No. 1 Penn State wrestling (15-0, 8-0 Big Ten) stomped Maryland (9-8, 1-7) 44-3 on Sunday at Rec Hall to close out the conference dual meet slate undefeated and claim a third consecutive Big Ten regular season championship.
The Nittany Lions won nine of 10 bouts ,with pins by Levi Haines, Alex Facundo and Seth Nevills and technical falls by Roman Bravo-Young and Shayne Van Ness.
Penn State racked up 39 takedowns to just one by the Terrapins.
| Weight | Result | Team Score PSU-UM |
| 125 | No. 15 Braxton Brown (UM) DEC. Gary Steen (PSU), 1-0 | 0-3 |
| 133 | No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) TECH FALL King Sandoval (UM), 28-13 (6:45) | 5-3 |
| 141 | No. 6 Beau Bartlett (PSU) DEC. Kal Miller (UM), 5-2 | 8-3 |
| 149 | No. 13 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) TECH FALL No. 18 Ethan Miller (UM), 19-4 (7:00) | 13-3 |
| 157 | No. 8 Levi Haines (PSU) PIN Kevin Schork (UM) (1:42) | 19-3 |
| 165 | No. 9 Alex Facundo (PSU) PIN Lucas Cordio (UM) (5:38) | 25-3 |
| 174 | No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) MAJ. DEC. Dominic Solis (UM), 14-6 | 29-3 |
| 184 | Donovon Ball (PSU) DEC. Kevin Makosy (UM), 10-3 | 32-3 |
| 197 | No. 3 Max Dean (PSU) WIN BY FORFEIT | 38-3 |
| 285 | Seth Nevills (PSU) PIN Jordan Gabriel (1:56) | 44-3 |
At 125 pounds, Penn State freshman Gary Steen battled hard against No. 15 Braxton Brown but couldn’t break through in the scoring column. After a scoreless first two periods, including a choice for a neutral start by Steen in the second, Brown escaped to start the third. That would be all the Terrapin needed for a 1-0 decision and Maryland’s only victory of the dual.
Returning to the lineup after sitting out the last two meets, No. 1 Roman Bravo Young was a takedown machine against Maryland’s King Sandoval in the 133-pound bout. RBY scored seven takedowns in the first and four in the second before adding three more in the third to finish off a 28-13 technical fall at the 6:45 mark.
After a scoreless first period in the 141-pound, No. 6 Beau Bartlett chose down to start the second and worked his way to a reversal take a 2-0 lead against Maryland’s Kal Miller. A third-period counter for a takedown and a riding time point sealed a 5-2 decision for the Nittany Lion.
At 149 pounds, what on paper looked to be the closest bout of the day turned out to be anything but. Leading Maryland’s 18th ranked Ethan Miller 12-4 late in the third period, No. 13-ranked Nittany Lion Shayne Van Ness got in on a single leg for a takedown then turned Miller to his back for four nearfall points. Miller rolled through to avoid the pin, but the six-point throw and a riding time point secured a 19-4 technical fall for the Penn State redshirt freshman.
True freshman Levi Haines, ranked No. 8 at 157 pounds, kept rolling against Maryland’s Kevin Schork. Haines used a high single for a first-period takedown and nearly pinned Schork before going out of bounds. After cutting Schork loose, Haines took him to his back again and this time got the pin at the 1:42 mark, giving Penn State a 19-3 lead heading into the break.
Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo, ranked No. 9, controlled the action against Maryland’s Lucas Cordio, getting seven takedowns and taking a 15-5 lead after two periods. Cordio chose down to start the third and Facundo quickly powered him over onto his back, recording his first collegiate pin at the 5:38 mark.
No. 1 Carter Starocci used steady offensive pressure for six takedowns in the 174-pound bout against Maryland’s Dominic Solis. Tacking on a third period escape and a riding time point, Starocci rolled to a 14-6 major decision.
Donovon Ball filled in for top-ranked Aaron Brooks at 184 pounds and converted a high single and a double leg into takedowns for a 4-1 first-period lead against Maryland’s Kevin Makosy. Ball followed a second period escape with a single leg for a takedown and another takedown before the period ended. Makosy escaped to start the third, but Ball added on a riding time point for a 10-3 decision.
Maryland elected not to send a wrestler to the mat for the 197-pound bout and No. 3 Max Dean won by forfeit.
Seth Nevills stepped in for No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet in the heavyweight bout and made the most of his second start of the season. Nevills took down Maryland’s Jordan Gabriel just over a minute into the bout, then worked him to his back for the pin at the 1:56 mark.
WHAT’S NEXT
Penn State wraps up the dual meet schedule at 1 p.m. on Feb. 19 against Clarion.
