UNIVERSITY PARK — The Penn State wrestling team made an emphatic statement in front of 15,983 fans Feb. 5 in the sold-out Bryce Jordan Center.
The No. 1 Nittany Lions remained undefeated and sent a clear message to defending NCAA champion Ohio State that they want the trophy that Ohio State won in 2015, the one that Penn State owned from 2011 to 2014.
The Nittany Lions (13-0, 8-0 Big Ten) won six of 10 bouts, including three of five considered tossups, to turn away the Buckeyes (9-3, 6-2), 24-14.
In three of those tossup bouts — 133, 174 and 184 — Penn State’s conditioning seemed to be the difference.
“Obviously, we’ve got to get in better shape in some weight classes. We came in and thought we probably needed to win six matches to win the dual,” Ohio State coach Tom Ryan said after a long, contemplative pause.
“We were in position at 174 to win. You’re up and looking at the clock with a minute to go. Just a young freshman that has just not been in many of these wars, this kind of raucous environment. He just needs to know where he is, stay in good position and score there. They just outworked us in some critical moments in some big matches.”
Speaking in general terms, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson seemed to confirm Ryan’s observations.
“We’re confident in our conditioning. We keep wrestling and keep scoring points. That’s an attitude and conditioning comes along with that attitude. Conditioning will always be a factor for us.”
The marquee bout of the night came at 125 pounds in the first of three consecutive swing matches. Top-ranked Nathan Tomasello, the undefeated Buckeye riding a 33-match winning streak that included his run to the title as a freshman, was paired with three-time All-American and fourth-ranked Nico Megaludis.
The match delivered on its promise, but it took a while. It was tied, 1-1, with less than 30 seconds left. Megaludis dropped in on a low single. As he was trying to improve his position, Tomasello forced him to his hip. The Buckeye sophomore used the opening to power behind with 12 seconds to go for the counter takedown and a 3-1 win.
“Nathan’s really powerful. That’s a great match between two great wrestlers. We have the utmost respect for Megaludis. What a competitor. They have much different styles. We scored when we needed to. He had a nice shot on us. We stayed patient and he felt the pressure release a little and he kind of crunched him there,” Ryan said.
“Nathan rerouted his head and then used his power. Nathan’s a kid who can deadlift 450 pounds, so 125 doesn’t feel like much.”
The Buckeyes looked well on their way to another win in the early going at 133.
Johnni DiJulius converted a single midway through the period and turned Jordan Conaway for two nearfall points to open a 4-0 lead. Conaway, though, escaped late in the period and converted a quick high crotch for a takedown with a second to go to cut the lead to 4-3.
Conaway chose bottom to start the second, escaped, converted another takedown and rode DiJulius, who appeared to be tiring. Conaway coaxed a second warning for stalling and earned a point for a 7-4 lead after two.
DiJulius chose bottom to start the third and Conway kept him there, turning a 1:22 deficit in riding time after the first period into a 1:44 advantage at the final whistle for a riding-time point and a key 8-4 decision.
“That was huge. He was down four points early, but he’s a fighter and he’s going to keep wrestling the whole time,” Sanderson said. “That was a big match looking at it match by match going into the dual. If we don’t win that match, it’s a lot tougher.”
Conaway said the key to overcoming the 4-0 deficit was not panicking.
“Score the next point, stay composed and keep wrestling,” the fifth-ranked senior said of his thoughts after falling behind. “ The biggest thing is staying composed and looking to score points.”
In another swing bout, at 141, Penn State’s 14th-ranked Jimmy Gulibon scored a takedown in the first, but fourth-ranked Micah Jordan outscored him 6-1 the rest of the way for a 6-3 decision.
Ohio State led 6-3 but Ryan admitted it wasn’t enough.
“We thought we needed the first three. We knew 174 was going to be a tough one with Nickal and 184. If we get the first three … ,” he said.
With Penn State’s two young studs — No. 1 149-pounder Zain Retherford and No. 1 157-pounder Jason Nolf — up next, most people in the building knew the Ohio State lead wouldn’t last long.
