The dual began at 125, where No. 12 Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) downed Scott Parker 4-3 to put Penn State up 3-0 early on.. No. 8 Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.) then thrilled the SRO crowd with a dominating 8-3 win over No. 2 Mason Beckman at 133. Gulibon used a swift four-point move at the end of the first period and a late second period takedown to roll to victory. Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) made his Penn State dual debut at 141 but dropped a tough 8-2 decision to Lehigh's Randy Cruz.
Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 149, put Penn State up 9-3 with a dominating 8-2 win over Lehigh's Drew Longo. Red-shirt freshman Cody Law (Windber, Pa.) made his Lion dual debut at 157 against LU's Dylan Milonas. Milonas used a 1:33 riding time edge to post a 2-1 win and cut Penn State's lead to 9-6 at intermission.
Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) also made his dual debut at 165 and posted a strong 8-3 win over Lehigh's Santiago Martinez to put Penn State up 12-6. Two-time All-American Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, doubled Penn State's lead with a strong second period pin (4:01) of LU's Marshall Peppleman. The fall put Penn State up 18-6. Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.) made his Penn State debut at 184, taking on No. 3 Nate Brown. Brown was strong, posting a 10-2 major over the Lion freshman and cutting Penn State's lead to 18-10.
All-American Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 4 at 197, posted a thrilling 4-3 win over No. 18 Elliott Riddick at 197 to put Penn State up 21-10. Senior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 7 at 285, closed out the strong team performance with a 3-1 win over Doug Vollaro, to finalize the dual meet at 24-10 Penn State.
Penn State had four wrestlers making their dual meet debuts, all red-shirt freshmen. The Nittany Lions won the takedown battle by a close 12-8 margin. Each team had one bonus point decision, Brown's pin at 174 for Penn State and Brown's major at 184 for Lehigh. Penn State is now 1-0, 0-0 B1G, while Lehigh falls to 1-1. Penn State continues dual meet action in two weeks, visiting Pittsburgh on Friday, Nov. 21, for a 7 p.m. dual wrestled at Pitt's Peterson Events Center. Penn State then treks to Clarion on Saturday, Nov. 22, for a 7 p.m. dual as well. A limited number of SRO tickets are available for select Penn State Rec Hall dual meets, although the SROs for the Lehigh dual are sold out. For ticket inquiries, call 1-800-NITTANY. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2014-15 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Results:
125: #12 Jordan Conaway PSU dec. Scott Parker LEH, 4-3 3-0
133: #8 Jimmy Gulibon PSU dec. #2 Mason Beckman LEH, 8-3 6-0
141: Randy Cruz LEH dec. Kade Moss PSU, 8-2 6-3
149: #16 Zack Beitz PSU dec. Drew Longo LEH, 8-2 9-3
157: Dylan Milonas LEH dec. Cody Law PSU, 2-1 9-6
165: Garett Hammond PSU dec. Santiago Martinez LEH, 8-3 12-6
174: #3 Matt Brown PSU pinned Marshall Peppleman LEH, WBF (4:01) 18-6
184: #3 Nate Brown LEH maj. dec. Matt McCutcheon PSU, 10-2 18-10
197: #4 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. #18 Elliott Riddick LEH, 4-3 21-10
285: #7 Jon Gingrich PSU dec. Doug Vollaro LEH, 3-1 24-10
Attendance: 6,237 (20th straight home sell out)
Records: Penn State 1-0, 0-0 B1G; Lehigh 1-1
Up Next for Penn State: at #18 Pittsburgh, Friday, Nov. 21, Peterson Events Center, 7 p.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 125, took on Scott Parker. The duo battled evenly for half the opening period before blood time stopped action at the 1:38 mark. Conaway forced Parker back towards the outside circle for the last minute-plus, looking to score on a low single. But Parker's defense kept the bout scoreless through one period. Parker chose down to start the second period and quickly reversed Conaway for a 2-0 lead. The Lion junior escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 and action resumed in the center circle. Conaway forced Parker into a first stall and trailed 2-1 after two periods. Conaway chose down to start the third period but Parker maintained control for the first :30-plus seconds. Conaway escaped at the 1:15 mark with Parker having only :50 in riding time to tie the bout at 2-2. With :41 on the clock, Conaway used a slick duck under single to take Parker down and open up a 4-2 lead. The Lion then rode Parker until the :07 mark and, after the escape, posted the 4-3 win.
