The dual meet featured 17 ranked wrestlers as Nebraska's line-up featured 10, yet Penn State still controlled the action, forcing Nebraska into ten stall warnings. The match was Penn State's first at home since Dec. 13 and first in Rec Hall since the season opener on Nov. 13.
The dual began at 125 where No. 4 Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) notched two takedowns and posted 1:36 in riding time to down No. 9 Tim Lambert. Senior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 133, then opened up an early lead and posted a strong 5-3 decision over No. 12 Eric Montoya to give Penn State an early 6-0 lead.. Nebraska got on the board when No. 20 Anthony Abidin downed sophomore Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) 4-1 at 141.
Sophomore Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, continued his strong season with a dominating 12-3 major over No. 5 Jake Sueflohn. Retherford notched five takedowns and rolled up 3:17 in riding time to put Penn State up 10-3. Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 157, closed out the dual's first half with a furious 19-3 technical fall over No. 17 Tyler Berger. The lopsided win gave Penn State a 15-3 lead at intermission.
Junior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.) got the nod at 165 and nearly upset No. 14 Austin Wilson. Wilson used a late escape and 1:16 in riding time to post a 3-2 win and cut the Lion lead to 15-6. Red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 174, turned two takedowns and multiple stall points into a lop-sided 10-3 win over No. 14 Micah Barnes. Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 184, returned to action for the first time since early in the Southern Scuffle. The Lion roared back from a late deficit to beat No. 5 TJ Dudley 8-7. McCutcheon used two late third period takedowns, including one with just one second left, to grab the victory.
Senior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 1 at 197, collected a hard-fought 2-1 (TB) win over No. 16 Aaron Studebaker to put Penn State up 24-6 and inch closer to the 100 win mark with 99 for his career to date. Wes Phipps (Grove City, Pa.), wrestling for the first time after missing all last year and the first half of this season with an injury, moved up to 285 for the first time in his career and dropped a tough 9-1 major to No. 17 Collin Jensen to close out the dual.
Penn State is now 9-0, 4-0 in the Big Ten, while Nebraska falls to 9-2, 3-2 in the conference. The Nittany Lions got bonus points from Retherford with a major over No. 5 Sueflohn and 197 and Nolf with his tech fall over No. 17 Berger at 157. Penn State left the dual with a wide 18-5 takedown margin as well.
The Nittany Lions leave tomorrow morning once again and will visit No. 25 Northwestern on Sunday for a 2 p.m. (Eastern)/1 p.m. (Central) dual in Evanston, Ill. Penn State's next home meet will be February 5th's 6 p.m. BJC Dual against Ohio State. 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 limited number of tickets to Penn State's second BJC Dual, Feb. 5 vs. Ohio State, are available but disappearing fast. BJC Dual tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for youth (12-and-under) and can be purchased via www.GoPSUsports.com/accountmanager or by calling 1-800-NITTANY
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.
