The dual began at 125, where Nittany Lion junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 7, met No. 12 Charlie Falck of Iowa. McKnight got on the board first with at takedown at the 1:04 mark, leading 2-1 early on Falck. The Nittany Lion was the aggressor throughout the match, but got caught late in the period as Falck completed a single leg and got a takedown with just :01 left to lead 3-2 after the first period. Falck, chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. The Hawkeye sophomore got another takedown :40 in and led 6-3 with 1:00 to wrestle in the second period. A mad scramble with :20 left, one in which each wrestler nearly logged a takedown, resulted in no scoring as time ran out with McKnight nearly getting the two points on the edge of the mat. McKnight, down 6-3 with just two minutes to wrestle, chose down to start the final period but could not break free of Falck's ride for the entire period. Falck walked away with a hard fought 7-3 win to put the Hawkeyes up 3-0 early. McKnight fell to 17-5 while Falck improved to 17-5.
At 133, Penn State sophomore Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) took on Iowa's Mario Galanakis at 133. Strayer entered the bout ranked No. 11 while Galanakis carried a No. 15 ranking into the tilt. Galanakis got an early takedown to lead 2-1 at the 2:15 mark. The takedown seemed to energize Strayer, who immediately answered back with a takedown of his own to take a 3-2 lead. Strayer then put together a very strong ride and rode Galanakis out to lead 3-2 with 0:49 heading into the second period. Strayer chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Galanakis, senior, got in on the Penn State sophomore's left leg at the 1:00 mark, but Strayer did a nice job of fighting through the shot to force a reset with :45 to wrestle in the second period. Strayer locked in on Galanakis' head as the second stanza ended but could not work around behind the Hawkeye to get more points. Trailing 4-2, Galanakis chose down to start the final period but was handled by Strayer as the Nittany Lion threw him to the mat twice while building up a guaranteed riding time point. Galanakis could not break free for the entire period and Strayer would post a convincing 5-2 win. The victory tied the dual at 3-3 and improved Strayer's record to 19-4. Galanakis fell to 19-6.
Penn State's Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.), wrestling in his final home dual for the Nittany Lions, met Iowa's Alex Tsirtsis at 141. Tsirtsis entered the dual ranked No. 6. Tsirtsis quickly got in on Heller's left leg but Heller did a nice job of forcing a stalemate to keep the bout scoreless early on. After a reset, it was Heller's turn to get in on Tsirtsis' left thigh. But the Hawkeye junior forced the stalemate this time. Tsirtsis got a takedown to lead at the 1:05 mark, but Heller quick broke free to trail 2-1 without allowing Tsirtsis to build up any riding time. The bout headed to the second period with Tsirtsis holding a 2-1 lead. Tsirtsis chose neutral to begin the second period, a decision he would regret. The Hawkeye got in on Heller and, as the duo scrambled, Heller found himself on top of Tsirtsis and, using his weight, forced the Hawkeyes back to the mat. Tsirtsis fought off the inevitable for a few seconds, but Heller was not to be denied. The New Jersey native recorded a stunning pin at the 3:31 mark in his final home dual to put Penn State up 9-3. Heller improved to 16-7 with the win while Tsirtsis fell to 18-7.
The first of three straight freshmen in Penn State's line-up took to the mat at 149 as No. 15 Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) met Iowa's Alex Grunder. Vallimont got the first takedown early, but was quickly reversed by the Hawkeye senior. Grunder then proceeded to dominate the rest of the first period from the top position, building up a 2:11 riding time edge and riding Vallimont out. Tied 2-2, Vallimont chose neutral to begin the second period. A scramble in the middle of the mat nearly led to a Grunder takedown, but the Penn State freshmen fought the move off as action was halted with a potentially dangerous hold. After a reset with :18 left, Vallimont was energized by the capacity crowd and completed a textbook takedown to take a 4-2 lead into the third. Grunder, trailing by two but holding a 2:00 riding time edge, chose down to start the final stanza. Grunder worked furiously for a reversal, but the Penn State freshmen continued to maintain his control long enough to erase the riding time edge. Grunder escape at the :49 mark to cut the lead to 4-3. Vallimont, continuing his run as one of Penn State's hottest wrestlers, iced the match with a takedown at the :18 mark and went on to post a 6-3 win. The victory put Penn State up 12-3 and moved Vallimont to 16-7. Grunder fell to 11-11.
