Penn goes 2-1 on busy Saturday on home mats

PHILADELPHIA -- The grind of the collegiate wrestling season was on full display as Penn went 2-1 over three EIWA dual meets on home mats, picking up their first wins at home this season to improve to 7-4 in dual meets and 4-2 in EIWA competition.

The Red and Blue opened the day with a 24-14 win over Bucknell and capped the day with a convincing 31-16 victory over Franklin & Marshall. The middle match of the day was a 19-18 loss to Binghamton in a dual which hung in the balance until the final seconds of the final bout.

May Bethea had 16 takedowns over his three wins, leading a group of Quakers who went 3-0 over the trio of dual meets. Bethea was joined by Gianni Ghione, Joe Oliva and Frank Mattiace as Quakers who swept through the day's action.

No. 18 Bethea had a technical fall and major decision as part of his day. No. 10 Frank Mattiace had a pin - his eighth of the season - and a major decision to improve to 20-3 this season.

How It Happened vs. Bucknell

The Quakers never trailed in the dual meet, building a 15-3 lead at halftime and sealing the dual meet with back-to-back wins at 149 and 157 to close the dual.

Both of Penn's ranked wrestlers picked up bonus points in the first half of the meet to help stake the lead. No. 18 May Bethea scored a technical fall over DJ Hollingshead before No. 10 Frank Mattiace picked up a 17-5 major decision.

Bethea had six takedowns and two sets of four-point nearfall in his win. Mattiace had seven takedowns in his win.

Tyler Hall's 5-2 decision win at heavyweight was his first career dual meet win in The Palestra.

Comeback wins from Joe Heyob and Joe Oliva ensured the team dual meet win. At 184, Heyob spotted Drew Phipps a 4-2 lead after the first period but rallied to tie the match at 5-5 after two. In the third, he scored his second takedown of the match and would win, 8-7, via his two minutes of riding time.

With his team ahead by just four points and two matches to go, Oliva secured the dual meet with a decision win over Seth Hogue. A back and forth match was decided by a two-point turn from Oliva in the third period.

Penn Defeats Bucknell, 24-14
165: No. 18 May Bethea (Penn) TF DJ Hollingshead (Bucknell), 20-5 (6:44), Penn leads, 5-0
174: Nik Stephani (Bucknell) DEC Quinton Hiles (Penn), 11-4, Penn leads, 5-3
184: Joe Heyob (Penn) DEC Drew Phipps (Bucknell), 8-7, Penn leads, 8-3
197: No. 10 Frank Mattiace (Penn) MD Chad Reese (Bucknell), 17-5 Penn leads, 12-3
285: Tyler Hall (Penn) DEC Brandon Stokes (Bucknell), 5-1 Penn leads, 15-3
125: Geo Barzona (Bucknell) win via forfeit Penn leads, 15-9
133: Gianni Ghione (Penn) DEC David Campbell (Bucknell), 4-2 Penn leads, 18-9
141: No. 15 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) TF Jake Lizak (Penn), 26-11 (6:21), Penn leads, 18-14
149: Joe Oliva (Penn) DEC Seth Hogue (Bucknell), 6-4 Penn leads 21-14
157: Joe Velliquette (Penn) DEC Andrew Millsap (Bucknell), 9-2

How It Happened vs. Bucknell

There were seven lead changes in the dual meet, including a lead change after each of the final five bouts.

No team led by more than five points.

Each team had a six-point win - Penn getting a pin from No. 10 Frank Mattiace and Binghamton receiving a forfeit at 125 pounds. Each team picked up five wins total, the deciding point a major decision from Binghamton's Anthony Lombardo at 174.

Penn led, 18-16, after nine bouts. At 157, Binghamton's Tristan Riffanburg scored an 8-4 decision to give the Bearcats the win. He picked up four nearfall in the second period to erase a 2-0 Joe Velliquette lead. Velliquette was very close to a takedown midway through the second, but video review was not enough to overturn the call on the mat. Velliquette did get a takedown with 0:14 remaining to close within one point but after cutting his opponent loose he was unable to find a second before conceding a meaningless takedown at the buzzer.

A score at the buzzer that was full of meaning was No. 10 Frank Mattiace's pin with one second left on the clock.

