The Nittany Lions won eight of ten bouts in the match and increased their dual match win streak to 24 straight dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season.
The dual began at 125. True freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.) dominated the action from start to finish, remaining unbeaten on the year with a 16-2 major over Rutgers' Brandon Paetzell. Sophomore George Carpenter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) dropped a tough 11-4 decision to RU junior Scott DelVecchio at 133, trimming Penn State's lead to 4-3. Senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 141, lost a close and hard-fought 4-1 decision to No. 6 Anthony Ashnault and the Scarlet Knights took a brief 6-4 lead.
From there, Penn State rolled. Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, pinned No. 14 Ken Theobold at the 5:33 mark. Retherford remained unbeaten on the year with his 10th pin of the year. Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, put Penn State up 15-6 at the break with a furious 22-4 technical fall at the 4:09 mark. Nolf also stayed unbeaten with the win.
Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked no. 4 at 165, dominated Willie Scott, roaring to a 19-3 tech fall at the 4:55 mark to put Penn State up 20-6. Senior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 174, fought off senior Phillip Bakuckas' late flurry to post a hard-fought 5-3 win. Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 2 at 184, brought the sellout crowd of over 6,600 fans to its feet with a thrilling pin. Nickal lifted No. 14 Nicholas Gravina off the mat, sent him to his back and spent nearly 1:00 working for the fall. Nickal would not be denied and got the pin at the 4:22 mark to put Penn State up 29-6.
Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 197, posted a 4-3 win over Rutgers' Matthew Correnti. Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 5 at 285, closed out the dual with a sizzling 24-9 tech fall over Ralphy Normandia, reeling off nine takedowns to get the tech fall with a four-point near fall at the 6:57 mark. Nevills' win gave Penn State the final 37-6 victory.
Penn State won the takedown battle 30-9 and picked up 13 bonus points off two pins (Retherford, Nickal), three techs (Nolf, Joseph, Nevills) and a major (Suriano). Penn State has now won 47 straight matches dating back to the end of the 13-14 season. He is 12-0 with ten pins, a tech and a major. Nolf is 12-0 with seven pins, a major and four techs. Nickal is 11-0 with nine pins and a major this season. Nevills and Suriano both remain unbeaten with 11-0 records as well. Suriano has five majors and a fall while Nevills has four pins and two tech falls this year.
The Nittany Lions are now 7-0 on the year, 3-0 in the Big Ten, and have won 24 straight duals dating back to the end of the 2014-15 campaign. Rutgers is now 7-2, 2-1 Big Ten. The crowd of 6,605 is the 32nd straight sell-out in Rec Hall for Penn State wrestling. The team has wrestled in front of 35 of 37 sellout crowds, including three in the near-16,000 seat Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State travels to Iowa City on Friday, Jan. 20, for a Big Ten road match-up with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The dual, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, begins at 9 p.m. Eastern / 8 p.m. Central. Penn State returns to Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 29, for a 2 p.m. dual with the Northwestern Wildcats. All Rec Hall dual meets are sold out, but a very limited number of Standing Room Only tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY. 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. The 2016-17 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
Results:
125: #3 Nick Suriano PSU maj. dec. Brandon Paetzell RU, 16-2 / 4-0
133: Scott DelVecchio RU dec. George Carpenter PSU, 11-4 / 4-3
141: #6 Anthony Ashnault RU dec. #12 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, 4-1 / 4-6
149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU pinned #14 Ken Theobold RU, WBF (5:33) / 10-6
157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU tech fall #16 John Van Brill RU, 22-4 (TF; 4:09) / 15-6
165: #4 Vincenzo Joseph PSU tech fall Willie Scott RU, 19-3 (TF; 4:55) / 20-6
174: #14 Geno Morelli PSU dec. Phillip Bakuckas RU, 5-3 / 23-6
184: #2 Bo Nickal PSU pinned #14 Nicholas Gravina RU, WBF (4:22) / 29-6
197: #11 Matt McCutcheon PSU dec. Matthew Correnti RU, 4-3 / 32-6
285: #5 Nick Nevills PSU tech fall Randy Normandia RU, 24-9 (TF; 6:57) / 37-6
Attendance: 6,605 (32nd straight Rec Hall sell out)
Records: Penn State 7-0, 3-0 B1G; Rutgers 7-2, 2-1 B1G
Up Next for Penn State: at #3 Iowa, Friday, Jan. 20, 9 p.m. Eastern (BTN live)
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: True freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.), ranked No. 3 at 125, took on Rutgers freshman Brandon Paetzell. Suriano set the tempo early, forcing Paetzell back towards the outside circle for the first minute of the bout. Suriano bulled through a high double, forcing Paetzell to the mat for the first takedown of the match at the 1:49 mark. The Lion freshman cut Paetzell loose and continued to press on offense. Suriano forced Paetzell into a first stall then hit a swift single for another takedown and a 4-1 lead. A short rideout allowed the Lion to carry that lead into the second period. Suriano chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. A second Paetzell stall gave Suriano a 6-1 lead with 1:15 left in the middle period. Suriano scrambled behind the Knight for a third takedown and an 8-1 lead as the period ended. Trailing 8-1, Paetzell chose down to start the third period. A third Paetzell stall put Suriano up 9-1 and then the Lion turned the Knight for four near fall points and a 13-2 lead after cutting him loose. Suriano picked up one final takedown with :05 left and, with 2:37 RT, posted the 16-2 major.
