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), who was ranked No. 9 at 133. True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), undefeated and ranked No. 2 at 141, majored Purdue's Danny Sabatello 10-2 to put Penn State up 8-3.
Junior Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 7 at 149, made his season dual meet debut with a 7-6 win over Brandon Nelsen, using 1:26 in riding time to post the victory. Twin brother Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 157, was also making his season dual debut. Alton posted a 6-1 decision over Purdue's Dustin Schultz to put Penn State up 14-3 at intermission. Both Alton's had off-season shoulder surgeries that kept them out of dual action up until today.
Senior All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), unbeaten and ranked No. 1 at 165, pinned Purdue's Chad Welch in the first period, putting Penn State up 20-3 at the 2:23 mark. The pin was the 47th of Taylor's career. Junior All-American Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, dominated Patrick Kissel at 174, posting a 14-4 major to put the Lions up 24-3.
Senior All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 184, posted a major himself, rolling up a 13-3 win over Purdue's Tanner Lynde. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 8 at 197, was convincing in a 6-4 win over No. 16 Braden Atwood to put the Lions up 31-3. Junior Jimmy Lawson (Tom's River, N.J.), ranked No. 12 at 285, closed out the dual with a resounding 8-1 win over Alex White, rolling up an even 4:00 in riding time in the process. The decision gave Penn State the 34-3 win.
Penn State moves to 8-0 on the year, 2-0 in Big Ten action, while Purdue falls to 3-4, 0-4 in the Big Ten. The win was wrestled in front of Penn State's 15th-straight home sell out, this one a crowd of 6,369. Penn State won the takedown battle by a gaudy 36-2 margin. Penn State picked up seven bonus points off Taylor's pin and four majors (Megaludis, Retherford, Brown and Ruth).
Taylor moves to 18-0 on the year. He is now 118-3 for his career with 47 pins, 38 tech falls and 26 majors. His 47 pins is six shy of Penn State's all-time record of 53 and he is 11th on Penn State's all-time wins list. Ruth is now 17-1 on the year. He is 119-3 for his career with 41 pins, 22 tech falls and 28 majors and is 10th on Penn State's all-time wins list. Retherford remains unbeaten on the year with an 18-0 mark, including three pins, two techs and four majors. Brown is 18-1 with six pins, two techs and five majors and Lawson is 16-1. Megaludis and McIntosh both improved to 17-2 on the year as well. The dual also featured an appearance by new Penn State football coach James Franklin, who watched the action mat side and addressed the crowd at halftime.
Penn State is set up for a `split' Big Ten weekend next week. The Nittany Lions visit Indiana for a 7 p.m. dual on Friday, Jan. 17. The team then returns home for a 2 p.m. dual on Sunday, Jan. 19, against Northwestern.
With the full season of Rec Hall duals sold out prior to the start of the campaign, a very limited number of standing room only tickets are available to a few of the remaining Rec Hall duals. People may purchase tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting the Penn State Athletics ticket office located in the BJC. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Results:
125: #2 Nico Megaludis PSU maj. dec. Camden Eppert PUR, 15-4 / 4-0
133: Cashe Quiroga PUR dec. #9 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, 9-2 / 4-3
141: #2 Zain Retherford PSU maj. dec. Danny Sabatello PUR, 10-2 / 8-3
149: #7 Andrew Alton PSU dec. Brandon Nelsen PUR, 7-6 / 11-3
157: #5 Dylan Alton PSU dec. Dustin Schultz PUR, 6-1 / 14-3
165: #1 David Taylor PSU pinned Chad Welch PUR, WBF (2:23) / 20-3
174: #3 Matt Brown PSU maj. dec. Patrick Kissel PUR, 14-4 / 24-3
184: #2 Ed Ruth PSU maj. dec. Tanner Lynde PUR, 13-3 / 28-3
197: #8 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. #16 Braden Atwood PUR, 6-4 / 31-3
285: #12 Jimmy Lawson PSU dec. Alex White PUR, 8-1 / 34-3
Attendance: 6,369
Records: Penn State 8-0, 2-0 B1G; Purdue 3-4; 0-4 B1G
Up Next for Penn State: at Indiana, Friday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Junior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, took on Purdue's Camden Eppert in the dual's first match-up. Megaludis wasted no time getting in on a single leg, notching a takedown early to take a 2-1 lead less than :30 in. Megaludis added a quick second takedown, then a third at the midway point and led 6-2 with 1:20 on the clock. Megaludis then rode Eppert out and led 6-2 with nearly 2:00 of riding time after one. Eppert chose down to start the second and escaped to a 6-3 score. Megaludis added to his score with another takedown and cut Eppert loose to an 8-4 score, added a fifth takedown and began working for a tilt. While not turning Eppert, another ride out gave the Lion a 10-4 lead with a clinched riding time point after two. Megaludis chose down to start the third, quickly escaped and then picked up another point on a second Eppert stall. Leading 12-4, Megaludis cemented the major with another takedown at the :20 mark and rolled to the 15-4 major with over 3:00 in riding time.
