PHILADELPHIA — The No. 2 Penn State wrestling team went to University of Pennsylvania’s venerable Palestra on Nov. 20 for the Keystone Classic tournament, hoping to accomplish a couple of goals.
First, head coach Cael Sanderson had said early in the season that if his team is improving, it will probably also be winning.
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The Nittany Lions piled up points in bunches, amassing a team score of 245, more than twice as many as second-place Pitt’s 121.5 and the 110.5 of third-place Eastern Michigan. Penn State crowned eight champions in nine weights out of its 10 finalists.
The Nittany Lion coaching staff also wanted to have some of its own wrestlers meet at certain weights to help determine a solid starter.
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That happened at the one weight that is the closest to call, 174 pounds, where Shakur Rasheed defeated Geno Morelli. Morelli had won a wrestle-off to earn the starting spot in the first two duals of the season. Rasheed won 2-1 when he escaped with eight seconds to go in the second tiebreaker period.
That sets the series at 1-1 between Morelli and Shakur, with a deciding rubber match yet to come. It could happen in the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday, Dec. 18.
All in all, it was a dominating day for Penn State, which is off until a Sunday, Dec. 4, noon showdown with intra-state rival Lehigh at the Bryce Jordan Center. Sanderson entered 19 wrestlers in the tournament and they combined to compile a 64-19 record, with 14 of those 19 entrants placing. The Lions’ contingent combined to record 27 pins, six tech falls and five majors.
Eight Nittany Lions won championships: Nick Suriano (125), Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165), Rasheed (174), Bo Nickal (184), Matt McCutcheon (197) and Nick Nevills (285). Jered Cortez placed third at 133, Dominic Giannangelli fifth at 141, Gary Dinmore fourth at 149 and Kellan Stout fifth at 197.
Retherford, who went 5-0 with five pins, was named the tournament outstanding wrestler. Nickal went 4-0, also with all pins. He’s now 6-0 on the young season with six pins.
Nolf went 5-0 with three pins and two technical falls.
Vincenzo Joseph bounced back from his stunning loss in the Stanford dual with a 4-0 day. He posted two technical falls and wins over No. 5 Chad Walsh, of Rider, and No. 13 Te’Shan Campbell, of Pittsburgh.
Kade Moss went 4-1 at 141 to take second. Starter Jimmy Gulibon went 4-2 at the same weight, but did not place.
Through two dual meets and one tournament, the Nittany Lions are a combined 82-21. Seven Nittany Lions starters remain undefeated: Suriano, Retherford, Nolf, Rasheed, Nickal, McCutcheon and Nevills
In other Penn State wrestling news, blue-chip 174-pound recruit Mark Hall, who is redshirting, tasted defeat for the first time as a collegiate wrestler. He cruised to the finals of the Michigan State Open before dropping an 8-7 decision to Central Michigan’s Christian Brucki. The Chippewa turned Hall for a four-point nearfall for the decisive points.
The Nittany Lions’ match vs. Lehigh wasn’t sold out as of Nov. 21. It will be televised live on Big Ten Network.
TIM WEIGHT/For the Gazette
Penn State’s Zain Retherford was named outstanding wrestler of the Keystone Classic tournament in Philadelphia on Nov. 20. Wrestling at 149 pounds, he went 5-0 with five pins. Retherford is shown here in an earlier-season match against Stanford.
