The dual began at 125 where senior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 125, dominated Brenden Calas in a 20-5 technical fall at the 7:00 mark (with 3:47 in riding time). Senior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 133, was equally dominant at 133, posting an 18-4 major decision with 2:36 riding time, putting Penn State up 9-0. Sophomore Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) took to the mat again at 141 and posted a 13-6 win over Paul Kirchner.
Sophomore Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, fought off a valiant effort from No. 14 B.J. Clagon to post a 2-1 win using 1:52 in riding time. Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 157, closed out the first half a dominating 18-7 major over No. 20 Chad Walsh. That victory gave the Nittany Lions a 19-0 lead at intermission.
Red-shirt freshman Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) then struck like lighting, pinning No. 15 Conor Brennan late in the second period. Rasheed turned a double leg into a headlock and throw for the fall at the 4:28 mark to put Penn State up 25-0. Red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 5 at 174, was equally quick, turning a reversal to start the second period into a pin of Wayne Stinson. Nickal chose down to start the second, reversed and pinned the Bronc in just eight seconds, getting the fall at the 3:08 mark. The pin was Nickal's fifth of the year.
Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 184, posted a 3-0 win over Mike Fagg-Daves at 184 and senior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 1 at 197, majored Ryan Wolfe 10-1 to put Penn State up 38-0. At 285, junior Caleb Livingston (Drexel Hill, Pa.) stepped up to heavyweight in his Penn State dual meet debut but dropped a 17-6 major decision.
Penn State is now 6-0 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten while Rider falls to 3-4, 0-1 in the EWL. Penn State posted a lop-sided 30-8 edge in takedowns and picked up 11 bonus points off two pins, a tech fall and three majors. A capacity crowd of 1,800 standing room only fans filled Rider's Alumni Gymnasium.
The Nittany Lions' next action will be on Jan. 1-2, 2016, when the team heads to Chattanooga looking for its sixth straight Southern Scuffle title. Penn State's next home dual is on Friday, Jan. 15, when it hosts Nebraska at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. With the remaining Rec Hall duals already at seated capacity, a limited number of Standing Room Only tickets (SROs) can be purchased for each of those duals as well. Rec Hall SROs may only be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY and are $15 per person. A few limited tickets remain for the second BJC Dual, the Feb. 5 date against Ohio State. Fans can purchase those tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY as well. BJC Dual tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for students.
Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The 2015-16 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
Results:
125: #4 Nico Megaludis PSU tech fall Brenden Calas RID, 20-5 (TF; 7:00) / 5-0
133: #6 Jordan Conaway PSU maj. dec. Zach Valcarce RID, 18-4 / 9-0
141: Kade Moss PSU dec. Paul Kirchner RID, 13-6 / 12-0
149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU dec. #14 B.J. Clagon RID, 2-1 / 15-0
157: #3 Jason Nolf PSU maj. dec. #20 Chad Walsh RID, 18-7 / 19-0
165: Shakur Rasheed PSU pinned #15 Conor Brennan RID, WBF (4:28) / 25-0
174: #5 Bo Nickal PSU pinned Wayne Stinson RID, WBF (3:08) / 31-0
184: #13 Matt McCutcheon PSU dec. Mike Fagg-Daves RID, 3-0 / 34-0
197: #1 Morgan McIntosh PSU maj. dec. Ryan Wolfe RID, 10-1 / 38-0
285: Mauro Correnti RID maj. dec. Caleb Livingston PSU, 17-6 / 38-4
Attendance: 1,800
Records: Penn State 6-0, 1-0 B1G; Rider 3-4, 0-1 EWL
Up Next for Penn State: at Southern Scuffle, Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 1-2, 2016
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Senior All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 125, faced off against Rider's Brenden Calas. Megaludis got in on a quick single on the edge of the mat, pulling Calas into the big white circle on the Rider mat and picked up the takedown at the 2:14 mark. Calas called for an injury timeout immediately, stopping the action. Megaludis chose neutral on the reset and began working for a second takedown right away. The Lion picked up the second takedown and led 4-0 midway through the period. Megaludis controlled the action from the top position for well over a minute, trying to turn Calas for back points. Calas was able to keep parallel and Megaludis led 4-0 after one period. Calas chose bottom to start the second period and Megaludis once again went to work on top. Megaludis cut Calas loose to a 4-1 score and then immediately worked his way in for a third takedown and a 6-2 lead after Calas escaped. Megaludis tacked on one more takedown and two near fall points to lead 10-2 after two periods. Megaludis chose neutral to start the final period, tacked on a takedown quickly and clinched a riding time point with top control. After cutting Calas loose at the 1:10 mark, Megaludis picked up a point on a second stall to lead 13-3 then took Calas down for a 15-3 lead with :50 left to wrestle. Looking for a tech fall, Megaludis upped his lead to 17-4 after cutting Calas loose then with just five seconds left, picked up the tech with a takedown and ride out. 3:47 in riding time gave the Lion senior the 20-5 tech fall at the 7:00 mark.
