Wrestling: PSU falls to Minnesota, shares B1G title

**Courtesy of Penn State SID Pat Donghia**

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.; February 9, 2014 - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, was upset 18-17 by No. 3 Minnesota in the Big Ten dual finale for both teams. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) took down previously unbeaten and top-ranked Scott Schiller at 197 in the dual's marquee match-up as each team won five bouts with the Gophers winning the dual on bonus points.

All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, opened up the dual with a dominating 19-5 major decision over Jordan Kingsley. Minnesota got on the board next when No. 8 David Thorn posted a hard-fought 2-0 win over No. 16 Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), cutting Penn State's lead to 4-3. True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally, stayed unbeaten by dominating No. 6 Chris Dardanes 4-0 with 2:35 in riding time.

At 149, Zack Beitz nearly upset No. 3 Nick Dardanes, dropping a thrilling 6-4 (SV2) decision. Beitz got called for a contested fleeing call that was upheld upon review in the third period, sending the bout into extra time. Dardanes connected on a takedown with just :04 left in the second sudden victory period to grab the win. Minnesota took the lead at the break when No. 8 Dylan Ness of Minnesota pinned No. 4 Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) at the 5:57 mark, giving the Gophers a 12-7 lead at the break.

Top-ranked David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) dominated Danny Zilverberg for a 13-3 major to pull Penn State to within one point, 12-11. Minnesota, however, picked up an upset win at 174 when No. 6 Logan Storley downed No. 3 Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), 8-4. All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 184, beat No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus 7-1 to bring Penn State back to within a point, 15-14.

McIntosh then dominated previously unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Schiller at 197, notching three takedowns and a reversal to roll to an 8-4 win, putting Penn State up 17-15 with one bout remaining. Junior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) battled No. 5 Tony Nelson tough but the defending national champion posted the 5-0 win and sent Penn State to its first dual meet loss of the year, 18-17.

The Nittany Lions 7-1 dual meet record gives Penn State a share of its second Big Ten dual title in the last three years, sharing the crown with at least two other teams. The seven wins also ties a Penn State record for Big Ten dual wins in a season. Penn State owned a slim 12-8 edge in the takedown battle as well. The five-five dual meet split was broken as Minnesota got three bonus points to Penn State's two.

Taylor stays unbeaten with a 24-0 mark, including 11 pins, seven tech falls and six majors. He is 124-3 for his career, seventh all-time at Penn State. He closes out his Big Ten dual meet career unbeaten, going 32-0 over four seasons. He is currently 53-0 all-time against Big Ten competition. Ruth moves to 23-1 on the season with eight pins, eight tech falls and six majors. He is 125-3 all-time, tied for fifth on Penn State's all-time wins list. Ruth also finishes his Big Ten career unbeaten in dual meets, going 32-0 over four seasons. He is 54-0 all-time against Big Ten competition.

Megaludis improves to 21-2 on the year with one pin, four tech falls and nine majors. Retherford remains unbeaten on the year with a 24-0 mark, including four pins, two tech falls and seven majors. McIntosh improves to 23-2 on the year with four pins and ten majors. Brown falls to 23-2 with six pins, four tech falls and seven majors. Alton is now 15-1 on the year.

Penn State is now 13-1 on the year overall and ends the Big Ten dual meet season with a 7-1 mark. The Nittany Lions claimed a share of their second Big Ten dual meet crown in the last three years. Minnesota is now 10-1 overall and ends its Big Ten season with a 7-1 mark to share the conference title with Penn State and at least one other team. Penn State will host Oklahoma State in already sold-out Rec Hall next Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

#1 Penn State 17, #3 Minnesota 18

February 9, 2014 - Minneapolis, Minn.

125: #2 Nico Megaludis PSU maj. dec. Jordan Kingsley MINN, 19-5 4-0

133: #8 David Thorn MINN dec. #16 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, 2-0 4-3

141: #2 Zain Retherford PSU dec. #6 Chris Dardanes MINN, 4-0 7-3

149: #3 Nick Dardanes MINN dec. (SV2) Zack Beitz PSU, 6-4 (SV2) 7-6

157: #8 Dylan Ness MINN pinned #4 Dylan Alton PSU, WBF (5:57) 7-12

165: #1 David Taylor PSU maj. dec. Danny Zilverberg MINN, 13-3 11-12

174: #6 Logan Storley MINN dec. #3 Matt Brown PSU, 8-4 11-15

184: #2 Ed Ruth PSU dec. #8 Kevin Steinhaus MINN, 7-1 14-15

197: #5 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. #1 Scott Schiller MINN, 8-4 17-15

285: #5 Tony Nelson MINN dec. Jon Gingrich PSU, 6-0 17-18

Attendance: 5,603

Records: Penn State 13-1, 7-1 B1G; Minnesota 10-1, 7-1 B1G

Up Next for Penn State: Home vs. #4 Oklahoma State, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2 p.m.

