Penn State wrestling (16-0, 8-0 Big Ten) defeated Clarion (11-6, PSAC 8-2) on Senior Day to finish off yet another undefeated season.
Max Dean and Roman Bravo-Young were the stars of the afternoon, earning a pin and a decision win, all while wrestling in their final dual in Rec Hall.
The win is Cael Sanderson’s seventh undefeated season in eight years as the Nittany Lions coach.
How It Happened
Starting off at 125 pounds, Gary Steen saw Joey Fischer. There was no score in the first, but Fischer was first on the board going up 1-0 in the second. Steen was able to get a takedown with just a few seconds left in the second to take the 2-1 lead.
Steen was able to earn another point in the third, and another last-second takedown gave Steen a much-needed 5-1 win.
Onto the first senior of the day, No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young wrestled Mason Prinkey. RBY came out hot with a takedown and two near-fall points just 30 seconds into the bout. The fifth-year continued to dominate and led 10-2 after the first period. Bravo-Young finished off his Rec Hall career in the second period with a pin.
No. 5 Beau Bartlett was next against Seth Koleno. Barlett was able to find one takedown in the first, going up 2-1. The Nittany Lion continued to push, earning a few takedowns and a reversal to make the score 7-2 after two. Bartlett then finished out the bout with two more takedowns and a riding time point, getting a major decision win 12-4.
At 149 pounds, No. 13 Shayne Van Ness wrestled Kyle Schickel. Van Ness was in control from the start, leading 4-0 in just 20 seconds. He kept the dominance going, leading by 10, which made the score 11-1 after one. Schickel did not stand a chance as Van Ness earned the tech fall win 17-1 early in the second period.
Next at 157 pounds, No. 8 Levi Haines saw Trevor Elfvin. The first period had a 10-2 lead for Haines, and the pressure kept building for the freshman as he earned a technical fall win, 18-3.
Penn State led 23-0 going into intermission.
Starting the second half, No. 9 Alex Facundo went against Cam Pine. In an interesting turn, Facundo and Pine were within one 5-4 after the first. Some momentum swung in Pines’s favor, but Facundo was able to get out of a jam and lead 12-7 after the second period. Facundo was able to fend off Pine in the third and ultimately earn the 16-10 win.
No. 1 Carter Starocci was next to the mat facing John Worthing. Starocci immediately jumped to an 8-3 lead, then added to the score with four near-fall points to go up 12-3. The second period brought seven more points for Starocci, most coming from another near fall, and yet another technical fall win was awarded, this time 19-3.
Relieving No. 1 Aaron Brooks and also celebrating Senior Day, Donovon Ball took to the mat against Will Feldkamp. Ball was quickly overtaken by Feldkamp, falling to a pin just over a minute into the first period.
No. 3 Max Dean bounced back against Tyler Bagoly. Dean was first on the board 2-0 after the first and upped the score 7-1 with 2:17 riding time after two. Dean finished off his Rec Hall career with a 9-5 decision win.
Finishing off the bout, No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet wrestled Austin Chapman. Kerkliet started off leading 4-1 in the first and almost a full ride out at 2:33. The Nittany Lion kept up the intensity going up 10-1 before earning a pin to finish off the dual.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions have a week off before heading to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the Big Ten Tournament. The tournament will have sessions at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, and at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 5.