133: Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 9 at 133, met Purdue All-American Cashe Quiroga. Gulibon shot early off the opening whistle, nearly getting in on a single leg out of the blocks. Quiroga was able to defend the shot and kept the bout scoreless early. The duo remained scoreless through 1:30 until Quiroga used a swift high single to take an early 2-0 lead. Quiroga added three near fall points to lead 5-0 with 1:00 on the clock. Quiroga rode Gulibon out and lead 5-0 with 1:28 riding time after one period. Quiroga chose down to start the second period and Gulibon maintained control until the 1:00 mark until the Boilermaker escaped. Quiroga then took Gulibon down to open up an 8-0 lead at the :40 mark. Trailing 8-0 after two, Gulibon chose neutral to start the third period and took the Boilermaker All-American down to cut the lead to 8-3 after cutting Quiroga loose. Gulibon fought off a late Quiroga flourish to keep the Boiler from notching a major and dropped the 9-2 decision.
141: True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 141, met Boilermaker Danny Sabatello. Retherford was the early aggressor, forcing Sabatello to the edge of the mat for nearly two minutes before getting in on a single leg and forcing a scramble at the 1:00 mark. The Lion freshman then rolled through Sabatello and notched a go-ahead takedown with :25 on the clock. A short ride out gave the Lion a 2-0 lead after one. Sabatello chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 2-1 score. Sabatello shot early off a reset and forced a scramble in the middle of the mat. Retherford was able to force a stalemate and keep the 2-1 lead at the :45 mark. Retherford answered with his own quick shot off a reset and connected for a takedown and a 4-1 lead. The Lion freshman led 4-1 with :56 riding time after two periods. Retherford chose down to start the third, quickly escaped and then got in on a single leg, forcing a scramble that ended in a stalemate at the 1:26 mark. Leading 5-1, Retherford worked for bonus points with another takedown and cut to lead 7-2 with 1:07 in riding time. Retherford clinched the major with a final takedown and a :45 ride out. He stayed unbeaten on the year with 10-2 major.
149: Junior Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 7 at 149, made his first Rec Hall appearance of the year in a match-up against Purdue's Brandon Nelsen. Andrew had been out of action until recent open tournaments after off-season surgery. Nelsen shot early but Alton quickly countered for a 2-0 lead less than :30 into the bout. The Lion junior then rode Nelson for :42 before the Boiler escaped to a 2-1 score. Alton countered another Nelsen shot and nearly scored but a stalemate stopped the action at the :50 mark. Andrew countered a third Nelsen shot for a second takedown and led 4-1 after the opening period. Nelsen chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 4-2 score. He then countered a shot again, connecting to lead 6-3 after a quick Nelsen escape with 1:42 in riding time. Leading 6-3, Alton chose down to start the final period. Nelsen was able to keep control of Alton for nearly a minute, working the riding time down below 1:00. Alton got called for stalling and then called for an injury timeout with :49 on the clock. Nelsen chose down after the injury time. Alton maintained control and, while giving up stall points, managed to ride the Boiler out. The 1:26 in riding time was the difference and Alton posted the 7-6 decision to put Penn State up 11-3.
157: Like his twin brother, junior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 149, made his first Rec Hall appearance of the year against Boilermaker Dustin Schultz. Dylan, like Andrew, had been out of action until recent open tournaments after off-season surgery. The duo to wrestled evenly for nearly two minutes before Alton roared through a low single to take a 2-0 lead. Alton then put together a strong ride, moving into the second period with a 2-0 lead and over 1:00 riding time. Alton took down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Neither wrestler could break through the other's defense for the entirety of the middle stanza and Alton led by three after two. Schultz chose down to start the third period and Dylan was able to control the action from the top until the 1:36 mark. Schultz escaped to a 3-1 score and then forced Alton out of bounds with 1:23 on the clock. Alton rolled through a high single to up his lead to 5-1 at the 1:10 mark. The Lion junior nearly caught the Boiler for in a headlock but action moved out of bounds at the :45 mark. The Lion All-American clinched the riding time point and then broke Schultz down for a strong ride out. With nearly 3:00 in riding time, Alton posted the 6-1 win.