It didn’t.
Retherford took down Buckeye backup Sal Marandino three times before turning him and getting a fall in 2:30. Then, at 157, Nolf turned an 8-4 second-period lead on Jake Ryan into a 19-6 major decision despite the match being delayed several minutes in the third for Ryan to undergo concussion protocol.
Sanderson vocalized what wrestling fans nationwide have come to learn about Nolf.
“Nolf’s fun to watch wrestle and he’s tough to wrestle. He likes to try all kinds of different things. When he needs to go score a point, he can go score a point,” he said.
Penn State led 13-6 at the intermission, but that lead shrank at 165 where the Buckeyes’ second-ranked Bo Jordan edged unranked Geno Morelli, 3-2.
That set up the two remaining swing bouts, at 174 and 184. Penn State took them both.
The Nittany Lions’ top-ranked Bo Nickal trailed No. 14 Myles Martin 2-1 at the start of the third when Martin turned him for a two-point nearfall and a 4-1 lead. Nickal then turned up the intensity, outscoring him 10-1 the rest of the way for an 11-5 decision.
At 184, ninth-ranked Matt McCutcheon avenged two losses to No. 13 Kenny Courts from a year ago, including the quarterfinals of the NCAA championships, with a dominating 4-0 win. McCutcheon used a first-period takedown, second-period escape and a point for 2:02 riding-time advantage for the win.
“It felt good. He got the better of me last year. It’s exciting to go out there and get a win,” McCutcheon said. “I thought about that (NCAA quarterfinal) loss for a long time. I’ll take the good, move on and take the bad and learn from it.”
With Penn State winning, 19-9, all that remained was a lopsided win for each team. Top-ranked Nittany Lion 197-pounder Morgan McIntosh amassed 10 takedowns in a 24-9 technical fall over Josh Fox.
At heavyweight, the Buckeyes’ second-ranked Kyle Snyder rolled up 10 takedowns in a 24-9 technical fall in Jan Johnson in just four minutes.
Even after his team had absorbed a tough loss, Ryan was able to express his appreciation for the atmosphere of the night and the rivalry between his Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions.
“I love this state. I love the fans. It’s just great for the sport,” he said. “I would go on record as saying hiring Cael was the greatest hire of any institution in the history of college sports, so we have tremendous respect for him. They’re gonna be a team that we have to beat and we’re excited about it, we’re excited about this environment.”
Penn State returns to action at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, when it wrestles at Lehigh. The Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley for a 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, match with Michigan State.
No. 1 Penn State 24
No. 9 Ohio State 14
(Feb. 5 at University Park)
125: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello, OSU, dec. No. 4 Nico Megaludis, 3-1
133: No. 5 Jordan Conaway, PSU, dec. No. 10 Johnni DiJulius, 8-4
141: No. 4 Micah Jordan, OSU, dec. No. 14 Jimmy Gulibon, 6-3
149: No. 1 Zain Retherford, PSU, pinned Sal Marandino, 2:30
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, maj. dec. Jake Ryan, 19-6
165: No. 2 Bo Jordan, OSU, dec. Geno Morelli, 3-2
174: No. 1 Bo Nickal, PSU, dec. No. 14 Myles Martin, 11-5
184: No. 9 Matt McCutcheon, PSU, dec. No. 13 Kenny Courts, 4-0
197: No. 1 Morgan McIntosh, PSU, won by tech. fall over Josh Fox, 24-9 (7:00)
285: No. 2 Kyle Snyder, OSU, won by tech. fall over Jan Johnson, 24-9 (4:00)
Ridge Riley Award winner: Matt McCutcheon, 184 pounds
Referees: Jeff Cooke, Gary Kessell
Attendance: 15,983
Takedowns: Ohio State 19; Penn State 26
Records: Ohio State 9-3, 6-2 Big Ten; Penn State 13-0, 8-0
Next match: Penn State at Lehigh, 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12