BOUT-BY-BOUT:

125: All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 125, took on Minnesota's Jordan Kingsley in the dual's first bout. Megaludis wasted no time getting in on a single leg, gaining control of the Gopher's left leg and steadily working his way to a takedown and a 2-0 lead at the 2:11 mark. Megaludis then cut Kingsley loose and immediately began working for another takedown. He worked his way into control of the left ankle and once again notched the takedown after a brief bit of work in the center circle. Megaludis maintained control long enough to build up over a minute's riding time. He then completed the ride out to lead 4-1 with 1:16 in time after one. Kingsley chose down to start the second and Megaludis cut him loose to a 4-2 score. The Lion junior rolled through a low double to up his lead to 6-3 at the 1:20 mark. He then worked in a sweep single and completed the move for an 8-3 lead at the :54 mark. Megaludis cut him loose once again and used a solid high single to force a scramble, leading to another takedown and a 10-4 lead with :16 on the clock. Leading 10-4 with nearly 2:00 in riding time, Megaludis chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to an 11-4 lead. He tacked on another takedown to up his lead to 13-4 with 1:40 on the clock. With the riding time point clinched, Megaludis cut Kingsley loose once again. He rolled through a low single for another takedown to lead 15-5 with :50 left to wrestle. He turned Kinglsey for three back points down the stretch and, with the riding time point, posted the dominating 19-5 major decision.

133: Red-shirt freshman Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 133, met No. 8 David Thorn. Gulibon shot quickly, gaining control of Thorn's right ankle and forcing a mid-mat scramble that ended in a stalemate at the 2:40 mark. Gulibon fought off a solid Thorn shot and the match remained scoreless through the first minute-plus. The Lion freshman fought off another shot, stepping back from a Thorn single leg and action resumed in the center of the mat with 1:00 left, still scoreless. The duo battled evenly and the match moved to the second tied 0-0. Thorn chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead at the 1:43 mark. Gulibon broke free of Thorn's control on a shoulder throw and the bout stayed at 1-0 with 1:00 on the clock. Gulibon got hit for a first stall shortly thereafter. Trailing 1-0, Gulibon chose down to start the third period but could not break free of Thorn's control. Thorn worked up over 1:00 in riding time and then kept control for the remainder of the period, posting the 2-0 decision with 1:43 in riding time.

141: True freshman Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 141, met No. 6 Chris Dardanes. Retherford shot quickly, looking to connect on a high double, but Dardanes was able to defend the shot and keep the match scoreless a minute in. The duo wrestled evenly for over two minutes when Retherford used a high single to a scramble for a takedown and a 2-0 lead with :43 on the clock. The Lion freshman then controlled the action for the rest of the period and led 2-0 after one. Retherford chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Retherford continued to force the tempo, taking multiple high shots and forcing the Gopher into defense for the bulk of the second period. Trailing 3-0, Dardanes chose down to start the third period. Retherford controlled the action from the top position again, breaking Retherford down and forcing a stalemate with 1:19 on the clock. With well over a minute of riding time, Retherford continued to control the action from the top, trying to turn the Gopher for back points while clinching the riding time point. Retherford's dominating ride out gave the Nittany Lion a convincing 4-0 with 2:35 in riding time.

149: Red-shirt freshman Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.) took to the mat against No. 3 Nick Dardanes at 149. Beitz wasted no time taking the lead, using a snap low single to take a 2-1 lead just :30 into the bout. Beitz nearly connected on another low shot, but Dardanes was able to flick his foot away and keep things static. Beitz continued to work his offense low while Dardanes looked to control shoulder action. The duo traded shots in the middle of the mat at the :30 mark with neither man connecting and Beitz led 2-1 after one period. Beitz chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Beitz continued to try and connect on low singles while fighting off Dardanes' collar ties. Action moved out of bounds with Beitz leading 3-1 at the :18 mark and the Lion carried that lead into the third period. Dardanes chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 score. Beitz fought off a Dardanes shot flurry at the 1:20 mark and held his one point lead into the final minute. Beitz shot Dardanes out of bounds at the :44 mark, still leading by one. Dardanes tried to score on a high double and Beitz escaped the move out of bounds. The official called fleeing, giving Dardanes a point and tying the bout at 3-3 with :26 on the clock. The Penn State bench called for a video review of the call. The call stood and the bout was tied 3-3. Deadlocked, the bout moved into sudden victory. Neither wrestled scored in the extra minute, the bout moved into a tie-breaker. Beitz chose down first. Dardanes maintained control for the :24 seconds but was called for clasped hands, giving Beitz a 4-3 lead on the penalty. With :06 left, Beitz tried to escape on the reset but could not break free. Dardanes chose down for his tie-breaker period and quickly escaped to a 4-4 tie. The bout then moved into a second sudden victory period. Dardanes worked in on a single leg with :18 on the clock and connected on the takedown with :04 left to steal a 6-4 (sv2) win.

157: All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 157, took on Gopher junior Dylan Ness. Alton looked to connect on a quick single leg but Ness was able to counter the move and work his way around the Lion junior for a takedown and a 2-0 lead of his own. Ness then controlled the action from the top position for over a minute before action moved out of bounds with 1:09 on the clock. Ness maintained control for the remainder of the period and carried a 2-0 lead with over 2:00 in time into the middle stanza. Ness chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Alton nearly scored on a takedown and Ness fled the mat to avoid the score, similar to Beitz in the prior match. But in this case it was simply called stalling and Alton still trailed 3-0. Alton chose neutral to start the third period and shot quickly but once again, Ness was able to back out of the Lion's control and keep the 3-0 lead.

