What to look for in each of the Penn State wrestler’s quarterfinal matches at the NCAA championships
After the first day of competition at the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Thursday, the reigning national champion Nittany Lions had some big wins, as well as some tough losses.
With 32.5 points, Penn State leads the team race by seven over Ohio State, which sits in second place with 25.5 points. The Nittany Lions advanced Nick Lee, Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall, Bo Nickal and Anthony Cassar into Friday morning’s quarterfinals, while Roman Bravo-Young, Brady Berge and Shakur Rasheed are still alive in consolations.
Often referred to as “the heartbreak round,” the quarterfinals are where Cinderella stories are either broken or made, and when the team race will come into focus. Wrestlers who win in the quarterfinals are guaranteed to be All-Americans.
The quarterfinals and wrestlebacks are from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, and will air on ESPNU and online via the ESPN3 app. The semifinals start at 8 p.m. and will air on ESPN. Play-by-play by Jeff Byers will air on ESPN Radio 1450 or GoPSUsports’ LionVision.
Here’s what to look forward to in Penn State’s matchups on Friday:
141-pound quarterfinals
No. 3 Nick Lee (Penn State) vs. No. 22 Max Murin (Iowa)
Central Cambria grad Murin has been one of the biggest upset stories of the tournament so far, as the No. 22-seeded Hawkeye redshirt freshman knocked off Wisconsin’s No. 11 Tristan Moran and then Illinois’ No. 6 Mike Carr on Thursday. Both of those are opponents have beaten Lee in the past.
However, Lee has been one of the hottest wrestlers for the Nittany Lions so far in the tournament. After getting pinned in the first round last year, Lee has been out for revenge, pinning both his opponents — including returning All-American Sa’Darian Perry, of Old Dominion — Thursday night.
Lee and Murin met for the first time two weeks ago in the Big Ten quarterfinals, where Lee won with an 8-3 decision. Both wrestlers are carrying a lot of momentum going into this match, but one of their hot streaks will be snapped Friday morning.
The winner will face either Ohio State’s No. 2 Joey McKenna or Minnesota’s No. 7 Mitch McKee in the semifinals Friday night.
157-pound quarterfinals
No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 9 Christian Pagdilao (Arizona State)
With Nolf, “close” in reference to any match he wrestles is a relative term. Outside of bouts with No. 2 Tyler Berger, No. 3 Ryan Deakin and No. 4 Alec Pantaleo, Nolf’s “closest” match all year was an 18-5 major decision over Arizona State’s Pagdilao.
Although some may find morale victories in wrestling the two-time national champ for a full seven minutes, Nolf leaves little question about whether he’s the best wrestler at 157 pounds every time he takes the mat, and it’s been no different in his senior tournament.
Nolf pinned Duke’s Ben Anderson in just 43 seconds in the first round, then put a 19-4 beating on Rutgers’ John Van Brill, who he was wrestling last year when he suffered his leg injury.
With likely just three matches left to go in his collegiate career, look for Nolf to continue steamrolling his way into the finals. He may even throw in one or two more “secret moves” before it’s all said and done.
The winner will face North Carolina State’s Hayden Hidlay, a Mifflin County grad, or Michigan’s Alec Pantaleo.
165-pound quarterfinals
No. 2 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. No. 7 Isaiah White (Nebraska)
It was Nebraska’s White who gave two-time reigning national champ Joseph his closest match of the tournament last year — a 4-2 decision in the second sudden-victory period.
Although Joseph went on to win his second straight national title as a sophomore, the White match stood out as the closest Joseph has come to losing a NCAA tournament bout. When the two met again — at Rec Hall on Jan. 20, they had another close match, with Joseph winning 2-0. As getting takedowns on White has proven to be difficult for Joseph, he found a different way to win, by riding out the second period then getting an escape in the third.
After that match, however, Joseph said he’d like to get to his offense more the next time the two meet. He’ll have that chance on Friday, and a chance to boost his confidence with a win over a solid opponent, as Iowa’s No. 1 Alex Marinelli continues to roll on the other side of the bracket.
The winner of Joseph-White will face Arizona State’s No. 3 Josh Shields or University of Northern Iowa’s Bryce Steiert.
174-pound quarterfinals
No. 1 Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Taylor Lujan (UNI)
With wins this season over Oklahoma State’s Joseph Smith and Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola, and just having pinned Minnesota’s piping hot Devin Skatzka, a win over UNI’s Lujan is by no means a given for 2017 champion Hall.
The last time these two met was in this exact same round of last year’s tournament. Hall won by decision, 6-2, after having nearly pinned him in the first period.
Hall had two solid wins so far this tournament — an 8-2 decision over Cornell’s Brandon Womack and a major decision over University of North Carolina’s Devin Kane. But after his exciting pin in 3 minutes and 21 seconds, it’s Lujan, who has the momentum.
Known for having a motor that doesn’t quit, Lujan should force Hall to turn up his offensive gameplan if he wants to keep his national championship hopes alive.
The winner will face Michigan’s Myles Amine or Lehigh’s Jordan Kutler.
197-pound quarterfinals
No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Nathan Traxler (Stanford)
Like Lee, Nickal is on a roll, so far pinning his way through the tournament. He could very well keep that streak going Friday when he faces Stanford’s Nathan Traxler, who he pinned in 2 minutes and 9 seconds at the Southern Scuffle.
Nickal’s two pins bring his career total up to 58, still two behind Nolf’s 60. That means, yes, if Nickal pins his way out and Nolf doesn’t record another fall, Nickal will become the Nittany Lions’ new all-time pins leader.
Even though the two both have repeatedly said they don’t care about the pin race — or the Hodge Trophy — the competition for each adds an interesting layer to what Nolf and Nickal’s dominance has otherwise rendered fairly boring, outcome-wise. Nolf’s two pins also moves him into a three-way tie for third in the NCAA’s most pins this season with 17.
It might seem crazy to even entertain the thought of anyone pinning their way through this tournament, but with another fall over Traxler, he’d be more than halfway there.
The winner will face Princeton’s Patrick Brucki or Cal Poly’s Thomas Lane.
285-pound quarterfinals
No. 2 Anthony Cassar (Penn State) vs. No. 7 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin)
Cassar has been one of the more interesting storylines for the Nittany Lions this season. After five years of “training in the shadows,” as he put it, the senior finally has a chance to showcase his skills on the national stage.
So far, he hasn’t disappointed.
Cassar came right out of the gate Thursday with a fall of Franklin and Marshall’s Antonio Pelusi, then four takedowns en route to a major decision over Utah Valley’s Tate Orndorff. So far, it looks like he and Minnesota’s Gable Steveson are on a crash course for a rematch of the Big Ten final in the semifinals.
But to get there, Cassar first needs to get past Hillger. The last time the two met, Cassar earned an 11-5 decision.
The winner will face Steveson or Oregon State’s Amar Dhesi, who is the highest returning All-American in the weight class.
This story was originally published March 22, 2019 at 10:27 AM.