By: Pat Donghia
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Penn State (15-0, 8-0 B1G) took down visiting Maryland (9-8, 1-7 B1G) 44-3 in sold out Rec Hall on Sunday to claim the 2023 Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) Championship. The Nittany Lions won nine of ten bouts, seven for bonus. All rankings listed are InterMat/InterMat Team TPI (Feb. 7, 2023).
For the Nittany Lions, it is the ninth time they have won (or shared) the conference’s regular season title (all under head coach Cael Sanderson). Penn State’s regular season conference title list includes 2012 (co-), 2014 (co-), 2016 (co-), 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 (co-), 2022, and now 2023. This marks the eighth time that Penn State has finished the Big Ten dual season without a loss or tie, the seventh under Sanderson.
The dual meet began at 125 where redshirt freshman Gary Steen took No. 15 Braxton Brown to the wire before losing a tough 1-0 decision. Roman Bravo-Young, ranked No. 1 at 133, put Penn State on top for good however with a rousing win at 133. Bravo-Young tallied 14 takedowns in a 28-13 technical fall over King Sandoval (6:45). Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 6 at 141, used a reversal and a takedown to post a 5-2 win over Kal Miller, giving Penn State an 8-3 lead.
Redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 13 at 149, continued Penn State’s winning ways with a dominant victory over No. 18 Ethan Miller. Van Ness turned a big lead into a rout late in the third period, using a last second six-point move (and riding time) to notch a 19-4 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. True freshman Levi Haines, ranked No. 8 at 157, sent Penn State into the halftime lockerroom with even more momentum, picking up the first period pin over Kevin Schork at 1:42. Haines’ fall gave Penn State a 19-3 halftime lead.
Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo, ranked No. 9 at 165, opened up the second half with Penn State’s second straight pin. Facundo turn a big lead into a third period fall, sticking Lucas Cordio at the 5:38 mark to put the Nittany Lions up 25-3. Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 174, rolled up six takedowns, an escape and riding time to post a convincing 14-6 major over Dominic Solis. Junior Donovon Ball got the call at 184 and picked up a dominant win, notching four takedowns in a 10-3 win over Kevin Makosy.
Max Dean, ranked No. 3 at 197, won by forfeit at 197 to give the Nittany Lions a 38-3 lead. Seth Nevills got the nod at 285 and capped off a title clinching dual in fine fashion. Nevills took Jordan Gabriel down early in the first period and worked his way into a pinning position. Nevills worked for a few seconds and capped off the dual meet with a pin at the 1:56 mark. Penn State finished off an unbeaten Big Ten season with a 44-3 victory.
The Nittany Lions amassed a gaudy 39-1 takedown advantage. Penn State totaled 76 in this weekend’s two dual meet victories (including 37 against Rutgers Friday night). Winners of nine bouts in the dual, Penn State picked up 17 bonus points off three pins (Haines, Facundo, Nevills), a forfeit (Dean), two tech falls (Bravo-Young, Van Ness) and a major (Starocci)
The Nittany Lions are now 15-0 overall, 8-0 B1G. Maryland falls to 9-8, 1-7 B1G. Penn State closes out the dual meet portion of the 2023-23 season next Sunday, Feb. 19, when it hosts Clarion in Rec Hall 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 44, Maryland 3
February 12, 2023 – Rec Hall – University Park, Pa.
125: #15 Braxton Brown MD dec. Gary Steen PSU, 1-0 0-3
133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young PSU tech fall King Sandoval MD, 28-13 (TF; 6:45) 5-3
141: #6 Beau Bartlett PSU dec. Kal Miller MD, 5-2 8-3
149: #13 Shayne Van Ness PSU tech fall #18 Ethan Miller MD, 19-4 (TF; 7:00) 13-3
157: #8 Levi Haines PSU pinned Kevin Schork MD, WBF (1:42) 19-3
165: #9 Alex Facundo PSU pinned Lucas Cordio MD, WBF (5:38) 25-3
174: #1 Carter Starocci PSU maj. dec. Dominic Solis MD, 14-6 29-3
184: Donovon Ball PSU dec. Kevin Makosy MD, 10-3 32-3
197: #3 Max Dean PSU win by forfeit 38-3
285: Seth Nevills PSU pinned Jordan Gabriel MD, WBF (1:56) 44-3
Attendance: 6,504 (65th-straight sellout in Rec Hall; 74th in last 76 events, including 9 of 11 in BJC)
Records: Penn State (15-0, 8-0 B1G); Maryland (9-8, 1-7 B1G)
Up Next for Penn State: home vs. Clarion, Sunday, Feb. 19, 1 p.m. – Rec Hall
DUAL MEET BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Gary Steen took on No. 15 Braxton Brown at 125. Steen and Brown battled for control on the Lion logo during the bout’s first minute. The Nittany Lion freshman fought off a slight Brown shot and then gave up a stall warning at 1:40. Steen worked neutral as the clock hit :30 and finished the period tied 0-0. Steen chose neutral to start the second period. He skipped away from a quick Brown shot at 1:30, then took a low single that Brown moved back from at 1:00. Steen shot with :40 and then defended a Brown counter to keep the bout scoreless after two periods. Tied 0-0, Brown chose down to start the third period. Brown worked his way to his feet after a Steen mat return and took a 1-0 lead. Steen took a couple low singles that Brown defended. On a third effort, Steen worked his way into control of Brown’s right ankle but Brown was able to escaped out of bounds at the :20 mark. Steen forced a stall warning but Brown was able to defend away the clock and post a hard-fought 1-0 win.
