#10 Penn State Takes Down Purdue 26-9 for Big Ten Dual Win

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 10 , took down Purdue for a Big Ten dual meet in front of yet another Rec Hall capacity crowd. The Lions, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, won seven of ten bouts to post a 26-9 victory in front of the 23rd straight home sell-out for Penn State.

Junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 125, got Penn State off to a fast start with a 9-4 win over Aaron Assad. Purdue tied the bout with an upset victory at 133, as No. 20 Danny Sabatello downed sophomore Jimmy Gulibon(Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 7, 6-0. Purdue took a 6-3 lead when Nick Lawrence downed red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) 3-2 at 141.

Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), ranked No. 17 at 149, tied the dual up with a strong 7-5 win over Purdue senior Brandon Nelsen. The decision tied the dual at 6-6, setting up one of the day’s marquee match-ups. Senior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 7 at 157, took on No. 20 Doug Welch. Alton looked to score in sudden victory with a takedown and a near fall, but no points were given and Welch turned a scramble into a takedown with just :10 left and a grabbed a 3-1 (sv) win. With the victory, Purdue led 9-6 at intermission.

Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) gave Penn State a much needed spark at 165, rolling to a rousing 16-11 win over senior Pat Robinson in a bout that featured four reversals. Senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 4 at 174, then sent the Rec Hall sell-out crowd to its feet with a fast first period pin. Brown turned a quick takedown of Purdue’s Chad Welch into a fall at the 1:21 mark, putting the Nittany Lions back on top 15-9.

Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 184, added to Penn State’s lead with a 3-2 win over Purdue senior Patrick Kissel . Junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 6 at 197, dominated Drake Stein on his way to a 21-6 technical fall to clinch the dual victory Senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), ranked No. 6 at 285, closed out the dual meet 9-3 win over Purdue’s Tyler Kral, capping off the 26-9 victory.

Penn State won the takedown battle 17-10 and, in winning seven of ten bouts, notched five bonus points off a pin (Brown) and a tech fall (McIntosh).

The Nittany Lions are now 8-1, 4-1 in the Big Ten while Purdue is 8-5, 1-3 B1G. Penn State will host Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m. in its next dual meet. A very limited number of standing room only (SRO) tickets are available for some Penn State’s Rec Hall duals. Fans can call the Penn State ticket office at 1-800-NITTANY to purchase. Penn State 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 2014-15 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

#10 Penn State 26, Purdue 9
January 18, 2015 – Rec Hall – University Park, Pa.

125: #8 Jordan Conaway PSU dec. Aaron Assad PUR, 9-4 / 3-0
133: #20 Danny Sabatello PUR dec. #7 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, 6-0 / 3-3
141: Nick Lawrence PUR dec. Kade Moss PSU, 3-2 / 3-6
149: #17 Zack Beitz PSU dec. Brandon Nelsen PUR, 7-5 / 6-6
157: #20 Doug Welch PUR dec. #7 Dylan Alton PSU, 3-1 (sv) / 6-9
165: Garett Hammond PSU dec. Pat Robinson PUR, 16-11 / 9-9
174: #4 Matt Brown PSU pinned Chad Welch PUR, WBF (1:21) / 15-9
184: #16 Matt McCutcheon PSU dec. Patrick Kissel PUR, 3-2 / 18-9
197: #6 Morgan McIntosh PSU tech fall Drake Stein PUR, 21-6 (TF; 7:00) / 23-9
285: #6 Jimmy Lawson PSU dec. Tyler Kral PUR, 9-3 / 26-9