The dual began at 125 with one of the premier match-ups of the dual. Nittany Lion Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) met Cornell's Troy Nickerson. McKnight entered the bout ranked No. 3 nationally while Nickerson was ranked No. 2. Each wrestler traded early shots to no avail. McKnight got the first takedown at the :58 second mark and nearly completed a cradle on the edge of the mat, but Nickerson managed to work himself out bounds to force a reset. After a Nickerson escape, McKnight held a 2-1 lead, which he carried into the second period. Up by one, McKnight chose down to begin the second period. Nickerson worked hard on top, nearly turning McKnight twice. But the Nittany Lion deftly fought off both moves and escaped to a 3-1 lead with 1:13 left in the period. Neither wrestler scored for the remainder of the period, giving McKnight led 3-1 after two. Nickerson chose down to start the third and was allowed up, cutting McKnight's lead to 3-2. McKnight continued to pressure Nickerson throughout the start of the third period, forcing a Cornell stall warning and eating up nearly a minute before finally getting in on another single leg. After a thrilling scramble that saw each wrestler nearly score in the flurry, McKnight got the critical takedown with :26 left to lead 5-2. He would ride Nickerson out for the remainder of the bout, getting a thrilling win and putting Penn State up 3-0 early.
At 133, Penn State's Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) met Adam Frey. Strayer was ranked No. 5 while Frey came in ranked No. 6. Frey got in on Strayer early, using an upper body through to nearly earn some back points, but Strayer fought off the effort and trailed only 2-1 after a quick escape. A flurry at the end of the period resulted in no scoring and Frey lead 2-1 after one. Up by one, Frey chose down to begin the second period. He escaped to a 3-1 lead with 1:20 left and quickly took Strayer down to lead 5-2 after an escape. After a reset with :52 left, Strayer had his best scoring chance of the match. But :30 of scrambling resulted in no scoring and the period ended with Frey up 5-2. Strayer chose down to start the third and with 1:20 left in the bout reversed Frey to trail 6-4 after allowing the Cornell wrestler to escape. With :48 left, Strayer got in on another single but could not finish. Frey gave up a stall point but would keep his distance for the remainder of the period to steal a 6-5 win and tie the bout at 3-3.
Nittany Lion Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) took on Keith Dickey of Cornell at 141. Heller quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a takedown just :18 seconds in. Strong on top, Heller rode Dickey for over a minute before allowing him up. Heller added two more points with a takedown a minute later. He rode Dickey out for the remainder of the period and led 4-1 with a 1:59 riding time edge heading into the second. Heller chose down to begin the second period. After working on the bottom for 1:30, Heller reversed Dickey to take a 6-1 lead with :29 left in the second period. He rode the Big Red grappler out for the remainder of the stanza to lead 6-1 with a 0:59 riding time edge entering the final period. Dickey chose down to begin the third, but Heller would not let the Cornell grappler up. After a second Cornell stall, Heller's lead expanded to 7-1. Heller cut Dickey loose as he began to eye a major decision and a bonus point. After a neutral reset, Heller exploded into Dickey's midsection and picked up a key takedown with :24 left. Leading 9-2 with a riding time point in hand, Heller needed to hold Dickey down for the last seconds of the bout to grab a major. But Dickey managed an escape with :14 left to avoid the bonus point. Still, Heller's 10-3 win put Penn State up 6-3.
Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) met Cornell's Jordan Lee at 149. Lee entered the bout ranked No. 4 nationally. Vallimont had the best early shot at getting points but Lee fought off and countered the effort to take a 2-0 lead with 1:16 left in the first. Lee rode Vallimont out to lead 2-0 with 1:15 in riding time after one. Lee chose down to start the second period and reversed Vallimont to lead 4-0 with 1:28 left. The Big Red junior maintained his top position for the remainder of the period and led 4-0 with 2:26 in riding time after two. Vallimont chose down to start the third, but Lee was strong on top, not allowing the Nittany Lion wrestler up for the entire two minutes. Lee's impressive 5-0 decision tied the team score at 6-6.
At 157, Penn State sophomore Jason Lapham (West Chazy, N.Y.) tussled with Cornell senior Charlie Agozzino. Lapham got the bout's first two points with a takedown on the edge of the mat at the 2:11 mark. Leading 2-1 after an Agozzino escape, Lapham fought off a stern Agozzino scoring attempt as the firs period wound down and held a slim one point lead after three minutes of wrestling. Lapham chose down to begin the middle period but could not escape. Agozzino eventually turned Lapham to his back for three near-fall points to take a 4-2 lead with :30 left in the second period. Lapham got hit with his first stall warning shortly thereafter and Agozzino rode the Nittany Lion out for the rest of the period. Leading 4-2 with 1:48 of riding time in hand, Agozzino chose top to start the final period, hoping to turn Lapham once again. Lapham, however, reversed Agozzino to tie the score at 4-4 with 1:02 left. With Agozzino guaranteed a riding time point, Lapham cut the Cornell wrestler and immediately began working for a takedown. Essentially down 6-4 (including the riding time point), Lapham nearly tied the bout with a thrilling takedown on the edge of the mat, but Agozzino fought off the move with :01 left to take a 6-4 win and put Cornell up 9-6.
