Zain Retherford picked up his seventh pin in eight matches (Photo/Juan Garcia)UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (3-0, 0-0 B1G) took down visiting No. 9 Lehigh (3-1, 1-0 EIWA) in the 2016-17 BJC Dual. The Nittany Lions won seven of ten bouts, including true freshman Nick Suriano's (Paramus, N.J.) marquee win at 125. The dual was wrestled in front of one of the nation's top ten all-time dual meet crowds with over 15,000 filling the Bryce Jordan Center.
The dual began at 125, where Suriano, ranked No. 6, dominated Lehigh junior Darian Cruz, ranked No. 4. Suriano notched two takedowns and a four-point near fall to roll to a 7-0 win over the returning All-American. The loss was Cruz's first of the year. Lehigh junior Scott Parker upset sophomore Jered Cortez (Carol Stream, Ill.), ranked No. 12 at 133, rolling to a 12-4 major decision. At 141, senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 15, battled No. 3 Randy Cruz tough, nearly connecting on a late single leg to tie the bout. Cruz was able to kill the clock with a scramble and posted the 2-0 win to put Lehigh up 7-3.
Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, stayed perfect on the year with yet another pin. Retherford got the fall over Lehigh's Laike Gardner, ranked No. 9, at the 3:55 mark to put Penn State up 9-7. The pin was Retherford's seventh in eight matches this year and the 26th of his career, 16th all-time at Penn State. Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, put Penn State up 14-7 at the halftime break with a dominant 25-9 technical fall (6:39) over Kent Lane.
Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 165, extended Penn State's lead to 17-7 with a strong 10-5 win over Lehigh junior Drew Longo. Mountain Hawk Ryan Preisch., ranked No. 19, upset No. 12 Shakur Rasheed at 174, posting a 6-3 win to cut Penn State's lead to 17-10.
Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 3 at 184, clinched the dual with a fast pin of Kyle Gentile. Nickal got the first period fall at the 2:35 mark. The pin improved Nickal to 7-0 on the year with seven pins. Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked no. 13 at 197, then took care of Lehigh senior Ben Haas. McCutcheon used a four-point turn in the third period to roll to a 12-2 major and stay unbeaten on the year. Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 7 at 285, then closed out the dual with a dominating win over No. 11 Doug Vollaro. Nevills posted an 8-4 win with 2:48 in riding time to give Penn State the final 30-10 victory.
The Nittany Lions are now 3-0 on the year and have won 20 straight duals dating back to the end of the 2014-15 campaign. The crowd of 15,424 is the eighth largest wrestling dual meet in NCAA history and the sixth largest indoors. Penn State owns four of the top six NCAA indoor wrestling attendance figures, including the top three. Penn State has wrestled in front of 33 sellouts in its last 35 home duals including four in the near-16,000 seat Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are riding a streak of 30 straight sellouts in Rec Hall. Penn State roared to a 27-7 edge in takedowns. The Lions, who won seven of ten bouts, picked up nine bonus points off two pins (Retherford and Nickal), a tech fall (Nolf) and a major (McCutcheon).
Penn State hosts Binghamton in Rec Hall next Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. All Rec Hall dual meets are sold out, but a very limited number of Standing Room Only tickets can be purchased 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 2016-17 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
Results:
125: #6 Nick Suriano PSU dec. #4 Darian Cruz LEH, 7-0 / 3-0
133: Scott Parker LEH maj. dec. #12 Jered Cortez PSU, 12-4 / 3-4
141: #3 Randy Cruz LEH dec. #15 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, 2-0 / 3-7
149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU pinned #9 Laike Gardner LEH, WBF (3:55) / 9-7
157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU tech fall Kent Lane LEH, 25-9 (TF; 6:39) / 14-7
165: #10 Vincenzo Joseph PSU dec. Drew Longo LEH, 10-5 / 17-7
174:#19 Ryan Preisch LEH dec. #12 Shakur Rasheed PSU, 6-3 / 17-10
184: #3 Bo Nickal PSU pinned Kyle Gentile LEH, WBF (2:35) / 23-10
197: #13 Matt McCutcheon PSU maj. dec. Ben Haas LEH, 12-2 / 27-10
285: #7 Nick Nevills PSU dec. #11 Doug Vollaro LEH, 8-4 / 30-10
Attendance: 15,424 (33 of 35 sellouts including four duals in BJC, 30 straight sell-outs in Rec Hall)
* Attendance figures is 8th highest in NCAA history, 6th highest indoors (PSU owns four of top six indoor figures, including top three)
Records: Penn State 3-0, 0-0 B1G; Lehigh 3-1, 1-0 EIWA
Up Next for Penn State: hosts Binghamton, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2 p.m. in Rec Hall.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: True freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.), ranked No. 6 at 125, took on junior Darian Cruz, ranked No. 4, in one of the dual's most anticipated match-ups. Suriano and Cruz worked the middle of the mat for over a minute before Suriano nearly connected on a quick single. The veteran Cruz fought the move off to keep the bout scoreless at the midway point of the opening period. Tied 0-0 after one, Suriano chose down to start the second period escaped to a 1-0 lead after :41 of work. Suriano then upped his offensive pressure, notching a takedown at the 1:00 mark. He then turned Cruz to the mat, working for a fall for the last minute but settling for the near fall and a 7-0 lead. Cruz chose neutral to start the third period. Suriano controlled the action once again, keeping Cruz engaged in the middle of the mat while looking for another takedown. Suriano worked hard for another takedown, trying to post the major but Cruz went defensive to keep the damage to a minimum. The Lion true freshman walked away with an impressive 7-0 win.
