No. 1 Penn State wrestling survived its toughest test of the season so far on Tuesday, outlasting No. 6 Iowa State 22-12 in the Blue Pool championship on the final night of the Collegiate Duals in New Orleans.
The Nittany Lions and Cyclones split the meet’s first eight bouts, including an upset 9-7 decision by Iowa State’s No. 4-ranked Marcus Coleman over top-ranked Aaron Brooks at 184 pounds. With Penn State clinging to a 13-12 team lead, No. 5 Max Dean turned the tables for the Nittany Lions with an upset of his own in the ensuing bout, knocking off No. 2 Yonger Bastida at 197. The Cyclones forfeited the heavyweight bout to secure the meet and a second consecutive Collegiate Duals title for Penn State.
Penn State improved to 7-0 to close out the calendar year before opening Big Ten action in January. Iowa State fell to 7-2.
BOUT BY BOUT
In the opening bout at 125 pounds, Iowa State’s Corey Cabanban used a late first period takedown and a second period rideout of Penn State’s Gary Steen to take a 2-0 lead and 2:35 in riding time into the final frame. Cabanban took down and quickly escaped to start the third. Steen looked for takedowns on a couple of low shots, but Cabanban had the answer and with a riding time point the Cyclone claimed a 4-0 decision to put Iowa State ahead 3-0.
Top-ranked 133-pounder Roman Bravo-Young answered with Penn State’s only bonus points of the night until Iowa State’s forfeit in the final bout of the dual. After a scoreless first period against the Cyclones’ No. 21-ranked Ramazan Attasauov, Bravo-Young kept control as Attasauov chose down to start the second. The Nittany Lion eventually turned his ride into a cradle and turned Attasauov for two near-fall points before the period expired to take a 2-0 lead and two minutes in riding time. After escaping to start the third, Bravo-Young scored on three takedowns and added a riding time point for a 10-2 major decision that put Penn State in front 4-3.
No. 5 Beau Bartlett and Iowa State’s Zach Redding also opened with a scoreless first period in the 141-pound bout. Bartlett escaped to start the second and went on the offensive, finally connecting for a takedown — and nearly putting Redding on his back — with 15 seconds left in the period to carry a 3-0 lead into the third. Redding escaped to start the final period, but Bartlett scored on two takedowns and an illegal trip call to win an 8-3 decision and widen Penn State’s lead to 7-3.
No. 17-ranked redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness more than held his own in the early going of the 149-pound bout against Iowa State’s No. 5-ranked Paniro Johnson. Van Ness had Johnson on the defensive in a scoreless first period, opened with an escape to start the second and fended off a low shot from Johnson to take a 1-0 lead into the third. Johnson escaped to start the final period and countered a Van Ness shot for a takedown. Van Ness escaped quickly to narrow the score to 3-2, fought off another Johnson takedown attempt and went on the offensive, but Johnson backed away and avoided a stall call to win a tight 3-2 decision and pull the Cyclones within one in the team score.
Freshman Levi Haines again impressed in his third dual meet appearance for the Nittany Lions at 157 pounds. He controlled the action early against Jason Kraisser and with a pair of first-period takedowns took a 4-3 lead into the third. Haines opened the third with an escape, then powered Kraisser to the mat for another takedown with a minute left. He stayed on top for the remainder and with a riding time point secured an 8-3 decision that increased Penn State’s lead to 10-6.
The second half of the night opened with Penn State’s 14th-ranked redshirt freshman Alex Facundo taking on No. 3-ranked David Carr at 165. Carr quickly converted on a low-single to take a 2-0 lead and built up more than two minutes in riding time until Facundo escaped with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first period. Carr, a three-time All-American and 2021 national champion, escaped to start the second a defended against a series of Facundo shots to take a 3-1 lead into the third. Facundo escaped to start the final period, and had Carr on the defensive late, but couldn’t connect for a pivotal takedown. With a riding time point, Carr won a 4-2 decision and narrowed the Penn State lead to 10-9.
At 174, No. 1 Carter Starocci used a high single for a late first period takedown against Iowa State’s No. 21-ranked Julien Broderson, then escaped to start the second and open up a 3-0 lead. With Broderson taking neutral to start the third, Starocci turned another high single into a takedown. Broderson’s escape marked his only point as Starocci took a 5-1 decision that pushed Penn State’s lead to 13-9.
The 184-pound bout between top-ranked Aaron Brooks and Iowa State’s No. 4-ranked Marcus Coleman turned out to be a wild one. Brooks forced a scramble that led to a takedown and a 2-0 lead with 40 seconds left in the first then escaped to start the second. But Coleman responded in a big way, catching Brooks and throwing him to the mat for a takedown and almost pinning him en route to four near-fall points and a 6-3 lead heading into the third. Following a Coleman escape to start the final period, Brooks scored a takedown and narrowed the score to 7-5, but Coleman answered again with a reversal to extend his lead to 9-5. Brooks worked for a reversal of his own to cut the lead to 9-7 and tried to turn the Cyclone for back points to tie or win, but time ran out. Coleman won a decision that dealt Brooks his first loss of the season and just the third of his collegiate career.
With Penn State leading 13-12, No. 5-ranked Nittany Lion Max Dean faced No. 2 Yonger Bastida in what would be a decisive 197-pound bout. The wrestlers battled to a scoreless first period, followed by Dean opening the second with a quick escape for a 1-0 lead. In the closing seconds of the period, Dean masterfully countered a Bastida shot for a takedown and took a 3-0 lead into the third. Bastida took down to start the final period and Dean stayed in control on top until he had riding time over one minute. Bastida escaped but couldn’t break through on his late shots and Dean claimed a 4-1 decision that made the team score 16-12 in Penn State’s favor.
That would be all it took for the Nittany Lions to stay undefeated in dual meet action. No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet won the heavyweight bout by forfeit as Iowa State held No. 10 Sam Schuyler out with an apparent injury, rounding out the final team score at 22-12.
WHAT’S NEXT
Penn State returns to action at 9 p.m. on Jan. 6 when the Nittany Lions visit Wisconsin. The match will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