Mattiace now has eight pins this season - tied for No. 9 all-time in a season by a Quaker.

May Bethea, picked up a crucial win over a wrestler ranked inside the NCAA Coaches Panel with an 8-4 decision over Vincent DePrez. Bethea broke open a 3-3 tie in the third with an escape and then two takedowns in the final 35 seconds.

Tyler Hall scored two backpoints in the second period and added a reversal in the third for a 7-3 decision at heavyweight.

Gianni Ghione put up six points in the first period with a takedown and four backpoints to defeat Jake Nicholson, 7-2, at 133.

Jake Lizak fell, 11-7, at 141, but did his part for the team late in his bout with a takedown and two nearfall in the final 10 seconds to only concede the decision.

For the second match in a row, Joe Oliva rallied for a win. He trailed, 4-3, after two periods before he scored an escape early in the third and added a takedown and two nearfall in the buzzer for an 8-4 decision over Frank Garcia.

Binghamton Defeats Penn, 19-18
165: No. 18 May Bethea (Penn) DEC Vincent DePrez (Binghamton), 8-4, Penn leads, 3-0
174: Anthony Lombardo (Binghamton) MD Quinton Hiles (Penn), 14-2, Binghamton leads, 4-3
184: No. 14 Steven Schneider (Binghamton) DEC Joe Heyob (Penn), 3-1, Binghamton leads, 7-3
197: No. 10 Frank Mattiace (Penn) FALL Alex Melikian (Binghamton), 6:59, Penn leads, 9-7
285: Tyler Hall (Penn) DEC Sean Dee (Binghamton), 7-3, Penn leads, 12-7
125: Joe Nelson (Binghamton) win via forfeit, Binghamton leads, 13-12
133: Gianni Ghione (Penn) DEC Jake Nicholson (Binghamton), 7-2, Penn leads, 15-13
141: Joe Russ (Binghamton) DEC Jake Lizak (Penn), 11-7, Binghamton leads, 16-15
149: Joe Oliva (Penn) DEC Frank Garcia (Binghamton), 8-4, Penn leads, 18-16
157: Tristan Rifanburg (Binghamton) DEC Joe Velliquette (Penn), 8-4 Binghamton leads, 19-18

How It Happened vs. Franklin & Marshall

Penn never trailed in the dual as May Bethea won to open a dual for the third time in the day. Bethea had seven takedowns on his way to a 17-5 major decision.

All three wrestlers named Joe scored a pinfall in the dual meet, accounting for 18 of Penn's 31 points.

Joe Heyob had scored three takedowns and added two backpoints in the first period before working a pin early in the second period over Steven Mercadante.

Joe Oliva also had three takedowns in his match before pinning Sam Butler from neutral in the third period.

Joe Oliva scored on a knee pick and turned it into a cradle to pin Emmett LiCastri with one second left in the first period to close the dual.

The Quakers won three of the final four bouts to pull away, turning a 16-12 lead into the 31-16 final score.

Penn Defeats Franklin & Marshall, 31-16
165: No. 18 May Bethea (Penn) MD Jake Conners (F&M), 17-5, Penn leads, 4-0
174: Josh Young (F&M) DEC Quinton Hiles (Penn), 6-0, Penn leads, 4-3
184: Joe Heyob (Penn) FALL Steven Mercadante (F&M), 4:23, Penn leads, 10-3
197: No. 10 Frank Mattiace (Penn) wins via forfeit, Penn leads, 16-3
285: Antonio Pelusi (F&M) DEC Tyler Hall (Penn), 6-2, Penn leads, 16-6
125: Edgar Garcia (F&M) wins via forfeit, Penn leads, 16-12
133: Gianni Ghione (Penn) DEC Dan Martoccio (F&M). 6-0, Penn leads, 19-12
141: Brett Kulp (F&M) MD Tristin DeVincenzo (Penn), 14-4, Penn leads, 19-16
149: Joe Oliva (Penn) FALL Sam Butler (F&M), 5:28, Penn leads, 25-16
157: Joe Velliquette (Penn) FALL Emmett LiCastri (F&M), 2:59, Penn leads, 31-16

Penn returns to action on February 3, with a pair of dual meets at Brown (12 p.m.) and Harvard (6 p.m.)

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