Action began at 125 where junior Nittany Lion Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 3 nationally, took on Lehigh's Patrick Berger. McKnight got the first takedown of the bout just :20 in and led 2-1 after a quick Berger escape. The Nittany Lion junior added another takedown to lead 4-2 halfway through the period and went on to post a commanding 8-3 lead after one period with over a minute of riding time. McKnight chose down to begin the second and escaped to a 9-3 lead. McKnight used a stellar throw to record another takedown and nearly pin Berger in the process, getting three back points to lead 14-3. He rode Berger out for the remainder of the period to hold that lead heading into the third. Berger chose down to start the third and was allowed up by McKnight. In total command throughout, McKnight began a series of takedowns and cuts. With just :30 left, McKnight took Berger down and rode him out for the remainder of the period, getting the 21-6 technical fall at 7:00 with the riding time point. The dominating win gave Penn State an early 5-0 lead.
At 133, Penn State's Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 7 nationally, took on Mountain Hawk Seth Ciasulli. Ciasulli got the first takedown of the match just over a minute in and led 2-1 after a Strayer escape. Strayer was the aggressor for the period, but was held off by Ciasulli's solid defense. The Mountain Hawk freshman led 2-1 after one period. Strayer chose down to begin the middle period, escaped to tie the match and immediately took Ciasulli down to lead 4-2 with 1:30 left in the period. After riding him for a while Strayer cut Ciasulli loose and continued to attack the Lehigh grappler. Ciasulli was hit with a stall warning at the :30 mark and Strayer held a slim 4-3 lead after two periods. Ciasulli chose down to begin the third but could not manage any movement on the bottom and was hit with a second stall call, giving Strayer a 5-3 lead. Strayer maintained his top position for the rest of the match and grabbed a 6-3 win. The decision gave Penn State an 8-0 lead.
Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.), Penn State's senior 141-pounder, met another Ciasulli, senior Mountain Hawk Matt. Heller took the first shot of the bout and nearly scored, but the senior Ciasulli countered to get the first takedown and lead 2-0 early. Ciasulli rode Heller for 1:09 before the Nittany Lion escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 with 1:30 to wrestle in the first period. Ciasulli notched another takedown with :40 left and rode Heller out to lead 4-1 with 1:45 in riding time after one. Ciasulli chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Heller once again nearly scored a takedown only to be countered by Ciasulli, who turned the Heller offensive move into two points of his own. Ciasulli was strong on top for the rest of the period and carried that 7-1 lead into the third period, amassing 2:34 in riding time. Heller chose down to begin the third period and escaped to a 7-2 deficit. Heller got his takedown at the 1:10 mark, cutting the lead to 8-4 after a Ciasulli escape. The Nittany Lion senior continued to push the tempo, but could not overcome the deficit and dropped an 11-4 decision. The LU win cut the Penn State lead to 8-3.
Red-shirt freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) met Lehigh's Trevor Chinn at 149. Chinn entered the match ranked No. 8 nationally. The duo battled evenly throughout much of the first three minutes, trading shots and counters. Ciasulli got the in on a solid single led with :45 seconds left, only to be fought off by Vallimont's outstanding defense. The bout went to the second period scoreless and Chinn chose down to begin the middle stanza. The Lehigh sophomore escaped to a 1-0 lead and sparring ensued in earnest once again. Mirroring the first period, Chinn once again took a shot only to be countered by Vallimont. This time, rather than simply play defense, Vallimont turned his counter into the bout's first takedown on the edge of the mat. The move gave the red-shirt freshman a 2-1 lead with :55 left in the second period. Vallimont held Chinn down for the final :55 and led 2-1 after two with 0:58 in riding time to his advantage. The Nittany Lion chose down to begin the third and escaped to a 3-1 lead. Chinn was called for his first stalling with :30 left and Vallimont continued to pressure him for the remainder of the period, forcing the Lehigh sophomore to the edge of the mat continuously and going on to post a thrilling 3-1 win over the ranked Mountain Hawk. The decision gave Penn State an 11-3 lead.
At 157, Nittany Lion senior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) took on Lehigh's David Nakasone. Galloway and Nakasone sparred evenly throughout most of the first period, with Galloway getting the best chance for points with a near-takedown at the :40 mark. Nakasone fought off the offensive effort, however, to push the match into the second period with a 0-0 score. Galloway chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. With Galloway forcing the tempo, the Lion senior got the match's first takedown at the :30 mark to lead 3-0. Nakasone, however, quickly posted a nifty reversal to cut the Galloway lead to 3-2 before the period ended. Nakasone, down 3-2, chose down to begin the third. The Lehigh senior quickly escaped to tie the bout at 3-3. Each wrestler was hit with a second stall, giving each wrestler a point. But the penalties decided nothing as the score moved to 4-4 and the dual entered a sudden victory period all tied up. Galloway quickly moved in on Nakasone and nearly got the winning takedown as time expired but Nakasone fought the move off. Galloway chose down in the first of two :30 tie-breaker periods and escaped with :12 left to lead 5-4. The escape meant Galloway needed to hold Nakasone down for the next :30 tiebreaker period to secure the win. The Nittany Lion senior nearly pulled off the win, but Nakasone notched a stunning reversal as time expired to grab a 6-5 win. The decision cut Penn State's lead to 11-6.
