Penn State’s wrestlers dropped a hard-fought match against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 21-18 Sunday afternoon in Stillwater. The match was closely contested throughout, but the Lions ultimately could not pull out the win. Penn State hoped to bounce back from the loss last Sunday against Iowa in the BJC, but several close losses in key bouts during the match prevented Penn State from avoiding the losing streak. Cael Sanderson will have to find a way for his team to regroup after dropping close matches against two of the most formidable opponents of the season.

How It Happened

As many predicted, the match came down to its final bout at heavyweight. Jon Gingrich stepped up for PSU at 285 pounds with things tied but ended up losing a tight 4-3 decision to OSU’s heavyweight standout Austin Marsden. Gingrich faced a tall task in the tough Marsden and almost delivered a victory. He forced overtime, but time ran out in the extra period as he worked for a single leg trailing 4-3.

While the team lost its second straight match, several Lions picked up big wins. Jimmy Gulibon and Zach Beitz collected victories by fall, while Morgan McIntosh and Matt Brown also picked up impressive wins. Unfortunately, these noteworthy performances were not enough, and the Nittany Lions fell to 10-4 on the season.

Here are all the results:

125: #9 Eddie Klimara OSU dec. #8 Jordan Conaway PSU, 8-7                              0-3

133: #5 Jimmy Gulibon PSU pinned Gary Wayne Harding OSU, WBF (3:32)        6-3

141: #15 Dean Heil OSU dec. (TB) Kade Moss PSU, 8-5 (TB)                                6-6

149: #18 Zack Beitz PSU pinned #4 Josh Kindig OSU, WBF (3:17)                       12-6

157: #18 Anthony Collica OSU tech fall #8 Dylan Alton PSU, 24-9 (TF; 7:00)       12-11

165: #1 Alex Dieringer OSU maj. dec. #18 Garett Hammond PSU, 14-4                 12-15

174: #2 Matt Brown PSU dec. (SV) #11 Kyle Crutchmer OSU, 9-7 (sv)                 15-15

184: #18 Nolan Boyd OSU dec. #19 Matt McCutcheon PSU, 4-0                           15-18

197: #4 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. Luke Bean OSU, 6-1                                       18-18

285: #5 Austin Marsden OSU dec. (TB) Jon Gingrich PSU, 4-3 (TB)                      18-21

Man of the Match

A week after lighting the Bryce Jordan Center on fire with a last minute win, the quiet Jimmy Gulibon continued to prove why he is a force to be reckoned with at 133 pounds. Gulibon pinned OSU’s Gary Wayne Harding, sending a message to other wrestlers in his weight class across the nation.

FALL: Jimmy Gulibon pin in 3:32 on a reversal to throw Gary Wayne-Harding to his back. Penn State 6, OKST 3. Details: pic.twitter.com/DxGdQOeOYk

— Greg Pickel (@GregPickel) February 15, 2015

What’s Next

Next up for Penn State is a matchup with Rider on Sunday, Feb. 22 in Rec Hall. It will be the final dual meet of Penn State’s season, before Big Ten championship play begins.

Photo: Mark Selders/GoPSUSports