Nits Head to Michigan
UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers (11-0, 5-0 B10), ranked No. 1 in the nation, take a Big Ten swing through the state of Michigan this weekend. The Nittany Lions are at Michigan State (5-8, 0-5 B10) on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m., in a dual that will be streamed live on the BTDN. Penn State will then visit No. 11 Michigan (8-2, 4-0 B10) on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 2. The Lions and Wolverines tangle at 3:30 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network, in a battle of the Big Ten’s last two remaining conference unbeatens.
Penn State is coming off a 31-3 win over Illinois last Friday night in Rec Hall. Nearly 6,500 fans watched the Nittany Lions win nine of ten bouts to roll to victory. The win was highlighted by Nico Megaludis’ 5-4 win over Jesse Delgado at 125 and red-shirt freshman Zack Beitz’s victory over No. 19 Caleb Ervin at 149.
The Lions sport a deep line-up, including ten ranked wrestlers. Megaludis is 20-2 at 125 and ranked No. 2 nationally while red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon is 11-9 and ranked No. 16 at 133. True freshman Zain Retherford is unbeaten at 141, sporting a 21-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking. Beitz is 11-7 overall and debuted in the rankings this week with a No. 15 nod at 149. Junior Dylan Alton, 13-0 overall, is ranked No. 4 at 157 while unbeaten senior David Taylor, 21-0 on the year, is ranked No. 1 nationally at 165.
Junior Matt Brown, 21-1 at 174, is ranked No. 3 while senior Ed Ruth, 20-1 at 184, is ranked No. 2 nationally. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh is 20-2 and ranked No. 7 at 197 while junior Jimmy Lawson is 16-4 and No. 12 at 285. Lawson will be out this coming weekend and junior Jon Gingrich steps in at heavyweight. Gingrich, who won last weekend in Penn State’s win over Illinois, sports a 19-3 overall record. Also seeing time in Penn State’s dual meet line-up this year has been sophomore Jordan Conaway, who is 13-5 at 133, and senior James Vollrath, who is 11-7 at 157.
Michigan State will enter Friday’s dual with a 5-8 overall record, 0-5 in the Big Ten. The Spartans are being led by talented senior heavyweight Mike McClure. McClure sports a 19-4 overall record and is ranked No. 7 nationally. Teammate Nick Trimble is 18-10 at 149 while John Rizqallah is 15-6 at 184. Nick McDiarmid sports a 14-6 mark at 197 as well.
Penn State leads the all-time series with the Spartans 17-9, including the last eight straight. Penn State won the last meeting, a 41-0 meeting on 1/13/13 in Rec Hall last year. The Lions won the last meeting on the road, a 36-6 meeting in Battle Creek, Mich., on 1/8/12. The Lions also won the last meeting on campus in East Lansing, 30-9 on 2/4/11.
No. 11 Michigan, which is at Ohio State on Friday night while Penn State is in East Lansing, enters the weekend with an 8-2 overall record, including a perfect 4-0 mark in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are being led by true freshman heavyweight Adam Coon. Coon is ranked No. 2 at 285 with a 23-1 record. His only lost came last weekend to MSU’s McClure. Senior Dan Yates is 14-2 and No. 6 at 165 while classmate Eric Grajales is 15-6 and No. 7 at 149. Steve Dutton is 3-0 at 141 and ranked No. 13 while freshman Brian Murphy is 12-3 and No. 14 at 157. Freshman Domenic Abounader is 10-4 and ranked No. 20 at 184 as well.
Penn State leads the all-time series with Michigan 27-24, including the last three. The Nittany Lions won 34-7 in Rec Hall on 2/5/12 in the last meeting between the two teams. Penn State won 28-13 on 2/6/11 in the last meeting in Ann Arbor.
The Nittany Lions trek to Minneapolis next weekend for a showdown with Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. (Eastern)/1 p.m. (Central). The Lion/Gopher battle will also be a BTN live telecast.
UP NEXT
Penn State heads to Minneapolis next weekend for a dual at No. 3 Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. (Eastern)/1 p.m. (Central) in another Big Ten Network live telecast.
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (11-0, 5-0 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #2 Nico Megaludis Jr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 20-2
133 #16 Jimmy Gulibon Fr. Latrobe, Pa./Derry Area 11-9
Jordan Conaway So. Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford 13-5
141 #2 Zain Retherford Fr. Benton, Pa./Benton 21-0
149 #15 Zack Beitz Fr. Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata 11-7
OR Andrew Alton Jr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 7-0
157 #4 Dylan Alton Jr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 13-0
OR James Vollrath Sr. Richboro, Pa./Council Rock South 11-7
165 #1 David Taylor Sr. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 21-0
174 #3 Matt Brown Jr. West Valley City, Utah/Cyprus 21-1
184 #2 Ed Ruth Sr. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township 20-1
197 #7 Morgan McIntosh So. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel 20-2
285 Jon Gingrich Jr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 19-3
OUT #12 Jimmy Lawson Jr. Tom’s River, N.J./Manchester Township 16-4
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (5-8, 0-5 B10)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Brenan Lyon Sr. Ithaca, Mich. 5-11
133 Garth Yenter Fr. California, Ky. 14-13
141 Brian Gibbs So. Temperance, Mich. 12-16
149 Nick Trimble So. Sparta, Mich. 18-10
157 Roger Wildmo So. Durand, Mich. 11-12
165 Bobby Nash Sr. Roseville, Mich. 14-13
174 Kevin Nash Jr. Roseville, Mich. 8-9
OR Nick Kaczanowski Sr. Rochester Hills, Mich. 5-8
184 John Rizqallah Jr. Allegan, Mich. 15-6
197 Nick McDiarmid Jr. Fowlerville, Mich. 14-6
285 #7 Mike McClure Sr. Holland, Mich. 19-4
#11 MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (*8-2, 4-0 B10)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Conor Youtsey Fr. Parma, Mich./Mason 13-7
133 Rossi Bruno So. Brandon, Fla./Brandon 13-10
141 #13 Steve Dutton Jr. Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point 3-0
149 #7 Eric Grajales Sr. Brandon, Fla./Brandon 15-6
157 #14 Brian Murphy Fr. Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North 12-3
165 #6 Dan Yates Sr. Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia 14-2
174 Collin Zeerip Jr. Fremont, Mich./Hesperia 16-7
184 #20 Domenic Abounader Fr. Gates Mills, Ohio/St. Edward 10-4
197 Chris Heald Jr. West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield 7-13
285 #2 Adam Coon Fr. Fowlerville, Mich./Fowlerville 23-1
Individual rankings are Intermat and team rankings are Intermat TPI as of 1/28
* Michigan is at Ohio State on Friday, 1/31, the same night Penn State is at Michigan State