True freshman Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) made his collegiate dual debut at 165, taking on No. 11 Steve Anceravage of Cornell. Rella, who was 15-2 as an unattached wrestler in the fall term, stepped into the starting line-up for the first time in the bout. Rella was the aggressor early on but the experienced Anceravage fought off every Rella shot. The bout was dead-even, 0-0, after one period. Anceravage took down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The duo was evenly matched, with each wrestler working the upper body and head, looking for an opening and a legitimate scoring chance. No chances presented themselves and the second period ended without a takedown as well. Down 1-0 to start the third, Rella chose down. Anceravage, a junior, was nearly reversed by the Nittany Lion freshman but action moved off the mat. With 1:21 to wrestle at a reset, Rella needed to escape to tie the bout. Anceravage marinated to hold Rella down long enough to build up a riding time point. Rella escaped to the tie the bout with :44 left, but Anceravage had 1:09 in riding time. Needing a takedown to win, the Nittany Lion freshman could not break through Cornell's defensive style and Anceravage grabbed a 2-1 win. The victory put the Big Red up 12-6 with four bouts to wrestle.
Senior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), ranked No. 6 nationally, met Cornell's Luke Hogle. Neither wrestler had a serious scoring chance in the first period and the stanza ended in a scoreless tie. Yonushonis chose down to start the second period. Hogle was hit for fleeing the mat and Yonushonis then reversed the Cornell grappler after the reset. The flurry of activity put the Nittany Lion senior up 3-1 after a Hogle escape. Hogle tied the bout 3-3 with :27 left, getting a takedown on a nice single leg and trip. Yonushonis did escape, however, to lead 4-3 after two periods. Hogle chose down to start the final period and was allowed up to tie the bout at 4-4. Yonushonis quickly got in on another single leg and finished the two point takedown with 1:30 left. Hogle escaped to cut the lead to 6-5, but Yonushonis' offense was relentless. Choosing not to play defense for the final minute, Yonushonis added another takedown to up his lead to lead 8-6 after a Hogle escape with less than a minute left. The Penn State All-American would work his way to a hard-fought 8-6 win, cutting the Cornell lead to 12-9.
Red-shirt freshman Mike Ward made his collegiate dual debut in fine fashion by posting a critical 3-2 win over No. 19 Joey Hooker of Cornell at 184.
Red-shirt freshman Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) made his dual match debut as well when he took the mat at 184 for Penn State. Ward met Cornell senior Joey Hooker, who was ranked No. 19 at 174 and moved up a weight for the bout. Neither wrestler could break through the other's defense throughout the first period. Tied 0-0 after one, Ward chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. He then followed the escape up with a solid single leg shot, but Hooker fought off the attempt and forced a stalemate with 1:08 left in the period. Hooker, trailing 1-0 heading into the third, chose down to begin the final period and quickly tied the score at 1-1 with an escape. Hooker nearly took Ward down with 1:00 left, but the Nittany Lion countered the move to get his own takedown and lead 3-1 with :40 left. Hooker escaped with :18 left to cut the lead to 3-2. Ward, however, fought off every Hooker scoring attempt in the final seconds and grabbed a thrilling 3-2 win. The freshman's victory tied the bout at 12-12.
No. 5 Phil Davis continued his mastery over No. 2 Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell by posting a 5-0 win. The victory helped Penn State to an 18-12 win at Cornell.
Nittany Lion Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 5 nationally, met No. 2 Jerry Rinaldi at 197. Davis was the aggressor throughout the first period, forcing Rinaldi back to the edge of the mat but not managing to break through his defense for any real scoring chances. With:04 left, Davis turned a Rinaldi shot into a two-point takedown of his own and led 2-0 after one period. Davis chose down to start the second and escaped to a 3-0 lead with :55 left. The defending national runner-up nearly added another takedown but action moved out of bounds before any scoring with :20 left in the second. Davis repeated the near takedown effort with :03 left as well. Trailing 3-0 but owning a 1:05 riding time edge, Rinaldi chose neutral to start the final period. Davis cemented the bout with a nice counter takedown at the 1:05 mark to lead 5-0. Ridding himself of any riding time penalty, Davis began working for bonus points by trying to turn Rinaldi from the top position. The Cornell senior managed to fight off Davis' near fall efforts and avoided the major decision. Davis, the defending national runner-up posted a resounding 5-0 win. The victory put the Nittany Lions up 15-12.
Senior Aaron Anspach's 8-3 win at HWT helped clinch Penn State's 18-12 win at Cornell.
Senior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) met Cornell's Zach Hammond in the final bout of the dual, looking to lock up the team win and remain undefeated on the year. Anspach entered the match ranked No. 13 nationally. Hammond had the first scoring chance just :30 into the bout, but Anspach quickly countered the move and led 2-1 with 2:15 to wrestle after a Hammond escape. Anspach added another takedown at the 1:00 mark and led 4-2 with :20 left after the Big Red junior escaped. Up 4-2 after one, Anspach chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead. The Nittany Lion co-captain added a nice takedown on the edge of the mat, taking a 7-2 lead at the :33 mark. Anspach maintained his top position for the remainder of the period and led 7-2 with over a minute's riding time heading into the third. Hammond chose down to start the third, but Anspach held the Cornell wrestler down long enough to secure a riding time point. The RT point gave Anspach a convincing 8-3 win and clinched the dual meet for Penn State, giving the Lions an 18-12 win.
Penn State won six of the dual's bouts, including the final four in a row. The victory was Penn State's third in a row of the Big Red and increased Penn State's gaudy series advantage over Cornell to 53-11-3. The victory improves Penn State's record 6-1 while Cornell falls to 0-2.
Penn State will return to action on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 12-13, when it heads to Hampton, Va., for the Virginia duals. It's next home dual is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 28, when Ohio State comes to Rec Hall. 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.
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