Double the fun: PSU grapplers pick up a pair of wins

UNIVERSITY PARK — The top-ranked Penn State wrestling team finished its regular-season schedule undefeated after turning the lights out on its final two opponents like a boxer who hits his opponent flush on the chin then stands and watches him crumple to the mat.

The Nittany Lions traveled to Bethlehem on Feb. 12 and spanked a really good, really well-coached Lehigh team, 28-9, in front of a Stabler Arena record crowd of 5,909.

Penn State returned home to host Michigan State for Senior Night on Feb. 13 in Rec Hall. Despite frigid temperatures, a sellout crowd of 6,419 turned out to watch the Nittany Lions drub the Spartans, 41-3.

Several noteworthy developments originated from the back-to-back matches:

■ The Nittany Lions (15-0, 9-0 Big Ten) wrapped up a share of the Big Ten regular season title (with Iowa) and finished the regular season undefeated for the first time since their first Big Ten season of 1992-93 when they finished 22-0-1. The last time Penn State finished a season unbeaten and untied was when it went 12-0 in 1971-72.

■ Redshirt freshman Nick Nevills made his long-anticipated varsity debut, splitting a pair of matches but showing fans his tremendous upside.

■ Three Nittany Lions — Zain Retherford (24-0 at 149), Jason Nolf (25-0 at 157) and Morgan McIntosh (23-0 at 197) — finished the regular season undefeated and ranked No. 1. Bo Nickal (25-1 at 174) also finished the season ranked No. 1.

Penn State will face the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the season-ending NWCA National Dual Series, set for Sunday, Feb. 21. The match will be held at 5 p.m. in Rec Hall and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Here’s a look back at both wins.

 

No. 1 Penn State 41, Michigan State 3

Watching the Nittany Lions toy with the Spartans was a little like a cat playing with a mouse before it puts the poor thing out of its misery.

Penn State won nine of 10 bouts, with three falls, two technical falls, a major decision and three decisions. The Nittany Lions amassed a ridiculous 47-2 edge in takedowns.

Jordan Conaway (133), McIntosh, Megaludis, Zack Beitz and Dylan Dailey were honored during Senior Night festivities before the match.

Megaludis, Conaway and McIntosh, each an All-American, then ended their regular-season Rec Hall careers with bonus-point wins.

“They’re all special in their own way, but they’re all just very consistent and quality all the way around,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said. “They’re guys we’re obviously going to miss.”

Megaludis used seven takedowns to roll up a 17-5 major decision at 125. Conaway had built a 9-3 lead before scoring a fall in 5:59. And McIntosh led 12-2 before locking up a crossface cradle and securing the fall in 4:22.

McIntosh has said he’s tried to put all of the talk about his final season out of his head but did acknowledge some of his thoughts.

“I’ve enjoyed the last five years, this year for sure. I’m just trying to soak it in and have fun, hang out with the guys and the coaching staff,” he said.

“I’m trying to control my head and not let those emotions get in my head and think about how it’s my last home match.”

Jason Nolf scored the other fall for Penn State at 157, his second consecutive first-period fall. He had scored five takedowns en route to a 10-4 lead before getting the fall in 2:02.

Zain Retherford (149) and Bo Nickal (174) each rolled up identical 24-9 technical falls. Retherford used 11 takedowns and needed 6:49 to end the match. Nickal also scored 11 takedowns, but needed just 6:19 to end his match.

Geno Morelli (8-2 at 165), Matt McCutcheon (3-0 at 184) and Nick Nevills (5-2 at 285), who was making his Rec Hall debut after starting his season on Feb. 12 at Lehigh, all earned decisions.

“It’s been pretty fun,” Nevills said. “It’s a lot more enjoyable wrestling here than there. It’s pretty awesome and special to be able to compete in Rec Hall. It’s something that I’ll definitely remember.”

Nevills said his mom traveled from their Clovis, Calif., home to see his Rec Hall debut. His father stayed behind to watch his two younger brothers try to qualify for the California state tournament.

