Penn State wrestling did what Penn State wrestling does against No. 2 Iowa, beating the Hawkeyes 30-8.
Here’s how it happened.
285
Greg Kerkvliet beats Ben Kuter
197
Josh Barr (Penn State) vs. Stephen Buchanan (Iowa)
Barr wrestles the No.1 197-pounder in the country to a stalemate after the first period.Barr gets an escape point late in the second period to take a 1-0 lead. He enters the third period two minutes away from taking down No. 1. An escape point by Buchanan ties the score at 1. A late takedown by Buchanan and an escape make it a 5-1 win.
Buchanan 5, Barr 1
Penn State 26, Iowa 8.ย
184
Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. Angelo Ferrari (Iowa)
Wrestling fans wanted to see Starocci take on Gabe Arnold, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, Starocci took on the talented sophomore Ferrari. Ferrari wrestles a defensive style in the first period that generates boos from the crowd. With 10 seconds left, Starocci makes it 1-0 and goes into the second period with that lead. Ferrari ties it with an escape in the second period, and the bout goes into the last period tied at 1. Starocci ends up getting another pointto win, 2-1, in a match that wasn’t a crowd pleaser.
Starocci 2, Ferrari 1
Penn State 26, Iowa 5
174
Levi Haines (Penn State) vs. Patrick Kennedy (Iowa)
The two wrestle to a scoreless draw in the first period. Haines opens the scoring in the second period with an escape point and then gets a late takedown to go ahead 4-0, which is the lead he holds going into the third period. Two more takedowns make it 10-2, and Haines has it in the bag at that point.
Haines 10, Kennedy 3
Penn State 23, Iowa 5
165
Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) vs. Mikey Caliendo (Iowa)
This is the showdown. No. 1 vs. No. 2. Mesenbrink gets the scoring started with a takedown a minute and a half in. Caliendo then gets an escape to make it 3-1. He leads 6-1 by the end of the first. He continues to dominate in the second and goes into the third period with a 10-2 lead. Mesembrink ends up winning by tech fall to improve to 4-0 lifetime against Caliendo.
Mesembrink 19, Caliendo 5
Penn State 20, Iowa 5
157
Tyler Kasak (Penn State) vs. Jacori Teemer (Iowa)
Teemer has an early headgear malfunction, leading a Penn State fan to yell “Hey, take that headgear off!”
The match resumes. Later, it appears Kasak has something in his eye, but is ready to go soon after. After all that, nobody scores in the first period.
Kasak starts the second period on bottom, and escapes for the first points of the night. Then, he gets a three-point takedown to make it 4-0. But toward the end of the period, Kasak appears to be hurt and is tended to by Penn State’s training staff.
He continues, and in the third period, he gets a takedown to make it 7-1. But it’s taken off the board, and instead, Kasak has a 4-1 lead with almost two minutes of riding time. An escape by Temmer makes it 4-2 and sets the stage for an electric final minute. Kasak gets the win in emphatic fashion, and Penn State is rolling.
Kasak 4, Temmer 2,
Penn State 15, Iowa 5
149
Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) vs. Kyle Parco (Iowa)
Van Ness gets things started with single0leg takedown that took about 10 seconds to develop. An escape by Parco makes it 3-1, but Van Ness keeps control of the match. With about a minute left, Parco gets a takedown to take a 4-3 lead. Van Ness then escapes to tie the score. It remains tied at the end of the period. V
Van Ness starts the second period on bottom and escapes, but soon gets reversed to give Parco a 6-5 lead. But in the last minute, Van Ness gets a takedown and a near-fall to take a commanding 12-6 lead and get the crowd on its feet. An escape and a takedown make it 16-6, effecitley putting the match to bed.
Van Ness 16, Parco 6
Penn State 12, Iowa 5
141
Beau Bartlett (Penn State) vs. Cullan Schreiver (Iowa)
Bartlett starts fast, getting a takedown in the first minute. Schreiver escapes to make it 3-1. There’s a stoppage for blood with 1:44 left in the period, and AC/DC’s “If you want blood” plays. There’s another stoppage 19 seconds later. Bartlett gets a takedown with 40 seconds left to make it 6-1 and, once again, there’s a stoppage. Right after that, Bartlett puts Schreiver on his stomach, but’s it’s not ruled a takedown. An escape makes it 6-2. That’s how the first period ends.
Bartlett starts the second period on top and Schreiver quickly escapes, making it 6-3.
Bartlett enters the third period up by three and Schreiver starts on top. Bartlett quickly escapes to make it 7-3. There’s a force out, and the two move back to neutral. The BJC crowd thinks Schreiver is stalling and starts booing as a result. Bartlett ends up winning, 7-3.
Bartlett 7, Schreiver 3
Penn State 8, Iowa 5
133
Kurt McHenry (Penn State) vs. Drake Ayala (Iowa)
McHenry, competing for Braeden Davis, who was out for undisclosed reasons, falls behind 3-1. Another takedown makes it 6-1 Ayala with 1:40 left in the first period. McHenry ends the first period trailing 9-2. Ayala ends up winning in a 19-4 tech fall to tie the score at 5.
Ayala 19, McHenry 4
Penn State 5, Iowa 5
125
Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) vs. Joey Cruz (Iowa)
Lilledahl gets a takedown early to go ahead 3-0. An escape by Cruz makes it 3-1. Lilledahl continues to dominate for the next minute to cheers from the Penn State crowd. He doesn’t let Cruz get away for the rest of the period and enters the second with a 3-1 lead and 1:49 of riding time acquired.
Cruz starts the second period with riding time, but Lilledahl escapes to make it 4-1. Another takedown makes it 7-1, and Lilledahl just keeps dominating having 2:44 of riding time going into the third period. Two takedowns in the third give Lilledahl a 13-3 lead. He ends up getting a tech fall, 22-6.
Lilledahl 22, Cruz 6
Penn State 5, Iowa 0
University Park– The dual meet of the year is here: It’s Penn State and Iowa wrestling.
It’s No. 1 against No. 2.
Rival vs. Rival.
Legendy program vs. Legandry program.
Cael Sanderson vs. The Brands Brothers.
Nittany Sports Now is live from the Bryce Jordan Center to chronicle everything that happens in Friday night’s dual meet. Although it is a No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash, the gap between Penn State– which has won 11 of the past 13 national championships– is so wide that Penn State is a heavy favorite, anyway.
It will be a fun one, and we’ll keep track of the night’s action right here.
