The Penn State wrestling team passed its first test of the weekend Friday night in front of a sold out Rec Hall, defeating Indiana 42-3. With the win, the No. 7 Nittany Lions (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) remain undefeated in dual meets and in the Big Ten.

How It Happened

The match began at 165 where Garrett Hammond took to the mat against Indiana’s Taylor Walsh. Walsh, the No. 4 wrestler at 165, went up early where he would stay. Hammond nearly made a comeback in the third but it was too little too late. Walsh and Indiana won in a 9-6 decision to go up 3-0.

They wouldn’t gain another point in the match.

Senior Matt Brown, ranked No. 4 at 174, sparked the comeback. He quickly went up on No. 19 Nate Jackson. Brown turned a takedown into a pin at the 4:10 mark to put the Lions up 6-3. Matt McCutcheon, No. 16 at 184, took note of Brown’s pin just moments before and recorded a fall of his own. The freshman took less than a minute to pin Indiana’s Jake Masengale. The fall came at the 0:55  mark to promptly put Penn State up 12-3. Morgan McIntosh, No. 4 at 197, recorded a 6-3 decision over Hoosier Luke Sheridan. Senior Jon Gingrich got the start over Jimmy Lawson at 285. He won a 6-2 decision over Garret Goldman to put Penn State up 18-3 at halftime.

Jordan Conaway, No. 8 at 125, received a forfeit victory, boosting the Lions’ score margin by six, 24-3, after intermission. Jimmy Gulibon, No. 10 at 133, was assertive throughout his dual, recording a tech fall, 20-4, over IU’s Alonzo Shepherd. Kade Moss recorded the third and final pin of the night for the Lions, as the redshirt freshman took an emphatic lead into the second period where he threw Indiana’s Sean Brown into a pin at the 5:43 mark. Zack Beitz, No. 17 at 149, continued the barrage, winning a major decision 14-4 over Trevor Moody. Senior Dylan Alton, No. 8 at 157, finished the match with a 2-0 victory.

Man of the Match

Kade Moss. Although he didn’t provide a momentum shift or decisive victory, the redshirt freshman recorded the most exciting pin of the night. Up 8-3 after two, Moss decided to start down the third period and quickly escaped. Moss then caught Brown’s shoulders and used his experience in Greco-Roman wrestling to throw Brown and record the pin.

Quote of the Match

Kade Moss on his throw: “There’s nothing more fun than performing for a Penn State crowd and get a throw like that. I’ve been wrestling Greco for a long time and I have a Greco background and when it’s there, it’s there, and I go for it.”

Match Notes

• Penn State posted a lopsided 24 takedowns to Indiana’s 2.
• The Nittany Lions won nine of ten bouts.
• Over 6,200 fans packed Rec Hall in the 22nd straight home sell-out.
• Penn State moves to a perfect 16-0-1 against Indiana all-time. In the last match-up against the Hoosiers in Rec Hall, the Lions cruised to a 52-0 shut-out on Dec. 9, 2012.
• The 39-point win marks the second-largest margin of victory for Penn State this season. The Nittany Lion grapplers dominated Clarion on Nov. 22, shutting out the Golden Eagles 44-0.

What’s next?

Penn State travels to Columbus to take on No. 3 Ohio State on Sunday at 2 p.m. The match will be broadcast on BTN Plus (subscription required) and will be re-broadcast on the Big Ten Network on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 11 a.m.