133: Sophomore George Carpenter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) stepped up at 133 to face junior Scott DelVecchio. Carpenter forced the Rutgers junior into a first stall warning less than a minute into the bout. DelVecchio hit a high single to take Carpenter down and move out to a 2-0 lead with 1:15 left in the opening period. He then controlled the action for the next :25 before Carpenter escaped to a 2-1 score. Carpenter shot, DelVecchio countered and finished off the takedown to lead 4-1 with :30 on the clock. Trailing 4-1, Carpenter chose down to start the second period. He worked his way to an escaped and a 4-2 score with 1:40 left in the middle stanza, then went to work on offense, looking for a chance to tie the bout. Carpenter gained control of DelVecchio's left thight and worked in the middle of the mat for a takedown. The Knight fought off the effort long enough to get the stalemate call with :35 on the clock. Leading 4-2 with 1:23 in riding time, DelVecchio chose down to start the third period. He scrambled out of Carpenter's control for a reversal and a 6-2 lead with 1:40 on the clock. Carpenter escaped and cut the Knight lead to 6-3. Carpenter got in on a high single with :40 left but DelVecchio countered for a takedown and an 8-4 lead. The Knight picked up one more takedown and more point on 1:35 in riding time to post the 11-4 decision.
141: Senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 141, met No. 6 Anthony Ashnault. Gulibon set a fast early tempo, taking numerous shots low on Ashnault that the Knight was able to step back from. Ashnault caught Gulibon's shoulders, forcing a scramble on the edge of the mat that the Knight was able to finish off with a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Gulibon was unable to break free of a strong Ashnault ride until flying out after a reset with :20 on the clock. He shot low on the Knight, and Ashnault countered for a late second takedown to lead 4-1 after the opening stanza. Ashnault chose down to start the second period and Gulibon worked the Knight's riding time edge down below a minute (he was hit with one stall in the process). Gulibon broke Ashnault down at the 1:20 mark and kept his offensive position with a strong ride, repeatedly pulling Ashnault down to the mat to finish off the second period rideout. Trailing 4-1 with :43 in riding time, Gulibon neutral to start the third period. Gulibon worked in on a high single with :50 left and Ashnault scrambled to force a stalemate with :25 on the clock. Gulibon continued to force Ashnault back, but time ran out and the Knight posted a 4-1 win.
149: Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, took on No. 14 Ken Theobold. Retherford scored on a fast low double with 1:39 on the clock to take a 2-0 lead and then went to work on top, looking for a chance to turn Theobold. Retherford cut Theobold loose after a blood time out and then hit another low shot for a 4-1 lead with :55 on the clock. Retherford kept control for the remainder of the period and led 4-1 with 1:22 in time after one. Retherford chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 5-1 lead with 1:25 on the clock. The Lion junior bulled through another fast low double and led 7-2 after cutting Theobold loose. He quickly turned in on two straight high singles, picking up two quick takedowns to lead 11-3 with :24 left on the clock. A short rideout gave the Lion junior an 11-3 lead with 1:32 in riding time after two. Theobold chose top to start the third period and Retherford made him pay for the decision. He worked his way into a reversal, rolled over once and turned Theobold to his back for a pin at the 5:33 mark.
157: Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, battled No. 16 John Van Brill. Nolf worked in the middle of the mat as Van Brill tried to set a high tempo early. A high shot and trip gave the Nittany Lion an early 2-1 lead after a quick cut and action resumed in the center circle. Nolf took a low shot that Van Brill countered for a takedown, tying the match briefly at 3-3 after a Nolf escape. The counter takedown seemed to energize the Lion as he reeled off two quick takedowns before locking up a cradle and picking up four near fall points. He then reset, scrambled into control for another four point near fall, and led 15-4 after one period. Nolf chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 16-4 lead. Nolf turned in fast on a high single and then locked up another cradle. While not getting the pin, Nolf's final four point near fall ended the match early as the Lion posted the dominating 22-4 technical fall at the 4:09 mark.