133: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young met King Sandoval at 133. Bravo-Young scored quickly, taking Sandoval to the mat with a low shot to lead 2-0 just :15 into the bout. He cut Sandoval loose on a reset and went back to work on offense. Bravo-Young took Sandoval down for a 4-1 lead, nearly turned him for back points, then cut the Terrapin loose. He added a quick third takedown, led 6-3 after a cut, and notched a fourth takedown at the 1:20 mark. Bravo-Young picked up a fifth takedown and cut at :55 to lead 10-5, then defended a Sandoval single, leapt behind the Terrapin for a sixth takedown and finished off the first period with a seventh takedown to lead 14-6 after one. Bravo-Young chose neutral to start the second period and took Sandoval down an eighth time to lead 16-7. The Lion senior added a ninth, then a tenth takedown at :55. Bravo-Young took a 22-9 lead with his 11th takedown to lead 22-10 after two periods. Sandoval chose down to start the third and Bravo-Young cut him loose. Bravo-Young added a 12th takedown to lead 24-12, then a 13th at the :55 mark to lead 26-12. With riding time clinched, Bravo-Young cut Sandoval loose at :30, and clinched the 28-13 tech fall with a 14th takedown at the 6:45 mark.
141: Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 6 at 141, met Kal Miller. Bartlett controlled the center of the mat, working his offensive position on the Nittany Lion logo during the opening minute of the bout. The Nittany Lion countered a Miller show at 1:45 but Miller worked out of trouble on the counter and the match continued tied 0-0. Bartlett nearly connected on a high shot and tried to turn it into a cradle but the Terrapin defended the move as the clock hit :30. Tied 0-0, Bartlett chose down to start the second period. The Nittany Lion worked his way to his feet and forced Miller into a stall warning at 1:15. He then rolled through a reversal to take a 2-0 lead with :50 left in the period. Bartlett went to work on offense, working Miller flat to the mat. He finished the period on top and carried the 2-0 lead into the third period. Miller chose down to start the third period and Bartlett controlled the action from the top position. Miller escaped to a 2-1 score at :55, riding time was not a factor. Bartlett countered a Miller shot for a takedown and a 4-1 lead at :45. He worked his riding time over 1:00 before Miller escaped to a 4-2 score. With riding time, Bartlett notched the 5-2 win.
149: Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 13 at 149, took on No. 18 Ethan Miller. Van Ness scored quickly, corralling Miller by the waist and taking him to the mat for a 2-0 lead. Millers escaped to a 2-1 score and action resumed in neutral at 2:05. Miller worked his way in on a high single and took a 3-2 lead with a takedown. Van Ness escaped to a 3-3 tie at 1:00 and went back to work on offense. Van Ness muscled his way through a high double to take a 5-3 lead with :30 on the clock. He nearly picked up back points on the takedown but none were awarded and he finished on top to lead 5-3 after one. Miller chose down to start the second period. Van Ness worked the Terrapin to the mat and built his riding time up over 1:00. The Nittany Lion controlled position as the clock hit 1:10, looking for back points. He rolled Miller over for four back points to lead 9-3 at :45 and his riding time moved over 2:00. Van Ness forced Miller into a stall warning and finished off the full rideout to lead 9-3 with 2:42 in riding time after two. Van Ness chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 10-3 lead. Van Ness scrambled through a couple shots that Miller defended. With time ticking below 1:00, Van Ness moved through Miller, took him off his feet and finished the takedown to lead 12-3 at the :45 mark. With riding time clinched, Van Ness cut the Terrapin loose, rolled through another takedown. He continued through the move for four back points. With 3:25 riding time, Van Ness’ late flurry gave him the 19-4 tech fall at 7:00.
