Photos by Erin Sullivan and Kyra Cunningham

That was so much fun.

No. 1 Penn State wrestling put on a show at the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time in nearly two years Friday night. Cael Sanderson’s stacked lineup made easy work of No. 8 Ohio State, as two pins and several other big victories added up to a 32-7 victory for the Nittany Lions.

Friday’s electric atmosphere made for an awesome night for Penn State fans and each of the wrestlers on the mat. With the victory in tow, let’s take a look back at some snapshots from the domination of the Buckeyes.

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Sanderson and the rest of his team were locked in, to say the absolute least, leading up to the highly anticipated match. Flames and an exciting National Anthem were enough to get the rest of the BJC pumped up, too.

It was all business following that lead up. Drew Hildebrandt opened things up with a win at 125 pounds, while star senior Roman-Bravo Young followed that with a pin of Brady Koontz. Nick Lee kept things rolling with a 13-3 major decision, and just like that the Nittany Lions led 13-0.

Following a flurry of wins, Beau Bartlett put up quite the fight against No. 2 Sammy Sasso of Ohio State. The sophomore from Arizona was in it until the bitter end, but a late takedown for Sasso earned the Buckeye the 4-2 decision.

Bartlett received quite the ovation from the 15,991 fans in attendance following his effort. Despite that loss, Terrell Barraclough helped the Nittany Lions bounce back with a win of his own, and the group led 16-3 at intermission.

Speaking of intermission, Cael Sanderson’s 2011 and 2012 National Champions decided to stop by during the break to flex some hardware for the folks. The crew even led a “We Are” chant before exiting the mat.

Creighton Edsell opened the second half of wrestling with a 2-0 major decision. At 174 pounds, however, Mason Manville couldn’t grab a win in place of Carter Starocci. Sanderson noted that the No. 1 at his weight class was dealing with a minor injury and the team didn’t want to rush him back.

Despite the major decision defeat for Manville, Penn State bounced back just fine with No. 1 Aaron Brooks on deck at 184 pounds. The junior pinned Rocky Jordan with ease and the Nittany Lions extended their lead to 25-7.

After the pin, Max Dean made an incredible entrance to the tune of The Beatles’ “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” The nation’s No. 2 at 197 pounds then hammered No. 21 Gavin Hoffman by grabbing a takedown in the sudden victory period for a 5-3 decision.

With a massive team victory clinched, Greg Kerkvliet got a chance to have some fun in the heavyweight bout. The big fella took down No. 13 Tate Orndorff in a 10-2 major decision, and Penn State’s floor mopping of Ohio State was secured.

If you couldn’t tell by the expression on his face, Cael Sanderson’s team is now 15-0 and still atop the college wrestling world.

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The Nittany Lions will be tested yet again at noon on Sunday when they get a visit from No. 12 Nebraska at Rec Hall. That dual will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.