133: Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 133, met No. 2 Mason Beckman in one of the dual's most anticipated match-ups. Beckman took Gulibon down quickly to open up a 2-0 lead just :21 into the bout. Gulibon escaped but not until Beckman had built up a 1:22 riding time edge. The Nittany Lion sophomore nearly scored on a late takedown but Beckman was able to back out of trouble and keep his one point lead with :30 on the clock. The Lion continued to pressure the second-ranked Mountain Hawk and his efforts paid off with a Late flurry. With just seconds left in the opening stanza, Gulibon took Beckman to his back and picked up two near fall points to lead 5-2 after a furious first period. The Nittany Lion chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to open up a 6-2 lead. The Lion continued to pressure Beckman for the rest of the period and tacked on one more takedown to lead 8-2 after two. Beckman chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to an 8-3 Gulibon lead. The duo battled evenly for the final minute-plus and Gulibon thrilled the sold out Rec Hall crowd with a convincing and dominating 8-3 win over the second-ranked Beckman.
141: Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) made his Penn State dual meet debut at 141 against Lehigh's Randy Cruz. Cruz got the first takedown of the bout at the 2:22 mark to take an early lead. Cruz then turned Moss for three back points and a 5-0 lead at the :40 mark. A strong Cruz ride out gave the Mountain Hawk a 5-0 lead with 2:12 in riding time after the opening period. Moss chose neutral to start the second period and stepped up the offensive tempo, forcing his LU foe to the outside circle for two minutes but not breaking through Cruz's strong defense. Leading 5-0 with 2:22 in riding time, Cruz chose down to start the final period. He quickly escaped to a 6-0 lead and action resumed in the center circle. Moss gained control of Cruz's shoulders and worked him to the mat for his first takedown, cutting the lead to 6-2 with 1:05 on the clock. Moss let Cruz escaped to a 7-2 score and began looking for another takedown. Cruz got in on a high single with :30 left, looking for a takedown and a major. But Moss was able to fight off the effort and secure the regular decision. Cruz posted the 8-2 win and cut Penn State's dual lead to 6-3.
149: Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 149, met LU's Drew Longo. Beitz wasted no time in taking a lead, using a fast low double to score on the edge of the mat less than :20 into the bout. Beitz then controlled Longo from the top, forcing the Hawk into a stall warning while looking for a chance to turn him for back points. Longo got called for a second stall, giving Beitz a 3-0 lead with :20 left in the first. Beitz chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-0 lead, with over 2:30 in riding time. Longo tried to score on a low single but Beitz deftly fought off the move to force a reset. The Lion sophomore then blew through a high double, finishing off the move at the :55 mark to take a 6-0 lead. Another strong Beitz ride out gave the Lion a 6-0 lead with 3:36 in riding time, a clinched bonus point. Beitz shot low of a reset with 1:30 on the clock, working for a major. But Longo fought off the move to keep the score static. Longo posted his first takedown with :50 left and Beitz quickly escaped, making the score 7-2. Beitz worked for one final takedown, trying to post the major. But Longo kept the Lion sophomore from scoring. Still, 3:37 in riding time gave Beitz a convincing 8-2 win.
157: Red-shirt freshman Cody Law (Windber, Pa.) made his Penn State dual meet debut at 157, battling Lehigh's Dylan Milonas. The duo came out fast, with each man looking to score early. The fast tempo carried on for the full first period but neither man could find an opening to score and the bout moved to the second knotted in a scoreless tie. Milonas chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Another two minutes with a takedown and Law trailed 1-0 heading into the final period. Law chose down to start the third period but could not break free of a strong Milonas ride. The Mountain Hawk controlled the action long enough to build up over a 1:00 riding time edge. Law escaped to a 1-1 tie with :20 left but the riding time point would be the different. The 1:33 time edge gave Milonas a 2-1 win.
