:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/918832/Molinaro-WV45.jpg)
The Penn State wrestling team traveled to #10 Lehigh Friday night and hosted West Virginia on Sunday. Collectively, the team went 14-6 in bouts en route to a 24-12 victory over Lehigh and a 34-6 whitewash of West Virginia. Even with two starters out of the lineup, Penn State had little trouble. Frank Molinaro, David Taylor, and Ed Ruth all remained undefeated going 2-0 on the weekend. The Lions managed 8 major decisions, a tech fall, a pin, and an injury default (Ed Ruth was up 12-1 at the time of the injury). Penn State moves to 3-1 on the season.
Lehigh
| Wt. | Winner | type | Loser | Score | Bout score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125: | #15 Nico Megaludis PSU | dec. | Mason Beckman LU, | 4-0 | 3-0 |
| 133: | Chris Dinnien LU | dec. | Derek Reber PSU, | 10-7 | 3-3 |
| 141: | Bryan Pearsall PSU | maj. dec. | Jimmy Carucci LU, | 12-2 | 7-3 |
| 149: | #1 Frank Molinaro PSU | maj. dec. | Anthony Salupo LU, | 14-3 | 11-3 |
| 157: | #10 Dylan Alton PSU | maj. dec. | Sean Bilodeau LU, | 10-1 | 15-3 |
| 165: | #1 David Taylor PSU | dec. | #9 Brandon Hatchett LHU, | 8-5 | 18-3 |
| 174: | #2 Ed Ruth PSU | inj. def. | Nathaniel Brown LU, | (5:00, Ruth up 12-1) | 24-3 |
| 184: | #1 Robert Hamlin LU | dec. | #5 Quentin Wright PSU, | 8-3 | 24-6 |
| 197: | #7 Joe Kennedy LU | dec. | Justin Ortega PSU, | 2-0 | 24-9 |
| 285: | #3 Zach Rey LU | dec. | #8 Cameron Wade PSU, | 3-2 | 24-12 |
West Virginia
| Wt. | Winner | type | Loser | Score | Bout score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125: | #15 Nico Megaludis PSU | dec. | Shane Young WVU, | 8-2 | 3-0 |
| 133: | Derek Reber PSU | maj. dec. | Jesse Schiffbauer WVU, | 12-4 | 7-0 |
| 141: | #19 Nathan Pennesi WVU | dec. | Bryan Pearsall PSU, | 5-4 | 7-3 |
| 149: | #1 Frank Molinaro PSU | maj. dec. | George Scheffel WVU, | 10-1 | 11-3 |
| 157: | #10 Dylan Alton PSU | maj. dec. | Dominic Prezzia WVU, | 16-4 | 15-3 |
| 165: | #1 David Taylor PSU | tech fall | Kyle Eason WVU, | 22-7 (TF; 4:17) | 20-3 |
| 174: | #2 Ed Ruth PSU | maj. dec. | Lance Bryson WVU, | 18-6 | 24-3 |
| 184: | #5 Quentin Wright PSU | pinned | #17 Matt Ryan WVU, | WBF (1:57) | 30-3 |
| 197: | Mac Mancuso WVU | dec. | Justin Ortega PSU, | 3-2 | 30-6 |
| 285: | #8 Cameron Wade PSU | maj. dec. | Brandon Williamson WVU, | 11-0 | 34-6 |
The Good
While the score may not show it Nico Megaludis was extremely aggressive in both bouts over the weekend. He drew stall calls in both matches as his opponents ran from him the entire match. For a true freshman he is starting to assert himself early on and pushing his pace. That's a good sign for the young Nittany Lion. Derek Reber also turned up the pace a notch again Schiffbauer of WVU and turned in the best match of his season to date. Molinaro punished his opponents grinding them into the mat like he normally does. This picture pretty much sums that up.
This hurts just looking at it (Photo: BSD/Galen)
Dylan Alton recorded two majors and looked more aggressive against West Virginia. He's starting to look more aggressive after a tentative bout against Minnesota.
This is an aggressive shot (Photo: BSD/Galen)
I'd write something nice about Ruth and Taylor but it's just beating a dead horse, both wrestlers are machines.
The Bad
Cameron Wade is still inconsistent, he looked good against unranked Williamson of WVU not allowing a single point but didn't generate much offense against Rey. Cam manhandles the guys out of the top 10 but gets defensive against the elite. If he wants to make it deep into the nationals he will have to turn it up against the top guys. I hesitate to call Bryan Pearsall's performance bad, but he had a ranked opponent locked up in a cradle and wasn't able to finish.
Bryan ALMOST had the pin (photo:BSD/Galen)
There could be some argument that Pennesi was pinned but that's a moot point, if Pearsall gets that kind of big move he has to make it stick. All he needed to do in the 3rd period was escape to tie the match and he couldn't. Quentin did a fine job pinning #17 Matt Ryan but the top guys in his weight know to stay away from his upper-body throws.
Quentin DID have the pin (Photo: BSD/Galen)
Q will have to develop more leg shots if he wants to repeat as national champ because the top guys have figured him out.
The Ugly
Justin Ortega wrestled for a slightly injured Morgan McIntosh who was held out for precautionary reasons. Ortega didn't wrestle bad per se, but he does just enough to lose. He lost by 1 point to a top 10 wrestler and could have had a win against Mancuso but he refuses to shoot. You can't score if you don't shoot and Ortega spent the entire third period dancing around with no shots when he was down by one. He looks better than last season and his defense is very good but he needs to get aggressive and start taking shots.
Overall
Penn State demolished an unranked opponent who only had two ranked wrestlers and took control of a top-10 team. The team as a whole appears to be getting more and more consistent as the young guys build up confidence as the season moves along. Molinaro, Taylor, and Ruth look like guys on a mission and are leading this team. Penn State gets a tune-up against Lock Haven next Friday before heading to the Southern Scuffle starting New Year's day. Hopefully they can get the injured guys back in the lineup before the break over the holidays.
Be sure to become a fan of BSD on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter!