Penn State’s Michael Beard lone Nittany Lions wrestler to reach Southern Scuffle semifinals
The Southern Scuffle had become a staple to Penn State’s wrestling schedule, as coach Cael Sanderson has said it is the closest tournament to the NCAA Championships.
However, the Nittany Lions haven’t been to Chattanooga, Tenn. as a full team since the 2018-2019 season due to scheduling conflicts.
After the event was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Penn State had 10 wrestlers travel to compete both attached and unattached at the prestigious tournament on Saturday.
Here’s a look at how each wrestler did, and where they are after Day 1 was completed:
Michael Beard, 197 pounds
Record after day: 3-0
Current round: Semifinals
Recap: Beard, who was competing unattached, was the No. 2 seed at his weight, and proved why he had that seed.
Beard opened with Duke’s Kaden Russell, and went to work right away by securing two takedowns within 30 seconds. On the second takedown, Beard secured four nearfall points. He kept rolling and tallied an 18-2 technical fall in 2:36.
In the third round, Beard again racked up a technical fall — this one took a little longer to complete. He led 11-0 after two periods of wrestling against Buffalo’s Eli Sheeren. Beard tacked on three third-period takedowns for a 17-2 win in 5:30.
In the quarterfinals, Beard raced out to a 7-1 lead on Maryland’s Xjaxon Smith after two periods, and it’s a good thing he had that lead. In the third period, Beard looked gassed as Smith kept the pace up, but Beard hung on for a 9-4 win.
Beard will take on the No. 3 seed in Michigan State’s Cam Caffey on Sunday afternoon.
Brandon Meredith, 133 pounds
Record after day: 3-1
Current round: Consolation fifth round
Recap: Meredith made it to the quarterfinals before suffering his first loss of the tournament while competing attached.
He faced the No. 2 seed in Appalachian State’s Codi Russell, who is a three-time NCAA qualifier. The pair felt each other out for most of the first period, with Russell tallying the first points with a takedown with 20 seconds left.
In the second period, Meredith looked to have a reversal, but couldn’t convert, and escaped to a 2-1 deficit. Russell tacked on another takedown and two nearfall points to lead 6-1 after two periods.
In the third period, Meredith was deep on a double leg takedown attempt, but Russell fought it off. Russell added another takedown and a riding time point to defeat Meredith, 9-2.
Meredith started in the pigtail round against Air Force’s Sidney Flores. Meredith used a takedown with just over a minute left in the second period to win 4-2. In the second round, Meredith picked up a takedown with 51 seconds remaining in the third period to edge The Citadel’s Jake Rotunda, 6-4.
Before Meredith suffered his loss, he shut out West Virginia’s Jordan Titus, 5-0, with all five points scored in the third period to set up his bout with Russell.
Joe Lee, 157 pounds
Record after day: 2-1
Current round: Consolation fifth round
Recap: Lee donned the Blue and White singlet during his Southern Scuffle tournament.
He reached the quarterfinals, where he suffered his first loss of the tournament. Lee, who was the No. 5 seed, took on Michigan State’s Chase Saldate, who was the No. 4 seed. The pair could face off later this year.
On Saturday, it was all Saldate. Neither wrestler scored in the first period, and it was Lee’s escape, seven seconds into the second period, for the first points.
Saldate and Lee got into a scramble situation that appeared as though Lee would come out with points, but it was Saldate. He also put Lee to his back to earn a 6-1 lead after two periods.
In the third period, Saldate opened with a reversal, and then rode Lee for the entire rest of the period for a 9-1 win.
Lee started his tournament in the second round, where he topped Chattanooga’s Jackson Hurt, 10-5. Lee needed a takedown 41 seconds into sudden victory to top Stanford’s Charles Darracott, 8-6, to make the quarterfinals.
Seth Nevills, 285 pounds
Record after day: 3-1
Current round: Consolation fifth round
Recap: Nevills made his season debut for Penn State, but he wrestled unattached, as he made a return to the mat from the football field.
He looked good in his tournament opener as Nevills cruised to a 7-2 win over South Dakota State’s Bowen McConville. However, Nevills was sent to the consolation bracket in the next round as he suffered a 1-0 loss to Virginia Tech’s Hunter Catka, who was a two-time PIAA champion for Sun Valley High School.
In his first consolation match, Nevills trailed Duke’s Brayden Ray, 4-3, early in the third period. Nevills caught Ray for a takedown and pinned the Blue Devils wrestler in 6:01. Nevills remained alive by topping another ACC wrestler in North Carolina State’s Deonte Wilson, 4-3. He needed a takedown with two seconds remaining in the bout for the winning score.
Baylor Shunk, 125 pounds
Record after day: 1-2
Current round: Eliminated
Recap: The Penns Valley graduate looked poised to make some noise in his first Southern Scuffle while competing attached.