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Results:
125: #4 Nico Megaludis PSU dec. #9 Tim Lambert NEB, 8-5 / 3-0
133: #5 Jordan Conaway PSU dec. #12 Eric Montoya NEB, 5-3 / 6-0
141: # 20 Anthony Abidin NEB dec. Kade Moss PSU, 4-1 / 6-3
149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU maj. dec. #5 Jake Sueflohn NEB, 12-3 / 10-3
157: #3 Jason Nolf PSU tech fall #17 Tyler Berger NEB, 19-3 (TF; 7:00) / 15-3
165: #14 Austin Wilson NEB dec. Geno Morelli PSU, 3-2 / 15-6
174: #1 Bo Nickal PSU dec. #14 Micah Barnes NEB, 10-3 / 18-6
184: #13 Matt McCutcheon PSU dec. #5 TJ Dudley NEB, 8-7 / 21-6
197: #1 Morgan McIntosh PSU 2-1 dec. #16 Aaron Studebaker NEB, 2-1 (TB) / 24-6
285: #17 Collin Jensen NEB maj. dec. Wes Phipps PSU, 9-1 / 24-10
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Senior All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 125, took on No. 9 Tim Lambert. Megaludis spent the opening minute working Lambert's head to the mat and nearly worked his way around for a takedown at the 2:30 mark. Lambert was able to work out of trouble once, but the Lion senior worked the same move a second time and took a 2-1 lead with 1:40 on the clock. The duo battled evenly for the next :30 and Megaludis picked up another point on a second Lambert stall. Trailing 3-1, Lambert chose down to start the second period. Megaludis got dinged for a locked hands call and Lambert reversed him to take a 4-3 lead. The Lion senior then escaped to a 4-4 score with 1:20 on the clock and action resumed in the middle of the mat. Megaludis worked his way into control of a low single and Lambert forced a scramble that allowed him to work his way out of trouble. Tied 4-4, Megaludis chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 5-4 lead. He then shot once again and worked his way to a takedown and a 7-4 lead with 1:30 on the clock. Megaludis maintained control for the next minute-plus and built up a 1:02 riding time edge before getting hit with a first stall warning. Lambert managed a late escape and Megaludis rolled with an 8-5 win with 1:36 in riding time.
133: Senior All-American Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 133, met No. 12 Eric Montoya. The bout opened with each wrestler working the middle of the mat with Conaway setting the tempo in the second minute with multiple shots. Conaway connected on a high single and worked his way around for a takedown and a 2-0 lead as the opening period ended. Trailing 2-0, Montoya chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-1 score. Conaway continued to take shots and Montoya continued to step back as the second period wound down. The Lion's offensive pressure paid off with a low single to double that upped Conaway's lead to 4-1 with :40 on the clock. Conaway gave up a late reversal as he tried to turn Montoya and led 4-3 after two. Conaway chose down to start the third period and steadily worked his way to an escape at the 1:05 mark to lead 5-3. Undaunted, Conaway once again turned to offense, connecting on a low single that forced Montoya to tie things up with a stalemate with :40 to wrestle. Conaway stayed on offense for the remainder of the match and killed the clock with a late shot. Conway posted the 5-3 win.
141: Sophomore Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) took on No. 20 Anthony Abidin at 141. Abidin came out fast, turning a single leg shot into a takedown and an early 2-0 lead. Moss escaped quickly after a reset and action resumed in the middle of the mat with Moss trailing 2-1. Moss fought off two quick Abidin shots, looking to lock up upper body control. Abidin kept the Lion sophomore from setting up his offense and the bout moved to the second period with Moss trailing by one. Abidin chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Moss began to open up on offense, looking for low singles and changing his attacks. Abidin fought off solid Moss high single as the period ended and led 3-1 after two. Moss chose down to start the third period and could not break free of a solid Abidin ride. The Husker built up over 1:00 in riding time as he kept Moss from getting to his feet. A reset was called with 1:05 on the clock giving Moss an opportunity to escape, but Abidin maintained control. Abidin rode Moss out and posted the 4-1 win with 2:17 in riding time.
149: Sophomore All-American Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, battled No. 5 Jake Sueflohn. Retherford scored quickly, blowing through a high double just seconds into the match to open up a 2-0 lead. Retherford then went to work on top, building up a solid riding time edge as he controlled the Husker for over a minute before Sueflohn escaped to a 2-1 score with 1:31 on the clock. Sueflohn looked to connect on a single leg, forcing a scramble with 1:10 on the clock that ended in a stalemate with :55 left in a furious opening period. Retherford exploded through a high double as the period ended to finish on top with a 4-1 lead and 1:25 in riding time. Retherford chose down to start the second period and escaped in the first second to lead 5-1. Retherford scrambled around a slight Sueflohn shot to take the Husker down again and open up a 7-1 lead. Retherford controlled action from the top and nearly turned Sueflohn for back points. The Husker fought off the near fall attempt but Retherford rode him out to lead 7-1 with 2:50 in riding time after two periods. Sueflohn chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 7-2 score. Retherford fought off a Sueflohn shot for over a minute before a the official awarded a takedown, Retherford escaped, and then quickly called for his own review. The call was reversed and the bout continued with Retherford up 7-2 with :58 on the clock. With the riding time point clinched, Retherford took Sueflohn down once more, cut him loose to a 9-3 score and then quickly added another takedown to up his lead to 11-3. A short ride out and 3:17 in riding time gave the Lion a 12-3 major with 3:17 in riding time.