133: Senior All-American Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 133, met Rider sophomore Zach Valcarce. Conaway was aggressive out of the gates, forcing Valcarce to the edge of the mat and into an early stall warning. He continued his offensive pressure, taking the Bronc down with a strong high single to lead 2-0 with just under 2:00 left in the opening period. Conaway rolled Valcarce to his back for two near fall points to up his lead to 4-1 after cutting Valcarce loose. Conaway countered a Valcarce shot to lead 6-1 with :50 on the clock. Conaway controlled the action from the top position for the rest of the period and led 6-1 with 1:44 riding time after one. Conaway chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. Conaway turned a low double into a scramble and picked up the takedown with 1:06 on the clock. He cut Valcarce loose to a 9-2 score. Conaway used a fast head-outside single to take the Bronc down at the end of the period to lead 11-2 with 1:53 in time after two. Valcarce chose down to start the third and Conaway immediately turned him for two back points. He reset and then cut the Bronc loose to lead 13-3 with 1:22 left. Conaway continued to force Valcarce to the outside circle, taking a 15-4 lead with a takedown and cut at the :50 mark. Conaway added another takedown and 2:36 riding time to roll to the 18-4 major.
141: Sophomore Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) took on Bronc Paul Kirchner at 141. Moss used a fast body lock at the 2:10 mark to take Kirchner down and nearly to his back for an early 2-0 lead. The Nittany Lion sophomore controlled the action from the top position for :26 before the Bronc escaped to a 2-1 score. Moss fought for control of Kirchner's shoulders for the next minute and then lifted the Bronc off the mat and took him down to his back for another takedown and four near fall points to lead 8-1. A ride out allowed the Lion to carry that lead into the second period. Moss chose neutral to start the second period and immediately took Kirchner down again for a takedown and a 10-1 lead. Kirchner escaped to a 10-2 lead with :35 on the clock. Leading 10-2 after two periods, Kirchner chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 10-3 score. After clinching the riding time point, Moss tripped Kirchner to the mat for a 12-4 lead with :20 left. Kirchner added a final takedown but 2:10 in riding time gave Moss a 13-6 decision.
149: Sophomore All-American Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, met No. 14 B.J. Clagon in the one of three bouts featuring ranked wrestlers. Clagon opened up the match with a swift double leg that nearly ended in a takedown. But Retherford was able to force a stalemate and action resumed in the center circle with the bout scoreless. Clagon almost connected on another shot with 1:46 on the clock and Retherford once again forced a stalemate. Retherford forced a third stalemate on a potentially dangerous call as Clagon continued to set the tempo throughout the opening period. Clagon fought off a late Retherford shot and action moved to the second period scoreless. Clagon chose down to start the second period and Retherford made the Bronc pay. A smothering ride as Retherford worked to turn the Bronc over allowed the Lion sophomore to build up a solid riding time edge as he rode the Bronc out until Clagon escaped with :07 left. Trailing 1-0, Retherford chose down to start the third period and Clagon cut him loose to a 1-1 tie. Retherford got in on a low single, working to pull Clagon in from the edge of the mat for a takedown but Clagon worked his way out of bounds. Retherford clinched the riding time point and action resumed in the center circle. Retherford used 1:52 in riding time to post the hard fought 2-1 win.
157: Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 157, faced off against No. 20 Chad Walsh. Nolf scored quickly, shooting low for control of Walsh's legs and taking a 2-0 lead with 1:48 on the clock. Walsh escaped to a 2-1 score and tried to catch Nolf with a headlock, but the Lion fought the move off and then blazed through a fast low double to up his lead to 4-2 after a Walsh escape. Walsh fought off a late Nolf shot and the Lion led 4-2 after one period. Walsh chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 4-3 lead with 1:15 left in the middle stanza. The Lion sophomore used another low double to up his lead to 6-4 at the :30 mark, cutting Walsh loose. Leading 6-4, Nolf chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 7-4 lead with 1:27 in riding time. The duo battled for shoulder control for the first minute before Nolf shot low and blew through a double leg for another takedown and a 9-4 lead with :40 left to wrestle. Walsh escaped quickly to a 9-5 score with a clinched riding time point and Nolf tacked on a quick takedown and cut to lead 11-6. The final 30 seconds were all Nolf as the Lion freshman added another late takedown and four back points. 1:47 in riding time gave Nolf the dominating 18-7 major.
