No. 1 Penn State wrestling (3-0) defeated Oregon State (2-1) 31-3 Sunday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions wrestled their main lineup with the exception of one substitution in Donavan Ball for Aaron Brooks. They won all but one match, a majority of which were not very close despite the talented wrestlers from Oregon State.

How It Happened

First, at 125 lbs, Gary Steen (4-3) took on No. 12 Brandon Kaylor (12-3). Steen started the match with tremendous defense, sprawling out of various takedown attempts from Kaylor, the first period ending with no takedowns and no points. Steen started the second period on the bottom, where he remained for the entire period after being unable to escape, allowing Kaylor to accumulate 120 seconds of riding time.

Kaylor made a quick escape from the bottom in the third period for the match’s first point. A takedown by Kaylor effectively ended the match as he controlled Steen on the ground again, winning the match 4-0 with an extra point from riding time, giving the beavers a 3-0 lead.

Next at 133 lbs, No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (2-0) faced off against Gabe Whisenhunt (8-4). A handful of takedowns and escapes led to a 7-5 first period in favor of Bravo-Young. He then started the second period on top, playing cat and mouse with Whisenhunt by allowing him to escape, only to easily take him down again, fighting for a score of 13-8 after two. he finished off Whisenhunt with a few more takedowns, winning by a major decision with a score of 17-8, making the match score 4-3 Nittany Lions.

At 141 lbs, No. 9 Beau Bartlett (7-0) squared off against No. 24 Cleveland Belton (11-2). A takedown by Bartlett was the highlight of the first period, which ended with a score of 2-1 after a Belton escape. He started the second period on bottom, however, he was not there for long after he escaped 15 seconds into the period. The rest of the period was nothing but a pushing match with a score of 3-1. A quick escape from Belton on bottom tightened the score to 3-2 early in the third. Another takedown-escape exchange ended the match with a score of 5-3 in favor of Bartlett, increasing Penn State’s lead to 7-3.

Next at 149 lbs, No. 17 Shayne Van-Ness (6-0) took on Noah Tolentino (8-6). Van-Ness grabbed an efficient double-leg halfway into the period, which he rode out for the remaining 1:28. He remained on top for the majority of the second period, ending with a score of 2-1 and another added minute of riding time. Van-Ness controlled the third period snagging another takedown, resulting in a final score of 6-1, further extending Penn State’s lead to 10-3.

At 157 lbs, No. 30 Terrel Barraclough (5-2) took on Isaiah Crosby (0-1). After a feeling-out period, Barraclough landed a late takedown attempt to end the first with a score of 2-0. In the second period, Barraclough easily escaped from bottom position, later collecting yet another takedown, boosting the score to 5-0. Despite a late takedown from Crosby, Barraclough won the bout 7-4, taking the Nittany Lions into intermission with a score of 13-3.

Next at 165 lbs, No. 15 Alex Facundo (6-0) faced off against No. 23 Matthew Olguin (13-2). A relatively short first period featured a Facundo takedown, ending with a score of 2-1. An Olguin escape was the primary source of action in the second period, the score was tied 2-2 going into the final period. Facundo was able to escape from bottom to start the third, and after playing great defense the rest of the period, Facundo won the match 3-2, boosting the Nittany Lion’s lead to 16-3.

At 174 lbs, No. 1 Carter Starocci (3-0) battled No. 28 Aaron Olmos (5-2). Starocci scored two takedowns in the first period, allowing only one escape along the way for a score of 4-1 after one. He escaped from bottom position to start the second, then scored two more takedowns to finish off the second period with a score of 9-2. Another pair of takedowns in the third gave Starocci an easy major decision with a final score of 14-3. The dual score now stood at 20-3.

Next at 184 lbs, Donavan Ball (8-2) took on Jackson McKinney (10-2). The first period saw only a few takedown attempts, none successful, ending with a score of 0-0. A McKinney escape was the only point in the second, moving the score to 0-1. Ball started the third on bottom and was able to escape halfway into the period. An exhilarating Ball takedown with 10 seconds left brought Rec Hall to their feet, as Ball took the match 3-1, extending the Nittany Lion lead to 23-3.

At 197 lbs, No. 5 Max Dean (5-2) squared off against No. 11 Tanner Harvey (13-2). A powerful takedown by Dean was followed by an escape from Harvey, resulting in a score of 2-1 after the first. Dean escaped from bottom to start the second period, immediately putting pressure back on Harvey. Another Dean takedown ended the period 5-2 after another Harvey escape. He started the third period on top and had collected 1:40 of riding time up to this point. Despite a deep shot from Harvey, Dean displayed efficient defense and secured the 5-3 win. The score was 26-3 in the dual heading into the last match.

At heavyweight, No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (3-0) faced off against J.J. Dixon (8-2). Kerkvliet piled on a takedown and a four-second near-fall all before the one-minute mark in the first. Kerkvliet bagged another two-second near fall and went into the second period up 8-0. Two more takedowns from Kerkvliet in the second made the score 12-1 heading into the final period of the dual. Kerkvliet then secured a technical fall with a final score of 19-2, giving Penn State a 31-3 victory.

What’s Next?

Penn State will compete in the Collegiate Wrestling Duals in New Orleans starting on Monday, December 19 when it takes on Central Michigan at 7 p.m.