157: Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 157, took on No. 17 Tyler Berger. Nolf set the early tempo, changing levels as he looked for an opening. Multiple low shots paid off as Nolf turned a high single into a takedown and a 2-0 lead with :56 on the clock. The Lion freshman then worked from the top position until he was able to lock up Berger's shoulders and turn him to his back for four near fall points. Trailing 6-0, Berger chose down to start the second period and Nolf immediately cut him loose to a 6-1 score. Berger got hit for a stall warning with 1:30 to wrestle and Nolf continued to pressure the Husker. A fast low double led to another takedown and an 8-2 lead after Nolf cut Berger loose again. Nolf scored quickly off a reset to up his lead to 10-2 with :30 on the clock and then rode the Husker out. Leading 10-2 with 1:37 in time, Nolf chose neutral to start the third. Nolf continued to try and engage Berger and the pressure paid off as Nolf pulled a fleeing Berger back onto the mat and took a 12-3 lead with :55 on the clock (cutting him loose). Berger countered a fast Nolf shot and forced a scramble that worked the clock down to :20. Nolf turned Berger's shot into a takedown and a four point near fall. Nearly two minutes in riding time (1:57) gave Nolf the dominating 19-3 technical fall at the 7:00 mark.
165: Junior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.) met No. 14 Austin Wilson at 165. Morelli shot quickly, forcing a scramble that nearly ended in a takedown but a stalemate stopped the action with 2:25 left. Morelli then fought off a solid Wilson shot, forcing a stalemate himself at the 2:00 mark. The tandem battled evenly until Wilson looked to have a takedown as the period ended. No call was made and Nebraska challenged the call. The call stood and the bout moved to the second period scoreless. Wilson chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead quickly. Morelli and Wilson traded shots with neither wrestler breaking through. After a stalemate at the :50 mark, Morelli stepped away from a Wilson shot and tried a quick counter to no avail. The Lion then reset himself and worked his way in on a deep low single, but Wilson fought off the shot and killed the clock. Trailing 1-0, Morelli chose down to start the third period. Morelli worked for an escape but Wilson maintained control long enough to build up over 1:00 in riding time. He did get hit with a stall warning in the process. Morelli then scrambled his way to a reversal to take a 2-1 lead. Wilson managed a late escape with just :05 on the clock and with 1:16 in riding time, the Husker posted the 3-2 win with 1:16 in riding time.
174: Red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 174, wrestled No. 14 Micah Barnes. Nickal wasted no time opening up a 2-0 lead, turning a fast low single into a takedown just :24 into the bout. The top-ranked Lion freshman nearly turned Barnes for back points off a reset, adjusted his position and worked him out of bounds for another reset with 1:44 on the clock. Nickal cut Barnes loose to a 2-1 score. Nickal was unable to break through for another takedown in the period and led 2-1 with :54 in riding time after one period. Barnes chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 2-2 tie. Nickal chased Barnes down, forced him into a stall warning, then lifted him off the mat and took him down for a 4-2 lead with 1:05 on the clock. Nickal cut Barnes to a 4-3 score midway through the period and then continued to force Barnes off the mat. Nickal picked up another point when Barnes was hit for the second stall and then upped his lead to 7-3 with a quick takedown. Nickal rode Barnes out and carried the 7-3 lead with 1:22 in riding time into the third period. Nickal chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to an 8-3 lead. Nickal upped his lead to 9-3 on another Barnes stall and nearly finished off the major but time ran out and he settled for the 10-3 win with 1:07 in time.
