Senior Day Shutout: Penn State Handles Buffalo 55-0
The Nittany Lions broke some records and said some goodbyes on Sunday as they hosted Buffalo in their final regular season match.
Rec Hall said goodbye to eight seniors: Jered Cortez, Matt McCutcheon, Devon Van Cura, Ethan Wissler, Kenny Yanovich, Carson Kuhn, Corey Keener and Zain Retherford.
The Lions did not disappoint a rowdy Rec Hall crowd with their first shutout of the season including seven pins and a major decision. The 55-0 win set a new school record and the seven pins tied another school record dating back to 1983.
Although the senior ceremonies stole the show, a close second was junior Bo Nickal’s 11-second fall at 184. Nickal’s pin is tied for the second-fastest fall in Penn State history, behind Dylan Alton’s 8-second fall in 2013.
Penn State’s major bonus-point wins were exactly what they were looking for in this final matchup before heading into the postseason. Coach Cael Sanderson likes the consistency in bonus-point wins he’s seen from his team this year. He said the season-long mentality of bonus-point wins is what they need in order to score big in the postseason when the team will need it most.
Retherford was happy to get a pin for his last appearance in front of a home crowd. He said he just went out and treated it like any other night, but after the match he did say Rec Hall is pretty special.
“It’s my favorite place to wrestle,” Retherford said.
Still, no word on Jason Nolf’s return, although we’re hoping he makes his way back to the mat for the Big Ten Championships as mentioned shortly after his injury.
Now the Nittany Lions get ready for the Big Ten Championship coming up on March 3-4 in Lansing, Michigan. The action starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday and you can tune in to Big Ten Network for live coverage of the championship matches starting at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
BOUT BY BOUT:
125: PSU Carson Kuhn win by forfeit
133: PSU Corey Keener dec. UB Justin Patrick, 8-3
141: PSU #8 Nick Lee pinned UB Nicholas Cassella, WBF (4:37)
149: PSU #1 Zain Retherford pinned UB Nicholas Palumbo, WBF (4:10)
157: PSU Bo Pipher pinned UB Eric Fasnacht, WBF (1:53)
165: PSU #3 Vincenzo Joseph maj. dec. UB Noah Grover, 16-8
174: PSU #2 Mark Hall pinned UB Derek Holcomb, WBF (0:56)
184: PSU #1 Bo Nickal pinned UB Brett Perry, WBF (0:11)
197: PSU #5 Shakur Rasheed pinned UB Joe Ariola, WBF (1:57)
285: PSU #4 Nick Nevills pinned UB Nolan Terrance, WBF (2:48)
Season Pin Count: 41
Rec Hall said goodbye to eight seniors: Jered Cortez, Matt McCutcheon, Devon Van Cura, Ethan Wissler, Kenny Yanovich, Carson Kuhn, Corey Keener and Zain Retherford.
The Lions did not disappoint a rowdy Rec Hall crowd with their first shutout of the season including seven pins and a major decision. The 55-0 win set a new school record and the seven pins tied another school record dating back to 1983.
Although the senior ceremonies stole the show, a close second was junior Bo Nickal’s 11-second fall at 184. Nickal’s pin is tied for the second-fastest fall in Penn State history, behind Dylan Alton’s 8-second fall in 2013.
Penn State’s major bonus-point wins were exactly what they were looking for in this final matchup before heading into the postseason. Coach Cael Sanderson likes the consistency in bonus-point wins he’s seen from his team this year. He said the season-long mentality of bonus-point wins is what they need in order to score big in the postseason when the team will need it most.
Retherford was happy to get a pin for his last appearance in front of a home crowd. He said he just went out and treated it like any other night, but after the match he did say Rec Hall is pretty special.
“It’s my favorite place to wrestle,” Retherford said.
Still, no word on Jason Nolf’s return, although we’re hoping he makes his way back to the mat for the Big Ten Championships as mentioned shortly after his injury.
Now the Nittany Lions get ready for the Big Ten Championship coming up on March 3-4 in Lansing, Michigan. The action starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday and you can tune in to Big Ten Network for live coverage of the championship matches starting at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
BOUT BY BOUT:
125: PSU Carson Kuhn win by forfeit
133: PSU Corey Keener dec. UB Justin Patrick, 8-3
141: PSU #8 Nick Lee pinned UB Nicholas Cassella, WBF (4:37)
149: PSU #1 Zain Retherford pinned UB Nicholas Palumbo, WBF (4:10)
157: PSU Bo Pipher pinned UB Eric Fasnacht, WBF (1:53)
165: PSU #3 Vincenzo Joseph maj. dec. UB Noah Grover, 16-8
174: PSU #2 Mark Hall pinned UB Derek Holcomb, WBF (0:56)
184: PSU #1 Bo Nickal pinned UB Brett Perry, WBF (0:11)
197: PSU #5 Shakur Rasheed pinned UB Joe Ariola, WBF (1:57)
285: PSU #4 Nick Nevills pinned UB Nolan Terrance, WBF (2:48)
Season Pin Count: 41
