Penn State Dominates Wolverines in Ann Arbor
ANN ARBOR, Mich – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers (6-0, 2-0 B1G) took care of home-standing No. 4 Michigan (5-2, 2-1 B1G) in a clash of Big Ten titans Friday night in Ann Arbor, Mich. Penn State won seven of ten bouts to roll to a 25-12 win and remain unbeaten on the year.
Over 4,000 fans poured in to Michigan’s Crisler Arena for the Big Ten Network live national telecast and were treated to a dual featuring six match-ups between top-ten ranked wrestlers. Penn State won five of those six bouts to run its dual meet win streak to 37.
The dual began at 125 where Lion freshman Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) dropped an 8-0 major to No. 15 Drew Mattin of Michigan. Lion senior Corey Keener (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.) lost a 10-1 major to No. 6 Steven Micic of Michigan at 133 and Penn State found itself down 8-0 after two bouts. True freshman Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.) made his Nittany Lion dual debut at 141 and took care of Michigan’s Sal Profaci, riding three first period takedowns to a big lead and posting a 9-5 win.
Senior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, dominated Michigan’s Malik Amine, rolling up a 16-2 lead before getting his 12th fall of the year (and the 48th of his career) at the 6:29 mark to give Penn State a 9-8 lead. Junior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, took care of No. 5 Alec Pantaleo, posting a 6-4 decision to give the Nittany Lions a 12-8 lead at intermission.
Sophomore Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, took No. 5 Logan Massa in a rematch of last year’s NCAA semifinal bout (won 5-4 by Joseph). Joseph opened up an early lead with two first period takedowns and then roared through the third period, using a throw and four back points to post a 12-3 major decision. Sophomore Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, continued Penn State’s win streak with a 6-5 decision over No. 6 Myles nAmine. Hall’s victory gave the Nittany Lions a 19-8 lead with three bouts to wrestle.
Junior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 184, fought off a late rally from No. 5 Domenic Abounader to notch a hard-fought 5-2 win. The victory put Penn State up 22-8, clinching the dual for the Nittany Lions. Junior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 10 at 197, dominated No. 11 Kevin Beazley 7-1, amassing 2:20 in riding time in the process to give the Lions a 25-8 lead. Junior Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 8 at 285, dropped a 8-0 major decision to No. 2 Adam Coon to close out the dual and the Nittany Lions walked away with a 25-12 road win.
The Nittany Lions owned a slim 14-10 takedown edge and picked up four bonus points off a pin (Retherford) and a major (Joseph). Penn State improves to 6-0 on the year, 2-0 in Big Ten duals. Penn State ran its dual meet win streak to 37 straight dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. Retherford and Nolf’s win keep the Nittany Lion duo unbeaten all-time in Big Ten dual meets. Retherford is now 28-0 all-time in B1G duals and Nolf is 20-0.
Penn State will roll on to East Lansing on Sunday, Jan. 14, for a Big Ten battle at Michigan State. The action is set for 1 p.m. The Nittany Lions’ next home dual is a Big Ten battle against Purdue in Rec Hall on Friday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m.
No. 2 Penn State 25, No. 4 Michigan 12
January 12, 2018 – Crisler Arena – Ann Arbor, Mich.
125: #15 Drew Mattin UM maj. dec. Devin Schnupp PSU, 8-0 0-4
133: #6 Steve Micic UM maj. dec. Corey Keener PSU, 10-1 0-8
141: Nick Lee PSU dec. Sal Profaci UM, 9-5 3-8
149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU pinned Malik Amine UM, WBF (6:29) 9-8
157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU dec. #5 Alec Pantaleo UM, 6-4 12-8
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU maj. dec. #5 Logan Massa UM, 12-3 16-8
174: #2 Mark Hall PSU dec. #6 Myles Amine UM, 6-5 19-8
184: #1 Bo Nickal PSU dec. #5 Domenic Abounader UM, 5-2 22-8
197: #10 Shakur Rasheed PSU dec. #11 Kevin Beazley UM, 7-1 25-8
285: #2 Adam Coon UM maj. dec. #8 Nick Nevills PSU, 8-0 25-12
Attendance: 4,009
Records: Penn State 6-0, 2-0 B1G; Michigan 5-2, 2-1 B1G
Up Next for Penn State: at Michigan State, Sunday, Jan. 14, 1 p.m.