165: Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 165, tangled with Rutgers' Willie Scott. Joseph fought off a quick Scott shot, then began to work for shoulder control in the middle of the mat. The Lion freshman forced Scott's head down to the mat and then scrambled around for a takedown and a 2-0 lead with 2:03 in the opening period. Joseph cut Scott loose and then zipped through a fast low double for another takedown and a 4-1 lead. He cut Scott loose and continued his offensive dominance, this time hitting a high double for a 6-2 lead. Joseph rode Scott out and led 6-2 with 1:41 in time after one. Joseph chose down to start the second period quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead. He roared through a high double, forcing Scott's back to the mat for a four-point near fall, and led 13-2. Scott escaped to a 13-3 score and Joseph continued to attack. He bulled through the Knight's chest for another takedown and a 15-3 lead and then turned him one more time for a four back points to end the match with a 19-3 tech fall at the 4:55 mark.
174: Senior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 174, faced off against senior Phil Bakuckas. Morelli took an early 2-1 lead with a fast low single just over :30 into the bout. The Lion senior continued to press Bakuckas, forcing the Knight back towards the outside circle. Bakuckas was able to defend Morelli's efforts as the Lion worked to keep action in the center of the mat. Bakuckas got hit with a first stall at the 1:00 mark and Morelli continued to press on offense. Trailing 2-1, Bakuckas chose down to start the second period. Morelli put together a nice ride, dominating the action from the top position while looking for a turning opportunity. The Lion senior built up over 1:00 in riding time first, then continuing his ride for the remainder of the period. Morelli's rideout allowed the Lion to carry the 2-1 lead with 2:06 in time into the third period. Morelli chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. He fought off a Bakuckas high single, as the Knight scrambled in the middle of the mat for a takedown. Morelli was able to maintain control until the :55 mark before Bakuckas finished off the move to tie the bout. Morelli fought off two turns trying to escape and escaped with :07 left to take a 4-3 lead. 1:06 in time gave the Lion a 5-3 win.
184: Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 2 at 184, met No. 14 Nicholas Gravina. The nationally ranked duo battled evenly for the first half of the opening period. Nickal worked for upper control over the next minute but Gravina was able to defend the Lion's offense for a bit. Nickal, then moved low, using an ankle pick to gain control of Gravina's left leg. He lifted Gravina's leg off the mat and picked up the takedown as the clock hit zeroes. Nickal chose down to start the second period, rolled off his back, locked Gravina up and lifted him off the mat. He took the Knight directly to his back and spent over a minute steadily working a cradle to fruition and got the fall at the 4:22 mark.
197: Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 197, wrestled freshman Matthew Correnti. McCutcheon wasted no time opening up a lead, using a low shot to take Correnti down. He controlled action long enough to build up a :47 time edge before the Knight escaped to a 2-1 score. McCutcheon, leading 2-1, chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. He slipped in the middle of the mat, nearly giving up a takedown, but he righted himself quickly and forced Correnti back to maintain his lead. He fought off another Correnti takedown effort, forcing action out of bounds and a reset ensued at the :40 mark. Trailing 3-1, Correnti chose down to start the third period and rolled to a quick reversal to tie the bout at 3-3. McCutcheon steadily worked his way to an escape and a 4-3 lead with 1:20 left to wrestle. The Nittany Lion junior stepped back from a Correnti high double and maintained his feet as the clock moved below :30. McCutcheon killed the clock to post a hard-fought 4-3 win.
285: Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 5 at 285, took on Ralphy Normandia. Nevills came out fast, taking Normandia down and cutting him loose for an early 2-1 lead. The Lion sophomore added a second quick takedown and then went to work on top, building up a :47 time edge before cutting Normandia loose. The Knight answered with his own takedown, tying the score at 4-4 with :59 on the clock. Nevills escaped quickly to a 5-4 lead and then bulled through a high shot, mid-waist, to take the Knight down once more. Leading 7-4, Nevills rode Normandia out, nearly getting two back points in the process. Trailing 7-4, Normandia chose down to start the second period and Nevills went to work on top. The unbeaten Lion sophomore worked his riding time edge up over 2:00 before cutting Normandia loose to a 7-5 lead. Nevills used a nice low single to up his lead to 9-6 and then a high shot to lead 11-7. Nevills, cutting Normandia loose with just :20 left, picked up another takedown as the period ended and led 13-7 with 2:37 in time after two periods. Nevills continued to pile on the takedowns, picking up two in the first :40 to up his lead to 17-8. He picked up another point on a second Normandia stall and then used a low double to up his lead to 20-9 with :35 on the clock. Nevills then worked Gravina's shoulders to the mat, nearly getting the pin. The four-point near fall, however, gave Nevills a 24-9 tech fall at the 6:57 mark.
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