Penn State wrestling overcomes missing starters to top Nebraska, earn Big Ten dual title
There has been one way to describe Penn State’s wrestling season this year: change.
The Nittany Lions used their 11th different lineup in 16 duals to overcome more missing starters in a 21-13 win over Nebraska in Penn State’s Big Ten finale on Sunday inside Rec Hall. The win also clinched the Big Ten regular season team dual title for the Nittany Lions, who shared it with Iowa last season.
The dual title is the eighth for Penn State out of the last 10 years.
The Nittany Lions pulled off the win without Brady Berge and Carter Starocci, but this time Max Dean was out of the lineup. Until Sunday, Beau Bartlett and Dean were the lone wrestlers to start all of Penn State’s duals.
“When you win duals like this, where guys are out,” Aaron Brooks explained, “it shows that even the guys (who) are not the starters are going to put it on the line because we have love for each other. I think it shows chemistry. It just shows the bond that this team has, because that’s what makes us special. When a starter is out, we’re putting our faith in the next guy. We truly have faith in him.”
The Nittany Lions went 1-2 in those matches where the starters were out. However, it didn’t matter as guys like Brooks, Roman Bravo-Young and Nick Lee helped as they’ve done all year, even though they were out of the lineup at some point in the year.
Drew Hildebrandt, who was been in all of Penn State’s duals since joining the team at the beginning of January, again showed why the Nittany Lions made a push to get him here. He recorded a takedown on Jerimiah Reno late in the first period to hold a lead.
Hildebrandt then went to work on his top game with a full period ride out in the second period, before adding an escape in the third for a 4-0 win to start the dual.
Bravo-Young looked like a light Jason Nolf putting on a takedown clinic on Dominick Serrano at 133 pounds. The defending NCAA champion had 10 takedowns and used a relentless attack to collect a stall point late in the third period. He added 4:02 in riding time to earn a 23-8 technical fall.
Lee took on Chad Red, Jr. at 141 pounds for what seemed like the millionth time in his collegiate career. It can be challenging to come up with a game plan since the familiarity is there. Lee showed how much he has progressed from the first time they squared off in the Indiana state finals in 2015.
Lee used a first period takedown look easy on Red. He then controlled the match from there on out to win 4-1, and Penn State was up 11-0.
“He’s a really good wrestler, and he’s got a lot of dangerous stuff. I have some dangerous stuff too,” Lee said. “Sometimes what that turns into, is like a boring match because no one wants to get exposed.”
At 149 pounds, Bartlett faced off with No. 8 Ridge Lovett and just looked undersized from a stature standpoint. Lovett used his length to control the match the whole time to earn a 6-0 shutout, where he had 4:32 in riding time.
No. 5 Peyton Robb kept things rolling for the Cornhuskers at 157 pounds, but it wasn’t by much. Robb took Terrell Barraclough down 20 seconds into the bout and added an escape in the second period to hold a 3-1 lead entering the third period.
Barraclough escaped with just under 40 seconds remaining to make it 3-2. Barraclough shot in for a final shot late, but ran out of time to finish and pull off the upset. The Nittany Lions led 11-6 at the break.
“Terrell has the potential to beat those guys and be a contender. He just needs the confidence,” Sanderson said of Barraclough’s efforts. “When that’s coming, or how he’s going to get it, I don’t know, but that was a big match for him. He was in deep to finish on a top five guy today.”
Creighton Edsell filled in for Berge again at 165 like he did on Friday, and the results were the same. Edsell used three takedowns to take care of Nebraska’s Tahjae Jenkins-Harris, 9-2, to get Penn State back in the win column.
Mason Manville was in the lineup at 174 as Starocci sat his second straight dual while recovering from an injury. Manville looked undersized next to his counterpart in Mikey Labriola, and it showed.
Labriola recorded six takedowns — three alone in the second period — with ease on Manville to rack up a 14-4 major decision. Labriola’s victory got Nebraska to within 14-10.
