Nittany Lions Roll 23-10 at Lehigh
BETHLEHEM – No. 2 Penn State (2-1, 0-0 B1G) rolled over No. 14 Lehigh (1-3) in the latest edition of Penn State’s longest running dual series. Penn State dominated the Mountain Hawks 23-10 Friday night in front of 6,047 fans, a new Lehigh Stabler Arena attendance record.
Penn State won seven of ten bouts and picked up an impressive season debut win from sophomore Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) at 157 and a Lion dual debut win from true freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.) at 184.
The dual began at 125 where redshirt freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) made his Lion dual debut, stepping in for classmate Brody Teske (Duncombe, Iowa). Meredith battled No.11 Brandon Paetzell tough but dropped a 15-5 major in his Lion dual debut. Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 4 at 133, took care of Lehigh’s Jaret Lane, totaling three third period takedowns to post an impressive 7-2 win. Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 3 at 141, gave Penn State a lead in the next bout, rolling to a 22-7 technical fall at the 7:00 mark over Lehigh’s Joe Lobeck with 3:28 in riding time.
Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) got the nod at 149 and battled Lehigh’s Jimmy Hoffman through seven minutes and into extra time before dropping a hard-fought 3-1 (sv) decision. Sophomore Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 6 at 157, made his season debut against a nationally ranked foe and came out on top. The Lion sophomore posted takedowns in the first and third periods to post an impressive 5-3 victory over No. 13 Josh Humphreys. Penn State led 11-7 at the midway point.
Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, posted a 7-4 win over Lehigh’s Brian Meyer to open up the second half, giving Penn State a 14-7 lead. Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, took on No. 2 Jordan Kutler in the dual’s premier bout. Hall dominated the first period with a takedown and ride-out and added a takedown in the third period to roll to a 7-2 win with 2:17 in riding time.
True freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.) made his collegiate debut for Penn State at 184 with No. 2 Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) still out. Brooks was impressive, picking up three early takedowns to roll to a 10-5 win over Lehigh junior Chris Weiler. Brooks’ win gave Penn State a 20-7 lead. Graduate senior Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio), ranked No. 20 at 197, was the aggressor through his match with No. 15 Jake Jakobsen, but Jakobsen used a late counter takedown to post the 3-1 win to cut Penn State’s lead to 20-10. Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 285 closed out the dual by dominating No. 10 Jordan Wood in a 9-4 win. Cassar’s decision made the final score 23-10 in Penn State’s favor.
The Nittany Lions won seven of ten bouts and had a lopsided 24-12 advantage in takedowns. Penn State had one bonus victory, Lee’s technical fall.
Penn State is now 2-1 overall, 0-0 in the Big Ten. Lehigh falls to 1-3. The Nittany Lions return to State College for a dual with Penn this weekend. Penn State hosts the Quakers in Rec Hall at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
#2 Penn State 23, #14 Lehigh 10
December 6, 2019 – Bethlehem, Pa.
125: #11 Brandon Paetzell LU maj. dec. Brandon Meredith PSU, 15-5 0-4
133: #4 Roman Bravo-Young PSU dec. Jaret Lane LU, 7-2 3-4
141: #3 Nick Lee PSU tech fall Joe Lobeck LU, 22-7 (TF; 7:00) 8-4
149: Jimmy Hoffman LU dec. Jarod Verkleeren PSU, 3-1 (SV) 8-7
157: #6 Brady Berge PSU dec. #13 Josh Humphreys LU, 5-3 11-7
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU dec. Brian Meyer LU, 7-4 14-7
174: #1 Mark Hall PSU dec. #2 Jordan Kutler LU, 7-2 17-7
184: Aaron Brooks PSU dec. Chris Weiler LU, 10-5 20-7
197: #15 Jake Jakobsen LU dec. #20 Kyle Conel PSU, 3-1 20-10
285: #1 Anthony Cassar PSU dec. #10 Jordan Wood LU, 9-4 23-10
Attendance: 6,047 (new Lehigh Stabler Arena record)
Records: Penn State (2-1, 0-0 B1G); Lehigh (1-3)
Up Next for Penn State: Sunday, Dec, 7, home vs. Penn, 2 p.m. in Rec Hall
