No. 1 Penn State wrestling (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) put on a crushing performance against the Maryland Terrapins (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten) on Sunday afternoon in College Park. The Nittany Lions won eight of the possible 10 dual bouts, including four pins, leading the group to another lopsided victory at 42-6.

Highlighting the dual was No. 1 Carter Starocci’s 60th consecutive win as he defeated Mason Stein by fall in the second period.

How It Happened

125 Pounds

Starting the dual at 125 pounds was No. 4 Braeden Davis taking on Tommy Capul. A takedown from Davis in the opening 30 seconds gave the freshman an early advantage, following it up with a handful of near-fall points to take a 7-0 lead halfway through the first period. Davis then grabbed two more four-point near falls to take a 15-0 tech fall at 2:47.

133 Pounds

Next in action was Baylor Shunk against No. 21 Braxton Brown. Shunk fell victim early to a Brown takedown, however, the Nittany Lion eventually fought for a reversal to minimize the deficit to 3-2 heading into the second period. Brown kept the pressure on in the second period, extending his lean to 7-2 going into the final two minutes. An escape from Shunk wasn’t enough to deter the Terrapin, and Brown emerged victorious 8-3 after riding time.

141 Pounds

Wrestling next was No. 2 Beau Barlett battling No. 17 Kal Miller. After a long battle between the two wrestlers, Bartlett secured the opening takedown of the bout, taking a 3-0 lead into the second. With no points scored in the second, Bartlett took a neutral position to start the final period with the score at 3-0. The decision proved beneficial for Bartlett as the wrestler grabbed two takedowns in the final period to secure the 11-1 major decision after riding time.

Penn State led the dual at 9-3.

149 Pounds

With Tyler Kasak and David Evans wrestling in a separate tournament Sunday, Connor Pierce took on No. 14 Ethan Miller at 149 pounds. A takedown from Miller and an escape to start the second period gave the Maryland wrestler a 4-0 lead halfway through the middle period. Throughout the third period, various takedown attempts from both wrestlers weren’t able to land, granting Miller a 5-0 decision after riding time.

157 Pounds

Walking out at 157 pounds were No. 1 Levi Haines and No. 33 Michael North. After a short battle, Haines grabbed the opening takedown of the match to take a 3-0 lead after one period. Haines escaped from bottom position to start the second and snapped for his second takedown of the bout to extend his lead to 7-0 after two periods. A pair of four-point near falls for Haines gave the Nittany Lion a 15-0 tech fall at 3:58.

Penn State led the dual 14-6 heading into intermission.

165 Pounds

Restarting the action after the break was No. 7 Mitchell Mesenbrink taking on Ryan Money. After a swift takedown, Mesenbrink wasted no time to secure a dominant fall at 0:50.

pic.twitter.com/ncJmH5J6X1

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) January 28, 2024

174 Pounds

Going for his 60th consecutive win, No. 1 Starocci took on Stein. Starocci grabbed a staggering six takedowns in the first period to take an 18-6 lead going into the second period. In a similar way to Mesenbrink, Starocci quickly rolled Stein onto his back for the second straight fall at 4:26, marking his 60th victory in a row.

184 Pounds

Aiming to register three pins in a row, No. 5 Bernie Truax battled against Chase Mielnik. After an early takedown and two four-point tilts, Truax made it three in a row with a fall at 1:43.

Andddd another one. pic.twitter.com/lcdk9cGQA1

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) January 28, 2024

The dual score read 32-6 in favor of Penn State.

197 Pounds

In action next was No. 1 Aaron Brooks taking on No. 5 Jaxon Smith. A takedown from Brooks opened the scoring in the first period, and the score was 3-1 in favor of Brooks heading into the next round after an escape from Smith. A persistent takedown attempt from Brooks landed to extend the Nittany Lion’s lead to 7-2 after two. Brooks added two more takedowns in the final period to take a 13-4 major decision over a top-five opponent.

Heavyweight

Finishing off the dual was No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet staring down Jordan Gabriel. An early takedown from Kervliet grew into another fall for the Nittany Lions at 0:55, making it four pins on the dual.

The Nittany Lions won the dual by a final score of 42-6.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will return home on Friday, February 2, when they take on Ohio State in Rec Hall. The dual will begin at 6:30 p.m. and be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.