Nittany Lions Cruise to 28-9 Win over Lehigh
BETHLEHEM – No. 1 Penn State (14-0, 8-0 B1G) handled No. 14 Lehigh on Friday night in a non-conference dual meet. The Nittany Lions won seven of ten bouts to win 28-9 in front nearly 6,000 fans in Lehigh’s sold out Stabler Arena.
Penn State sent a line-up featuring six underclassmen, two sophomores and four red-shirt freshmen, into action. The dual was wrestled in front of 5,909 fans, only the second-ever sell-out in Stabler Arena (the last was in 2005) and a new Lehigh record.
The dual began at 125 where senior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 4, handled No. 13 Darian Cruz with a 7-1 decision to give Penn State an early lead. Senior Jordan Conaway(Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 133, then took care of Mason Beckman, posting an 8-2 win to give the Nittany Lions a 6-0 lead. Junior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 141, dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 18 Randy Cruz with the Mountain Hawks picking up their first win. .
Sophomore Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, then posted an 8-0 major over Laike Gardner. Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, then turned a first period takedown into shoulder control and a fall over Lehigh’s Ian Brown. Nolf’s pin, at the 1:22 mark, was his 11th of the year and sent Penn State into intermission with a 16-3 lead.
Red-shirt freshman Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 17 at 165, held off a late rally by Drew Longo to post a wild 10-8 win. Red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 174, then handled Gordon Wolf, posting a 14-6 major decision with 2:28 in riding time to put the Nittany Lions up 23-3.
Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 184, dropped a 6-0 decision to No. 3 Nate Brown. Senior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 1 at 197, rolled over No. 17 John Bolich, posting a 16-0 technical fall at the 4:17 mark. Red-shirt freshman Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) stepped on to the mat in a Penn State singlet for the first time at 285 in the dual, making a return after what was thought to be a season-ending injury during the preseason. Nevills took an early lead on No. 14 Max Wessell but was hit with an illegal hold call while trying to turn the Hawk wrestler. Penn State immediately challenged the call but after a lengthy review it was upheld. The challenged call would be crucial as Wessell used the penalty point to post a 5-4 win. Seven Penn State wins, however, allowed the Lions to roll to a 28-9 victory and remain unbeaten on the year.
The Nittany Lions are now 14-0, 8-0 in the Big Ten, while Lehigh falls to 12-2. Penn State posted a lop-sided 17-8 takedown advantage as well. The Nittany Lions won seven of ten bouts, picking up seven bonus points off a pin (Nolf), a tech fall (McIntosh) and two majors (Retherford and Nickal).
Penn State will return home for a date with Michigan State in Rec Hall tomorrow night, Saturday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. The Lions have a chance claim a share of the Big Ten Regular Season Championship (sharing with Iowa) with a win over Michigan State.
#1 Penn State 28, #14 Lehigh 9
February 12, 2016 – Stabler Arena – Bethlehem, Pa.
125: #4 Nico Megaludis PSU dec. #13 Darian Cruz LEH, 7-1 / 3-0
133: #5 Jordan Conaway PSU dec. Mason Beckman LEH, 8-2 / 6-0
141: #18 Randy Cruz dec. #14 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, 4-0 / 6-3
149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU maj. dec. Laike Gardner LEH, 8-0 / 10-3
157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU pinned Ian Brown LEH, WBF (1:22) / 16-3
165: #17 Shakur Rasheed PSU dec. Drew Longo LEH, 10-8 / 19-3
174: #1 Bo Nickal PSU maj. dec. Gordon Wolf LEH, 14-6 / 23-3
184: #3 Nate Brown LEH dec. #6 Matt McCutcheon PSU, 6-0 / 23-6
197: #1 Morgan McIntosh PSU tech fall #17 John Bolich LEH, 16-0 (TF; 4:17) / 28-6
285: #14 Max Wessell LEH dec. Nick Nevills PSU, 5-4 / 28-9
Attendance: 5,909 (sold out, all-time Lehigh record)
Records: Penn State 14-0, 8-0 B1G; Lehigh 12-2
Up Next for Penn State: Saturday, Feb. 13, home vs. Michigan State, 7 p.m. in Rec Hall
