UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 16 Rutgers wrestling (12-2, 2-2) competed hard in a 27-11 loss to No. 1 Penn State (11-0, 3-0) on Sunday in front of 6,246 fans at Rec Hall. No. 3
Sebastian Rivera delivered another bonus-point victory to remain undefeated, while No. 18
Michael VanBrill (149) and
Robert Kanniard (157) both worked overtime victories in a seven-three match split with the top-ranked Nittany Lions.
- No. 31 Dylan Shawver (125) and No. 20 Joseph Olivieri (133) both held their ranked opponents to decisions to open the dual. Shawver struck first with a takedown in the first period against No. 9 Drew Hildebrandt, but a takedown from his opponent at the buzzer resulted in a 4-2 loss. Olivieri followed against No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young and held the reigning NCAA Champion to just an 11-5 decision.
- Rivera scored 12 points in the first three minutes against Brandon Meredith, including eight on back points – for an early 12-1 lead. He added two takedowns in the second for his team-high ninth tech fall, as his win by bonus put RU up 8-6 three bouts in.
- Rutgers followed with back-to-back overtime victories before intermission. VanBrill faced No. 19 Beau Bartlett and wrestled him to a 3-3 tie after regulation. After two consecutive scoreless sudden-victory periods, VanBrill rode out Bartlett in the third tiebreaker, chose neutral for the fourth, and held Bartlett off the board for a 4-3 final.
- Down 4-1 after the first period to Tony Negron, Kanniard rallied back to force sudden victory. Kanniard then worked a takedown for the 6-4 final. The win gave the Scarlet Knights an 11-6 lead at the break.
- Penn State closed the dual with five consecutive wins, which included the first losses of the season for No. 5 John Poznanski (184) and No. 7 Greg Bulsak (197).
- Rutgers remains on the road with duals at RV Michigan State (Jan. 21, 6 p.m. ET) and No. 3 Michigan (Jan. 23, 4 p.m. ET). Both matches are slated for broadcasts on Big Ten Plus.
No. 1 Penn State 27, No. 16 Rutgers 11
125: 9/9 Drew Hildebrandt (PSU) dec. 31/HM
Dylan Shawver (RU), 4-2; PSU leads, 3-0
133: 1/1 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) dec. 20/HM
Joseph Olivieri (RU), 11-5; PSU leads, 6-0
141: 3/3
Sebastian Rivera (RU) TF Brandon Meredith (PSU), 17-1 (3:36); PSU leads, 6-5
149: 18/HM
Michael VanBrill (RU) TB2 19/14 Beau Bartlett (PSU), 4-3; RU leads, 8-6
157: Robert Kanniard (RU) SV1 Tony Negron (PSU), 6-4; RU leads, 11-6
165: Brady Berge (PSU) dec.
Andrew Clark (RU), 5-1; RU leads, 11-9
174: 1/1 Carter Starocci (PSU) TF
Connor O'Neill (RU), 19-2 (4:25); PSU leads, 14-11
184: 1/1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) MD 5/5
John Poznanski (RU), 10-2; PSU leads, 18-11
197: 2/2 Max Dean (PSU) dec. 7/11
Greg Bulsak (RU), 9-6; PSU leads, 21-11
HWT: 4/4 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) fall
Alex Esposito (RU), (1:41); PSU wins, 27-11
Extra Match
157: Terrell Barraclough (PSU) MD
Al DeSantis (RU), 10-1
