Penn State Wrestling Surges to 3-0 with Win over Binghamton

Another dual, another big win for Penn State. In their first road trip of the season, the Nittany Lions coasted past Binghamton 40-2. After Devin Schnupp lost the first bout at 125 pounds, Penn State won the last nine matches thanks to three pins and four majors.

How It Happened

With a 7-4 loss to Joe Nelson, Schnupp dropped a close, 7-4 decision in the 125 pound bout to start the dual for the third time in a row to begin the season.

As Penn State trailed 3-0, Corey Keener put the Nittany Lions on the board with a 10-4 win over Kyle Nicholson after a big third period saw him turn a a 3-2 deficit into a six-point win.

Jered Cortez tacked on the team’s first bonus points of the evening with a 12-2 major decision win over Joe Russ at 141 before Zain Retherford and Jason Nolf, ranked No. 1 at 149 and 157, respectively, sent the dual into intermission with a pair of pins to make the team score 19-3 halfway through. Retherford got a first period fall (2:37) against Frankie Garcia and Nolf pinned Tristan Rifanburg at 4:23

After the break, top-ranked Vincenzo Joseph majored Vincent DePrez 13-2 at 165. Mark Hall, ranked No. 2, opened the dual up with a fall in the 174 pound bout when he reversed and pinned Tony Lombardo in the second period.

In the most anticipated matchup of the night at 184 between No. 1 Bo Nickal and No. 14 Steven Schneider, Nickal pulled out a 15-6 major decision on the strength of six takedowns and a huge riding time advantage. An unsportsmanlike call after the match cost Binghamton a team point, bringing the meet score to 33-2. 

The dual rounded out with a 10-4 win by sophomore Anthony Cassar over Mark Tracy at 197 lbs. and 12-3 major decision win by No. 3-ranked junior Nick Nevills over Connor Calkins at 285.

Wrestler of the Dual: Mark Hall, Sophomore, 174 lbs.

Hall seems to impress in new ways every time out on the mat. His wild reversal-pin left many in awe and blew the dual open for the Nittany Lions.

What’s Next

Penn State will have a break from duals for about a month before it hosts Indiana on December 17. The Nittany Lions will be in action this on Sunday for the Keystone Classic at the Palestra in Philadelphia.