No. 1 Penn State wrestling (14-0, 7-0 Big Ten) outlasted No. 23 Rutgers (10-6, 2-5 Big Ten) 33-8 Friday evening at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

After Gary Steen and Baylor Shunk dropped the Nittany Lions’ first two bouts decisively, Beau Bartlett righted the ship with a steady 12-1 major decision victory. From there, Cael Sanderson’s group coasted, pulling out a 33-8 road triumph.

How It Happened

Gary Steen entered the starting lineup in place of Marco Vespa at the 125-pound slot to begin the dual after Vespa fell at Indiana just five days ago. 

Sanderson’s switch failed to amount Penn State any early momentum, as Steen suffered through two takedowns, en route to a 4-1 first-period deficit to Rutgers’ No. 16 Dean Peterson. Within the next three minutes, Peterson erupted for an 11-point output, putting the hammer on Steen at a 15-3 clip. 

Steen’s struggles continued, and the freshman suffered a technical fall at the 6:41 mark, dropping a 21-6 defeat. After the opening bout, the Nittany Lions trailed 5-0. 

For the second straight matchup, Baylor Shunk took to the mat for Penn State at the 133-pound distinction against No. 15 Joe Heilmann. Two opening-sequence takedowns carried Heilmann out to a 4-1 advantage after one period, forcing Shunk to play catchup for the remainder of the battle. 

Through three periods, Shunk dropped a decisive, 7-2 decision, putting Penn State down 8-0, similar to its deficit on the road at Indiana less than a week ago.

The early struggles for Sanderson’s unit were staved off by No. 6 Beau Bartlett, who handled business from start to finish over No. 19 Joseph Olivieri. Barlett hopped out to a slim, 2-0 lead after one, but established 1:14 of riding time and a 4-1 edge following the second period’s conclusion. 

A strong finish propelled Bartlett to a 12-1 major triumph, giving Penn State a four-point climb, and cutting the deficit to an 8-4 mark. 

At 149 pounds, No. 13 Shayne Van Ness wrestled unranked Tony White of the Scarlet Knight for the bout’s fourth go-around. A high-action first period put Van Ness up 6-4, but from there, Van Ness handled White comfortably. 

The New Jersey native then put on a show in front of his home-state crowd, embarking on a 15-5 scoring run to end the match, highlighted by a major victory. Van Ness’s win helped the Nittany Lions knot up the margin at 8-a-piece. 

No. 8 Levi Haines took to the center of Jersey Mike’s Arena to face No. 33 Andrew Clark at 157-pounds. Haines didn’t light up the scoreboard, but he controlled his counterpart defensively, holding a 5-0 lead after two periods. His stress-free, 8-2 win helped Penn State pick up 11 unanswered points, helping the road warriors take an 11-8 lead into the locker room. 

After the break, the Nittany Lions’ patented heavier-weighted death lineup dominated the Scarlet Knights, beginning with No. 9 Alex Facundo taking on Luke Gayer at 165 pounds. The second-year Michigan product boasted a 4-1 edge after the first three minutes, but an eight-point second frame helped him establish a 12-5 lead with 1:16 riding time after two. Facundo continued to wear down Gayer steadily, pulling out a 25-12 victory with 2:10 riding time, putting Penn State up 15-8. 

Penn State continued to post dominant showings down the stretch, with No. 1 Carter Starocci taking center stage for the 174-pound bout with Jackson Turley with the Nittany Lions holding a 15-8 edge. 

The nation’s top grappler at the weight class made light work out of Turley early, by picking up a pair of takedowns in the opening period. At the end of the first frame, Starocci held a 4-1 lead but quickly turned on the heat. 

Within seconds of the second period, Starocci picked up several more takedowns and nearly pinned the overwhelmed Turley with just over a minute left in the period. Ultimately, Starocci nabbed 9 points during the span, jumping out to a 13-2 advantage. The junior’s skillset deteriorated Turley towards the end of the bout, helping the No. 1-ranked product pick up a 16-3 major decision victory, extending the Nittany Lions’ lead to 11. 

For the second-straight match, Aaron Brooks, the nation’s top wrestler at 184-pounds, made No. 14 Brian Soldano appear lifeless from the jump. After the first period, Brooks notched a 12-3 lead, with 1:41 riding time. The dual-ended shortly after, with Brooks picking up a technical fall at 4:05, propelling himself to an 18-3 mark. With the victory, Sanderson’s crew’s lead extended to a 24-8 margin. 

Then, No. 3 Max Dean took on Billy Janzer at 197 pounds, with the match ending in a similar fashion. After a slow start, Dean picked up 8 points in the third frame on his way to picking up an 11-1 major win. The seventh-unanswered victory helped Penn State grab a 28-8 lead with one match to go. 

Similarly to how he has all campaign, No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet concluded the road trip dominantly over Rutgers’ Kyle Epperly at the 285-pound benchmark. Kerkvliet achieved a 16-0 technical fall at the 2:06 mark, helping Penn State secure a 33-8 win. 

What’s Next?

Penn State will return home for a bout with Maryland at 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 12 at Rec Hall. The matchup will stream live on BTN+.