By: Pat Donghia

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.; February 5, 2023 – The Penn State (13-0, 6-0 B1G) Nittany Lion wrestling team dominated homestanding Indiana (7-3, 3-3 B1G) 35-8 for another Big Ten road win. Penn State junior Carter Starocci handled Indiana’s D.J. Washington at 174 and Nittany Lions Beau Bartlett and Max Dean picked up pins in the victory. All rankings listed are InterMat/InterMat Team TPI (Jan. 31, 2023).

The dual meet began at 125 where sophomore Marco Vespa lost a 17-2 technical fall (4:48) against Jacob Moran. Baylor Shunk made his season debut at 133 for Penn State and took No. 29 Henry Porter to the limit before dropping a hard-fought 9-7 (sv) decision in extra time. Indiana took an early 8-0 lead. Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 5 at 141, quickly cut into the lead with a fast fall over Joey Showalter. Bartlett moved in quickly, took Showalter down, moved to a cradle and pinned the Hoosier in just 0:12 seconds.

Freshman Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 13 at 149, then put Penn State on top for good. Van Ness dominated No. 30 Graham Rooks, tallying six takedowns and a four-point turn to post the 17-5 major decision. His win put the Nittany Lions up 10-8. True freshman Levi Haines, ranked No. 9 at 157, notched the only three takedowns of the bout in his 8-2 win over IU junior Derek Gilcher. Haines’ strong performance gave the Nittany Lions a 13-8 lead at intermission.

Freshman Alex Facundo, ranked No. 8 at 165, tallied eight takedowns in a 20-9 major decision over IU’s Robert Major to start the second half. Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 174, increased Penn State’s lead with a convincing 11-3 major decision over No. 15 D.J. Washington. Starocci rolled up two takedowns, two stall points and 1:33 in riding time in the convincing win to give the Lions a 21-8 lead.

Donovon Ball took the mat at 184 and continued Penn State’s winning ways. Ball worked his way to four takedowns in a strong 10-3 win to put the Nittany Lions up 24-8. Max Dean, ranked No. 4 at 197, picked up his second pin of the weekend with a first period fall (1:29) over Drayton Harris. Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 2 at 285, closed out the scoring portion of the dual meet with a dominant win over No. 28 Jacob Bullock. Kerkvliet turned Bullock three times for four points in a rousing 16-0 technical fall (3:59). Kerkvliet’s win set Penn State’s final margin at 35-8.

The Nittany Lions rolled up a 27-10 takedown advantage in the dual meet. Penn State, winning the dual’s final eight bouts, picked up 11 bonus points off two pins (Bartlett, Dean), a tech fall (Kerkvliet) and three majors (Van Ness, Facundo, Starocci). Two extra matches were conducted after the scoring portion of the dual (official NCAA bouts that do not count towards dual meet score). Both were wrestled at 157. Penn State 141-pounder David Evans moved up two weights to take on IU’s Luke Baughman at 157 and came away with a strong 6-2 win. Nittany Lion Terrell Barraclough then met IU 157 pounder Mason Alley and walked away with a 17-4 major decision.

The Nittany Lions are now 13-0 overall, 6-0 B1G. Indiana falls to 7-3, 3-3 B1G. Penn State will hit the road for a third straight conference dual next Friday, Feb. 10, when it visits Rutgers at 7 p.m. Two days later, the Nittany Lions return to Rec Hall to host Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m.

The 2022-23 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.

1 Penn State 35, Indiana 8

February 5, 2023 – Bloomington, Ind.

125: Jacob Moran IND tech fall Marco Vespa PSU, 17-2 (TF; 4:48) 0-5
133: #29 Henry Porter IND dec. Baylor Shunk PSU, 9-7 (sv) 0-8
141: #5 Beau Bartlett PSU pinned Joey Showalter IND, WBF (0:12) 6-8
149: #13 Shayne Van Ness PSU maj. dec. #30 Graham Rooks IND, 17-5 10-8
157: #9 Levi Haines PSU dec. Derek Gilcher IND, 8-2 13-8
165: #8 Alex Facundo PSU maj. dec. Robert Major IND, 20-9 17-8
174: #1 Carter Starocci PSU maj. dec. #15 D.J. Washington IND, 11-3 21-8
184: Donovon Ball PSU dec. Clayton Fielden IND, 10-3 24-8
197: #4 Max Dean PSU pinned Drayton Harris IND, WBF (1:29) 30-8
285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet PSU tech fall #28 Jacob Bullock IND, 16-0 (TF; 3:59) 35-8
Extra Matches (official NCAA bouts, do not count in dual meet score):
149: David Evans PSU dec. Luke Baughman IND, 6-2
157: Terrell Barraclough PSU maj. dec. Mason Alley IND, 17-4
Records: Penn State (13-0, 6-0 B1G); Indiana (7-3, 3-3 B1G)
Up Next for Penn State: at Rutgers, Friday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m.

