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The 3-time defending national champs opened up the dual meet season this weekend on the road facing Rider and long-time rival Lehigh. Despite missing several key members of the team the Lions swept the weekend winning 14 of the 20 individual matches.
Full official write-ups can be found here and here.
Penn State 34 - Rider 8
| Penn State | vs. | Rider | Bout Score | Team Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 | #3 Nico Megaludis | #17 Robert Deutsch | 5-0 | 3-0 | |
| 133 | Jordan Conaway | Chuck Zeisloft | 12-4 | 7-0 | |
| 141 | Zain Retherford | Paul Kirchner | 12-3 | 11-0 | |
| 149 | James English | Curt Delia | 4-6 | 11-3 | |
| 157 | James Vollrath | Wayne Stinson | 10-2 | 15-3 | |
| 165 | #1 David Taylor | #13 Ramon Santiago | pin | 21-3 | |
| 174 | #3 Matt Brown | Conor Brennan | pin | 27-3 | |
| 184 | James Frascella | Clint Morrison | 17-2 | 27-8 | |
| 197 | #4 Morgan McIntosh | Donald McNeil | 8-2 | 30-8 | |
| 285 | #11 Jimmy Lawson | Greg Velasco | 10-2 | 34-8 |
Penn State 22 - Lehigh 12
| Wt | Winner | dec. | Loser | Bout Score | Team Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125: | #3 Nico Megaludis PSU | tech fall | Darian Cruz LEH | 19-4 (TF; 6:48) | 5-0 | |
| 133: | #6 Mason Beckman LEH | dec. | #16 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, | 7-6 | 5-3 | |
| 141: | Zain Retherford PSU | dec. | Laike Gardner LEH, | 10-4 | 8-3 | |
| 149: | #19 Mitch Minotti LEH | dec. | Zack Beitz PSU, | 4-3 | 8-6 | |
| 157: | #10 Joey Napoli LEH | dec. | James Vollrath PSU, | 4-3 | 8-9 | |
| 165: | #1 David Taylor PSU | maj. dec. | Brian Brill LEH, | 20-7 | 12-9 | |
| 174: | #3 Matt Brown PSU | dec. | Elliott Riddick LEH, | 8-5 | 15-9 | |
| 184: | Zach Diekel LEH | dec. | James Frascella PSU, | 9-6 | 15-12 | |
| 197: | #4 Morgan McIntosh PSU | maj. dec. | John Bolich LEH, | 10-2 | 19-12 | |
| 285: | Jon Gingrich PSU | dec. | #19 Doug Vollaro LEH, | 5-2 | 22-12 |
Observations
Ed. Note - I was away Sunday afternoon so I was unable to catch the match online. Take that into account when you read my opinions... and special thanks for bscaff for running the live blog.
The first thing that jumps out at you is the fact that Zain Retherford wrestled both matches. bscaff openly wondered of the stud recruit would redshirt or wrestle his true freshman season. Well we have our answer and he did a great job getting a major and just missed out on bonus winning 10-4 in bout 2 of the weekend. He showed a strong neutral shot winning a lot of hand battles in the process and rode well getting the riding time point in the Lehigh bout. He was going for the major at the end of the match, got in deep but couldn't finish. I think Penn State fans are in for a treat with young Mr. Retherford.
Zack Beitz moved up a weight and just missed out on beating the 19th ranked wrestler. Vollrath lost to the 10th ranked wrestler by the same 1-point margin. Until the Altons are healthy I'm ok with whoever they trout out at 149 and I love Vollrath's fight.
Matt Brown's 8-5 decision to an unranked Freshman seems a little concerning. Granted, it sounds like Riddick was playing the edge of the mat and trying to stay away from Brown's offensive strengths, but still Matt should be imposing his will on a wrestler like that. Speaking of "edge of the mat" Brown's pin on Saturday showcased the new rule changes to action off the mat. Last season that would not have been a pin because Brennan's shoulders were out of bounds. This was a long awaited change for the better in wrestling.
David Taylor was the only wrestler to get bonus both bouts. I don't think that really means anything other than an odd stat for a team with such explosive potential.
Unfortunately I see the Lawson - Gingrich battle for heavyweight heating up yet again.
Welcome back Morgan McIntosh, you'll fill in well for the loss of Q.
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