Returning from a torn pectoral muscle sustained while weightlifting in October, Nevills said it normally takes four to five months to recover from the injury and he’s almost at four months.

While Nevills’ insertion into the lineup has caused a stir, it was a night to remember the seniors. Sanderson talked about each of them.

“We talk about Nico all the time. The first match to his last match he’s just the same. He’s going full speed ahead and he’s been a tremendous leadoff guy for us. Conaway is a great kid. If you have a daughter you want them to date him. I don’t have a daughter, but if I did he’s just that kind of kid,” Sanderson said.

“Morgan came all the way from California to wrestle at Penn State, all the way across the country from his family, so that means a lot to us. Again, just a great kid. They came here and they’ve been consistent.”

Michigan State’s Tom Minkel, who coached the final dual meet of his career after 25 years as the Spartan head coach and 39 years in coaching, was acknowledged before the match and received a standing ovation.

“When you start out coaching you never think about the end. It sneaks up on you. This is the time to move on. This is such a great environment and the wrestling community is like a family. I’ve enjoyed this farewell tour,” he said.

He then tipped his cap to the Nittany Lions.

“They’re pretty darn good. They’ve had some great teams, but this, I think, is one of their very best,” Minkel said. “It’s a real credit to Cael, the coaching staff and the commitment that Penn State makes to wrestling. Even thought they’re competitors of ours, I certainly admire and respect what they’re doing for the sport.”

 

No. 1 Penn State 28, No. 6 Lehigh 9

Penn State won seven of 10 bouts and rolled up a 17-8 edge in takedowns to dispatch Lehigh (12-2).

While other matches featured pairs of ranked wrestlers, the crowd seemed especially interested in the heavyweight bout.

Nevills scored the initial takedown on No. 14 Max Wessell and rode him for over a minute before Nevills was called for an illegal hold, a headlock from the top that didn’t include an arm.

“We do a technique where you break him down and you’re below the bicep and we assumed that was what he was doing. It sounds like he just kind of lost his head for a second and just grabbed him by the head and locked his hands,” Sanderson said.

Wessell escaped a short time later and the match headed into the second tied at 2-2. The Mountain Hawk escaped nine seconds into the second period and led 3-2 after two.

Nevills escaped in 10 seconds to tie the match at 3-3. But when he shot in on a single from too far out, Wessell countered and got the go-ahead takedown. Nevills escaped with fewer than 30 seconds left and, with 15 seconds left, got in on a single but couldn’t finish as time expired, giving Wessell a 5-4 win.

“I’m certainly not disappointed. He’s going to be even stronger each week. He hasn’t wrestled in a long time. I’m very optimistic about what he’s capable of doing. You can see how he can move, change levels. He’s just got to finish his shots,” Sanderson said.

The coach said Nevills’ desire to start influenced his decision to insert him into the lineup so late in the season.

“He wants to wrestle. He wants to be a part of the team, help the team. If he’s going to wrestle, we’ve got to get him out there. Obviously, you’d like a little more time to get him ready but he showed what he’s capable of,” he said. “He was wrestling a tough kid and he’s right there. He just needs to sharpen up a little bit, finish his shots, maybe a little stronger on top.”

Lehigh coach Pat Santoro said he was impressed, too.

“He’s really good. I thought he wrestled a great (match) first time out. I thought he wrestled really well,” he said. “We knew about his radar single but sometimes it doesn’t matter if you know about it if he’s really good at it. We have to make some adjustments. Max kept his head. It was a great match for him, really solid.”

As has become the norm, Penn State stormed out to a commanding lead heading into intermission. The Nittany Lions swept four of the first five bouts to open a 16-3 lead.

Megaludis used first- and third-period takedowns to help fuel a workmanlike 7-1 decision over No. 13 Darian Cruz.

Conaway posted an 8-2 decision over All-American Mason Beckman, using a takedown in each period and three minutes in riding time advantage.

After Lehigh’s 18th-ranked Randy Cruz blanked No. 14 Jimmy Gulibon, 4-0, at 141, Penn State picked up bonus points in the next two bouts.

