No. 2 Penn State wrestling won the dual’s first six bouts, storming out to a 25-0 lead over No. 16 Minnesota en route to a 35-8 win Friday night in front of another sold-out Rec Hall crowd. The Nittany Lions got a pair of pins from Bo Nickal and Shakur Rasheed early on and then faced a few tight contests at some of the Golden Gophers’ better weights.
How It Happened
The dual started at 157 pounds and Penn State took an early 4-0 lead when No. 1 Jason Nolf majored No. 18 Jake Short 19-5. After Short kept the bout close through the first five minutes, Nolf turned a 10-4 lead into a 19-5 win with a period more fit for his standards. He outscored Short 9-1 in the third, falling just short of a technical fall.
No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph outlasted No. 7 Nick Wanzek for a hard-fought 3-1 decision win at 165. A first period takedown ended up making all the difference for Joseph, who led 3-0 heading in the third period before Wanzek escaped.
At 174, No. 2 Mark Hall tacked on another three points with a strong 10-3 decision win against Chris Pfarr. Although he didn’t score bonus points, Hall demonstrated his persistence and agility on top by totaling more than two minutes of riding time.
The Nittany Lions returned to their usual dominant form when No. 1 Bo Nickal pinned No. 19 Owen Webster early in the third period at 184. No. 10 Shakur Rasheed once again got the nod at 197 and made yet another strong impression. He pinned Brandon Krone 55 seconds into the bout.
Following the break, No. 8 Nick Nevills handed Penn State a 25-0 lead with a 2-0 win over Rylee Streifel. After a scoreless first period, Nevills escaped in the second period and added on a point with 1:33 of riding time.
The Golden Gophers got on the board in the 125 pound bout with No. 6 Ethan Lizak’s 15-0 technical fall win over Devin Schnupp. Although he is 1-13, Schnupp has only lost four bouts by bonus points this season. No. 12 Mitch McKee cut a bit further into the Nittany Lions’ lead with a 15-8 win over Corey Keener at 133. McKee led 11-0 after two periods, but a furious comeback from Keener in the third period prevented him from allowing bonus points, which he has only done once this season.
Before No. 1 Zain Retherford finished the dual out with a forfeit win at 149 pounds, No. 7 Nick Lee concluded the action with more bonus points, a 13-3 major decision over No. 10 Tommy Thorn.
Wrestler of the Dual
Shakur Rasheed, Redshirt Junior, 197 pounds
Every dual, Rasheed seems to make a stronger and stronger case for why he should compete at 197. His quick pin made the dual score to 22-0, burying the Golden Gophers.
What’s Next
The Nittany Lions hit the road this weekend to visit former Penn State standout Nick Suriano and Rutgers Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