157: No. 8 Levi Haines met Kevin Schork at 157. Haines and Schork worked neutral for the first minute before Haines turned a high single into a takedown. He continued through the move and nearly pinned the Terrapin, but action slid out of bounds and Haines settled for four back points and a 6-0 lead with 1:36 left in the period. Haines cut Schork loose off the reset, bulled his way through another takedown and quickly turned Schork to his back for the fast fall at the 1:42 mark.
165: No. 9 Alex Facundo battled Lucas Cordio at 165. Facundo scored quickly, taking a 2-1 lead with a takedown in the opening minute. The Nittany Lion freshman continued to control action from the top position, working a low shot into another takedown and a 4-1 lead. Facundo cut Cordio loose to a 4-2 score, then countered a Cordio shot for his third takedown and lead 6-2. He nearly locked up a cradle but Cordio worked his way free. The Nittany Lion finished off the period with another counter takedown and led 8-3 after one. Facundo chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 9-3 lead. Facundo took an 11-4 lead with his fifth takedown and continued to work his offense as the clock hit 1:00. He muscled Cordio’s shoulders to the mat then worked his way behind him for a sixth takedown. Facundo added a seventh seconds later and led 15-5 with 1:44 in riding time after two. Cordio chose down to start the third and Facundo quickly turned him to his back. He muscled the Terrapin’s shoulders flat and picked up the pin at 5:38.
174: Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 174, faced Dominic Solis. Starocci scored seconds into the bout, taking a 2-1 lead in the opening seconds. Starocci picked up a second takedown to lead 4-1 at 2:01 and cut Solis loose on a reset. Leading 4-2, Starocci continued to move in on offense, forcing Solis backwards. He rolled through a low shot but Solis forced a stalemate at 1:06. Starocci scrambled his way to a third takedown at :37 and was working the Terrapin to his back before the official called the action for potentially dangerous. Solis was able to escape before the period ended and Starocci led 6-3 after one. Solis chose down to start the second period. Starocci maintained control long enough to build his riding time up over 1:00. He continued to work for a chance to turn the Terrapin for back points but cut him loose after a reset, leading 6-4. Starocci grabbed Solis’ ankles on the edge of the mat and took an 8-4 lead with a fourth takedown. He cut Solis loose at :25 and finished off the period with a fifth takedown to lead 10-5 after two. Starocci chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to an 11-5 lead, while maintaining 1:08 in riding time. The Nittany Lion added a sixth takedown, cut Solis loose again, and led 13-6 with :57 left to wrestle. Starocci finally got the stall warning call and then continued to work his offense. The Nittany Lion chased Solis around the mat for the final seconds and, with 1:11 in riding time, rolled to the 14-6 major.
184: Donovon Ball battled Kevin Makosy at 184. Ball and Makosy worked the first minute on the Nittany Lion logo in neutral. Ball turned a high single into a strong takedown a the 1:03 mark and led 2-0. He kept control of the Terrapin as the clock hit :40 with action moving out of bounds. Makosy escaped to a 2-1 score but Ball continued to work on offense and finished off the period with a late takedown. Leading 4-1 after one, Ball chose down to start the second period. He quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead and turned back in on offense. The Nittany Lion used a low single for a third takedown at the 1:05 mark and led 7-2 after a quick Makosy escape. Ball muscled his way through a low double for a fourth takedown as the period ended and led 9-2 with 1:06 in time after two. Makosy chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 9-3 score with 1:45 on the clock. Makosy gained control of Ball’s left leg but the Lion was able to work his way to a reset, maintaining his six point lead. Looking for bonus points, Ball turned a low shot into a scramble at :35. But Makosy forced a reset with :20 left in the bout. Ball chased Makosy backwards as time wound out and, with 1:21 in riding time, posted the 10-3 decision.
197: Max Dean, ranked No. 3 at 197, won by forfeit to improve to 17-2 on the year and finish the Big Ten season with an 8-0 dual mark.
285: Seth Nevills took on Jordan Gabriel at 285. Nevills took Gabriel down after a minute of work, taking a 2-0 lead. He then turned the Terrapin to his back, looking for a pin. Nevills finished off Penn State’s third fall at the 1:56 mark.