Retherford overwhelmed a game Laike Gardner, 8-0. Takedowns in each period, an escape and riding-time point for 2:35 of advantage gave him the win.

At 157, Nolf led Ian Brown 4-1 and looked like he would allow the Mountain Hawk to escape. Instead, he pancaked him to his back and quickly got the fall in 1:23.

Penn State won three of five after the break, too. Shakur Rasheed got the call at 165 and had to hold off a third-period rally by Drew Longo for a 10-8 decision. Nickal won by major decision, 14-6, and McIntosh needed just 4:17 to roll up a 16-0 technical fall.

Lehigh’s other win came in the marquee bout of the night. No. 3 Nathaniel Brown blanked No. 6 Matt McCutcheon, 6-0.

Santoro admitted that “we got beat pretty good tonight” and said any chance of a Mountain Hawk upset ended early.

“If we had any chance to win this dual I thought we had to come out early and strike early and I think our guys were really gun shy those first couple matches. We just didn’t get any leg attacks,” he said.

“You wrestle a team of Penn State’s caliber — they’re the No. 1 team in the country for a reason. I thought our pace was really slow and we can’t wrestle that way, not against a great team.”

 

No. 1 Penn State 41

Michigan State 3

(Feb. 13 at University Park)

125: No. 4 Nico Megaludis, PSU, dec. Mitch Rogaliner, 17-5.

133: No. 5 Jordan Conaway, PSU, pinned Garth Yenter, 5:59.

141: Javier Gasca, MSU, dec. No. 14 Jimmy Gulibon, 6-2.

149: No. 1 Zain Retherford, PSU, won by tech. fall over Kaelan Richards, 24-9 (6:49).

157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, pinned Mark Bozzo, 2:02.

165: Geno Morelli, PSU, dec. Dean Vettese, 8-2.

174: No. 1 Bo Nickal, PSU, won by tech. fall over Travis Curley, 24-9 (6:19).

184: No. 6 Matt McCutcheon, PSU, dec. Shawn Shadaia, 3-0.

197: No. 1 Morgan McIntosh, PSU, pinned Jacob Cooper, 4:22.

285: Nick Nevills, dec. Dimitrus Renfroe, 5-2.

Ridge Riley Award winner: Morgan McIntosh, 197 pounds.

Referees: Mike Millward, Jim Rivello.

Attendance: 6,419.

Takedowns: Michigan State 2; Penn State 47.

Records: Michigan State 1-14, 1-8 Big Ten; Penn State 15-0, 9-0.

Next match: Penn State hosts Oklahoma State in NWCA National Dual Series Championship, 5 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 21.

 

No. 1 Penn State 28

No. 6 Lehigh 9

(Feb. 12 at Bethlehem)

125: No. 4 Nico Megaludis, PSU, dec. No. 13 Darian Cruz, 7-1.

133: No. 5 Jordan Conaway, PSU, dec. Mason Beckman, 8-2.

141: No. 18 Randy Cruz, L, dec. No. 14 Jimmy Gulibon, 4-0.

149: No. 1 Zain Retherford, PSU, maj. dec. Laike Gardner, 8-0.

157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, pinned Ian Brown, 1:23.

165: No. 17 Shakur Rasheed, PSU, dec. Drew Longo, 10-8.

174: No. 1 Bo Nickal, PSU, maj. dec. Gordon Wolf, 14-6.

184: No. 3 Nathaniel Brown, L, dec. No. 6 Morgan McIntosh, 6-0.

197: No. 1 Morgan McIntosh, PSU, won by tech. fall over No. 17 John Bolich, 16-0 (4:43).

285: No. 14 Max Wessell, dec. Nick Nevills, 5-4.

Attendance: 5,909 (Lehigh record).

Referee: Ryan Hagen, Gary Kessell.

Takedowns: Penn State 17; Lehigh 8.

Records: Penn State 14-0, 8-0 Big Ten; Lehigh 12-2.