No. 1 Penn State wrestling (12-0, 6-0 Big Ten) steamrolled No. 29 Maryland (8-9, 3-4 Big Ten) 35-10 in the Nittany Lions’ return to Rec Hall after back-to-back duals in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Highlighting the dual for Penn State were tech falls from Luke Lilledahl, Shayne Van Ness, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Carter Starocci and Josh Barr.
For the second consecutive dual, the Nittany Lions surrendered no takedowns. Penn State’s two losses came at 133, where Maryland’s Braxton Brown used a reversal and near-fall points for the major decision over Kysion Garcia, and at 157, when Nittany Lion Tyler Kasak was forced to take an injury default midway through the bout against Ethen Miller.
How It Happened
125 Pounds
To begin the dual, No. 7 Lilledahl took on Tyler Garvin. Lilledahl got the ball rolling early with three takedowns and four near-fall points in the first period to shoot out to a 13-2 lead. Two more takedowns from Lilledahl in the second secured the true freshman a 20-4 tech fall at 3:42.
133 Pounds
Kyison Garcia, again filling in for Braeden Davis, took the mat against Maryland’s 11th-ranked Braxton Brown. No points were scored in the first period as neither wrestle committed to an offensive shot. A reversal from Brown midway through the second period put the Terrapin on top 2-1 heading into the third after an escape from Garcia. With Garcia taking the down position to start the third, Brown turned the Nittany Lion twice for six near-fall points and tacked on a riding time point for a 9-1 major decision.
141 Pounds
Facing Maryland’s Dario Lemus at 141, No. 3 Beau Bartlett opened with a pair of takedowns and a two-count near-fall to go in front 8-1 after the first period. An escape to start the second and a last-second takedown from Bartlett extended his lead to 12-1 headed into the final two minutes. A final takedown in the third with riding time gave Bartlett the 17-3 major decision victory.
Penn State led the dual 9-4 after the first three bouts.
149 Pounds
Looking to tally more bonus points, No. 3 Van Ness met Maryland’s No. 32-ranked Kal Miller. A takedown and four near-fall points from Van Ness put him in front 7-1 after the first period. Starting in bottom position, Van Ness escaped early into the second to add another point to his lead, then 8-1 headed into the final two minutes. An additional takedown and four near-fall points, along with the accumulated riding time, earned Van Ness the 17-2 tech fall at 7:00.
157 Pounds
In another highly anticipated match, No. 1 Tyler Kasak squared off against No. 6 Ethen Miller. Despite some decent shots from Kasak, none stuck as no points were tallied in the opening period. Kasak broke open the scoring with an escape to start the second period with a stall warning against Miller along the way. The bout ended prematurely after Kasak took repeated pokes to the eye and a final blow to the head in the area where the wrestler previously received stitches following the dual against Iowa last week. Miller received the win via injury default.
Penn State still led the dual 14-10 into the intermission.
165 Pounds
After the intermission, No. 1 Mesenbrink took on Alex Uryniak. Three takedowns from Mesenbrink in the first period gave him an early 9-2 lead over the Terrapin. A reversal and two additional takedowns from gave the Nittany Lion an 18-3 tech fall at 4:59.
174 Pounds
No. 2 Levi Haines battled against Maryland’s Branson John in the 174 pounds. No points were scored in the first period as both wrestlers displayed strong defensive abilities. Haines rode out John for the entire middle period as the score remained 0-0. Haines escaped to start the third to eventually secure the bout-opening then followed up with another and added a riding time point for the 8-1 decision.
184 Pounds
A pair of takedowns from No. 1 Starocci put him in front 6-1 after the first period against No. 11 Jaxon Smith in the 184 pound bout. Taking bottom position to start the second. Starocci escaped and two more takedowns to extend his lead to 14-2. A final offensive flurry in the third period from Starocci gave the Nittany Lion the 20-3 tech fall at 6:45.
Penn State led the dual 27-10 with two bouts remaining.
197 Pounds
No. 4 Barr collected two takedowns in the opening period go in front 6-1 against Chase Mielnik. Barr escaped to start the second and executed a crisp ankle pick to takedown Mielnik again and extend his lead to 10-2. A final take-down and four near-fall points secured the 17-2 tech fall for Barr at 4:36.
285 Pounds
Finishing off the dual were No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet and former Nittany Lion No. 12 Seth Nevills. A lone takedown from Kerkvliet marked the only points scored in the first as the Nittany Lion took a 3-0 lead into the second. An additional takedown and escape in the second period from Kerkvliet extended his lead to 7-2 entering the final two minutes. An escape from Nevills was the lone point scored in the final period as Kerkvliet took the 8-3 decision victory after riding time.
Penn State won the dual 35-10.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions will be in action next when they take on Ohio State at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, in Columbus. The dual will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
