Penn State beats Iowa in wrestling showdown

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Penn State Nittany Lions (14-0, 6-0 B1G) ranked No. 1, defeated homestanding Iowa (11-1, 5-1 B1G) 19-13 in a showdown of the Big Ten’s last two unbeaten teams. Iowa entered the dual ranked No. 2 in dual meets and No. 3 in TPI by InterMat.

Penn State won three straight bouts to start the dual, but Iowa answered with three wins of its own to tie the dual meet at 10-10 after six matches. Another Nittany Lions three-win streak from 174 to 197 allowed Penn State to secure the victory.

Senior Drew Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind.), ranked No. 7 at 125, opened up the dual with a major decision, using four late back points and riding time to roll to a 9-0 major over Jesse Ybarra. Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 1 at 133, scored all three of his points in the second period (an escape and a takedown) to notch a hard-fought 3-2 win over No. 3 Austin DeSanto. Bravo-Young’s victory gave Penn State an early 7-0 lead.

Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 1 at 141, used a quick takedown in extra time to post a thrilling 6-4 (sv) win over No. 2 Jaydin Eierman to make it three straight out of the gates for Penn State. Penn State led 10-0.

Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.), ranked No. 19 at 149, lost a 4-1 decision to No. 10 Max Murin as the Hawkeyes cut Penn State’s lead to 10-3. Sophomore Terrell Barraclough (Kaysville, Utah) battled No. 12 Kaleb Young at 157 but dropped a 2-0 decision. Penn State carried a 10-6 lead into the halftime break.

Senior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 11 at 165, suffered a 10-2 major decision loss to No. 5 Alex Marinelli and Iowa tied the dual at 10-10. Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 174, retook the lead for Penn State. The Lion sophomore won a 2-1 (tb) match over No. 2 Michael Kemerer, escaping quickly in his tie-breaker period and holding Kemerer for the full :30 to win the match. His victory put Penn State up 13-10.

Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 1 at 184, added to Penn State’s lead with a 8-3 win over No. 17 Abe Assad to put the Nittany Lions up 16-10.

Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), ranked No. 2 at 197, clinched the dual with a comeback victory. Dean, trailing 3-0 after two periods, scored eight unanswered points in the third period to post an 8-3 victory over No. 4 Jacob Warner. Dean used an escape, a stall point, a takedown and four near fall points as the bout ended to put Penn State up 19-10 and secure the team win. Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), ranked No. 3 at 285, led early over No. 5 Tony Cassioppi but dropped a 7-2 decision in the dual’s final bout, making the final score 19-13 in Penn State’s favor.

Penn State owned a slim 10-8 edge in takedowns and picked up one bonus point on Hildebrandt’s major. The win snapped Iowa’s 29-dual overall win streak and 22-dual win streak at home.

Penn State is now 14-0 overall, 6-0 in Big Ten action. Iowa falls to 11-1, 5-1 B1G. The Nittany Lions close out Big Ten action next weekend at home. Penn State hosts Ohio State on Friday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. in the 2022 BJC Dual. The team then hosts Nebraska on Sunday, Feb. 6, at 12 p.m. in Rec Hall. Both events are B1G Network national telecasts.

#1 Penn State 19, #3 Iowa 13
January 28, 2022 – Iowa City, Iowa
125: #7 Drew Hildebrandt PSU maj. dec. Jesse Ybarra IOWA, 9-0 4-0
133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young PSU dec. #3 Austin DeSanto IOWA, 3-2 7-0
141: #1 Nick Lee PSU dec. #2 Jaydin Eierman IOWA, 6-4 (sv) 10-0
149: #10 Max Murin IOWA dec. #19 Beau Bartlett PSU, 4-1 10-3
157: #12 Kaleb Young IOWA dec. Terrell Barraclough PSU, 2-0 10-6
165: #5 Alex Marinelli IOWA maj. dec. #11 Brady Berge PSU, 10-2 10-10
174: #1 Carter Starocci PSU dec. #2 Michael Kemerer IOWA, 2-1 (tb) 13-10
184: #1 Aaron Brooks PSU dec. #17 Abe Assad IOWA, 8-3 16-10
197: #2 Max Dean PSU dec. #4 Jacob Warner IOWA, 8-3 19-10
285: #5 Tony Cassioppi IOWA dec. #3 Greg Kerkvliet PSU, 7-2 19-13

Attendance: 14,905
Records: Penn State (14-0, 6-0 B1G); Iowa (11-1, 5-1 B1G)

Up Next for Penn State: home vs. Ohio State, Friday, Feb. 4, 7 p.m. (BJC); home vs. Nebraska, Sunday, Feb. 6, 12 p.m. (Rec Hall).