UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – With a 65-match winning streak on the line, the No. 1 ranked Penn State men’s wrestling squad showed out in front of a sold-out Bryce-Jordan Center crowd, defeating the Iowa 30-8 on Friday night.
Experts and fans across the wrestling community argued that “The Match of the Year” between the No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 2 Hawkeyes likely gave fans a preview of what is to come in March during the NCAA National Championships.
“It’s big,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said ahead of the dual. “As far as the event, you keep it in perspective. But where we want to go, it’s big. I mean, you’re wrestling the best team in the country. And, it’s a measuring stick. There are individual matchups that have postseason seating implications. So, you got to be ready. And it’s really no different than any other weekend, but it’s different.”
But Iowa looked anything but a championship contender on this night, dropping eight of the ten bouts during the dual, and was forced to watch Penn State celebrate another victory. The Nittany Lions have won six of the last seven meetings between the two programs.
Dominance at home
No. 25 Joey Cruz batted lead-off for the Hawkeyes at the lightweight division, facing off against No. 7 Luke Lilledahl.
The match was all Lilledahl, as he jumped out to a 7-1 lead after the second period and didn’t look back, fighting off several attacks from Cruz and adding four takedowns of his own to secure the 22-6 triumph.
No. 3 Drake Ayala helped spring life back into the Hawkeyes in bout No. 2. The Iowa native was strictly business in the first period, jumping out a 9-2 lead over Kurt McHenry.
The second period mirrored the first, as Ayala was able to defeat McHenry by technical fall, 19-4. Ayala’s victory added five team points to Iowa’s total, but it would be the last points the Hawkeyes would see for another three bouts, as they dropped six matches in a row thereafter.
Cullan Schriever got the start at the 141 division, dropping his match to No. 3 Beau Bartlett 7-3 by decision. No. 2 Kyle Parco lost his first match of the year to No. 4 Shayne Van Ness 17-6, and No. 1 Jacori Teemer fell to No. 3 Tyler Kasak 5-2.
Finally, Michael Caliendo dropped his match against No. 1 ranked Mitchel Mesenbrick 19-4, while teammate Patrick Kennedy continued the streak of losses by falling short in his match against No. 2 Levi Haines.
Hawkeye fans expected No. 5 Gabe Arnold to take the mat against No. 1 Carter Starocci, but Brands surprised everyone by starting Angelo Ferrari at 184 pounds. Brands has been well-known for shaking up his lineups at crucial junctures this year, and tonight was no different.
Ferrari ultimately lost a gritty 2-1 match to Starocci due to a stalling violation, extending Penn State’s edge to 26-5.
Next, No. 1 Stephen Buchanan marked the lone post-Ayala Iowa victory, defeating No. 4 Josh Bar 4-1, but his efforts brought little energy to an already deflated Hawkeye squad.
No. 11 Ben Kueter left it all on the mat as the anchor for the Hawkeyes, however his gallant efforts were not enough as No. 2 Greg Kirvliet defeated Kueter 12-2 to close the dual.
Following the event, Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson spoke to media members and was very pleased with his team’s valiant efforts in each match. .
“We wrestled pretty dang good against a good team,” said Sanderson. “I think I say it every year but Iowa does a really good job at kind of figuring guys out and scouting them. So they always go back and see what they can do better. They’re usually very prepared for matches.”
Up Next
The Hawkeyes will have a short turn-around for their next Big Ten dual meet in College Park, Maryland, against the No. 25 Maryland Terrapins on Sunday afternoon. The Terrapins are coming off a dismal performance 33-7 defeat against No. 11 Illinois, but will certainly be geared up to return home against a formidable Iowa squad.
The dual is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Big Ten Plus.