The Lions won seven of ten bouts, including the final five to erase a small halftime deficit on their way to the lopsided dual meet victory. Penn State is wrapping up of a run of four-of-five road duals in 16 days, including action at Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. All rankings listed are InterMat, the official wrestling rankings of the Big Ten Conference.
The dual began at 125 where freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) dropped a 4-0 decision to Eric Barnett. Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 2 at 133, then met No. 1 Seth Gross in one of the dual's many anticipated matchups. The duo put on a show that ended with Bravo-Young nearly notching a last-second takedown, not getting the call as time ran out, and dropping a close 6-5 bout.
Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, then dominated No. 7 Tristan Moran. The Lion notched two takedowns and a number of nearfalls in posting a 14-1 major decision with 4:29 in riding time over the ranked Badger to cut the Wisconsin lead to 6-4. Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) gave Penn State the lead at 149 with a 3-2 win over No. 15 Cole Martin. Verkleeren battled the ranked Badger evenly for the entire bout and used a late takedown to post the win, giving Penn State a 7-6 lead. Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) dropped a 13-4 major to Garrett Model at 157 and Penn State trailed 10-7 at halftime.
Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, met No. 3 Evan Wick in another marquee bout. Joseph controlled the action from start to finish. The Lion senior used two takedowns, a reversal, a stall point and 4:08 in riding time to roll to an 8-0 major decision and put Penn State back on top, 11-10. Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, then stretched Penn State's lead to 17-10, pinning Wisconsin's Jared Krattiger at the 4:16 mark.
True freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 7 at 184, extended the Penn State lead, posting a 3-2 win over Badger senior Johnny Sebastian. Brooks used a takedown in the third period for the bout's key points. Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 18 at 197, clinched the dual meet victory with a solid 6-0 win over Wisconsin's Taylor Watkins. Rasheed's win put Penn State up 23-10 with just one bout. True freshman Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 15 at 285, received a forfeit victory at 285 and Penn State posted the dominant 29-10 victory in Madison.
Penn State had an 11-7 takedown edge and won seven of ten bouts, including the last five. The Nittany Lions picked up eight bonus points off a forfeit (Nevills), a pin (Hall) and two majors (Lee, Joseph).
Penn State is now 9-2 overall, 6-1 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin falls to 10-4, 3-4 in the conference. Penn State visits Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. Eastern / 1 p.m. Central, in another BTN national telecast.
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. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
Results:
125: Eric Barnett UW dec. Brandon Meredith PSU, 4-0 0-3
133: #1 Seth Gross UW dec. #2 Roman Bravo-Young PSU, 6-5 0-6
141: #2 Nick Lee PSU maj. dec. #7 Tristan Moran UW, 14-1 4-6
149: Jarod Verkleeren PSU #15 Cole Martin UW, 3-2 7-6
157: Garrett Model UW maj. dec. Bo Pipher PSU, 13-4 7-10
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU maj. dec. #3 Evan Wick UW, 8-0 11-10
174: #2 Mark Hall PSU pinned Jared Krattiger UW, WBF (4:16) 17-10
184: #7 Aaron Brooks PSU dec. Johnny Sebastian UW, 3-2 20-10
197: #18 Shakur Rasheed PSU dec. Taylor Watkins UW, 6-0 23-10
285: #15 Seth Nevills PSU win by forfeit 29-10
Attendance: 3,073
Records: Penn State (9-2, 6-1 B1G); Wisconsin (10-4, 3-4 B1G)
Up Next for Penn State: at #6 Minnesota, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central (BTN)
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) battled freshman Eric Barnett at 125. Meredith fought Barnett off early as the Badger tried to lock up the Lion off the whistle and take him to the mat. After breaking contact, the duo continued to work the middle of the mat as the first minute passed. Meredith took a shot that Barnett stepped away from, reshot at the 1:00 mark and then fought off a slight Barnett shot at the :55 mark. After a reset for blood time, the duo battled evenly for the final seconds and the bout moved to the middle stanza tied at 0-0. Meredith chose down to start the second period. He got called for stalling :30 into the period and Barnett maintained control as the clock hit 1:00. Barnett finished the period on top. Tied 0-0, Barnett chose down to start the second period, quickly escaped and then took Meredith down to open up a 3-0 lead. Meredith was unable to work free of Barnett's ride and the Badger, with 3:15 in riding time, posted a 4-0 victory.
