No. 3 Penn State wrestling (4-0) traveled to Ann Arbor Sunday morning for its rescheduled match against No. 2 Michigan (4-1).
After missing nearly two weeks of competition due to COVID-19 postponements, the Nittany Lions pulled off the upset against the second-ranked Wolverines 18-13.
The win gave Cael Sanderson his 200th career victory as a head coach.
An impressive performance from Sanderson’s squad was led by freshman Carter Starocci as he upset No. 2 Logan Massa in a thrilling overtime victory.
How It Happened
Sunday’s dual kicked off at 125 lbs. with true freshman Robbie Howard making his dual debut for Penn State against Michigan’s Jack Medley. Howard got out to a good start, scoring a slick takedown in the first period. Howard kept the scoring going in the second thanks to a beautiful duck under and took a 4-3 lead going into the third period with over a minute of riding time.
The freshman earned a quick escape in the third period but gave up a takedown that tied the score at 5-5. Howard earned another escape point and fended off a strong attack from Medley in the final seconds to hang onto a 6-5 win. The decision gave Penn State an early 3-0 lead.
At 133 lbs., No. 3 Roman Bravo-Young squared off against Michigan’s No. 20 Dylan Ragusin. Ragusin displayed some impressive defense in the first period but Bravo-Young eventually got in on a single leg to earn a takedown and a 2-0 lead. The speedy Bravo-Young usually prefers to wrestle in the neutral position but rode out Ragusin for the entire second period, giving him over two minutes of riding time.
The pace picked up in the third period with Bravo-Young scoring some nice takedowns to try to give himself a major decision. As time ran out in the third, Bravo-Young got into a scramble position in what looked to be a takedown to earn the major, but the referee ruled it otherwise. Bravo-Young’s 9-2 decision increased Penn State’s lead to 6-0.
No. 2 Nick Lee wasted no time getting going against the Wolverine’s Drew Mattin at 141 lbs. The Penn State hammer earned a takedown within the first five seconds of the first period and gained over two minutes of riding time.
After choosing the bottom position to start the second period, Lee got a reversal on the edge of the mat to increase his lead to 6-1. Mattin then earned an escape point and the score was 6-2 heading into the third period. Lee was close to getting a major decision thanks to a stall point against Mattin but he could not get a late takedown to secure the bonus point. The 10-4 win gave Penn State a 9-0 lead.
With questions over who would take the mat at 149 lbs. for the Nittany Lions, it was freshman Terrell Barraclough who got the call against No. 6 Kanen Storr of Michigan. Barraclough gave up two takedowns from the veteran Storr and trailed 4-2 after the first period. After a rough first period, Barraclough stayed tough on top and rode out Storr for the entire second period. In the third, Barraclough got an escape point to give himself a chance at the upset, but the young freshman was unable to score a match-wining takedown. The 4-3 loss cut Penn State’s lead to 9-3.
The 157-lbs weight class had a top-ten match up with Penn State’s No. 9 Brady Berge facing off against Michigan’s No. 8 Will Lewan. The pace was slow in the first period as neither wrestler secured a takedown. The two traded escape points to start the second and third period to tie the score 1-1. With under a minute left in the third period, Berge capitalized on an ankle pick and transitioned to a single leg to gain the match-winning takedown in a pivotal match for the dual. The 3-1 decision gave Penn State a 12-3 heading into intermission.
A battle of the freshmen went down at 165 lbs. with No. 6 Joe Lee facing No. 16 Cameron Amine. While the score was only 1-0 in favor of Amine heading into the third, the first two periods saw plenty of fireworks with both wrestlers nearly landing big moves out of scramble positions. After Amine rode out Lee for nearly the entire period, Lee attempted a Granby roll late in the third but gave up two near-fall points in the process. Lee eventually got the escape but the riding time gave Amine the 4-1 decision. Amine’s win cut into Penn State’s lead 12-6.
At 174 lbs., Penn State’s freshman No. 8 Carter Starocci squared up against No. 2 Logan Massa from Michigan. After neither wrestler scored in the first period, Starocci earned an escape to lead 1-0 heading into the third. Starocci gave up an early escape to start the third period but erased Massa’s riding time point in the process. After the escape, neither wrestler scored a takedown and the match headed into overtime.
In sudden victory, neither wrestler scored a match-winning takedown and the two headed into the tiebreaker periods. Massa started off on bottom for the first tiebreaker period and was caught by Starocci on a roll through attempt. The sequence earned Starocci four near-fall points to take a 5-1 lead. Starocci started the next tiebreaker period on bottom and Massa was called for an illegal move costing him another point. Starocci then got an escape for a 7-1 upset win over the second-ranked Massa. The overtime victory pushed Penn State’s lead to 15-6.
A potential top-three matchup at 184 lbs. was scratched after Michigan’s No. 1 Myles Amine bumped up to 197. Penn State’s No. 3 Aaron Brooks would go up against true freshman Jaden Bullock of Michigan. Brooks fended off some shot attempts early from Bullock and never looked back. Bullock put up a good fight but Brooks’ neutral game was too much for the young freshman. Brooks’ 10-5 victory made Penn State’s 18-6.
At 197 lbs., No. 14 Michael Beard went up against Michigan’s Myles Amine, who’s ranked No. 1 at 184 lbs. Beard had the weight advantage but couldn’t fend off the experienced Amine. The freshman had a chance to tie the match in the third period trailing 5-3 but was unable to get a takedown. Amine would go on to win 8-5 to cut into Penn State’s lead but it wasn’t enough as Penn State secured the dual win, leading 18-9.
The heavyweight bout featured another top-10 matchup with Penn State’s No. 7 Seth Nevills facing off against No. 2 Mason Paris of Michigan. Parris’ quick takedowns were too much for Nevills as he trailed 8-2 heading into the third period. Parris kept on the attack in the third, getting three more points and a riding time bonus point to give him the 12-2 major decision. The bonus point win added four points to Michigan’s team score, but Penn State came out on top 18-13.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions will hit the road yet again when they travel to Columbus, Ohio to square off against No. 12 Ohio State Friday. The match will be broadcast on BTN and the start time is still to be announced.
