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#1 Penn State 39, #14 Northwestern 8
Full write-up at GoPSUSports.com
| wt. | Winner | dec. | Loser | Bout Score | Team Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125: | #2 Nico Megaludis PSU | tech fall | Garrison White NU, | 23-6 (TF; 6:39) | 5-0 |
| 133: | #15 Jimmy Gulibon PSU | dec. | Dominick Malone NU, | 8-2 | 8-0 |
| 141: | #2 Zain Retherford PSU | maj. dec. | Pat Greco NU, | 11-2 | 12-0 |
| 149: | #4 Jason Tsirtsis NU | dec. (SV) | Zack Beitz PSU, | 5-3 (sv) | 12-3 |
| 157: | James Vollrath PSU | pinned | Ben Sullivan NU, | WBF (4:01) | 18-3 |
| 165: | #1 David Taylor PSU | tech fall | #9 Pierce Harger NU, | 17-2 (4:45) | 23-3 |
| 174: | #3 Matt Brown PSU | inj. def. | #9 Lee Munster NU, | (leading 10-1 at 3:56) | 29-3 |
| 184: | #2 Ed Ruth PSU | pinned | Jacob Berkowitz NU, | WBF (1:36) | 35-3 |
| 197: | #7 Morgan McIntosh PSU | maj. dec. | #17 Alex Polizzi NU, | 17-8 | 39-2* |
| 285: | #4 Mike McMullan NU | inj. def. | #12 Jimmy Lawson PSU, | (trailing 4-0 at 2:44) | 39-8 |
* Northwestern deducted team point during 197-bout, bench warnings
Random Observations
There was yet again a James Franklin sighting, as the new Penn State football coach was in attendance with recruits. He was introduced at the break and even threw one of the Penn State wrestling shirts they pass out during breaks into the crowd (by the way, the guy has a good arm). So far he's making a great first impression.
Northwestern was finally deducted a team point at 197 for the NU coaches arguing the calls. They were yapping at the refs all day and I'm glad to see the penalty. I wish more refs would do that to keep the more vociferous coaches from distracting from the wrestling.
Was that a Japanese Whizzer I saw Morgan McIntosh use? Truly awesome for the big man.
Bonus Points
7 of the 10 weights ended in a Penn State victory with bonus points. James Vollrath and Ed Ruth both had fairly quick pins. Actually I believe Vollrath pinned Sullivan several times. Is this a pin?
(Click to embiggen)
David Taylor completed a tech fall of the ninth-ranked wrestler in the country. If that doesn't impress you, you're a hard person to impress. With a tech fall and all the scoring that goes along with it, you may wonder why I chose this pic of Taylor. His ankle pick is so freakishly quick and comes from no where that it's nearly impossible to get a good shot of it. I finally got it 10 duals into the season.
Speaking of dominating the ninth-ranked guy in the country, Matt Brown was leading Lee Munster 10-1 when the Wildcat wrestler got injured and couldn't continue. Brown is intimidating up close he literally snapped down so hard on Munster's head that he fell to the ground and got taken down at the edge of the mat. It's apparent that the top four or five guys are significantly ahead of everyone else in the field at 174.
Decisions, Decisions
The only regular decision came by way of a 8-2 decision by Jimmy Gulibon over unranked Dominick Malone. Gulibon gave up the bout's first takedown in the first and didn't get out until Malone had built up over a minute of riding time. But Gulibon escaped both in the first and in the second to tie the bout at 2. Jimmy countered a half-hearted Malone shot for a takedown of his own and rode him out for the rest of the period. Malone chose down to start the 3rd and Gulibon made him pay. Jimmy turned Malone for 3 near fall points and rode him out the entire period building up enough time for the extra riding time point. You might expect a little more scoring against an unranked wrestler but considering Gulibon's troubles in dual meets lately, a win is a win.
So Close
This was the story of the day for Beitz - so close yet so far (photo: BSD/Galen)
Penn State wrestling fans should be ecstatic that two of the starters can wrestle in an open tournament and the Lions don't miss a beat. Just like James Vollrath did Friday night, Zack Beitz came within a takedown of a top-five wrestler. Both Beitz and Vollrath were filling in for Andrew and Dylan Alton who were wrestling in the `Shorty' Hitchcock Open over the weekend. Vollrath lost to #5 Taylor Walsh by 1 point Friday night and Beitz lost to 4th-ranked Jason Tsirtsis in sudden victory overtime. Beitz had Tsirtsis' ankle several times but couldn't finish. Beitz got the initial takedown in the second period but it was called off. The Penn State corner challenged and video evidence showed that it was a takedown. Tsirtsis had only two escapes in regulation but managed to build up enough riding time to tie the bout at 3 and send it into overtime. He then got the winning takedown with 40 seconds left in sudden victory.
After a single attempt by Wildcat heavyweight Mike McMullan at the edge of the mat, Jimmy Lawson came down awkwardly on his knee and was forced to take an injury default. While Penn State has a good backup in Gingrich, Lawson has more potential when it comes to scoring in the nationals. Hopefully Lawson won't be out of the lineup for very long.
Overall
With the exception of the Lawson injury, it was a good day for Penn State. They wrestled well from the top to the bottom of the lineup and scored in bunches. Penn State successfully dismantled a top-20 team without two of their starting wrestlers. They now get Illinois at home before going on the road for the next 3 duals.
Next Up: Sunday Jan. 24th home vs. Illinois
Penn State - Northwestern Slideshow
