Nittany Lions Down #3 Ohio State, 20-16

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2, 8-1 B1G), ranked No. 2 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index, rode a string of three straight bonus wins in the second half to beat No. 3 Ohio State (10-4, 6-3 B1G) in Saturday night’s 2020 BJC Dual. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad won its fifth-straight over Ohio State, posting a 20-16 win in front of a sold-out BJC crowd of 15,995.

The dual began at 125 where freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) lost a 5-3 decision to Ohio State’s Malik Heinselman. Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 2 at 133, tied the dual up by taking care of Jordan Decatur. Bravo-Young rolled up a flurry of third period takedowns to roll to a 10-4 win over Decatur, including 1:50 in riding time. His win tied the dual at 3-3 after two bouts. Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, met No. 1 Luke Pletcher in a battle of unbeatens. Lee gave up an early takedown but then dominated the rest of the bout. The Nittany Lion junior picked up a takedown in the second and third period, rode Pletcher out each time, and added in 1:50 in riding time and a stall point to roll to an 8-4 win.

Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.), ranked No. 17 at 149, took on No. 1 Sammy Sasso at 149. Verkleeren equaled the top-ranked Buckeye for seven minutes and nearly all of extra time. But Sasso notched a takedown with :02 left in sudden victory to post a 3-1 (sv) win. At 157, sophomore Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) made his return to the lineup for the first time since early November. Berge met Quinn Kinner and took an early lead with a first period takedown but Kinner notched a third period takedown and finished on top to post a 4-3 win over Berge. The Buckeyes led 9-6 at intermission.

Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, dominated No. 16 Ethan Smith in the first bout of the second half. Joseph gave up an early takedown and then then controlled the rest of the bout. The Lion senior turned a 6-3 lead after the second period into a 13-5 major with a dominant third period, giving Penn State a 10-9 lead. Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, then sent the BJC crowd into a frenzy with a quick pin of No. 7 Kaleb Romero.

True freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 6 at 184, made it three straight bonus point wins over three straight Buckeyes by rolling to a major decision over No. 12 Rocky Jordan. Brooks controlled the match from start to finish and rolled to a 15-4 major, giving the Nittany Lions 20-9 lead. Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 17 at 197, met No. 1 Kollin Moore at 197 and dropped a 14-6 major decision to the top-ranked Buckeye. True freshman Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 15 at 285, lost a 5-4 decision to Gary Traub and Penn State walked away with a 20-16 victory.

Penn State posted a 19-12 advantage in takedowns. The Lions won the dual thanks to five bonus points off a pin (Hall) and two majors (Joseph, Brooks).

Penn State is now 11-2 overall, 8-1 in the Big Ten. Ohio State falls to 10-4, 6-3 in the Big Ten. Penn State will host American University in its dual finale next Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. in Rec Hall. The dual will serve as Senior Day for Penn State.

#2 Penn State 20, #3 Ohio State 16
February 15, 2020 – Bryce Jordan Center – University Park, Pa.
125: Malik Heinselman OSU dec. Brandon Meredith PSU, 5-3 0-3
133: #2 Roman Bravo-Young PSU dec. Jordan Decatur OSU, 10-4 3-3
141: #2 Nick Lee PSU dec. #1 Luke Pletcher OSU, 8-4 6-3
149: #1 Sammy Sasso OSU dec. #17 Jarod Verkleeren PSU, 3-1 (sv) 6-6
157: Quinn Kinner OSU dec. Brady Berge PSU, 4-3 6-9
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU maj. dec. #16 Ethan Smith OSU, 13-5 10-9
174: #2 Mark Hall PSU pinned #7 Kaleb Romero OSU, WBF (0:46) 16-9
184: #6 Aaron Brooks PSU maj. dec. #12 Rocky Jordan, 15-4 20-9
197: #1 Kollin Moore OSU maj. dec. #17 Shakur Rasheed PSU, 14-6 20-13
285: Gary Traub OSU dec. #15 Seth Nevills PSU, 5-4 20-16
Attendance: 15,995 (6th sellout in 8 BJC duals, 60th of 62 home sellouts including 54-straight in Rec Hall)
Records: Penn State (11-2, 8-1 B1G); Ohio State (10-4, 6-3 B1G)
Up Next for Penn State: home vs. American University, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2 p.m., Rec Hall (BTN+)