What to look for in each Penn State wrestler’s semifinal match at the NCAA championships
Penn State went a perfect 6 for 6 in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Friday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena.
All six of those wrestlers will have the chance Friday evening to punch their tickets to the national finals.
If Penn State gets all six through, it’ll tie the all-time record for most finalists on one team. Iowa’s done it three times, and Oklahoma State twice.
The semifinals and wrestlebacks will start at 8 p.m. and 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 Friday evening:
141-pound semifinal:
No. 3 Nick Lee (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State)
Of all of Penn State’s semifinal matchups, Lee vs. McKenna has the chance to be one of the most exciting.
The stakes are high for Lee. Another win over the Buckeye, this time when it matters most, would move the sophomore from All-American to national championship contender. That’s a pretty big deal.
Although Lee has proven he can beat McKenna, the Buckeye owns the series between the two 2-1. But each of McKenna’s wins were by only a point and required some heroics by McKenna to get out a few takedown attempts.
The difference for Lee in his lone win was his motor, as he was able to tire out the Buckeye by the third period. So far this tournament, however, McKenna hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down — picking up bonus points in each match.
Friday night should reveal a lot about whether Lee is ready to step up and be one of the guys to help fill the void left by outgoing seniors Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal after this weekend.
157-pound semifinal
No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State)
In a rematch of last year’s national final, Nolf will take on the sophomore out of Mifflin County High School.
Nolf won that match 6-2, wrestling on one leg. This year, at full health, the two-time national champ has bonused his way through the tournament, with two technical falls and a pin.
Hidlay, however, shouldn’t be counted out. He just took out Michigan’s Alec Pantaleo for the second straight year, an opponent who’s wrestled Nolf tough in the past.
If Nolf punches his ticket to his fourth finals appearance, he’ll join David Taylor as the only Penn State wrestlers to be four-time finalists. Teammate Nickal could also join that list tonight.
165-pound semifinal
No. 2 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Josh Shields (Arizona State)
Friday night’s semifinal between Joseph and Shields will be a matchup between a couple of Pittsburgh-area boys wrestling in their backyard.
Shields, from Franklin Regional High School, and Joseph, from Central Catholic, hit earlier this season at Rec Hall, where Joseph won with an 11-2 major decision.
Although he scored two takedowns and four near-fall points in his previous bout with his former Young Guns teammate, Joseph said after the match that he felt he should have attempted more shots.
He’ll have his chance tonight make those adjustments. If he does, and he gets the win, he’ll ride his perfect NCAA winning percentage into his third national final in three years.
174-pound semifinal
No. 1 Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Myles Amine (Michigan)
We’ve seen this match go the same way so many times, it’s hard to imagine a different outcome. Friday evening will mark the fifth meeting between the pair of juniors, with Hall winning all four previous matchups by just a point.
In the pair’s last match, the Big Ten final, Hall let Amine get in on a deep single leg, but was able to fend him off and hold on for the win. Amine has always wrestled fellow juniors Hall and reigning national champ Zahid Valencia tough, but has yet to crack the code on either.
If Hall comes away with another victory, he could face Valencia for the second time in the national final. The Sun Devil, however, first has to get past Missouri’s Daniel Lewis, who pinned him earlier in the season.
197-pound semifinal
No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Patrick Brucki (Princeton)
To reach his fourth national final, Nickal will first have to go through an opponent he’s never faced before in Princeton’s Patrick Brucki.
The sophomore has been solid this season for the Tigers, dropping only one match — to Cornell’s Ben Honis.
Brucki has strung together three close victories so far in his 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships campaign, his previous two wins coming by just one point. Meanwhile, Nickal has earned two pins and a major.
If Nickal gets past Brucki, he and Nolf could join Taylor on the short list of four-time Penn State finalists.
285-pound semifinal
No. 2 Anthony Cassar (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Gable Steveson (Minnesota)
Aside from 141 pounds, the eyes of all Penn State fans should be on this semifinal Friday night.
Cassar dashed freshman phenom Steveson’s dreams of being an undefeated, four-time champ a couple weeks ago when a third-period takedown and rideout earned the senior the 4-3 win in the Big Ten finals.
However, the second part of Steveson’s dream — to be a four-time national champ — is still alive and well.
The Golden Gopher has been on fire throughout the tournament, scoring a total of 50 points so far with a technical fall and two major decisions.
For his part, Cassar has show he can find several ways to win. Unable to get another takedown in the second, Cassar rode out Wisconsin’s Trent Hillger in the third for the 4-0 quarterfinal win.
This match will certainly keep wrestling fans in their seats tonight at PPG Paints Arena.