Seniors shine during No. 1 Nittany Lions’ rout of Michigan State

Senior Night is usually the final home match of the season.

For Penn State’s senior wrestlers, Rec Hall will host one more match.

After the program honored its seniors Saturday, the seniors shined on the mat in a 41-3 rout of Michigan State in front of 6,419 fans.

Nico Megaludis, Jordan Conaway and Morgan McIntosh were all dominant scoring bonus point victories for Penn State.

“They’re all special in their own way,” Nittany Lion coach Cael Sanderson said. “They’re all just very consistent and quality all the way around. They’re guys we obviously are going to miss, but we have a lot of work to do still.”

With the win, Penn State clinched a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with Iowa.

Megaludis opened the match spreading seven takedowns over the three periods. He also racked up 2:36 in riding time to earn a 17-5 major decision over Mitch Rogaliner.

“We talk about Nico all the time,” Sanderson said. “He’s just the same from his first match to his last match. He’s going full speed ahead. He’s been a tremendous leadoff guy for us. He is a 3.5-plus (GPA) student and is going to be very successful in life.”

Conaway had a match to remember. Not really known for pinning, he surprised Nittany Lion fans. Leading 7-1, Conaway took Garth Yenter down for a fourth time, and worked Yenter over to earn the fall in 5:59 to push Penn State’s lead to 10-0.

“Conaway is just a great kid,” Sanderson said. “If you have a daughter, you want her to date him. He’s just that kind of a kid. He works hard every day. We’re glad he came to Penn State.”

McIntosh controlled his match from the start. He used three takedowns and a deep half-nelson to score four near-fall points to hold a 10-2 lead over Jacob Cooper in the first period.

He chose neutral to open the second and took Cooper down again, slipped in that half-nelson again and earned the fall in 4:22.

“Morgan came all the way from California,” Sanderson said of his 197-pounder and other seniors. “That means a lot to us. He’s just a great kid. They came here and they’ve been consistent. They continue to get better and do great things.”

McIntosh downplayed the emotions of his win and the match.

“People have been asking me that,” he said. “I’ve said the same thing. I try not to think too much about how it’s going to be my last home match or my last away match or the lasts that happen in your senior year. I personally try not to think about it because it makes me sad and I don’t want that until nationals are over and I can think about it.

“I’m trying to enjoy it and I’m in a special place and on a special team,” he continued. “I’m trying to take advantage of every minute of it. I’ve enjoyed the last five years. This year I’m trying to make sure to soak it all in.”

Fans were not only excited to send the seniors warm wishes, but after Friday’s match, they also had the opportunity to see Nick Nevills to make his Rec Hall debut.

After Friday’s 5-4 loss, at Lehigh, Nevills was able to use a late takedown to open a tight match and won 5-2 over Dimitrous Renfroe.

“It’s been pretty fun,” Nevills said. “It’s a lot more enjoyable wrestling here than there. It’s pretty awesome and special to be able to compete in Rec Hall. It’s definitely something I’ll remember.”

Nevills was asked about the expectations of his first Rec Hall match.

“I think it surprassed a lot,” he said. “I don’t think anybody really understands what it’s like to wrestle in front of dedicated fans. It’s a little bit breahtaking but you have to take it in and enjoy it.”

Sanderson listened to Nevills with a smile on his face.

“I’m glad he is back,” Sanderson said. “I’m excited. Nick is going to be a lot of fun. He’s got some great shots. He’s going to get stronger each match. We’re glad to have him back in the lineup. We really appreciate Jan Johnson. It’s still amazing what he did. It takes a lot of courage — one on one with not a lot of preparation. He was hurt and came back and still didn’t have a chance to come back. He did an awesome job. He’s wrestled a couple top-notch kids in (Kyle) Snyder and (Adam) Coon and didn’t back down.”

Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal all picked up bonus point wins for Penn State. Retherford and Nickal each tallied 11 takedowns in their 24-9 technical falls at 149 and 174 pounds, respectively. Nolf earned a fall in 2:02 over Mark Bozzo and had the Nittany Lions’ lead to 21-3 at the break.

At 165, Geno Morelli used seven points in the third period to earn an 8-2 win over Dean Vettese. Matt McCutcheon rebounded from a tough loss to Lehigh’s Nathaniel Brown with a 3-0 decision over Shwan Shadaia.

The Spartans denied the shutout thanks to Javier Gasca, who used two takedowns to pick up a 6-2 win over Jimmy Gulibon at 141.

Penn State now will prepare for its National Dual Championship Series match on Feb. 21. The Nittany Lions will host either North Carolina State, Oklahoma State or Missouri inside Rec Hall at 5 p.m. The match is set to air on the Big Ten Network.

Sanderson mentioned he knows who Penn State is scheduled to wrestle but a formal announcement is set for Sunday night.

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Seniors shine during No. 1 Nittany Lions’ rout of Michigan State."