165: Red-shirt freshman Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) met senior No. 15 Conor Brennan at 165 in one of the dual's most anticipated match-ups. The duo battled evenly for the opening minute-plus with Rasheed trying to set the pace and Brennan fighting off the early Rasheed shots. Rasheed's offense, however, was relentless early as the Lion used a solid double leg to take a 2-0 lead at the 1:20 mark. Brennan escaped to a 2-1 score and action resumed in the center circle. Brennen drove through a double leg takedown ad the :05 mark to steal away a 3-2 lead after the opening period. Rasheed chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-3 tie. Rasheed then struck like lightning, turning a double leg, then a headlock and throw into a stunning pin. The red-shirt freshman got the fall over the fifth-year senior at the 4:28 mark.
174: Red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 5 at 174, took on Wayne Stinson. Nickal struck quickly as well, taking the Bronc down for a 2-0 lead. He continued his work on top on the edge of the mat, locking up a cradle for four near fall points and a 6-0 lead before action moved out of bounds. Nickal tacked on four more back points off the reset to lead 10-0, reset, and rode Stinson out to lead 10-0 with 1:51 in riding time. Nickal chose down to start the second period, and, like Rasheed, was lightning quick. He reversed Stinson in just seconds and rolled the Bronc to his shoulders for a pin in eight seconds. The fall came at the 3:08 mark.
184: Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 184, took on Rider junior Mike Fagg-Daves. McCutcheon was steady out of the blocks, setting the tempo and forcing Fagg-Daves to the outside circle for the bout's initial minute-plus. His offense led to an initial takedown and a 2-0 lead with :55 left in the first period. The Lion sophomore controlled the action from the top position and rode the Bronc out. McCutcheon chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. The Lion then fought off a solid Fagg-Daves shot, working his way out of bounds to keep his lead static and force a reset with 1:30 on the clock. The duo battled evenly for the rest of the period and McCutcheon led 3-0 after two periods. Fagg-Daves chose neutral to start the final stanza. McCutcheon fought off one Fagg-Daves shot as the bout ended and posted the 3-0 win.
197: Senior All-American Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 1 at 197, met Ryan Wolfe. The wrestlers worked through two minutes of scoreless action before McIntosh nearly broke into the scoring column with a fast low single. Wolfe fought off McIntosh's first effort, but the Lion senior continued to pressure Wolfe and used a low single to double to take a 2-1 lead after a quick Wolfe escape. Trailing 2-1, Wolfe chose down to start the second stanza. McIntosh broke the Bronc down, working his way into a chance to turn the Bronc for back points. McIntosh nearly turned the Bronc once, reset after a brief struggle and then picked up four near fall points during his ride out to lead 6-1 after two. McIntosh chose down to start the final period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 7-1 lead at the 1:40 mark. McIntosh dove through a low single to up his lead to 9-1 with a clinched riding time point. He then went to work on top, riding Wolfe out for the 10-1 major with 2:28 in riding time.
285: Junior Caleb Livingston (Drexel Hill, Pa.) stepped up to heavyweight and faced off against sophomore Mauro Correnti at 285. Correnti notched the bout's first takedown early to lead 2-0 with just :15 off the clock. Livingston worked his way to an escape and a 2-1 score at the 1:55 mark. Correnti took a 4-1 lead with a solid single leg. Livingston worked on bottom for :30 and then notched a reversal to cut the Bronc lead to 4-3. Correnti escaped to a 5-3 score with :30 on the clock and action resumed in the center circle. Correnti blew through a solid double leg to up his lead to 7-3 with :08 left in the opening period. Livingston chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 7-4 score. Correnti notched another takedown and led 9-5 after a Livingston escape. Correnti added one more takedown to lead 11-5 after two periods. Correnti chose down to start the third period but Livingston was solid on top, putting together a strong ride for over a minute before Correnti reversed the Lion to a 14-5 lead (including a technical violation). Correnti added a final takedown and posted the 17-6 win with 1:08 in riding time.
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