No. 1 Penn State (15-0, 8-0 Big Ten) beat down Maryland (9-8, 1-7 Big Ten) 44-3 Sunday afternoon. Today’s win also sealed a third consecutive undefeated regular season for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State easily cruised passed the Terps on the back of a handful of bonus point victories. Roman Bravo-Young, Shayne Van Ness, and Carter Starocci all scored bonus point wins, however, the stars of the afternoon were Levi Haines, Alex Facundo, and Seth Nevills. The win secured Penn State the distinction of Big Ten regular season champion.

How It Happened

First to square off at 125 pounds was Gary Steen against Braxton Brown. The first period saw nothing but stand-up grappling as the wrestlers struggled to figure each other out, and the score remained 0-0 heading into the second period.

A late shot from Steen couldn’t connect before time ran out, and the bout remained tied through two periods. Brown escaped from bottom position to take a 1-0 lead. That escape would end up being the only point scored as Brown took the 1-0 victory, and gave the Terps an early 3-0 lead.

Next at 133 pounds, Roman Bravo-Young matched up against King Sandoval. Seven takedowns in the first period gave Bravo-Young a 14-6 lead heading into the second period. Four more takedowns in the second extended Bravo-Young’s lead to 22-11. A 14-takedown performance gave Bravo-Young a 28-13 tech fall victory and put the Nittany Lions in front 5-3.

Taking the mat next at 141 pounds was Beau Bartlett and Kal Miller. A lackluster first period ended with a score of 0-0. However, a flush takedown from Bartlett cracked the stalemate as he took a 2-0 lead headed into the final period. Despite an escape from Miller, Bartlett grabbed a second takedown to secure a 4-2 victory.

The Nittany Lions led 8-3 after three matches.

Walking onto the mat next at 149 pounds was Shayne Van Ness battling Ethen Miller. Van Ness took advantage of an action-packed first period and took a 5-3 lead in the first period. Van Ness then went on to secure some points in the likes of a four-second near fall as he extended his lead to 9-3. A powerful double-leg from Van Ness paired with another four-second near fall gave Van Ness a 19-4 tech fall victory, extending the dual score lead to 13-3.

Matching up next at 157 pounds was Levi Haines and Kevin Schork. Haines wasted no time as he first scored a six-point takedown, and quickly one-upped himself with a swift pin at the 1:42 mark in the first.

Penn State led 19-3 at intermission.

Kicking off the action after the break was Alex Facundo and Lucas Cordio at 165 pounds. Four takedowns from Facundo in the first period gave him the 8-3 lead. Another three takedowns extended Facundo’s lead as the action entered the final two minutes. Facundo then expertly took Cordio to his back for another pin at 5:38 in the match, further extending the dual score lead to 25-3.

Next up at 174 pounds, Carter Starocci stared down Dominic Solis. Three takedowns from Starocci gave him a 6-3 lead in the first period and despite displaying some strong defense, Starocci powered through for two more takedowns to extend his lead to 10-4. One more Starocci takedown secured the major decision victory by a score of 14-6, keeping the Nittany Lions in front 29-3.

At 184 pounds, Donovon Ball took on Kevin Makosy. Two takedowns from Ball granted him a 4-1 lead followed by two takedowns to extend his lead to 9-2 headed into the final period. An escape from Makosy would be the only point scored in the third, giving Ball a 9-3 decision win.

Maryland forfeited the matchup at 197 pounds and granted Max Dean an automatic win.

At heavyweight, Seth Nevills took on Jordan Gabriel. Nevills easily pinned Gabriel at 1:56 to end the dual.

The Nittany Lions won the dual by a score of 44-3.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will take the mat next against Clarion at 1 p.m. Sunday, February 19. The dual will take place in Rec Hall and is slated to be streamed on BTN+.