DUAL MEET BOUT-BY-BOUT:

125: Marco Vespa met Jacob Moran at 125. Moran got in on a quick single leg and took Vespa down in the opening seconds to open up a 2-1 score after a quick Vespa escape. Vespa nearly locked up Moran’s shoulders after the escape for a throw but Moran was able to force a stalemate. Moran then took Vespa down again to lead 4-1 at the 1:50 mark. Moran worked his riding time up over 1:00 and then finished then finished the period on top to lead 4-1 with 2:15 in riding time after one. Moran chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Moran took Vespa down once more and then turned him for four back points. Vespa fought off the pin but trailed 11-1 at 1:00. He reset and turned Vespa again to lead 15-2 after cutting Vespa loose. He finished off the tech fall with a takedown at the 4:48 mark, posting the 17-2 win.

133: Baylor Shunk made his season debut and met No. 29 Henry Porter at 133. Shunk got in on an early single and nearly took Porter down, but the Hoosier countered the effort for his own score and led 2-0 at 2:16. Shunk scrambled his way to an escape and trailed 2-1 at 1:44. Shunk continued to work on offense. Shunk and Porter scrambled through the 1:00 mark with neither wrestler finishing off the takedown and the bout continued in neutral. Leading 2-1, Porter chose down to start the second period. Shunk put together a strong ride, controlling the action for the first minute before a stalemate forced a reset at 1:08. Moran scrambled his way to an escape and a 3-1 lead at :48, Shunk had :47 in riding time. Shunk forced the action one more time and Porter was able to counter again for a second takedown and a 5-1 lead. Shunk made the final seconds of the period count, rolling through a reversal and adding two near fall points in the final seconds to tie the bout at 5-5 after two periods. He chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 5-4 lead. Shunk then turned a high single into a scramble on the Hoosier logo. Porter notched his third counter takedown of the bout to take a 7-6 lead and then Shunk escaped to a 7-7 tie at the 1:02 mark. Shunk shot Porter out of bounds at the :35 mark, forcing a reset. Shunk took another high shot at :18 and nearly scored, but Porter fought off the move and the bout moved to sudden victory tied 7-7. Porter took a quick shot and worked his way in on the shot, scrambling his way to a takedown and a 9-7 win at the 1:2 2mark.

141: Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 5 at 141, met Joey Showalter. Bartlett ended the match quickly. The Lion junior took Showalter down, immediately locked up a cradle and got the fall at the :12 mark. Penn State’s fastest fall of the year to date.

149: Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 13 at 149, faced off against No. 30 Graham Rooks. Van Ness took Rooks down 1:00 into the bout, turning a single into a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Van Ness cut the Hoosier loose and went back to work on offense. Van Ness forced Rooks into a stall warning and then took him down again to lead 4-1. He cut him loose one more time, looking for more offense, and notched the third takedown in the final seconds to lead 6-2 after one. Rooks chose down to start the second period. Van Ness worked his riding time up over 1:00 and then cut the Hoosier loose. He picked up his fourth takedown and cut to lead 8-4 at the 1:00 mark, moved in on offense and tried to pull Rooks back onto the mat in the final seconds, but the Hoosier was able to slide out of bounds. Van Ness led 8-4 after two with 1:27 in time. Van Ness chose neutral to start the third period. He bulled through a high double for a fifth takedown to lead 10-4 at the 1:34 mark. Van Ness took a 12-5 lead with another takedown at :34 and then Van Ness quickly locked a cradle up and turned the Hoosier to his back. He added four near falls points at the end of the bout. Van Ness, with 2:12 in riding time, posted the 17-5 major decision.

157: No. 9 Levi Haines battled Derek Gilcher at 157. Haines controlled the action from the start. He worked a single into a near takedown on the edge of the mat that ended out of bounds at the 2:10 mark. The Penn State freshman continued to work and used another high shot to work his way to a takedown and a 2-0 lead at the 1:20 mark. Gilcher escaped to a 2-1 score but Haines continued to work on offense. Haines settled for a 2-1 lead after one period. Leading by one, Haines chose down to start the second stanza. He quickly worked his way to his feet and escaped to a 3-1 lead. Haines continued to shoot, this time using a low single and finishing off a second takedown at 1:05. Leading 5-1, Haines worked for a near fall on top. Gilcher was able to fight off the turn, but Haines finished on top and led 5-1 with 1:03 in riding time after two. Gilcher chose down to start the third period. Haines worked his riding time up to 2:00 while looking for another turn. Gilcher was able to scramble his way to an escape at the :47 mark, cutting the lead to 5-2. Haines shot his way into a final takedown and, with 2:19 in riding time, rolled to the 8-2 win.

