Penn State wrestling sets program record for consecutive dual wins at Journeymen
Penn State wrestling got its last competition in before the end of the year at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday.
The Nittany Lions had a perfect day by topping Binghamton (52-0), No. 19 Little Rock (44-0) and No. 8 Missouri (41-3). When they beat Little Rock, it set a program record for consecutive dual victories at 61. The wins over the Bearcats and the Trojans gave Penn State three straight shutouts.
The Nittany Lions had all of their starters hit the mat and all were perfect except one.
The loss came during Penn State’s dual with the Tigers, but it was a matchup for the ages. No. 2 Levi Haines took on No. 1 Keegan O’Toole at 174 pounds.
Haines beat O’Toole during the Senior World Team Trials back in September.
The pair traded escapes in the second and third periods, which forced sudden victory. O’Toole countered a Haines shot for the winning takedown with 1:01 left in sudden victory.
More featured bouts that highlighted the day came during the match with Little Rock.
Braeden Davis took on No. 5 Nasir Bailey at 133 pounds. Davis had an escape in the second period, which was the winning point in a 1-0 victory.
Bailey choose to be on his feet in the third period, but Davis’ defense kept him from being able to score.
Josh Barr, who had been in a position battle with teammate Lucas Cochran at 197 pounds, seems to have gotten the spot after his big win over Lehigh’s Michael Beard. On Sunday, Barr faced No. 5 Stephen Little.
The pair traded escapes to force sudden victory. Barr countered a Little takedown attempt late in sudden victory, and got the winning score with 14 seconds left for the 4-1 victory.
Penn State recorded a bunch of bonus points on the day with eight pins, eight technical falls, four major decisions and two forfeits. Mitchell Mesenbrink received both forfeits at 165 pounds.
When it came to takedowns, the Nittany Lions had a 57-4 advantage in the three duals. They didn’t give up a single takedown against Binghamton.
Journeymen Collegiate Duals
Sunday at Nashville, Tennessee
No. 1 PENN STATE 52, BINGHAMTON 0
125: No. 12 Luke Lilledahl, PSU, tech. fall No. 33 Carson Wagner, 19-4 (5:37)
133: No. 11 Braeden Davis, PSU, dec. Micah Roes, 6-0
141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett, PSU, major dec. Nate Lucier, 14-2
149: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness, PSU, pinned Caleb Sweet, 2:49
157: No. 4 Tyler Kasak, PSU, pinned Jordan Brown, 3:31
165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, PSU, won by forfeit
174: No. 2 Levi Haines, PSU, tech. fall Roberto Padilla, 18-0 (5:00)
184: No. 1 Carter Starocci, PSU, pinned No. 23 Will Ebert, 5:55
197: No. 7 Josh Barr, PSU, tech. fall Andrew Bailey, 19-4 (2:40)
285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU, pinned Charlie Tibbitts, 1:33
Takedowns: B 0, PSU 24
Records: Binghamton (1-2), Penn State (4-0)
No. 1 PENN STATE 44, No. 19 LITTLE ROCK 0
125: Lilledahl, PSU, dec. Jaden Carson, 9-3
133: Davis, PSU, dec. No. 5 Nasir Bailey, 1-0
141: Bartlett, PSU, pinned Cole Minnick, 5:23
149: Van Ness, PSU, pinned No. 16 Jordan Williams, 4:39
157: Kasak, PSU, dec. No. 20 Matty Bianchi, 4-2
165: Mesenbrink, PSU, tech. fall No. 21 Joey Bianchi, 17-1 (5:27)
174: Haines, PSU, tech. fall Kodiak Kennedy, 18-2 (5:33)
184: Starocci, PSU, tech. fall Tristan Wills, 17-1 (5:37)
197: Barr, PSU, dec. No. 5 Stephen Little, 4-1 (SV)
285: Kerkvliet, PSU, tech. fall KJ Miley, 15-0 (1:40)
Records: Little Rock (5-2), Penn State (5-0)
No. 1 PENN STATE 41, No. 16 MISSOURI 3
125: Lilledahl, PSU, dec. Gage Walker, 5-4
133: Davis, PSU, major dec. Kade Moore, 14-3
141: Bartlett, PSU, dec. No. 16 Josh Edmond, 4-1 (SV)
149: Van Ness, PSU, pinned Zeke Seltzer, 1:57
157: Kasak, PSU, major dec. James Conway, 11-3
165: Mesenbrink, PSU, won by forfeit
174: No. 1 Keegan O’Toole, M, dec. Haines, 4-1 (SV)
184: Starocci, PSU, major dec. No. 10 Colton Hawks, 10-1
197: Barr, PSU, pinned Jesse Cassatt, 1:45
285: Kerkvliet, PSU, tech. fall Jarrett Stoner, 15-0 (5:57)
Records: Missouri (2-5), PSU (6-0)
Next match: Michigan State at Penn State, Jan. 10, 8 p.m.