165: Senior David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 at 165, took on Purdue's Chad Welch. Taylor wasted no time taking Welch down, moving out to a 2-0 lead less than :20 into the bout. Taylor cut Welch loose then quickly moved in on offense again. The three-time All-American added a second takedown and led 4-2 at the 1:30 mark. Taylor quickly took Welch down a third time and then turned the Boilermaker for three near fall points. A quick adjustment led to Taylor locking Welch up and the Lion senior notched his 47th career pin at the 2:23 mark.
174: Junior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, faced off with Purdue junior Patrick Kissel. Brown steadily worked his offense on Kissel, picking up his first takedown at the 2:10 mark. Brown then dominated the action on top until the 1:14 mark and lead 2-1 with 1:00 riding time. The Lion All-American then bulled through a second high single to up his lead to 4-1 with :50 left. Brown then rode Kissel out to lead 4-1 with 1:48 in time after one period. Brown chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. After Kissel fought off two Brown scoring attempts, the Nittany Lion connected on a high double and took a 7-1 lead with :25 on the clock. A short ride out gave Brown a 7-1 lead with 1:55 in time after two. Kissel chose down to start the third, Brown cut him loose and then scored quickly with a low single to lead 9-3. The Lion added another quick takedown and led 11-3 with a clinched riding time point at the :55 mark. Brown cemented the major with a swift double in the middle of the mat and rode Kissel out. Brown's 14-4 major with 3:16 riding time put Penn State up 24-3.
184: Senior Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 184, took on Boilermaker freshman Tanner Lynde. Ruth quickly took Lynde down, taking a 2-0 lead just :15 into the bout. He cut Lynde loose and then began looking for another chance to score in the middle of the mat. Ruth took Lynde down again at the 1:10 mark and then began looking for a turning combination. Lynde escaped with :25 on the clock but Ruth quickly blew through a double leg to up his lead to 6-2 after one period. Ruth chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to an escaped and a 7-2 lead. The Lion senior then connected on a low single leg, turned it into another takedown, and led 9-2 at the :45 mark. Lynde chose down to start the third period and Ruth clinched the riding time point while working for a chance to turn the Boilermaker. Ruth moved out to a 10-2 lead on a Lynde stall and then cut the Boilermaker loose. The Lion senior iced the major with a takedown and ride out at the :15 mark and posted the 13-3 major with 3:12 riding time.
197: Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 8 at 197, met No. 16 Braden Atwood of Purdue in the dual's lone meeting between ranked foes. McIntosh scored first, using a low single to takedown to lead 2-0 at the 2:00 mark. He then dominated the action from the top position, keeping control of the Boilermaker for :36 before Atwood escaped to a 2-1 score. McIntosh then added to his lead with a last second takedown, using a high single for a 4-1 lead after the opening period. Atwood chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 4-2 score, but McIntosh continued to pressure the Boilermaker. McIntosh used another high single to force a scramble on the edge of the mat and connected on his third takedown with :30 on the clock. Atwood escaped to a 6-3 score but McIntosh led by three with nearly 1:00 in time after two. McIntosh chose down to start the final period but Atwood was able to maintain control for over 1:00, killing McIntosh's riding time advantage. McIntosh got called for a first stall warning at the :40 mark while Atwood worked for a turning combination. The ride out by Atwood gave the Boilermaker a riding time point but McIntosh's early offense led to the strong 6-4 win.
285: Junior Jimmy Lawson (Tom's River, N.J.), ranked No. 12 at 285, battled Purdue's Alex White. Lawson used a swift double leg to roll into a takedown and a 2-0 lead at the 1:00 mark. The junior then began putting together a strong ride, looking for a chance to turn the Boilermaker for a near fall. White was able to fight off Lawson's turning efforts but the Lion's ride out gave him a 2-0 lead with 1:09 riding time. White chose down to start the second period and Lawson controlled the action from the start. The 12th-ranked junior built up over 3:00 in riding time while working to turn the Boilermaker senior. Lawson's strong ride gave the Nittany Lion a 2-0 lead with a clinched riding time point (3:09) after two. He chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Lawson then nearly caught White with a throw, adjusted post-shot and got the takedown with a low single at the end. Leading 5-0, Lawson continued to work from the top position. Lawson cut White loose, looking for one more takedown. The Nittany Lion picked up a final takedown with just :01 left and, with 4:00 even in riding time, posted the 8-1 win.
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