Brooks responded for the Nittany Lions by hanging another loss on Taylor Venz, who handed Brooks his first and only collegiate loss on Jan. 24, 2020. The defending NCAA champion had already beaten Venz three times before Sunday, but Sunday’s win was the worst outside of the pin in the Big Ten Championship semifinals in 2020.
Brooks had six takedowns and controlled the pace of the match from the opening whistle in a 14-4 major decision.
“I was watching my Ohio State match after (Friday), and the commentators was always saying it,” said Brooks on if he thinks about that loss. “Every match, I watch of mine, they critique myself. I don’t really think about it too much. It was a couple years ago. I’ve gotten better. He’s gotten better. He’s a worthy opponent. I like Taylor a lot.”
Michael Beard stepped in for Dean at 197 pounds and had a tough test ahead of him in No. 3 Eric Schultz. It was a very controversial match.
Beard had recorded a takedown with 52 seconds remaining in the bout to take a 4-3 lead. However, he was called for a third stall, which tied the bout up. He was quickly called for another stall that gave Schultz a 6-4 lead.
Beard was unable to get another score in on time to fall by the 6-4 score as fans booed the official for the calls. According to Brooks, it marked the first time Beard had some live action since Beard injury defaulted in the Southern Scuffle finals at the beginning of January.
“He’s a beast. He hasn’t been able to scrap really at all since the scuffle,” Brooks said. “He hasn’t really done any live (wrestling) in the room, comes out and wrestles the number three guy, and looks really good. He wrestled good, and I’m proud of Beard.”
Greg Kerkvliet finished the dual off with an 8-2 win over No. 12 Christian Lance. It was a match that may have come with a price as Kerkvliet seemed to tweak his left hamstring in the process.
Sanderson doesn’t feel it will be too much a concern, but it won’t hurt as the Nittany Lions have some time before their next dual, which is against Rider on Feb. 20 at home.
One thing is for sure though, Sanderson is proud of how his team navigated the tough season with the injuries and illnesses that went through the team.
“I think these guys did a great job. They should be really proud and excited,” he said. “Some of our bigger duals were on the road this year, when they should have been in State College. We’ve had some great duals. Even going back to November, we had guys out and sick, these guys found a way to win those matches.
“It has rotated. Everyone’s had that opportunity to kind of step up in there and help the team. That’s what it’s going take to win the Nationals and the Big Tens, is a great team effort.”
No. 1 Penn State 21, No. 8 Nebraska 13
Sunday at University Park
125: No. 6 Drew Hildebrandt, PSU, dec. Jeremiah Reno, 4-0
133: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young, PSU, tech. fall Dominick Serrano, 23-8 (7:00)
141: No. 1 Nick Lee, PSU, dec. No. 8 Chad Red, Jr., 4-1
149: No. 8 Ridge Lovett, N, dec. No. 18 Beau Bartlett, 6-0
157: No. 5 Peyton Robb, N, dec. Terrell Barraclough, 3-2
165: Creighton Edsell, PSU, dec. Tahjae Jenkins-Harris, 9-2
174: No. 5 Mikey Labriola, N, major dec. Mason Manville, 14-4
184: No. 1 Aaron Brooks, PSU, major dec. No. 9 Taylor Venz, 14-4
197: No. 3 Eric Shultz, N, dec. Michael Beard, 6-4
285: No. 5 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU, dec. No. 12 Christian Lance, 8-2
Extra match
133: Brandon Meredith, PSU, dec. Alex Thomsen, 7-6
197: Donovon Ball, PSU dec. Brandyn Van Tassel, 8-2
Takedowns: N 9, PSU 26
Records: Nebraska (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten), Penn State (16-0, 8-0)
Next match: Rider at Penn State, Feb. 20, 2 p.m.
This story was originally published February 6, 2022 at 4:41 PM.