133: Sophomore Jered Cortez (Carol Stream, Ill.), ranked No. 12 at 133, met Lehigh junior Scott Parker. Parker opened up an early lead with a fast takedown. Cortez escaped to a 2-1 deficit with Parker holding :38 in riding time. Cortez looked for a chance to open up on offense but Parker countered a slight Cortez shot for another takedown. He added two late near fall points for a 6-1 lead after one period. Parker chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. Cortez was unable to open up offensively and Parker led 7-1 after two periods. Cortez chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 7-2 score, but Parker had 1:13 in riding time. Parker added a third takedown to open up a 9-3 lead after cutting Cortez loose. Parker tacked on another takedown, working for a major decision. Cortez escaped to an 11-4 score at the :10 mark but Parker's 1:45 riding time gave the Mountain Hawk a 12-4 major.
141: Senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 15 at 141, met Lehigh senior Randy Cruz, who entered the dual ranked No. 3. Gulibon forced the first scramble with a strong low single. But Cruz countered the shot, forcing a reset at the 1:25 mark to keep the bout scoreless. Gulibon connected again on a single, getting a stall warning called against Cruz before the Lehigh senior forced another stalemate, this one at the :40 mark. Tied 0-0, Cruz chose down to start the second period. Gulibon maintained control for :52 before Cruz scrambled his way to a reversal and a 2-0 lead. Gulibon tried to roll out for an escape but Cruz held on to lead 2-0 after two. Gulibon chose neutral to start the third period, looking for a tying takedown in the middle of the mat. The Lion senior blew through a high single at the :30 mark, forcing a scramble that nearly tied the bout. But Cruz was able to fight off Gulibon's upset effort and escaped with a hard-fought 2-0 win.
149: Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, took on No. 9 Laike Gardner. Retherford worked his way to a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 2:06 mark. Retherford controlled the action from the top position for :34 before Gardner escaped to a 2-1 score. The Lion All-American countered a slight Gardner shot, worked his way around him and dragged him to the mat for another takedown and a 4-1 lead. He then locked Gardner's shoulders up and turned him for four near fall points as well. Leading 8-1, Retherford chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 9-1 lead. He then picked up a quick takedown on a double leg to lead 11-1. Retherford then strong-armed Gardner to his back and settled in for the fall at the 3:55 mark. The pin was Retherford's seventh in eight matches this year and the 26th of his career, 16th all-time at Penn State.
157: Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, took to the mat against Lehigh's Kent Lane. Nolf exploded out of the gates, nearly scoring on the opening whistle with a fast low double. Lane fought off the first move to stay even, but not the second as Nolf's constant pressure led to a takedown and a 2-0 lead :30 into the bout. Nolf cut Lane loose and quickly added on two more fast takedowns. Nolf picked up a fourth and fifth takedown to lead 10-5 after one period. Lane chose down to start the second period and Nolf cut him loose. The Nittany continued to roll up the points, tacking on three more takedowns and a two-point near fall to lead 20-8 after two periods. Lane chose neutral to start the final period, Nolf took him down right away, and tried to lock up a cradle Lane managed an escape to cut the lead to 22-9. Nolf picked up one more point on a stall and then ended the bout with a final takedown. Nolf's offensive blizzard gave the sophomore a 25-9 technical fall at the 6:39 mark.
