Penn State downs No. 3 Arizona State 29-10 in Collegiate Duals Final

NICEVILLE, FLA – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (8-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 2 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index (TPI), hammered No. 3 Arizona State (3-1) in the Blue Pool title match-up at the Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Niceville, Fla. Penn State won seven of ten bouts and posted a 29-10 win over the third-ranked Sun Devils at the event held at Northwestern Florida State College and hosted by Journeymen Wrestling. In another pool, defending NCAA champion Iowa finished undefeated also, edging North Carolina State by a 19-15 score.

The Penn State dual began at 125 where senior Jake Campbell (Pottstown, Pa.) battled No. 3 Brandon Courtney before dropping an 18-7 major decision. Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 1 at 133, then controlled the action against No. 14 Michael McGee, rolling to a 6-2 win to cut the Sun Devil lead to 4-3.  Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 1 at 141, then put Penn State on top with a win over No. 15 Jesse Vasquez.  Lee tallied five takedowns and rolled to a 14-3 major with 3:10 in riding time to give the Lions a 7-4 lead.

Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.), ranked No. 22 at 149, then notched a dazzling win over No. 5 Kyle Parco.  After battling the fifth-ranked Sun Devil evenly for seven minutes, with each wrestler notching an escape, the bout moved to extra time tied 1-1. With less than a minute left, Bartlett stepped away from a Parco shot, locked him up and used a throw for a winning takedown to post the 3-1 (sv) win.  His victory put Penn State up 10-4.  Tony Negron (North Babylon, N.Y.) got the nod at 157 for Penn State and battled No. 3 Jacori Teener before dropping an 8-3 decision.  The ASU cut Penn State’s lead to 10-7 at the dual’s midway point.

Junior Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.), ranked No. 26 at 165, lost a 10-5 decision to No. 6 Anthony Valencia and the dual meet was tied 10-10 after six bouts.  Penn State did not look back.  Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 174, posted a 17-2 technical fall over Zen Coleman, getting the tech at the 4:50 mark to give the Lions a 15-10 lead.  Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 1 at 184, then pinned Josh Nummer in the first period, rolling out to a 10-0 lead before getting the fall at the 1:48 mark to put Penn State up 21-10.

Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), ranked No. 3 at 197, was dominating as well.  He controlled No. 8 Kordell Norfleet in a 110-1 major decision, getting three takedowns and forcing three stalls while rolling up 4:00 in riding time.  Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), ranked No. 4 at 285, closed out the dual with a 9-0 major over ASU’s Chad Porter, rolling up 4:24 in riding time in the process.

 

Penn State rolled out to a 22-13 edge in takedowns over the third-ranked Sun Devils. In winning seven of ten bouts, Penn State tallied eight bonus points off a pin (Brooks), a tech fall (Starocci) and three majors (Lee, Dean, Kerkvliet).

Penn State is now 8-0 overall while Arizona State falls to 3-1.  Penn State opens up Big Ten action on Friday, Jan. 7, when the Nittany Lions visit the Maryland Terrapins for a 7 p.m. dual in College Park, Md. Penn State then hosts Indiana in Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 9, with time to be determined by the Big Ten Network.

#2 Penn State 29, #3 Arizona State 10

December 21, 2021 – Niceville, Fla.

125: #3 Brandon Courtney ASU maj. dec. Jake Campbell PSU, 18-7                   0-4

133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young PSU dec. #14 Michael McGee ASU, 6-2                 3-4

141: #1 Nick Lee PSU maj. dec. #15 Jesse Vasquez ASU, 14-3                           7-4

149: #22 Beau Bartlett PSU dec. #5 Kyle Parco ASU, 3-1 (SV)                            10-4

157: #3 Jacori Teemer ASU dec. Tony Negron PSU, 8-3                                     10-7

165: #6 Anthony Valencia ASU dec. #26 Creighton Edsell PSU, 10-5                   10-10

174: #1 Carter Starocci PSU tech fall Zane Coleman ASU, 17-2 (TF; 4:50)           15-10

184: #1 Aaron Brooks PSU pinned Josh Nummer ASU, WBF (1:48)                     21-10

197: #3 Max Dean PSU maj. dec. #8 Kordell Norfleet ASU, 10-1                          25-10

285: #4 Greg Kerkvliet PSU maj. dec. Chad Porter ASU, 9-0                               29-10

Records: Penn State (8-0, 0-0 B1G); Arizona State (3-1)

Up Next for Penn State: at Maryland, Friday, Jan. 7, 7 p.m.