After a COVID-delayed start to the season, No. 3 Penn State wrestling finally kicked off its 2021 campaign with a pair of victories against Indiana and Northwestern in a tri-meet Saturday in Evanston, Illinois.
In the opener against Indiana, the Nittany Lions overcame an early forfeit and an upset win from the Hoosiers’ DJ Washington over fifth-ranked Carter Starocci at 174 pounds. The dual came down to the last match, with Penn State securing a 24-15 victory.
The Nittany Lions returned to the mat with a vengeance later in the afternoon against Northwestern. Thanks to dominant performances from Nick Lee, Roman Bravo-Young and Aaron Brooks, Cael Sanderson’s squad earned their second victory of the day, 29-13.
Penn State Holds Off Indiana
Starting the dual at 133 lbs. after Penn State forfeited at 125, No. 3 Roman Bravo-Young faced off against Indiana’s Kyle Luigs. Bravo-Young won by decision 11-8 in a match that was closer than he may have wanted. He scored some nice takedowns but didn’t get off to his normal pace we’re accustomed to seeing. Bravo-Young’s win pulled Penn State within 6-3 after the forfeit.
At 141 lbs., No. 2 Nick Lee squared off against the Hoosiers’ Cayden Rooks. Lee picked up right where he left off last season in a dominant win over Rooks. He managed to get an early takedown in the first along with a few turns to bring his lead to 10-1 going into the second period. In the second, Lee got a reversal and another turn as the clock ran out in the, giving him a 16-1 technical fall victory. The tech fall gave Penn State a 8-6 lead over Indiana.
Penn State’s Jarod Verkleeren took on Indiana’s Graham Rooks at 149 lbs. Both wrestlers spent the first period feeling each other out as neither one managed to score. In the second period, Verkleeren had a nice over hook toss to get a takedown. He took a 2-1 lead going into the third. Verkleeren went down 4-3 in the third and was unable to score a last second takedown to bring the match to overtime. The decision gave Indiana a 9-8 lead.
Brady Berge took the mat at 157 lbs. for Penn State against Matt Ortiz from Indiana. Berge scored a nice takedown in the first and took a 2-1 lead into the second period. Ortiz got an escape in the second to tie up the score 2-2. Berge pulled away in the third, getting an escape and a late takedown to give him a 5-2 victory. The win pulled Penn State’s lead back to 11-9.
No. 6 Joe Lee made his Nittany Lion debut at 165 lbs. against Indiana’s Nick South. Lee looked impressive in his first match in a Penn State singlet, earning a 8-4 victory. He secured a couple nice takedowns and earned a riding time point earn the decision win. The win brought Penn State’s lead to 14-9.
At 174 lbs., another freshman took the mat for Penn State, as No. 5 Carter Starocci made his Nittany Lion debut against DJ Washington of Indiana. After giving up an early 10-1 lead, Starocci came back in a flurry, scoring seven points in the second thanks to a stall call and some back points. Starocci got an escape to begin the third period bringing him within 10-9 of Washington, but did not score a late takedown to win. The 10-9 upset closed the gap for Indiana 14-12.
No. 3 Aaron Brooks looked dominant for Penn State at 184 lbs. against Indiana’s Drayton Harris. Brooks played the take-him-down-and-let-him-up game, earning an 18-5 decision with an impressive display of takedowns. Brooks did not get any near fall points against Harris, but did have a riding time of over 4 minutes. Brooks’ decision brought Penn State’s lead back up to 18-12
Levko Higgins, wrestling in place of No. 13 Michael Beard, took the mat at 197 lbs. for the Nittany Lions against Nick Willham of Indiana. Higgins couldn’t get much going against Willham, giving up four takedowns. Trailing 9-2 and giving up two minutes of riding time, Higgins earned a late escape point to only lose by 10-3 decision rather than a major decision. The match pulled Indiana within 18-15 of Penn State going into the last match of the meet.
The match was up for grabs as Penn State’s Seth Nevills squared off against Indiana’s Rudy Streck, and Nevills ended things early. He picked up an early takedown a got a quick pin just over one minute into the first period. The fall gave Penn State a 24-15 victory over Indiana.