165: No. 8 Alex Facundo took on Robert Major at 165. Facundo forced a scramble at the 2:10 mark but Major countered the move and ended up with control of Facundo’s leg. He turned the scramble into a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Facundo worked his way to his legs and picked up a point on locked hands with Major on top. Facundo quickly escaped on the reset and the bout was tied 2-2. Facundo then turned a low shot into a takedown on the edge of the mat to take a 4-2 lead with :16 on the clock. The Penn State freshman finished the period on top and carried that lead into the second period. Major chose down to start the second period. Facundo controlled the action on top until cutting Major loose at the 1:40 mark. Leading 4-3, Facundo muscled his way through a high double for another takedown and a 6-3 lead. He cut the Hoosier loose after a short ride and went back to work on offense. Facundo forced Major into a stall warning, took him down and cut him and then took him down once again at :34 to lead 10-5. Facundo added one more takedown at :19 and, with a rideout, led 12-6 with :51 in riding time after two. Facundo chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 13-6 lead. Facundo turned mat action into another takedown and led 15-6. After working his riding time up over 1:00, he cut Major loose. Facundo added one more takedown and, with 1:44 in time, rolled to the 20-9 major.

174: Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 174, faced off against No. 15 D.J. Washington. Starocci took early shots, forcing Washington into defense in the middle of the mat. Washington worked his way in on shot and turned it into a takedown and a 2-0 lead at 1:44. Starocci worked his way to his feet and an escape shortly after the takedown to cut the lead to 2-1. Starocci continued to shoot Washington backwards as the clock moved below 1:00. He turned a high single into a scramble at :20 but could not finish off the takedown and trailed 2-1 after one. Starocci chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. He pushed Washington backwards and turned a high shot into a takedown and a 4-2 lead at 1:10, nearly turning the Hoosier for back points before action moved out of bounds. Starocci went to work on top, breaking Washington down on the IU logo. He forced Washington flat, forced a stall warning at :30, and finished the period on top to lead 4-2 with :51 in riding time after two. Washington chose neutral to start the third period. Starocci forced the Hoosier into a stall point and led 5-2. Starocci continued to forced the Hoosier backwards as the clock moved to 1:20. He picked up another stall point, took Washington down to lead 8-2, and cut him loose to an 8-3 score. Starocci countered a slight Washington shot to take a 10-3 lead at :30 (with 1:07 in riding time). Starocci spent the final seconds on top, looking for a turn. He settled for 1:33 in riding time and rolled to the dominant 11-3 major decision.

184: Donovon Ball took on Clayton Fielden at 184. The duo worked the center of the mat for the first minute plus. Fielden began to press Ball backwards in the middle of the period to force the Lion into a stall warning but Ball then moved in on a single leg for a takedown and a 2-0 lead with :40 on the clock. Ball controlled the action on top for the rest of the period, finished with a rideout, and led 2-0 after one. Ball chose down to star the second period. He worked his way to his feet and escaped to a 3-0 lead at 1:35. Ball continued to work hard on offense, turning a high single into a second takedown and a 5-0 lead. He maintained control of the action on top but gave up a stall point during the ride. Fielden escaped to a 5-2 score at the :20 mark. Ball counterdeed a late IU shot and picked up a last second takedown to lead 7-2 after two. Fielden chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 7-3 score. Ball finished off the bout with a late takedown and, with 1:03 in riding time, rolled to the 10-3 win.

197: No. 4 Max Dean met Drayton Harris at 197. Dean took a 2-0 lead at the 2:18 mark and then went to work on top. The Nittany Lion steadily worked Harris’ shoulders to the mat and, after securing the four point turn, settled in for the pin at the 1:29 mark.

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet took on No. 28 Jacob Bullock at 285. Kerkvliet got in on a high single and, after a bit of maneuvering, lifted Bullock off the mat for a takedown and a 2-0 lead. After a reset, he turned Bullock for four back points and upped his lead to 6-0. Kerkvliet reset, turned him again for four and led 10-0 at the 1:22 mark. Kerkvliet picked up a late stall point and led 11-0 with 2:34 in riding time after one. Bullock chose down to start the second period and Kerkvliet went back to work, looking for near fall points. The Penn State big man picked up another stall point and then turned him one last time for four back points and a 16-0 technical fall at the 3:59 mark.