133: Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 2 at 133, battled Badger senior Seth Gross, who entered the dual ranked No. 1. Bravo-Young came out and shot quickly, nearly scoring, but Gross broke free during a scramble. Gross looked to connect on a low shot but Bravo-Young countered, nearly notching another takedown but the scramble ended in another stalemate. Bravo-Young took a low shot, Gross countered with control of the Lion's arm and took him down for two points. Gross turned Bravo-Young for two near fall but the Lion scrambled his way to a reversal and Bravo-Young trailed 5-2 after cutting Gross loose. Leading 5-2, Gross chose down to start the second period and Bravo-Young cut him to a 6-2 score. Bravo-Young blew through a high shot and cut the Gross lead to 6-4 at the 1:10 mark. Bravo-Young controlled the action on top and closed out the period trailing 6-4, with 1:16 in riding time. Bravo-Young chose neutral to start the third period and quickly forced a scramble with another shot. The Lion appeared to take Gross down but no call was made and action resumed in the middle of the mat. Bravo-Young appeared to take Gross down as the final seconds wound down but no takedown was awarded. Bravo-Young had 1:16 in riding time but dropped the hard-fought 6-5 decision.
141: Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, met No. 7 Triston Moran. Lee nearly took Moran down at the 2:20 mark with a fast shot but the Badger worked his way out of trouble. Lee was undeterred however and took a 2-0 lead with a takedown on the Badger logo. Lee then controlled the action on top, forcing a stall call and then turning the Badger for two near fall points. Lee put together a dominant ride, building his riding time up over 2:00 and ending the period on top. Lee chose down to start the second period and quickly worked his way into a reversal to up his lead to 6-0. Moran escaped to a 6-1 score. Lee countered a slight Moran shot and picked up another takedown and led 8-1 with 2:29 in time after two. Moran chose down to start the third period and Lee went to work on top. He picked up a stall point and then turned the Badger for four back points to up his lead to 13-1. Lee finished the period on top and, with 4:29 in riding time, rolled to a 14-1 major.
149: Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) took on No. 15 Cole Martin at 149. The duo battled evenly for over 1:00 before Martin took a shot that led to a scramble on the Badger logo. Verkleeren almost finished off a counter takedown but a stalemate was called at the 1:50 mark. Verkleeren worked the middle of the mat for the next minute, took a high single at :30, but Martin defended the shot and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Martin chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The bout continued past the 1:00 mark in the middle of the mat, with Verkleeren looking for an opening on offense. The second period ended with Martin leading 1-0. Verkleeren chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Martin took a high shot that Verkleeren defended and the clock moved below the 1:10 mark. Martin took a low single that nearly connected, but Verkleeren was solid on defense. The Lion sophomore then worked in on a shot, finished off the takedown. Martin was able to escape as the period ended but Verkleeren's late takedown was enough as the Lion posted the thrilling 3-2 win.
157: Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) met Garrett Model at 157. Model took an early lead with a takedown in the opening seconds. Pipher escaped to a 2-1 score at 2:16 and action resumed in neutral. Pipher battled the Badger evenly in neutral and looked to have a takedown with a locked cradle at the :40 mark. But no takedown was awarded and the bout continued past the :30 mark with Pipher trailing by one. Model added a second takedown at :15 and finished the period on top to lead after the first period. Pipher chose down to start the second period but Model was able to control the action until the 1:10 mark. Pipher escapade and Model forced a scramble with a quick shot that ended in a stalemate. Pipher gave up a stall point and then Model tacked on a late takedown to lead 7-2 with 1:48 in time after two. Model chose neutral to start the third period. The Badger took Pipher down with 1:10 to open up a 9-2 lead and clinch his riding time edge. Pipher escaped but Model tacked on one more takedown and, with 2:34 in time, posted the 13-4 major.