Shunk ran out to a 14-1 first period lead thanks to two takedowns and three sets of nearfall points on the University of Arkansas-Little Rock’s Josh Sarpy. The wrestlers started on their feet to start the second period, and Sarpy tallied a takedown.
Shunk was not deterred, and responded with an escape, a takedown and four-near fall points to secure a 21-3 technical fall in 4:57.
In the round of 16, Shunk got the No. 1 seed in West Virginia’s Killian Cardinale. Cardinale proved too much in a 12-2 major decision. Shunk was then eliminated by another Arkansas-Little Rock wrestler in Jayden Carson, who racked up a 16-1 technical fall in 7:00.
David Evans, 133 pounds
Record after day: 2-2
Current round: Eliminated
Recap: Evans, who competed unattached, had to open his first Southern Scuffle with a pigtail match.
He got out to a 6-2 lead on Cal State-Bakersfield’s Aaron Ibarra thanks to three takedowns. On the third takedown, Evans put Ibarra on his back for the fall in 2:59.
Evans suffered a 10-3 loss to Missouri’s Connor Brown to be kicked to the consolation bracket. In his consolation opener, Evans raced out to an 8-2 advantage after one period of wrestling with Flores.
The pair traded points throughout the bout, but Evans came away with a 12-8 win. In the next round, Evans picked up a takedown late in the third period against Chattanooga’s Brayden Palmer to tie the bout. However, Palmer escaped, and had riding time advantage for a 4-2 victory.
Terrell Barraclough, 157 pounds
Record after day: 3-2
Current round: Eliminated
Recap: Barraclough competed attached for Penn State, and had to get started in the pigtail round.
He opened by shutting out Oklahoma State’s Daniel Manibog, 4-0, but quickly was sent to the consolation bracket with an 8-4 loss to Cornell’s Hunter Richard.
In the consolation action, Barraclough went to work right away. He again opened with another shutout, 4-0 over Appalachian State’s Tommy Askey. In his next bout, Barraclough was up 2-1 early in the third period against South Dakota State’s Cael Swensen. Barraclough managed to take Swensen down and pinned him in 6:16.
Barraclough’s tournament came to an end in the consolation fourth round. He gave up a late reversal in the third period to Oklahoma State’s Jalin Harper, to lose 5-4.
Alex Facundo, 165 pounds
Record after day: 2-2
Current round: Eliminated
Recap: Facundo, who competed unattached, got a taste of his second collegiate tournament after wrestling in the Clarion Open earlier this year.
The redshirt freshman had to put in extra work in his opener. Facundo and Drexel’s Evan Barczak went to sudden victory tied 1-1. With 21 seconds remaining in the sudden victory period, Facundo earned a takedown for the 3-1 win.
He then came up on the wrong and right ends of 3-2 matches. The first one was the wrong end in a 3-2 defeat to North Carolina State’s Thomas Bullard, who is a four-time NCAA qualifier. Bullard had the riding time advantage to give him the win.
Facundo dropped into the consolation bracket, where he took on teammate Matt Lee. Facundo used a first-period takedown to hold up, and edge Lee, 3-2, to remain alive.
However, Facundo saw his tournament come to a close in the next round, where he suffered a 5-3 loss to Michigan State’s Caleb Fish.
Matt Lee, 165 pounds
Record after day: 1-2
Current round: Eliminated
Recap: The youngest of the Lee brothers, saw his second action of the year, while competing unattached.
Lee was kicked into the consolation bracket right away as he suffered a 3-0 defeat to Arkansas-Little Rock’s Tyler Brennan in the round of 32. Lee was tied with Rider’s Angel Garcia in their consolation bout 3-3 after one period.
Lee used a takedown in the second period to keep the bout tied 5-5 after two periods. In the third period, Lee used a takedown with just over one minute left in the bout hold up for a 7-6 win.
Lee was eliminated in the next round by Facundo.
Donovon Ball, 184 pounds
Record after day: 2-2
Current round: Eliminated
Recap: Ball, who competed attached for Penn State, didn’t have the best opening match.
He gave up a late takedown to West Virginia’s Anthony Carman in the first period, and trailed 2-1 to open the third period. Carman got an escape, a technical point and a riding time point to top Ball 5-1.
Ball didn’t stay down though. He opened his consolation bracket run with a 12-1 major decision over Cornell’s Nathan Thacker. It was a match that Ball nearly had Thacker be disqualified for stalling.
Ball had to put in extra time to stay alive in the next round. He was tied 1-1 with Missouri’s Colton Hawks, forcing sudden victory. Ball got a takedown just before time expired in the sudden victory period that was awarded, and challenged by the Tigers’ coaches. The review came back in Ball’s favor, and the 3-1 win.
Ball’s tournament came to an end in the next round, where he suffered a 2-1 loss to Chattanooga’s Matthew Waddell. The other point scored by Waddell was a second stall call on Ball.
This story was originally published January 1, 2022 at 10:21 PM.
