No. 2 Penn State wrestling (1-0) opened its season with a dominant 47-3 win over Sacred Heart at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa., Saturday evening. The action continues with a dual against Oregon State at 7 p.m.

Four pins, three tech falls, and two major decisions highlighted an action-packed debut for the Nittany Lions.

How It Happened

The first dual of the season was underway with a 125-pound matchup of sophomore Baylor Shunk and senior Kyle Randall for the Pioneers. This match was Shunk’s debut in his career with the Nittany Lions. Shunk had a decisive victory with a 9-0 tech fall to give Penn State a quick 5-0 lead.

Next up was the defending champion and senior No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young at 133 pounds, taking on Sacred Heart’s senior Anthony Petrillo. At the end of the first period, Bravo-Young had a 7-4 lead. Finally, Bravo-Young gave Penn State an 11-0 lead in the dual as he recorded a fall at the 3:40 mark of the matchup.

Another defending champion, senior No. 2 Nick Lee, was up next at 141 pounds for Penn State against Jordan Carlucci. This match was quick and decisive. It ended when Nick Lee recorded the fall for his team at 0:54 in the first.

At 149 pounds, sophomore Beau Bartlett took on graduate student Shaun Williams from Sacred Heart. Bartlett went up 2-1 after one period. After two, Bartlett had a 7-1 lead, and he eventually won by a major decision 12-3, putting Penn State up 21-0.

Senior Joey Blumer, who is listed to wrestle at 141 and 149 pounds, made his debut for Penn State at 157 pounds and took on senior Nick Palumbo. After two periods, Blumer was down 2-1. Eventually, Palumbo won 8-3.

Junior Creighton Edsell represented Penn State at 165-pounds when he faced Sophomore Scott Jarosz. Edsell had a 2-1 lead after one period and tacked on two more as the end of the second approached. Edsell pulled out a decisive victory in the final period with an 11-3 major, extending Penn State’s lead in the dual to 25-3.

Defending 174-pound champion Carter Starocci made his season debut against sophomore Alex Marciniak. However, this match didn’t last long, as Starocci recorded a pin at the 2:12 mark, once again extending the Nittany Lions’ lead — this time to 31-3.

The fourth and final defending champion for Penn State, Aaron Brooks, took the mat in the 184-pound matchup. Brooks had a 6-2 lead at the end of the first period. After two, it was almost a landslide with a 13-4 lead for Brooks. Brooks recorded a tech fall at the 7:00 mark, giving his team a 36-3 lead over Sacred Heart.

Junior and No. 4 Max Dean took on senior Dante DelBonis at 197-pounds. Dean quickly recorded a tech fall at the 3:00 mark to provide Penn State a 41-3 lead.

In the final matchup against Sacred Heart, Greg Kerkvliet faced senior Mark Blokh at 285 pounds. After one, Kerkvliet had five takedowns and a 10-4 lead. Kerkvliet recorded a fall at the 3:57 mark and ended a bloodbath for the Pioneers.

What’s Next?

At 7 p.m. Saturday, the Nittany Lions will face Oregon State to wrap up an action-packed day at Spooky Nook.