True freshman Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) met No. 17 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa at 157. Morningstar got in on Jenkins' left leg at the 1:41 mark, but the Lion freshmen got his left arm around Morningstar to fight off the move for half a minute. Morningstar completed the takedown with :59 left to take a 2-0 lead. The ranked Hawkeye rode Jenkins out to carry that lead to the second period with :59 in riding time. Morningstar chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. The duo battled evenly throughout the first half of the period until Jenkins got in on Morningstar's left leg and completed a takedown with :30 left. Rella escaped with just :02 left to lead 4-2 after two periods. Jenkins chose down to begin the final stanza. Jenkins got to his feet, forcing Morningstar to hang onto his shoulders. Two stall calls were given to the Hawkeye to cut the lead to 4-3. Morningstar, however, then took Jenkins to his back and got a four-point near fall with action begin stopped for an injury. The Hawkeye was now up 8-3 with just :49 left. Morningstar chose down after the injury timeout and escaped to a 9-3 lead. With a riding time point guaranteed, Morningstar needed just one takedown to get a major and got the critical two points and the :15 mark. The Hawkeye posted a convincing 12-3 major decision to cut the Lion lead to 12-7. Morningstar improved to 20-7 while Jenkins fell to 17-8.
At 165, Nittany Lion rookie Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) took on Iowa's Mark Perry, who was ranked No. 4 nationally. Perry got the first takedown of the dual with just :20 gone in the first period and proceeded to wrack up 1:09 in riding time before Rella escaped to a 2-1 deficit. Rella shot low on Perry, but the fourth-ranked Hawkeye countered the move and worked in behind Rella for another two point takedown. Up 4-1, Perry once again rode Rella out to carry that lead into the second period with more than 2:00 or riding time. Rella chose down to begin the second period but could not break free of Perry's methodical ride. The talented Hawkeye junior maintained his control for the entire period and kept his 4-1 lead. With a riding time point guaranteed, Perry chose down to start the final stanza and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Rella once again shot low at Perry's right ankle but Perry countered the move to take a 7-2 lead after a Rella escape. Needing an escape to avoid a major decision, the Nittany Lion freshman did that one better, reversing Perry to cut the lead to 10-4 after a Perry escape. Then as time wound down, Rella nearly got a pin as he worked his way around on top of the Hawkeye and was a mere inches from recording the pin. Perry held the move off long enough for the buzzer to sound and posted an 11-4 win. The victory cut Penn State's lead to 12-10. Rella fell to 19-9 while Perry improved to 17-4.
In a battle of returning All-Americans, Nittany Lion senior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) met Iowa's Eric Luedke at 174. Yonushonis entered the bout ranked No. 7 while Luedke was No. 2. The duo combined for a gaudy 47-4 overall record entering the day. Wrestling in the final home bout of his storybook Penn State career, the Philipsburg native battled the second-ranked Hawkeye evenly through the two minutes plus of the opening stanza. Yonushonis had the first real scoring chance in the first period, briefly getting in on Luedke's left leg. But action moved off the mat and a reset ensued. The highly anticipated bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Luedke chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Working at wearing Luedke down, the Nittany Lion senior began dictating the tempo of the bout. Yonushonis continued to work on finding an opening in Luedke's defense, but the second period ended with the Hawkeye holding a slim 1-0 lead. Yonushonis chose down to begin the final stanza and quickly escaped to tie the bout at 1-1. Luedke shot low on Yonushonis twice, but the Nittany Lion deftly held the Hawkeye at a distance to keep the bout tied. With no scoring, the bout ended tied 1-1 after regulation. A 1:00 minute sudden victory period began and, in true Yonushonis fashion, the Nittany Lion All-American used his outstanding conditioning to snare Luedke's right leg and complete a bout winning takedown just :13 into the extra period. The thrilling victory sent nearly 6,000 Penn State fans to their feet and put Penn State up 15-10. Yonushonis improved to 26-3 while Luedke lost for only the second time all year and fell to 22-2.
