No. 1 Penn State wrestling (7-0) battled No. 6 Iowa State (7-2) on the second day of matches in the Collegiate Wrestling Duals. Both teams went 2-0 on their first day of competition on Monday. The dual marked the final matchup before the Nittany Lions open up conference play.

The Nittany Lions seemed truly challenged for the first time this season, winning only three of the first six matches in the dual. Despite this, an all-important Max Dean upset victory proved to be the go-ahead win for Penn State, clinching the 2022 Collegiate Wrestling Duals for the Nittany Lions.

How It Happened

Starting off the match once again at 125 lbs was Gary Steen (4-6) taking on Corey Cabanban (3-2). After a period of figuring each other out, Cabanban dished out an effective takedown, taking a 2-0 lead into the second period. Steen then found himself unable to escape from bottom position, granting Cabanban a total of 2:35 riding time after two. Another takedown from Cabanban secured a 4-0 decision victory. Gary Steen has now gone winless in the Collegiate Wrestling Duals.

Iowa State led the Nittany Lions 3-0 after the first match.

Next at 141 lbs was No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (5-0) against No. 23 Ramazan Attasauov (6-1). Neither man was able to secure a takedown in the first, the score still holding at 0-0 going into the second. Bravo-Young was then able to ride out Attasauov for the entirety of the second period, also gaining a two-second near-fall prior to the buzzer, granting him a 2-0 lead. He turned up the energy in the third, ultimately achieving a 10-2 major decision, putting the lions back in from 4-3.

Later at 141lbs was No. 5 Beau Bartlett (10-0) squaring off against Zach Redding (4-2). After another slow start, the match was deadlocked at 0-0 after one. Bartlett followed up an early escape with a takedown, breaking the tie as he lead 3-0 going into the final period. Another pair of Bartlett takedowns in the third gave him an 8-3 decision victory, extending the Nittany Lion lead to 7-3.

Then at 149 lbs was No. 17 Shayne Van-Ness (9-0) taking on No. 5 Paniro Johnson (6-1). The two wrestlers once again couldn’t get anything going, 0-0 after one. After taking bottom position, an escape from Van-Ness put him up 1-0 going into the final period. However, after a back-and-forth third period, Van-Ness dropped a 3-2 decision, tightening the Nittany Lion lead to 7-6.

Next at 157 lbs was Levi Haines (11-1) against Jason Kraisser (8-3). Haines started the match grabbing two quick takedowns to end the first with a 4-2 lead. Besides an escape from Kraisser, nothing much else happened in the second period, the score now read 4-3. Another two takedowns in the third gave Haines an 8-3 decision victory.

The Nittany Lions now led the dual 10-6 at the halfway point.

At 165 lbs, No. 14 Alex Facundo (9-0) faced off against No. 3 David Carr (8-0). Despite an escape, Facundo found himself down 2-1 going into the second period. A Carr escape in the second extended his lead to 3-1 as they headed into the final two minutes. Despite an escape of his own, Facundo loses 4-2 against a former national champion in Carr, the Nittany Lions lead cut to 10-9.

Then at 174, No. 1 Carter Starocci (6-0) took on No. 21 Julien Broderson (7-1). A late Starocci takedown put him up 2-0 at the end of the first period. He escaped to start the second and further extended his lead to 3-0 going into the third. Another takedown from Starocci gave him the 5-1 decision victory and put the Nittany Lions farther in front 13-9.

Next at 184, No. 1 Aaron Brooks (4-0) squared off with No. 4 Marcus Coleman (7-1). A fierce Brooks takedown gave him the 2-0 lead going into the second. However, three quick Coleman takedowns put the lead back in his favor, 6-3. Despite some late heroics from Brooks, another Coleman takedown gave him the 9-7 win.

The Nittany Lions now led 13-12 going into the last two matches of the night.

Later at 197 lbs was No. 5 Max Dean (8-2) against No. 2 Yonger Bastida (8-0). Another slow-paced first period ended with a score of 0-0. A Dean escape paired with a takedown gave him a 3-0 lead heading into the final period. Another Dean takedown secured the upset victory with a score of 4-1. Giving Penn State a 16-2 lead heading into the last match.

In the last match of the night, No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet was given a victory via forfeit, giving the Nittany Lions a 22-12 dual win.

What’s Next

After a short holiday break, Penn State will take on Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. The dual will open up Big Ten play for the Nittany Lions, taking place at 9 p.m. on Friday, January 6.