Penn State Routs American University 40-3 in Dual Finale
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lions (12-2, 8-1 B1G), ranked No. 2 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index, dominated American University (4-8) in the team’s dual meet finale Sunday. Three Penn State seniors got falls on Senior Day for Penn State and sophomore Jarod Verkleeren notched a victory in the dual’s marquee match-up as Penn State rolled to a 40-3 win.
Seniors Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Shakur Rasheed notched pins in their final Rec Hall duals as nearly 6,500 fans packed Rec Hall for the Senior Day dual.
The dual began at 141. Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 1 at 141, controlled the action from the start in his bout against Sal Profaci. He rolled up 2:45 in riding time and notched a 7-3 win to put Penn State up 3-0 early. Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.), ranked No. 17 at 149, took on No. 8 Kizhan Clarke in the dual’s marquee match-up and did not disappoint. Verkleeren battled the eighth-ranked Eagle evenly for the bulk of the bout and, with just :03 left, finished off a counter-takedown to post a 3-1 win. Junior Luke Gardner (Pottsville, Pa.) got the nod at 157 and kept Penn State’s winning ways going. Gardner came back from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to notch three takedowns and roll to a 7-5 victory to put the Nittany Lions up 9-0.
Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, capped off his Rec Hall dual career in fine fashion by pinning American’s Tim Fitzpatrick. Joseph turned a cradle into a pin at the 4:00 mark in the second stanza to give the Nittany Lions a 15-0 lead. Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, duplicated Joseph’s dual meet swansong. The Lion turned a first period cradle into a fall as well, pinning Conner Allshouse at the 2:33 mark. The senior pins put Penn State up 21-0 at intermission.
True freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 6 at 184, kept Penn State perfect through six bouts as the Lion won the second half’s first bout. Brooks posted a hard-fought 8-5 win over American junior Tanner Harvey and Penn State led 24-0. Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 18 at 197, made his final appearance in a Rec Hall dual meet as memorable as teammates Joseph and Hall. He hit the mat against William Jarrell and, like his teammates, locked up a cradle for a fast fall.
Rasheed got the pin at the 1:04 mark and Penn State led 30-0.
True freshman Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 17 at 285, turned a close bout into a major win with a strong third period against Niko Camacho. Nevills picked up two near falls in the final stanza to roll to a 10-2 major decision and give the Lions a 34-0 lead. At 125, freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) took American junior Gage Curry to extra time before the Eagle notched a takedown to post a 3-1 (sv) win, picking up American’s first win of the dual. Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 2 at 133, capped off the Nittany Lion rout with a frenetic first period that ended in a fast fall. Bravo-Young collected nine takedowns in less than two minutes before pinning Joshua Vega at the 1:10 mark. Bravo-Young picked up Penn State’s fourth pin of the dual and the Nittany Lions posted the 40-3 win.
The Nittany Lions posted a 24-3 advantage in takedowns. Penn State won nine of ten bouts and picked up 13 bonus points off four pins (Joseph, Hall, Rasheed, Bravo-Young) and a major (Nevills).
Penn State closes out the dual season with a 12-2 mark, 8-1 in the Big Ten. American falls to 4-8. Penn State now prepares for the 2020 Big Ten Championship at Rutgers in two weeks. The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, at the RAC in Piscataway, N.J., and will serve as the national qualifier for the conference.
#2 Penn State 40, American 3
February 23, 2020 – Rec Hall – University Park, Pa.
141: #1 Nick Lee PSU dec. Sal Profaci AU, 7-3 3-0
149: #17 Jarod Verkleeren PSU dec. #8 Kizhan Clarke AU, 3-1 6-0
157: Luke Gardner PSU dec. Ethan Karsten AU, 7-5 9-0
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU pinned Tim Fitzpatrick AU, WBF (4:00) 15-0
174: #2 Mark Hall PSU pinned Conner Allshouse AU, WBF (2:33) 21-0
184: #6 Aaron Brooks PSU dec. Tanner Harvey AU, 8-5 24-0
197: #18 Shakur Rasheed PSU pinned William Jarrell AU, WBF (1:04) 30-0
285: #17 Seth Nevills PSU maj. dec. Niko Camacho AU, 10-2 34-0
125: Gage Curry AU dec. Brandon Meredith PSU, 3-1 (SV) 34-3
133: #2 Roman Bravo-Young PSU pinned Joshua Vega AU, WBF (1:10) 40-3
Attendance: 6,477 (55th-straight sellout in Rec Hall, 61st of 63 home sellouts, including 6 of 8 in BJC)
Records: Penn State (12-2, 8-1 B1G); American (4-8)
Up Next for Penn State: at 2020 Big Ten Championship, March 7-8, Piscataway, N.J.
