Penn State Blazes Past Northwestern 39-8

UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 1 nationally, blazed past No. 14 Northwestern Sunday afternoon. Penn State won eight of ten bouts for the second time in three days and posted the 39-8 Big Ten dual win over the visiting Wildcats.

The dual started at 125 where Nittany Lion All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, put on a takedown clinic on his way to a 23-6 technical fall over Northwestern’s Garrison White.  Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 15 nationally, then picked up his first Rec Hall dual meet win at 133, posting a convincing 8-2 victory over NU’s Dominick Malone.  True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), unbeaten and ranked No. 2 at 141, then posted an 11-2 major over NU junior Pat Greco.

Red-shirt freshman Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.) nearly upset No. 4 Jason Tsirtsis at 149, but the ranked Wildcat was able to post the 5-3 sudden victory decision. Senior James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) then pinned Northwestern’s Ben Sullivan at the 4:01 mark to send Penn State into the halftime break up 18-3.

Senior All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), unbeaten and ranked No. 1 at 165, rolled through No. 9 Pierce Harger, posting the 17-2 technical fall at the 4:45 mark.  Junior All-American Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, then downed No. 9 Lee Munster.  Brown was up 10-1 at the 3:56 mark before Munster had to take an injury default.  Senior All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally at 184, pinned Northwestern’s Jacob Berkowitz quickly, getting the fall at the 1:36 mark, giving the Nittany Lions a 35-3 lead.

Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 7 at 197, was impressive with a 17-8 major over No. 17 Alex Polizzi to put the Lions up 39-2 as Northwestern was deducted a team point for a second bench warning.  In one of the dual’s most anticipated match-ups, Nittany Lion junior Jimmy Lawson (Tom’s River, N.J.), ranked No. 12 at 285, took on No. 4 Mike McMullan. McMullan used a quick move on the edge of the mat to take Lawson down with at the 2:44 mark when Lawson called for injury time.  The Lion junior was not able to continue and McMullan got the injury default victory, making the final scored 39-8 Penn State.

The sell-out crowd of 6,393 was the 16th-straight home sell out for Penn State.  Taylor improves to 20-0 on the year with 10 pins, six tech falls and four majors.  He is 28-0 all-time in Big Ten duals and 49-0 all-time against Big Ten competition.  His 120 career wins is 11thall-time (he is 120-3) at Penn State.  Ruth moves to 19-1 with seven pins, seven tech falls and five majors.  He is 28-0 all-time in Big Ten duals and 50-0 all-time against Big Ten competition.  Ruth is 121-3 as a Penn Stater, tied for eighth all-time.

Retherford remains unbeaten with a 20-0 record, including three pins, two techs and six majors.  Brown is 20-1 with six pins, two techs and six majors as well.  Megaludis and McIntosh both improve to 19-2.

Penn State improves to 10-0 on the year, 4-0 in Big Ten action, while Northwestern falls to 6-4, 1-4 B1G. Penn State hosts No. 11 Illinois next Friday night, Jan. 24, in a 7 p.m. dual in sold out Rec Hall.

With the full season of Rec Hall duals sold out prior to the start of the campaign, a very limited number of standing room only tickets are available to a few of the remaining Rec Hall duals.  People may purchase tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting the Penn State Athletics ticket office located in the BJC. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling.   The 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

(1) Penn State 39, (14) Northwestern 8

January 19, 2014 – Rec Hall – University Park, Pa.

 

125: (2) Nico Megaludis PSU tech fall Garrison White NU, 23-6 (TF; 6:39)                        5-0

133: (15) Jimmy Gulibon PSU dec. Dominick Malone NU, 8-2                                            8-0

141: (2) Zain Retherford PSU maj. dec. Pat Greco NU, 11-2                                                            12-0

149: (4) Jason Tsirtsis NU dec. (SV) Zack Beitz PSU, 5-3 (sv)                                             12-3

157: James Vollrath PSU pinned Ben Sullivan NU, WBF (4:01)                                          18-3

165: (1) David Taylor PSU tech fall (9) Pierce Harger NU, 17-2 (4:45)                                 23-3

174: (3) Matt Brown PSU inj. def. (9) Lee Munster NU, (leading 10-1 at 3:56)                    29-3

184: (2) Ed Ruth PSU pinned Jacob Berkowitz NU, WBF (1:36)                                         35-3

197: (7) Morgan McIntosh PSU maj. dec. (17) Alex Polizzi NU, 17-8                                  39-2*

285: (4) Mike McMullan NU inj. def. (12) Jimmy Lawson PSU, (trailing 4-0 at 2:44)          39-8

* Northwestern deducted team point during 197-bout, second bench warning

Attendance: 6,393 (16th-straight home sell out)

Records: Penn State 10-0, 4-0 B10; Northwestern 6-4, 1-4 B10