PSU Takes Down Sparty, 48-3
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Penn State (7-0, 3-0 B1G) dominated home standing Michigan State (4-5, 0-3 B1G) in Big Ten road action Sunday in East Lansing. The Nittany Lions rolled to a 48-3 victory on the back of five pins to move their dual win streak to 38.
Head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad won nine of ten bouts in the lopsided road victory, all for bonus points. Five Penn Staters picked up pins, including senior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), who moved within four of Penn State’s all-time record.
The dual began at 125. Red-shirt freshman Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) battled Rayvon Foley tough but dropped a 6-2 decision to give the Spartans an early 3-0 lead. Senior Corey Keener (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.) dominated Matt Santos at 133, rolling to a 12-2 major with almost 4:00 in riding time to put Penn State up 4-3. True freshman Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), continuing his Penn State dual debut weekend at 141, dominated another nationally ranked wrestler. Lee rolled over No. 20 Javier Gasca for a 16-1 technical fall at the 4:08 mark.
Retherford, ranked No. 1 at 149, picked up his 13th pin of the year with a fall over Jwan Britton at the 4:08 mark to put the Lions up 15-3. Junior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, followed suit with his 13th pin, getting the fall over Jake Tucker at the 3:27 mark to give the Nittany Lions a 21-3 lead at intermission.
Junior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, continued Penn State’s pin streak out of intermission, pinning Austin Hiles at the 2:48 mark to give the Lions a 27-3 lead. Sophomore Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, dominated Logan Ritchie, rolling his way to a 19-4 technical fall at the 6:21 mark. Junior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 184, notched Penn State’s fourth pin, picking up a first period fall over Shwan Shadaia at the 2:02 mark to give Penn State a 38-3 lead.
Sophomore Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.) got the call at 197 and continued Penn State’s bonus parade with a 16-3 major over Michigan State’s Nick May. Junior Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 8 at 285, finished off a stellar dual weekend for Penn State with the team’s fifth pin of the dual, a fall at the 6:35 mark over MSU’s Matt Lloyd.
Penn State won nine of ten bouts, all for bonus. The Nittany Lions had five pins (Retherford, Nolf, Joseph, Nickal and Nevills), two tech falls (Lee and Hall) and two majors (Keener and Cassar). Penn State owned a 40-3 takedown advantage. Retherford now has 13 pins this year and 49 for his career, just four shy of the all-time Penn State record of 53. Nolf has 13 this season as well, 42 for his career, which is fifth all-time. Retherford and Nolf remain unbeaten all-time in Big Ten dual meets, Retherford is 29-0 and Nolf 21-0. Nickal picked up his ninth pin of the year and the 34th of his career, putting him seventh all-time on Penn State’s career pins list. Penn State, 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten, has now won 38 straight dual meets dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. Michigan State falls to 4-5, 0-3 in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions return home for the first time in a month for a battle against Purdue in Rec Hall on Friday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. Penn State then visits Maryland on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 4 p.m.
#2 Penn State 48, Michigan State 3
January 14, 2018 – East Lansing, Mich.
125: Rayvon Foley MSU dec. Devin Schnupp PSU, 6-2 0-3
133: Corey Keener PSU maj. dec. Matt Santos MSU, 12-2 4-3
141: Nick Lee PSU tech fall #20 Javier Gasca MSU, 16-1 (5:10) 9-3
149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU pinned Jwan Britton MSU, WBF (4:08) 15-3
157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU pinned Jake Tucker MSU, WBF (3:27) 21-3
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU pinned Austin Hiles MSU, WBF (2:48) 27-3
174: #2 Mark Hall PSU tech fall Logan Ritchie MSU, 19-4 (TF; 6:21) 32-3
184: #1 Bo Nickal PSU pinned Shwan Shadaia MSU, WBF (2:02) 38-3
197: Anthony Cassar PSU maj. dec. Nick May MSU, 16-2 42-3
285: #8 Nick Nevills PSU pinned Matt Lloyd MSU, WBF (6:35) 48-3
Records: Penn State 7-0, 3-0 B1G; Michigan State 4-5, 0-3 B1G
Up Next for Penn State: home vs. Purdue, Friday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m. in Rec Hall
