#1 Penn State defeated #19 Lehigh for the 10th consecutive time and extended their dual-win streak to 31, this time in a sold out Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, PA. Although Penn State walked away soundly with a win, Lehigh was able to win four matches, and one being #9 Michael Beard defeating #1 Max Dean by a score of 11-9 in the most anticipated match of the day. Cael Sanderson and Penn State decided to give #1 Roman Bravo-Young the day off, as Freshman Karl Shindledecker stepped in his place at 133-pounds. Here’s a breakdown for every match in Penn State’s 24-12 victory.
125 – Carter Bailey over Gary Steen, 3-1
Carter Bailey got two points on the board first with just under 10 seconds to go in the first period, after Steen went for a left-handed headlock that Bailey slipped out and behind. In the second period, Bailey didn’t waste any time in the bottom position, and sprung to his feet seconds after the whistle to extend his lead to 3-0. Initially, Steen had trouble getting to his feet to start the third period, but scored his first point with a minute to go. Bailey was able to hold onto his lead for :30 seconds as Steen tried to get a takedown, and gave Lehigh three points to start the dual.
133 – #13 Connor McGonagle over Karl Shindledecker, 6-1
Penn State decided to give Karl Shindledecker the start at 133-pounds, as #1 Roman Bravo-Young looked ahead from the PSU bench. Lehigh’s Connor McGonagle wasted no time and got an early single-leg takedown in the first period, and immediately got work on top, slipping both legs in and preventing Shindledecker from having successful movement on bottom. McGonagle’s heavy pressure on top caused Shindledecker to get called for stalling late into the first period, and immediately got up and out to start the second period to make the score 3-0. Shindledecker chose to keep the match on the feet to start the third period, however McGonagle got another takedown with just a minute left in the third. Shindledecker got to his feet, but all little too late as McGonagle walked away with a 6-1 decision, and extended Lehigh’s lead to 6-0 after two matches.
141 – #7 Beau Bartlett over Malyke Hines, 8-4
Bartlett blasted in and scored just 10 seconds into the opening period, which would prove to be the most important takedown of the match after hanging on to his 8-4 decision win over Lehigh’s Malyke Hines. Although Bartlett was mostly in control, Hines scored a takedown late in the second period to make it a 1-point match. Bartlett got the first points for Penn State at 141-pounds, which made the score 6-3.
149 – #17 Shayne Van Ness over Manzona Bryant, Fall 2:28
Although Bryant scored first with a blast-double, Van Ness got back to his feet, scored a takedown himself and locked up a near-side cradle to get the fall early into the first period to give Penn State a big six-point swing. Van Ness had Bryant on his back for what it seemed like for a while, but settled back on the edge of the mat and got the ref to slap the mat. Van Ness had the Penn State bench on their feet, as they took the lead for the first time making the score 9-6.
157 – #8 Josh Humphreys over Terrell Barraclough, 6-3
Humphreys jumped out to a 4-1 lead before having some trouble getting up to his feet, as Barraclough had a leg in from the top position. Barraclough rode out Humphreys for the entirety of the second period, however was unable to do so again in the third, where Humphreys scored another two points to earn a tough 6-2 decision win over Barraclough. Barraclough has continued to wrestle a lot of close matches with top 25 opponents, but was unable to find successful offensive attacks on the feet against Humphreys. After five bouts, the dual got tied up at 9-9.
165 – Alex Facundo over Brian Meyer, 6-2
After a scoreless opening period that consisted of hand-fighting, Facundo got up and out in the second period to score first making it 1-0. Facundo then ripped off an attack that awarded him two more points, and Meyer responded by getting to his feet to make it a 3-1 match going into the third period. Meyer chose bottom to start the final period, where Facundo secured his riding-time point before letting Meyer to his feet. Facundo then scored off of another attack, and extended his lead to 6-2 to give Penn State the 12-9 lead after six matches.
174 – #1 Carter Starocci over Jake Logan, 22-8
Carter Starocci did what he does, and that’s score a lot of points. After only just holding a three point lead after the first period, Starocci poured on 17 combined points in the second and third period to give him another major decision for the Nittany Lions, making the dual a 16-9 score.
184 – #1 Aaron Brooks over #18 Tate Samuelson, 8-3
Although Aaron Brooks soundly walked away with the win, Lehigh’s Tate Samuelson held Brooks to the least amount of points he’s scored all season (8) , and that includes a list with Northern Iowa’s #2 Parker Keckeisen. Samuelson was mostly able to stay in good position for a majority of the time in the neutral position, and only allowed Brooks to score a couple times throughout the match.
197 – #9 Michael Beard over #1 Max Dean, 11-9
In the most anticipated bout of the dual, #9 Michael Beard gave #1 Max Dean his second loss in two days, winning the bout 11-9. Both wrestlers were able to score multiple takedowns throughout the match, but Beard was able to find his single-leg four times, which all scored. This matchup at 197-pounds had Stabler Arena on their feet the entire seven minutes, as back and forth high-level wrestling had both teams benches on the edge of their seats, pulling for a win. Once again, Dean was unable to be dominant in the top position, which is usually Dean’s most successful part of his style. Beard’s upset closed Penn State’s lead to 19-12 going into the final match of the day.
285 – #2 Greg Kerkvliet over Nathan Taylor, 18-0 4:01
It took Greg Kirkvliet just four minutes to earn a tech fall at 285-pounds, and gave Penn State the win 24-12 on the road. Kerkvliet continues to look like the best heavyweight in the country, as Nathan Taylor was unable to present Kerkvliet with any problems.
FINAL SCORE: Penn State over Lehigh, 24-12
