Nittany Lions Dominate Michigan State 41-3

Penn State 9-0 in Big Ten

UNIVERSITY PARK – No. 1 Penn State (15-0, 9-0 B1G) claimed a share of the 2016 Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) title with a 41-3 win over Michigan State (1-14, 1-8 B1G) on Saturday night.  Head coach Cael Sanderson’s team earned a share of the crown with Iowa, which ended its B1G dual season with a 9-0 mark as well.

The dual began at 125 where senior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 4, dominated Mitch Rogaliner and rolled to a 17-5 major.  Senior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 133, then thrilled the Senior Night crowd with a pin at the 5:59 mark to put Penn State up 10-0.  Junior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 141, suffered a 6-2 loss to Javier Gasca, cutting Penn State’s lead to 10-3.

Sophomore Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, dominated Kaelan Richards, rolling up a 24-9 technical fall at the 6:49 mark.  Red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, then picked up his second first period pin in as many nights, getting a fall at the 2:02 mark over MSU’s Mark Bozzo.  Nolf’s pin, his 12^th of the year, sent Penn State into intermission with a 21-3 lead.

Junior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.) got the call at 165 and posted an 8-2 win over Dean Vettese.  Red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 174, matched Retherford’s tech fall, posting a 24-9 tech at the 3:09 mark to put Penn State up 29-3.  Sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 184, notched a 3-0 win over Shawn Shadaia.

Senior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 1 at 197, thrilled the capacity Rec Hall crowd, pinning Spartan Jacob Cooper at the 4:22 mark.  Red-shirt freshman Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), fresh off his Penn State debut last night in Lehigh, made his Rec Hall debut at 285 and picked up his first Nittany Lion win, a 5-2 decision over Dimitrus Renfroe.  Nevills’ decision gave Penn State the 41-3 victory.

The Nittany Lions are now 15-0, 9-0 in the Big Ten, while Michigan State falls to 1-14, 1-8 B1G.  Penn State dominated the dual from start to finish.  The Lions accumulated a gaudy 47-2 takedown advantage and tallied 14 bonus points off three pins (Conaway, Nolf, McIntosh), two tech falls (Retherford, Nickal) and a major (Megaludis).

The 41-3 victory gives this year’s team the all-time best Big Ten dual meet record in school history.  The 2015-16 Penn State squad went 9-0 in conference duals, only the second-ever Penn State team to run through the conference schedule unblemished.  Penn State went 6-0 in 1997-98 and 5-0-1 in 1992-93.  The nine dual victories is also a school record for Big Ten dual wins in a single season.

The dual meet served as Senior Night for Penn State with Conaway, McIntosh, Megaludis, Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.) and Dylan Dailey (Danville, Pa.) were all honored as well as senior managers Sarah Graber, Claudia Bogdan and Rachel Sackett.

Penn State will now await word of its opponent in the 2016 NWCA Dual Meet Championship match-up.  Penn State has secured a spot in the 1 vs. 1 battle which will determine the 2016 NWCA National Dual Meet Champion.  The Nittany Lions will host the top-ranked non-Big Ten team, to be announced Sunday night.  The dual meet will take place in Rec Hall at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21, in a dual meet that will air live on the Big Ten Network.

#1 Penn State 41, #14 Lehigh 3

February 13, 2016 – Rec Hall – University Park, Pa.

125: #4 Nico Megaludis PSU maj. dec. Mitch Rogaliner MSU, 17-5                                  4-0

133: #5 Jordan Conaway PSU pinned Garth Yenter MSU, WBF (5:59)                               10-0

141: Javier Gasca MSU dec. #14 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, 6-2                                              10-3

149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU tech fall Kaelan Richards MSU, 24-9 (TF; 6:49)                    15-3

157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU pinned Mark Bozzo MSU, WBF (2:02)                                        21-3

165: Geno Morelli PSU dec. Dean Vettese MSU, 8-2                                                       24-3

174: #1 Bo Nickal PSU tech fall Travis Curley MSU, 24-9 (TF; 6:19)                                  29-3

184: #6 Matt McCutcheon PSU dec. Shane Shadaia MSU, 3-0                                         32-3

197: #1 Morgan McIntosh PSU pinned Jacob Cooper MSU, WBF (4:22)                           38-3

285: Nick Nevills PSU dec. Dimitrus Renfroe MSU, 5-2                                                    41-3

Attendance: 6,419 (sold out – 28 straight sell outs in Rec Hall, 31 of 32 including BJC)

Records: Penn State 15-0, 9-0 B1G (clinches share of B1G reg. season title); Michigan St. 1-14, 1-8 B1G

Up Next for Penn State: vs. TBA, NWCA Dual Meet Championship, Sunday, Feb. 21, 5 p.m., Rec Hall