165: Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, met Badger Evan Wick, who entered the dual ranked No. 3. The duo battled evenly for the first minute with Joseph steadily looking for an opening on offense. The Lion found it and took a 2-0 lead with 1:50 on the clock with a takedown. Joseph then controlled the action from the top and built up over 1:00 in riding time while forcing Wick into a stall warning. The Lion finished the period on top and carried that lead, with 1:51 in time, into the second period. Wick chose top to start the second period and Joseph took advantage. The Lion senior worked his way into a reversal, steadily scrambling his way to control. He forced a second stall and led 5-0 at the :30 mark. Joseph finished the period on top and led 5-0 with 2:55 in time. Joseph chose neutral to start the third period. He worked the middle of the mat for a minute and then took a low single that led to a takedown and a 7-0 lead. With clinched riding time, Joseph controlled the action from the top position, looking for a turning combination. Joseph settled for a third rideout and, with 4:08 in riding time, rolled to an 8-0 major over third-ranked Wick.
174: Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, met Wisconsin freshman Jared Krattiger. Hall worked neutral for the first minute and broke through for a takedown and a 2-0 lead at the 1:50 mark. Krattiger escaped on a reset and cut the lead to 2-1 as the clock moved past 1:20. Hall took a late shot and, after a bit of scrambling, finished the period with a takedown to lead 4-1 after one. Krattiger chose down to start the second period and Hall dominated the action from the top position. He worked the clock down under 1:00 and then turned Krattiger to his back. Hall turned the Badger, worked his shoulders flat and got the pin at the 4:16 mark.
184: True freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 7 at 184, faced off against Wisconsin senior Johnny Sebastian. Sebastian took the bout's first shot but Brooks easily forced a stalemate at 2:30 The Lion freshman battled the Badger senior evenly for the next minute-plus, looking for a takedown. Sebastien forced a stalemate with 1:00 on the clock with the bout still tied 0-0. Sebastien was able to step back from a flurry of Brooks shots late in the period and the bout moved to the second tied 0-0. Brooks chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The Lion got in on a low single and worked to pull the fleeing Badger back on to the mat. But Sebastien was able to fight off the shot and Brooks continued to lead by just one as the clock hit :30. Trailing by one, Sebastien chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 score. Brooks continued to shoot, forcing Sebastian into defense. The Lion's offensive pressure paid off at the 1:10 mark as a low shot led to a takedown and a 3-1 lead. Brooks controlled the action from the top until the :28 mark when Sebastien escaped to a 3-2 score. Brooks finished off the bout in neutral and posted the 3-2 victory.
197: Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 18 at 197, battled Wisconsin senior Taylor Watkins. Rasheed took Watkins down quickly, taking a 2-0 lead early and going to work on top. The Lion senior built up 1:00 in time while looking for a chance to turn the Badger for back points or more. Rasheed appeared to turn Watkins but no back points were given and the Lion led 2-0 at the 1:10 mark. Rasheed forced Watkins into a stall warning and finished the period on top to lead 2-0 with 2:48 in riding time. Rasheed chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. The duo battled evenly for the entirety of the second period and Rasheed carried that lead and 2:44 in riding time into the third period. Watkins chose neutral to start the third period. Rasheed fought off a high Watkins shot, forcing a scramble that led to a takedown for the Lion senior at the :20 mark. Rasheed finished the period on top and, with 3:05 in time, rolled to the 6-0 win.
285: True freshman Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 15 at 285, did not get a chance to take on No. 5 Trent Hillger and won by forfeit.
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