Sophomore wrestler Jimmy Gulibon was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for his outstanding performance in No. 5 Penn State’s season opening win over No. 17 Lehigh on Sunday in Rec Hall.

Gulibon put together a dominating performance in an 8-3 win at 133 over No. 2 Mason Beckman to earn his first weekly award. After being taken down just 21 seconds into the match, a quick four-point move featuring a take down followed by two back points earned Gulibon the lead over the All-American in the first period, and a late second period takedown gave the Latrobe, Pa. native the cushion he needed to roll to victory.

Last season, Gulibon struggled out of the gate, losing his first four dual matches before notching his first career dual victory with a dominant 15-0 tech fall over Indiana’s Chris Caton. He would finish the season strong, putting together a record of 18-15 and a seventh-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. As a freshman, he qualified for the NCAA Championships where he finished 1-2 with a major decision victory.

“Jimmy’s good,” head coach Cael Sanderson said after the match. “He knows how to wrestle, he’s tough and he just did what he does. I thought falling behind early and keeping his poise … that was good to see. It was a good start for him.”

Gulibon and the rest of the Nittany Lion wrestlers will look to build on their strong start when they take on No. 21 Pittsburgh in Peterson Events Center on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m.

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