165: Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) made his Penn State dual meet debut at 165, facing off against Mountain Hawk Santiago Martinez. Hammond scored quickly, aggressively shooting low and connecting on a single leg to takedown right away. Martinez quickly escaped and action resumed in the center circle with Hammond leading 2-1. Hammond nearly connected on another shot but Martinez was able to fight off the move and keep the score at 2-1 after the opening stanza. Martinez chose down to start the second period but Hammond was strong on top, building up well over 1:00 in riding time. Martinez escaped to tie the bout at 2-2 but Hammond had 1:22 in riding time after two periods. Hammond chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. The Lion freshman then added a takedown to lead 5-3 after a quick Martinez escape with :40 on the clock. Hammond added one more takedown at the buzzer and, with 1:45 in riding time, posted the strong 8-3 win.
174: Senior All-American Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, met Lehigh's Marshall Peppleman. The Lion senior set the tempo early, forcing Peppleman to the mat for a takedown with just over 1:00 to wrestle. Brown then dominated the action from the top, riding Peppleman out to lead 2-0 with 1:18 in time after one. Brown chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He rolled through another takedown and led 5-0 before sending Peppleman to his back for a second period pin. The fall, at the 4:01 mark, put the Nittany Lions up 18-6 with three bouts left to wrestle.
184: Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.) made his Penn State dual meet debut at 184 and took on No. 3 Nate Brown of Lehigh. The young Lion battled Brown through an even first two minutes before Brown turned a low single into a takedown and a 2-0 lead with 1:07 left. Brown rode McCutcheon out to lead 2-0 with over 1:00 riding time after one. Brown chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. McCutcheon nearly connected on a takedown with 1:00 on the clock but Brown was able to fight off the move. The Mountain Hawk then connected on his second takedown to take a 5-0 lead with :30 left in the period. McCutcheon, trailing 5-0 after two, chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 5-1 score. McCutcheon continued to look for openings but Brown countered a high single for another takedown and upped his lead to 7-1 with 1:04 on the clock. McCutcheon escaped to an 8-2 score but Brown was able to secure bonus points with a late takedown and, with 2:07 in riding time, post a 10-2 major.
197: Junior All-American Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 4 at 197, battled LU's Elliott Riddick, ranked No. 18. The talented junior tandem battled evenly for the first three minutes, with neither wrestler finding an opening to score. After three even minutes, the match moved to the second period tied 0-0. Riddick chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. McIntosh looked to control the action from the middle of the mat. He forced Riddick to the outside circle and nearly got a takedown but the Mountain Hawk was able to slip out of bounds to maintain his 1-0 lead. Riddick dove low off a reset and connected on a low double to take a 3-1 lead after a quick McIntosh escape. Trailing by one, McIntosh chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 3-2 deficit. He continued to pressure the Mountain Hawk grappler, forcing him backwards and into a second stall warning and tying the bout at 3-3 with 1:20. McIntosh continued to force Riddick backwards and the Hawk picked up another stall, giving McIntosh a 4-3 lead with :35 on the clock. McIntosh fought off a Riddick single leg to keep his one point lead with :15 left and, courtesy three stalls, posted the 4-3 victory.
285: Senior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 7 at 285, tangled with Lehigh's Doug Vollaro. The duo battled evenly out of the games with Gingrich shooting from the center circle and Vollaro looking to counter. Neither wrestler was able to connect for the full three minutes and action moved to the second period tied 0-0. Gingrich chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Gingrich shot low on Vollaro, the Hawk big man countered nicely, but Gingrich worked through the counter to notch the bout's first takedown and up his lead to 3-0 at the :27 mark. A short ride out gave the Lion senior a 3-0 lead after two periods. Vollaro chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-1 score with 1:41 on the clock (Gingrich had :47 in riding time). Action resumed in the center circle. Gingrich continued to press the action but Vollaro was able to step out of the Lion's reach after each shot. Gingrich's solid 3-1 win gave Penn State the 24-10 final victory.
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