Nick Lee’s 100th career win highlights Penn State’s win over visiting Lehigh
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (5-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 2 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index (TPI), took care of visiting Lehigh (3-2) by a 23-16 score in Sunday afternoon non-conference action. Once again, a shorthanded Penn State squad won six of nine contested bouts, this time in sold out Rec Hall as senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.) picked up his 100th career win.
The dual began at 125 where senior Jake Campbell (Pottstown, Pa.) made his Penn State dual debut. Campbell battled No. 12 Jaret Lane before dropping a 11-3 bout. Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 1 at 133, dominated Sheldon Seymour, running away to a 19-7 major decision to tie the dual meet at 4-4 after two bouts. Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 1 at 141, took care of Lehigh’s Connor McGonagle, posting a 13-6 win to put the Lions on top 7-4. The victory was the 100th of Lee’s illustrious Penn State career. The Nittany Lion is now 100-13 overall, including a 4-0 record this year.
Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.), ranked No. 20 at 149, gave up a late takedown and suffered a 6-5 upset loss to Manzona Bryant. Junior Tony Negron (North Babylon, N.Y.) made his Penn State dual meet debut at 157 and nearly upset No. 10 Josh Humphreys in the process. Negron appeared to take a 6-5 lead with :09 left in the match, but the move was reviewed by the officials and overturned, giving Humphreys the 5-4 win. The result sent Lehigh into halftime leading 10-7.
Junior Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.), ranked No. 32 at 165, notched a critical win over No. 27 Brian Meyer. Edsell turned 1:23 in riding time into the bout’s crucial point in a 2-1 win, tying the dual at 10-10. Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 174, put Penn State on top for good with a 13-3 major over Lehigh’s Jake Logan, giving the Lions a 14-10 lead.
With No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Pa.) also not wrestling, sophomore Donovon Ball (New Cumberland, Pa.) took to the mat at 184 once again and for the second time in three days came away with a critical victory. Ball posted a thrilling 5-3 win over Lehigh’s A.J. Burkhart to give Penn State a 17-10 advantage. Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), ranked No. 4 at 197, clinched the Penn State victory with a rousing first period pin. Dean turned Lehigh’s J.T. Davis late in the period to get the fall at the 2:58 mark to put Penn State up 23-10. With No. 4 Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) still ill, No. 10 Jordan Wood got the forfeit victory at 285 making the dual final 23-16 in Penn State’s favor.