At 184, Nittany Lion senior Brian Cantalupi (Carlisle, Pa.) took to the Rec Hall mat for the final time in his career against Iowa's Phillip Keddy. Keddy got the first takedown of the bout with 1:15 to wrestle in the first. Cantalupi, in the process of escaping, nearly completed a cradle to send Keddy to his back. But action moved out of bounds and Keddy held a 2-1 lead at the reset and would carry that edge into the second period. The Hawkeye freshmen chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 3-1 lead with 1:44 to wrestle. With :30 left in the second period, Keddy added another takedown to up his lead to 5-1 after two periods. Cantalupi chose down to start the final stanza and quickly escaped to a 5-2 deficit. Cantalupi worked for a high takedown on Keddy and nearly completed the move with 1:00 left, but Keddy worked around behind the Nittany Lion senior and got a bout clinching takedown with :40 left. Keddy would ride Cantalupi out for the remainder of the bout and, with a riding time point, post an 8-2 victory. The decision cut Penn State's lead to 15-13. Keddy improved to 11-9 while Cantalupi fell to 6-8.
Nittany Lion junior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), returning two-time All-American, met Iowa's Rick Leora at 197. Davis entered the dual ranked No. 3 and coming off a convincing 8-2 win over No. 2 Mike Tamillow of Northwestern two nights prior. Davis quickly got his first takedown at the 2:33 mark, taking Leora down on the edge of the mat and immediately beginning his search for a dual clinching pin. Just 1:17 into the bout, Davis sent the Penn State faithful to their feet with the clinching pin at the 1:17 mark. Penn State moved out to a 21-13 lead and Davis improved to 20-1. Leora fell to 4-9.
At heavyweight, Penn State's Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.), ranked No. 13 nationally, met Iowa's Matt Fields, ranked No. 6. Anspach, who is a senior but is petitioning the NCAA for another year of eligibility due to injury red-shirts, was coming off a win over No. 4 Dustin Fox of Northwestern on Friday night. Continuing to give notice to his prowess, Anspach opened up the scoring with a takedown at the 1:40 mark to take a 2-0 lead. Fields would escape to a 2-1 deficit but not before Anspach worked up 1:01 in riding time. The first period ended with Anspach holding the one point lead. The Nittany Lion senior chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Neither wrestler mounted a serious scoring attack in the second period and action went to the final two minutes with Anspach leading 3-1 with :49 in riding time. Anspach held Fields down long enough to get his time advantage back (1:10) before Fields escaped and cut the lead to 3-2. Anspach would not give up a takedown over the bout's final seconds and, with the riding time point, posted a thrilling 4-2 win over the sixth-ranked Hawkeye. The decision gave Penn State a convincing 24-13 win and improved Anspach to 14-2 overall. Fields fell to 18-8.
The Nittany Lions improved to 12-5, 3-3 in the Big Ten, while Iowa fell to 12-4, 3-2 in conference action. Penn State won six of ten bouts and won the battle of bonus points six to one. With the near-capacity crowd, Penn State averaged nearly 3,500 fans per home dual this season. The outstanding attendance average will once again place Penn State among the top three or four schools nationally in wrestling attendance.
The Nittany Lions will see no dual meet action this coming week. Penn State returns to action with a road swing through Michigan and Michigan State in two weeks. The Lions will visit No. 21 Michigan on Friday, Feb. 16, for a 7 p.m. dual. Penn State then treks to No. 19 Michigan State on Sunday, Feb. 18, for a 1 p.m. contest.
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