Beau Bartlett (left) and Jacob Warner (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)Big Ten correspondent Cody Goodwin recaps the biggest results from around the Big Ten Conference - this time, on a Wednesday.
Nebraska - The Huskers were supposed to wrestle South Dakota State, but didn't "due to COVID-related illnesses within the Nebraska program." A reminder, now that we've reached the unofficial midway point of the '21-22 season, to stay safe, stay vigilant, and be smart. We've had a few COVID-19 hiccups through the first few months this season. Here's hoping we have even fewer over the next few.
Iowa - The Hawkeyes won the Red Pool at the Journeymen Collegiate Wrestling Duals, going 3-0 with wins over Central Michigan (44-0), Lehigh (28-7) and N.C. State (19-15). On the whole, Iowa wrestlers went 24-6 overall in individual matchups, with nine bonus-point wins. They're now 6-0 this season.
Iowa was carried mostly by the front- and back-end of its lineup: Spencer Lee (125), Austin DeSanto (133), Jaydin Eierman (141), Jacob Warner (197), Tony Cassioppi (285), plus Alex Marinelli (165), went a combined 18-0 with seven bonus-point victories. The other four weights went a combined 6-6 - and four of those losses came against N.C. State in the Red Pool final, in a spectacular, intense, contentious dual.
Still, the Hawkeyes prevailed, and will take a 24-dual win streak into 2022. Lee made his season debut, went 3-0 and outscored his opponents 31-1, which included two wins over top-12 guys. DeSanto scored two technical falls and a major decision while outscoring his opponents 53-13. Eierman notched two come-from-behind wins, over Central Michigan's Dresden Simon (down 11-2, won 13-12), and N.C. State's Ryan Jack (down 5-2, won 7-6). Abe Assad rejoined the lineup at 184 and went 2-1 with a major and a pin. Iowa also went 5-2 in matches decided by two points or fewer.
Penn State - The Nittany Lions won the Blue Pool at the Journeymen Collegiate Wrestling Duals, going 3-0 with wins over Northern Iowa (29-9), Cornell (21-16) and Arizona State (29-10). On the whole, Penn State wrestlers went 20-10 overall in individual matchups, with 13 bonus-point wins. They're now 8-0 this season.
Penn State was carried mostly by its heavier weights: Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (184), Max Dean (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (285) went a combined 12-0 with eight bonus-point wins. Those guys were especially crucial in the Nittany Lions' dual against Cornell on Monday night. The Big Red won four of the first six weights - highlighted by a pin from Vito Arujau at 125 and a major from Yianni Diakomihalis at 149 - to lead 16-8, then Starocci, Brooks, Dean and Kerkvliet all won out to give Penn State a 21-16 win.
Roman Bravo-Young (133) and Nick Lee (141) also both went 3-0 - RBY recorded a pin and a major, Lee registered three majors, outscoring his opponents 45-10. So, similar to Iowa, that's six weights that went 18-0 with 13 bonus-point wins. The other four weights went a combined 2-10. Beau Bartlett picked up both wins at 149, including a gutsy 3-1 overtime win over Kyle Parco.
Here's a thought: How much fun would it have been if, I don't know, Iowa and Penn State would've wrestled on Tuesday to decide who actually was the best team? Guess we'll have to wait until January 28, when the Nittany Lions come to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Maybe Cael Sanderson should bring the trophy his team won, sit it next to the trophy Iowa won, and the winner that night in Iowa City can keep them both.
Purdue - Lost to Iowa State, 23-13, in a dual at Humboldt High School in Iowa, which is the hometown of both Kevin Dresser, the Cyclones' head coach, and Tony Ersland, Purdue's head coach. Dresser and Ersland both won two state titles for Humboldt (Dresser in 1980-81, Ersland in 1991-92) both wrestling at Iowa. They, with the help of Humboldt high school coach Chad Beaman, started working to schedule this dual once Dresser was hired back at Iowa State ahead of the '17-18 season. They wanted to do it last year, but COVID-19 pushed it back a year.
With almost 2,000 people crammed into Humboldt's small gym, the Boilermakers raced out to an 11-0 lead thanks to major decisions from both Devin Schroder (10-0 over Corey Cabanban) and Parker Filius (14-2 over Charlie Klepps), plus an insane overtime victory for Matthew Ramos, 5-3 over Ramazan Attasauov at 133.
Two matches later, the Cyclones led 11-10. Jarrett Degen beat Trey Kruse, 20-1, and David Carr pinned - yes, pinned, in a tilt - Kendall Coleman, who threw his headgear afterward, which docked the Boilermakers a team point.
Those results basically swung the dual in Iowa State's favor. After Hayden Lohrey's 5-3 win over Austin Kraisser at 165, the Cyclones won the final four matches, a run highlighted by Joel Devine's 4-1 win over Gerrit Nijenhuis and Yonger Bastida's 6-4 win over Thomas Penola, his second-straight victory over a top-10 opponent. Marcus Coleman added an 8-2 win over Max Lyon at 184, and Sam Schuyler closed it with a 2-0 win over Michael Woulfe at heavyweight.
Michigan State - Bullied Baldwin Wallace, 37-9, and Olivet, 41-0. The Spartans won 18-of-20 matches across both duals, and seven guys went 2-0: Rayvon Foley (133), Eddie Homrock (149), Caleb Fish (165), Nathan Jimenez (174), Layne Malczewski (184), Cam Caffey (197) and Brad Wilton (285). Chase Saldate and Jaden Enriquez both won their matchups at 157, and old Big Ten friend Jacob Decatur, a former Buckeye who's now at Baldwin Wallace, beat Julian Saldana, 3-2, at 125 pounds.
Idle Teams: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, Wisconsin.
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