Matt Brown’s brisk pin propelled the No. 7 Nittany Lion wrestling team over Big Ten foe Purdue on Sunday afternoon, 26-9. Penn State (8-1) won seven of ten bouts on its way to a hard-faught dual meet victory in front of another sellout crowd in Rec Hall.

How It Happened

The match began at 125 where junior Jordan Conaway, No. 8 at 125, faced off against Purdue’s Aaron Assad. Conaway took a 6-3 lead into the third period where he worked Assad, nearly pulling off back points after starting on top. Conaway was able to snag a takedown late and win the bout 9-4. Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon, No. 7 at 133, met No. 20 Danny Sabatello. Gulibon couldn’t get on the offensive and fell to Sabatello 6-0 with 2:51 in riding time. At 141, Kade Moss battled senior Boilermaker Nick Lawrence. Moss fought back with 30 seconds to go in the third, but it was too little too late. Moss was defeated 3-2 and Purdue went up 6-3.

Zack Beitz, No. 17 at 149, took on Brandon Nelsen. Beitz built up nearly two minutes in riding time on the way to a 7-5 victory. No. 7 Dylan Alton met No. 20 Doug Welch at 157. Alton couldn’t find the upper hand throughout three periods and the bout moved to sudden victory. The senior Lion appeared to have gotten the takedown and back points on Welch, but the takedown wasn’t awarded. Welch worked Alton into a takedown and notched the victory 3-1 (sv) to put Purdue up 9-6 at the break.

Redshirt freshman Garrett Hammond got Penn State off on the right foot after the break, posting a 16-11 win with a minute of riding time at 165. It was Matt Brown’s turn next at 174 where he took on Chad Welch. The All-American worked his way to a quick pin at the 1:21 mark of the first period to put Penn State up 15-9. At 184, redshirt freshman Matt McCutcheon used his 1:25 riding time to secure a 3-2 win over Purdue’s Patrick Kissel. Junior Morgan McIntosh, No. 6 at 197, amassed an astounding 3:36 riding time on his way to a tech fall, 21-6. Senior Jimmy Lawson, No. 6 at 285, wrapped it up for the Lions when he took on Purdue sophomore Tyler Kral. It was Lawson’s bout from the beginning. He set the tempo, charging at Kral for multiple takedowns and 3:18 riding time in a 9-3 win.

Man of the Match

Morgan McIntosh. The junior’s match was simply enchanting to watch. McIntosh thoroughly dominated throughout his bout on the way to a 21-6 tech fall. The Santa Ana, California native is now 17-2 in his collegiate career with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Quote of the Match

Head coach Cael Sanderson on Jimmy Gulibon’s performance – “I don’t know what was going on in Jimmy’s head. He just didn’t look like he was too into the match. He wasn’t quite there today. I think that’s better now than later.”

What’s Next?

No. 7 Penn State will take on No. 2 and Big Ten foe Minnesota a week from now at 2 p.m. in Rec Hall.