165: Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 165, tangled with Drew Longo. Joseph wasted no time, working his way into control of Longo with a high double than led to a scramble and a takedown at the 2:32 mark. Longo escaped and Joseph quickly worked his way into control with another single leg and a 4-2 lead at the 1:40 mark. Joseph continued to shoot, forcing the Lehigh junior into defense for the remainder of the period. Trailing 4-2, Longo chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-3 score. Joseph answered with a strong double leg to up his lead to 6-4 after a quick Longo escape. Longo then connected on his first shot of the bout but the Lion freshman forced a stalemate at the 1:00 mark. Joseph poured through another high double leg to up his lead to 8-4 with a fourth takedown. This time, Joseph maintained control of Longo to build up a 1:27 riding time edge before Longo escaped to an 8-5 score. Joseph chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 9-5 lead. Joseph fought off a solid Longo shot at the 1:20 mark and countered with his own after that. Longo forced a stalemate and action resumed in the center circle. Joseph would end the bout with 1:20 in riding time and a 10-5 win.
174: Sophomore Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 12 at 174, battled No. 19 Ryan Preisch of Lehigh. Rasheed forced an early scramble and got the takedown at the 2:20 mark to open up an early lead. The Nittany Lion sophomore built up a solid riding time advantage on the edge of the mat while trying to lock up a cradle. Preisch forced a stalemate and a reset but Rasheed was relentless, picking up another takedown on a high double to lead 4-1. Lehigh challenged the call, sending the officials to video replay. The call was reversed and action resumed with Rasheed up 2-1 with 1:26 left in the opening period. Leading 2-1, Rasheed chose down to start the second period. He quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead and began setting up his offense in the middle of the mat. The Lion sophomore shot repeatedly but could not battle through Preisch's defense. Preisch moved left and connected on a high double to tie the bout at 3-3 with his first takedown as the period wound down. Preisch chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 4-3 lead. Rasheed connected on a low single and Preisch forced a scramble that worked the clock down to :40 before a stalemate stopped the action. Rasheed opened up a for a late shot to win it, but Preisch countered for a clinching takedown and a 6-3 win.
184: Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 3 at 184, met Lehigh freshman Kyle Gentile. Gentile tried to score early, working his way in on a shot off the opening buzzer. But Nickal calmly countered the move and ended up notching the takedown himself to lead 2-1 early. Nickal notched a second takedown to up his lead to 4-2 at the midway point of the opening period. Nickal, low to the mat, then caught Gentile's shoulders from a near-standing position and turned him to the mat for a pin at the 2:35 mark. The fall improved Nickal to 7-0 with seven pins on the year.
197: Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 197, faced off against Lehigh senior Ben Haas. The duo battled evenly for most of the opening period before McCutcheon broke through for a go-ahead takedown late to lead 2-1 late. McCutcheon got called for locked hands and the bout moved to the second period tied 2-2. McCutcheon chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to a 3-2 lead with an escape. McCutcheon blew through a fast low double as the period ended to open up a 5-2 lead heading into the third period. Haas chose down to start the third period but McCutcheon was strong on top, controlling the action and eventually turning Haas to his back, nearly getting the pin. Picking up four points on the near fall and then a couple more on Haas stalls, McCutcheon rolled to the 12-2 major decision with 1:30 in riding time.
285: Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Texas), ranked No. 7 at 285, met senior Doug Vollaro, ranked No. 11, in another marquee bout. The highly ranked duo battled evenly for the first two-plus minutes with neither wrestler finding an opening in which to score. Nevills and Vollaro moved to the second period scoreless. Vollaro chose down to start the second period but Nevills was able to control the action from the top position. The Lion sophomore maintained control long enough to build up over 1:00 in riding time. With his time advantage rising, Nevills broke Vollaro down off a reset once again. Vollaro was unable to work free of Nevills' strong ride and the Lion sophomore finished off the second period still on top. Still 0-0, Nevills chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead with a 1:48 riding time edge in his favor. Nevills then turned a low single into a takedown to up his lead to 3-0. With the riding time point clinched, Nevills cut Vollaro loose. He then took the Mountain Hawk down and added on two near fall points to up his lead to 7-1. Vollaro added a late takedown but Nevills walked away with a strong 8-4 win, including 2:48 in riding time.
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