184: Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 184, faced No. 5 TJ Dudley. McCutcheon forced a scramble early with a low shot only to be countered by Dudley at the 1:20 mark. The Lion sophomore was steady on bottom though, working his way to a quick reversal to tie the bout at 2-2 shortly after. McCutcheon then controlled the action from the top, riding Dudley out. With the bout tied 2-2, McCutcheon chose down to start the second period but Dudley was strong on top. McCutcheon was unable to break free and then gave up a point on an illegal hold. McCutcheon trailed 3-2 and was still down with a reset at the :57 mark. He escaped to a 3-3 tie shortly after the reset and action resumed in the center of the mat. McCutcheon nearly connected on a low single as the period ended but Dudley's defense killed the clock. Tied 3-3, Dudley chose down to start the third period and McCutcheon quickly cut him loose to a 4-3 deficit. McCutcheon once again worked in on a single leg but Dudley countered for his own takedown and opened up a 6-4 lead after a quick McCutcheon escape. McCutcheon shot low on Dudley, forced him into a stall and then tied the bout 6-6 with a takedown at the :30 mark. A reset was called with :23 on the clock and Dudley escaped to a 7-6 lead quickly. McCutcheon was relentless, however, and turned a low single into a late scramble. The Lion sophomore worked his way onto the top of Dudley and with just :01 on the clock picked up the takedown to post the thrilling 8-7 win.
197: Senior All-American Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 1 at 197, battled No. 16 Aaron Studebaker. McIntosh was steady, taking his time as he worked for an opening takedown as Studebaker's defense was strong. While McIntosh set the tempo, Studebaker was able to defend his way to a scoreless first period. Studebaker chose down to start the second period and McIntosh controlled the action for :44 before the Husker escaped to a 1-0 lead. McIntosh continued to try and open things up, but collar ties and backwards movement kept the Lion senior at arm's length. Trailing 1-0, McIntosh chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 1-1 tie. McIntosh countered a Studebaker shot and forced a reset with :33 on the clock with the bout tied at 1-1. Neither wrestler was able to score down the stretch and action moved into sudden victory time. McIntosh took multiple shots in the extra period but Studebaker was able to back away repeatedly and send the bout into a tiebreaker. McIntosh chose down in his :30 session and quickly escaped to a 2-1 lead. Studebaker was then down and McIntosh got hit with a first stall warning :10 into the session. He then kept control of the Husker for the final seconds and escaped with a hard-fought 2-1 (TB) win.
285: Junior Wes Phipps (Grove City, Pa.) battled No. 17 Collin Jensen at 285. Phipps, who missed all of last year and the first semester this season, wrestled for the first time and moved up from 184 to 285. Phipps got in on a high single and forced a scramble early. The ranked Husker was able to muscle his way to a stalemate with 1:54 on the clock and the bout remained scoreless. Phipps kept the pressure on the bigger Jensen early, forcing tie-ups and keeping action in the middle of the mat. Jensen took his first shot at the :50 mark but Phipps quickly worked his way out of the Husker's grip to keep things even after one period. Jensen chose down to start the second period. Phipps looked to left the Husker off the mat to maintain control but Jensen was able to counter the move and reversed the Lion for a 2-0 lead. He then turned Phipps for two near fall points and led 4-0 at the 1:15 mark. Phipps fought off another near fall attempt to stay within striking distance as the second period ended. Trailing 4-0, Phipps chose neutral to start the final period. Phipps got in on a solid single but Jensen used his size to counter the move for another takedown and a 6-0 lead with a clinched riding time point. Phipps escaped to a 6-1 score with :47 on the clock. Jensen connected on another takedown and upped his lead to 8-1 with :25 on the clock. 2:28 in riding time gave Jensen the 9-1 major.
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