Nittany Lion Wrestlers Roll Northwestern 45-3

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UNIVERSITY PARK –  No. 1 Penn State (10-0, 6-0 B1G) easily handled visiting Northwestern (6-6, 1-5) in Rec Hall on Sunday. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad won nine of ten bouts, including three pins, to roll to a 45-3 victory and remain unbeaten on the year.

The Nittany Lions increased their dual match win streak to 27 straight dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. Penn State sent seven underclassmen into the bout against the Wildcats.

The dual began at 125 where freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.), ranked No. 1 nationally, turned a quick second period reversal into a pin at the 3:10 mark of Northwestern’s Anthony Rubinetti. Suriano lead 10-2 at the time. . At 133, sophomore George Carpenter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) suffered a hard-fought 4-3 loss to Northwestern’s Jason Ipsarides. Senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 141, continued his outstanding run with a 20-5 technical fall at the 5:25 mark over NU’s Alec McKenna. Gulibon tallied seven takedowns in the win.

Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) won at 149, receiving a forfeit victory. The win was Retherford’s 50th straight victory dating back to the 2013-14 season. His win pushed Penn State out to a 17-3 lead. Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, notched Penn State’s second fall of the dual, pinning Ben Sullivan at the 4:39 mark. Nolf’s win gave Penn State a 23-3 lead heading into the halftime break.

Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked no. 4 at 165, got the afternoon off, and senior Caleb Livingston (Drexel Hill, Pa.) got the nod. Livingston took advantage of the chance by picking up a first period pin of Anthony Petrone at the 2:19 mark. The win was Livingston’s first dual victory as a Nittany Lion. True freshman Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 7 at 174, won by forfeit, pushing Penn State out to a 35-3 lead. Hall will look to make his actual Rec Hall debut in two weeks against Illinois. The true freshman leads Penn State with 20 wins and improves to 20-2 overall with the victory.

Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 2 at 184, faced No. 20 Mitch Sliga in the lone match-up between ranked opponents. Nickal dominated the action from start to finish and posted the 10-1 major with over 3:00 in riding time. Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 197, rolled through Northwestern senior Jacob Berkowitz, posting a 10-3 win with 1:37 in riding time to move Penn State out to a 42-3 lead. Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 4 at 285, closed out the dual with a 5-4 win over talented Northwestern big man Conan Jennings and the Nittany Lions rolled to the 45-3 win.

Penn State dominated the takedown war, posting a 22-3 edge. In Penn State’s two weekend dual meets, the team amassed a stunning 47-5 takedown advantage. The Nittany Lions won nine of ten bouts and picked up 18 bonus points off three pins (Suriano, Nolf, Livingston), two forfeits (Retherford, Hall), a tech fall (Gulibon) and a major (Nickal).

Retherford is 15-0 with 11 pins, a forfeit, a tech and a major. Nolf is 15-0 with nine pins, a major and four techs. Nickal is 14-0 with 11 pins and two majors this season. The Nittany Lions are now 10-0, 6-0 in the Big Ten, and winners of 27 straight duals. Northwestern falls to 6-6, 1-5 B1G.

Penn State visits No. 3 Ohio State next Friday, Feb. 3, for a 6 p.m. dual meet that will air live nationally on the Big Ten Network. Penn State’s next home date is a meeting with Illinois on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.
#1 Penn State 45, Northwestern 3
January 29, 2017 – Rec Hall – University Park, Pa.

125: #3 Nick Suriano PSU pinned Anthony Rubinetti NU, WBF (3:10) 6-0
133: Jason Ipsarides NU dec. George Carpenter PSU, 4-3 6-3
141: #12 Jimmy Gulibon PSU tech fall Alec McKenna NU, 20-5 (TF; 5:25) 11-3
149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU win by forfeit 17-3
157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU pinned Ben Sullivan NU, WBF (4:39) 23-3
165: Caleb Livingston PSU pinned Anthony Petrone NU, WBF (2:19) 29-3
174: #7 Mark Hall PSU win by forfeit 35-3
184: #2 Bo Nickal PSU maj. dec. #20 Mitch Sliga NU, 10-1 39-3
197: #10 Matt McCutcheon PSU dec. Jacob Berkowitz NU, 10-3 42-3
285: #4 Nick Nevills PSU dec. Conan Jennings NU, 5-4 45-3
Attendance: 6,630
Records: Penn State 10-0, 6-0 B1G; Northwestern 6-6, 1-5 B1G
Up Next for Penn State: at #3 Ohio State, Friday, Feb. 3, 6 p.m.

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