Penn State sent sophomore Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) to the mat against Lehigh freshman Mike Galante at 165. Galante got the first takedown to lead 2-1 early after a Friend escape. Galante added another takedown and upped his lead to 4-2 with a 1:31 riding time edge. Galante, leading 4-2 after one, chose down to begin the second and reversed Friend to lead 6-2. Friend escaped, cutting the lead to 6-3 after two periods. Friend chose down to begin the third period and escaped to cut the lead to 6-4. Galante, however, was not to be denied as he added another takedown to take a commanding 8-4 lead with a guaranteed riding time point. Galante added another takedown to post a convincing 11-5 win, cutting Penn State's lead to 11-9.
Returning All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally for Penn State, met Lehigh's David Helfrich at 174. The steady Yonushonis was the aggressor throughout the first period but could not break through Helfrich's defense for any scoring through three minutes. Yonushonis chose down to begin the second period and escaped in four seconds to lead 1-0. Continuing to pressure Helfrich and finally broke through on a solid single leg that he nearly turned into a takedown, but Helfrich countered the move to get a takedown of his own to lead 2-1 after two. Helfrich chose down to begin the third and was allowed to escape to a 3-1 lead. Yonushonis quickly took Helfrich down to tie the match and then cut him loose. Trailing 4-3 with 1:30 left, the Nittany Lion All-American got another takedown to lead 5-4. But a locked hands call tied the bout at 5-5. Yonushonis let Helfrich escape again to trail 6-5 but posted his third takedown in less than ninety-seconds to take a 7-6 lead. He proceeded to ride Helfrich for the bout's final :30 to post the exciting 7-6 win. The much-needed victory kept Yonushonis undefeated on the year and upped Penn State's lead to 14-9.
At 184, Nittany Lion sophomore Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) met Lehigh's David Craig. Craig got the first takedown of the dual :40 in and led 2-1 after a Bomberger escape. Bomberger was firm throughout the remainder of the period, trading shots with Craig and trailing 2-1 after one. Bomberger chose down to begin the second and, after nearly turning Craig with a reversal, escaped to tie the bout 2-2 with 1:36 to wrestle. Craig would muscle his way to another takedown with :45 left in the second to push his lead to 4-2. Craig rode Bomberger out for the rest of the period to carry that 4-2 lead (with 1:16 in riding time) into the third. Craig chose down to begin the third and escaped to a 5-2 lead. The Lehigh freshman added another takedown and nearly turned it into backpoints, but Bomberger did a nice job of rolling through the move to keep the score 7-2. Craig rode the Lion sophomore out and, with riding time, posted an 8-2 win. The decision made the team score Penn State 14, Lehigh 12.
Nittany Lion junior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 in the country at 197, met Lehigh's Matt Cassidy, who entered the dual ranked No. 16. Cassidy got hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty, giving Davis an early 1-0 lead before any takedowns occurred. Davis then added a takedown to lead 3-1 after a Cassidy escape. A second Davis escape with :35 left in the first upped his lead to 5-1. With time running out in the period and Cassidy trying to work his way off the mat, Davis pulled the Lehigh senior back on and Cassidy was hit with a second stall call, giving Davis another point and a 6-1 lead after one period. Cassidy chose neutral to begin the second. Davis added another takedown at the 1:32 mark and led 8-2 after a quick Cassidy escape. Looking for possible bonus points against the 16th-ranked wrestler at his weight class, Davis continued his offensive show. Another takedown and a strong ride led to a 10-2 lead before Cassidy was forced to default. The Davis win kept the Lion junior undefeated and clinched the dual meet as Penn State led 20-12.
Penn State's senior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) met Lehigh's Paul Weibel in the evening's final bout. Anspach was ranked No. 12 while Weibel was No. 14. Anspach nearly got the bout's first takedown, but Weibel rolled out to a neutral position. Anspach took numerous shots in the first, only to have Weibel fight each one off with solid defense. Still, as the aggressor, Anspach forced Weibel into his first stall warning and continued to add the pressure throughout the period. Tied 0-0 after one, Anspach chose down to begin the second period. He quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead and continued his offensive pressure. A single leg shot was turned into the first takedown for Anspach, giving the Lion a 3-0 lead at the 1:25 mark. Weibel escaped to a 3-1 deficit, but Anspach would not let up, continuing to force the tempo and pace. Weibel got in on a solid shot around Anspach's waste, but the Penn State senior used his own defense to fight off the attempt, securing a 3-1 lead after two periods. Weibel chose down to begin the final period. Anspach nearly turned Weibel to his back while building up enough riding time to get a 1:16 advantage. Weibel escaped with 1:00 to wrestle to cut the lead to 3-2. A Weibel shot attempt was countered by Anspach, who turned it into this town takedown and a 5-2 lead with :46 left to wrestle. Anspach would continue his dominance and post a 6-3 win, giving Penn State a convincing 23-12 team win.
Penn State will return to action on Sunday when it treks to No. 5 Hofstra for a 1 p.m. dual. Its next home action is set for next week when it hosts Lock Haven on Friday, Dec. 15. Action in Rec Hall begins at 7 p.m. All Penn State duals will be heard live on WBLF AM and WKVA AM as well as streamed for free at GoPSUsports.com. Season and single-match tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Penn State ticket office at 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 for more information. Fans can also get tickets at GoPSUsports.com. This year's season ticket prices are $24 for adults and $18 for students. Single dual prices are $5 per event for adults and $3 per event for youth. All of Penn State's matches can be heard locally on WBLF 970 AM and at GoPSUsports.com.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now