Nittany Lions Cruise Past Northwestern
Penn State’s dual against No. 16 Northwestern started off at 125 lbs., where the Nittany Lions forfeited after having no wrestlers at the weight cleared to compete.
At 133 lbs., No. 3 Roman Bravo-Young got things started against Dylan Utterback from Northwestern. Utterback displayed some impressive defense early in the first period but Bravo-Young turned up the pace and scored five takedowns in the last minute take a 10-4 lead. Bravo-Young continued the pace in the second pinned Utterback at the 3:48 mark. The pin erased Northwestern’s six-point head start, tying the score 6-6.
No. 2 Nick Lee continued his dominance from earlier in the day at 141 lbs., this time against Frankie Tal-Shahar of Northwestern. The inexperienced Tal-Shahar did his best to fight off Lee’s strong attack but the Hoosier’s multiple stalls contributed to his 12-2 major decision defeat. The stall-out increased Penn State’s lead to 10-6.
Terrell Barraclough stepped in for Jarod Verklereen at 149 lbs. to make his dual debut for the Nittany Lions. He faced off against Yahya Thomas from Northwestern. The two wrestled mostly evenly through the first two periods but Thomas’ takedown in the first put him up 3-1. The pesky Barraclough got an escape in the third to make the score 3-2 but could not pick up a takedown to win the match. Northwestern’s decision pulled the Wildcats within 10-9 of Penn State.
The 157 lbs. weight class featured Penn State’s Brady Berge against Northwestern’s Maxx Mayfield. Berge got on the attack right away, gaining two takedowns in the first period and adding on some riding time as well. Much of the same occurred in the second period as Berge got a few more takedowns and secured a riding time point. Berge’s 12-7 win pushed Penn State’s lead to 13-9.
No. 6 Joe Lee picked up his second win of the day at 165 lbs. when he took on the Wildcats’ David Ferrante. Lee led the first period 5-2 and managed to gain over two minutes of riding time. Ferrante battled back in the second with an escape and a takedown to tie the score. He also erased Lee’s two minutes of riding time from the first and received a stall point to give him a 6-5 lead going into the final period.
The two started on their feet to begin the third. Lee got a takedown after a series of scrambles to take back the lead. Ferrante managed to escape late but Lee gained back his riding time to earn an 8-7 victory. The decision added three more points to increase Penn State’s lead to 16-9.
Fifth-ranked freshman Carter Starocci took the mat at 174 lbs. for Penn State against Troy Fisher. Neither grappler could get an advantage in the first period but Starocci got the scoring going in the second with a quick escape and a takedown to gain a 3-0 lead. Starocci fended off Fisher’s late comeback attempt to win 4-1, bouncing back from his earlier defeat and giving him his first dual win as a Nittany Lion. The decision made the score 19-9 in Penn State’s favor.
At 184 lbs., No. 3 Aaron Brooks looked impressive yet again against Northwestern’s Jack Jessen. Brooks got takedowns whenever he wanted to and controlled the match from start to finish. After a powerful double-leg in the third period, Brooks turned Jessen with ease to gain four back points. His riding time bonus point gave him the 21-6 technical fall. The tech fall pushed Penn State’s lead to 24-9.
With No. 13 Nittany Lion Michael Beard not cleared to compete this weekend, Donovan Ball, who’s listed at 184 lbs. for Penn State, squared off against No. 11 Lucas Davison of Northwestern at 197 lbs. The inexperienced Ball wrestled tough but ultimately was no match for the veteran Davison. Davison’s flurry of takedowns and strong top game earned him a 12-3 major decision. The major cut Penn State’s lead to 24-13.
At heavyweight, Seth Nevills took on the Wildcats’ Brendan Devine. Nevills’ size advantage was apparent from the beginning and it proved to be a major factor in controlling the match. In the first, Nevills scored six takedowns and had already mounted a 16-5 lead. The scoring continued for Nevills in the second period as he earned a 24-9 tech fall, which gave Penn State a 29-13 victory over the Wildcats.
What’s Next?
Sanderson’s squad’s next match is scheduled to be on Feb. 7 against Wisconsin. The match was originally supposed to be a tri-meet in Ann Arbor between Penn State, Michigan, and Wisconsin but Michigan pulled out due to COVID-19 issues. The time and place of the match remain unknown.