165: All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 at 165, met Minnesota senior Danny Zilverberg. Taylor pressured the Gopher from the get-go, working the Gopher's left ankle on a single leg and forcing a scramble that Zilverberg countered for a takedown of his own and a 2-0 lead. Zilverberg maintained control for over a minute before Taylor reversed the Gopher to tie the match a 2-2. Taylor rode Zilverberg out and the match moved to the second tied 2-2. Taylor controlled the action from the top position for over a minute, building up over 1:00 in riding time while trying to turn Zilverberg for back points. Taylor turned Zilverberg for three back points and led 5-2 after two periods. Taylor chose down to start the third period and quickly reversed the Gopher to take a 7-2 lead with well over 1:00 in time. Taylor cut Zilverberg loose, took him down and cut him loose again. Leading 9-3, Taylor turned him for three back points and upped his lead to 12-3. Taylor then rode the Gopher out and, with the bonus point, posted the 13-3 major with 2:37 in riding time.

174: All-American Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 3 at 174, took on No. 6 Logan Storley. Storley shot quickly but Brown was able to push back on the shot and keep the bout scoreless early. Brown nearly turned Storley to his back with a front headlock, but Storley rolled through the move and action resumed in the center circle tied 0-0. Brown pressured Storley towards the edge of the mat, working for an opening, but the Gopher was solid on defense, fighting off a late single leg to take the match to the second scoreless. Brown chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Storley countered a Brown shoulder throw attempt, rolled through again and picked up four points on a takedown and two back points. Brown escaped to a 4-2 score with :30 on the clock. Brown once again nearly scored at the buzzer but time ran out and the Lion trailed 4-2 after two. Storley chose down to start the third and Brown cut him loose to a 5-2 lead. Storley countered a Brown high double and took Brown down again, taking a 7-2 lead. Brown picked up a point on a second Storley stall, cutting the lead to 7-3 with :35 on the clock. He escaped to a 7-4 score with :25 left but Storley would walk away with the 8-4 win.

184: All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 184, met No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus. Ruth looked to score early, trying to connect on a high single, but Steinhaus was able to step out of trouble and the bout moved on scoreless. Ruth countered a Steinhaus shot for his own takedown and a 2-0 lead at the 1:30 mark. The Lion senior then looked to lock up a cradle but could not finish off the move. Steinhaus escaped to a 2-1 score and action resumed in the center of the mat. Ruth picked up another point on an illegal hold and led 3-1 with heading into the second period with :54 in riding time. Steinhaus chose down to start the second period and Ruth controlled the action, looking for another cradle. Steinhaus was able to fight off Ruth's cradles but the Lion worked up well over 2:00 in riding time with a dominant ride out. Leading 3-1 with nearly 3:00 in time, Ruth chose down to start the third period. Ruth could not break free of a Steinhaus ride for over a minute, then escaped to a 4-1 lead with :30 on the clock. The escape would lead to a late Ruth takedown and the Lion would roll to a 7-1 win with 1:27 in riding time.

197: Sophomore Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 5 at 197, took on unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Scott Schiller. The talented duo battled evenly in the middle of the mat for the first three minutes, trading collar ties with neither man finding an opening to score. Schiller chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. McIntosh then shot, forcing a scramble that nearly ended with each man getting a takedown. After :30, McIntosh finished off the move for a takedown and a 2-1 lead. Schiller escaped quickly to a 2-2 tie with 1:05 on the clock. McIntosh countered a Schiller shot, locking up the Gopher's head, working it into a single leg but running out of time for the takedown. Tied 2-2, McIntosh chose down to start the third and deftly reversed the Gopher for a 4-2 lead with 1:40 on the clock. McIntosh shot low again, gaining control of the Gopher's ankle and working his way to another takedown and a 6-3 lead. Schiller escaped to a 6-4 score and McIntosh once again got in on a low single. He rolled through the shot, finished off the takedown and led 8-4 with :15 on the clock. The outstanding win put Penn State up 17-15 with one bout left.

285: Junior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) battled No. 5 Tony Nelson at 285. The duo battled evenly for the first half of the opening period, with each man trading collar ties but no one finding an offensive opening. Nelson looked to score on a double, but Gingrich muscled his way out of trouble and kept the bout scoreless at the :20 mark. Tied 0-0 after one, Nelson chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Nelson then connected on a high double leg to take a 3-0 lead with 1:30 on the clock. Gingrich was unable to break free of a strong Nelson ride and carried that lead with 1:25 in riding time into the third period. Gingrich chose neutral to start the third period and quickly got in on a low double. But Nelson was able to force a stalemate at the 1:29 mark, maintaining his 3-0 lead. Gingrich continued to shoot but Nelson was able to fight off each move, working down the clock to the :57 mark while forcing another stalemate. With Nelson able to defend each Gingrich shot, Nelson posted the 4-0 win and clinched the upset dual meet victory.