Penn State puts six into finals to maintain Big Ten lead, with Ohio State now in second
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by Richard Immel, Special to TheMat.com
Two-time NCAA champion Jason Nolf of Penn State takes down returning Big Ten champion Alec Pantaleo of Michigan in the 157-pound semifinals. Photo by Richard Immel.
MINNEAPOLIS – It’s six of one, half a dozen of the other for Penn State in terms of Big Ten finalists. The Nittany Lions will be represented in the championship finals from 157 pounds on up to heavyweight tomorrow evening in a max capacity Williams Arena.
NCAA champions Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Bo Nickal wrestled solid throughout competitive semifinal bouts, as champions tend to do. Of the foursome, Joseph took home the bonus-point prize by pinning All-American Logan Massa of Michigan in the third period of a one-takedown contest.
Interestingly enough, Shakur Rasheed and Anthony Cassar, who battled each other for the 197-pound roster spot last season, will both wrestle for a conference crown tomorrow against number one. Rasheed is scheduled to face Ohio State’s NCAA champion Myles Martin at 184 pounds, and Cassar will take on the physical Minnesota freshman Gable Steveson at 285 pounds.
The rematch at 133 pounds between Iowa bad boy Austin DeSanto and returning NCAA finalist Nick Suriano of Rutgers turned into a blood bath, quite literally. Suriano was convincingly the better man in a 6-3 decision, but a late match scuffle between the benches tainted what was an otherwise enthralling bout.
NCAA champion Spencer Lee of Iowa will get a crack at revenge against top seed Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern, who is looking every bit the part of a potential champion. Both men won by major decision in the 125-pound semis.
Speaking of rematches, that’s what fans will be treated to at 149 pounds on Sunday. Undefeated Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers will go after his third Big Ten title against Buckeye All-American Micah Jordan. Ashnault defeated Jordan in a high-scoring affair in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals early in the season.
No. 8 seed Chad Red continued his Cinderella run at 141 pounds with a 4-1 win over Michigan’s Kanen Storr. Up next for the Husker is defending Big Ten champ Joey McKenna of Ohio State.
Penn State and Ohio State have separated themselves from the field in the team race. The Nittany Lions boast a staggering 131 points, 19.5 points ahead of the Buckeyes. Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota round out the top five.
The Big Ten Championships will resume at Noon (ET) tomorrow with the remaining consolation rounds. The first, third and fifth place matches will be wrestled simultaneously at 3 p.m. (ET).
BTN2GO and Flowrestling are set to live stream all remaining matches except for the championship bouts, which will be televised on Big Ten Network.
Updated brackets from the Big Ten Championships can be found at Trackwrestling.com.
2019 Big Ten Championships
At Minneapolis, Minn., March 9-10
Team Standings
1. Penn State 131
2. Ohio State 111.5
3. Nebraska 84
4. Iowa 83.5
5. Minnesota 76.5
6. Wisconsin 63.5
7. Michigan 62.5
8. Rutgers 45.5
9. Northwestern 43.5
10. Purdue 38
11. Illinois 30
12. Michigan State 25.5
13. Indiana 24.5
14. Maryland 8.5
Finals Matchups
125 pounds
Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) vs. Spencer Lee (Iowa)
133 pounds
Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) vs. Nick Suriano (Rutgers)
141 pounds
Chad Red (Nebraska) vs. Joey McKenna (Ohio State)
149 pounds
Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) vs. Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
157 pounds
Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. Tyler Berger (Nebraska)
165 pounds
Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
174 pounds
Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. Myles Amine (Michigan)
184 pounds
Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. Shakur Rasheed (Penn State)
197 pounds
Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
285 pounds
Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. Anthony Cassar (Penn State)
Semifinal Results
125 pounds
Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) maj. dec. RayVon Foley (Michigan State), 14-6
Spencer Lee (Iowa) maj. dec. Sean Russell (Minnesota), 8-0
133 pounds
Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) med. for. Stevan Micic (Michigan), 0:00
Nick Suriano (Rutgers) dec. Austin DeSanto (Iowa), 6-3
141 pounds
Chad Red (Nebraska) dec. Kanen Storr (Michigan), 4-1
Joey McKenna (Ohio State) dec. Nick Lee (Penn State), 5-4
149 pounds
Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) dec. Thomas Thorn (Minnesota), 5-1
Micah Jordan (Ohio State) maj. dec. Brady Berge (Penn State), 13-4
157 pounds
Jason Nolf (Penn State) dec. Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), 7-1
Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. Steve Bleise (Minnesota), 6-3
165 pounds
Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) fall Logan Massa (Michigan), 6:41
Alex Marinelli (Iowa) dec. Evan Wick (Wisconsin), 2-1
174 pounds
Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. Devin Skatzka (Minnesota), 4-2
Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. Dylan Lydy (Purdue), 6-5
184 pounds
Myles Martin (Ohio State) dec. Emery Parker (Illinois), 8-3
Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) dec. Tyler Venz (Nebraska), 6-5
197 pounds
Bo Nickal (Penn State) maj. dec. Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 10-2
Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. Jacob Warner (Iowa), 5-2
285 pounds
Gable Steveson (Minnesota) dec. Trent Hilger (Wisconsin), 10-4
Anthony Cassar (Penn State) maj. dec. Conan Jennings (Northwestern), 10-2
MINNEAPOLIS – It’s six of one, half a dozen of the other for Penn State in terms of Big Ten finalists. The Nittany Lions will be represented in the championship finals from 157 pounds on up to heavyweight tomorrow evening in a max capacity Williams Arena.
NCAA champions Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Bo Nickal wrestled solid throughout competitive semifinal bouts, as champions tend to do. Of the foursome, Joseph took home the bonus-point prize by pinning All-American Logan Massa of Michigan in the third period of a one-takedown contest.
Interestingly enough, Shakur Rasheed and Anthony Cassar, who battled each other for the 197-pound roster spot last season, will both wrestle for a conference crown tomorrow against number one. Rasheed is scheduled to face Ohio State’s NCAA champion Myles Martin at 184 pounds, and Cassar will take on the physical Minnesota freshman Gable Steveson at 285 pounds.
The rematch at 133 pounds between Iowa bad boy Austin DeSanto and returning NCAA finalist Nick Suriano of Rutgers turned into a blood bath, quite literally. Suriano was convincingly the better man in a 6-3 decision, but a late match scuffle between the benches tainted what was an otherwise enthralling bout.
NCAA champion Spencer Lee of Iowa will get a crack at revenge against top seed Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern, who is looking every bit the part of a potential champion. Both men won by major decision in the 125-pound semis.
Speaking of rematches, that’s what fans will be treated to at 149 pounds on Sunday. Undefeated Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers will go after his third Big Ten title against Buckeye All-American Micah Jordan. Ashnault defeated Jordan in a high-scoring affair in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals early in the season.
No. 8 seed Chad Red continued his Cinderella run at 141 pounds with a 4-1 win over Michigan’s Kanen Storr. Up next for the Husker is defending Big Ten champ Joey McKenna of Ohio State.
Penn State and Ohio State have separated themselves from the field in the team race. The Nittany Lions boast a staggering 131 points, 19.5 points ahead of the Buckeyes. Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota round out the top five.
The Big Ten Championships will resume at Noon (ET) tomorrow with the remaining consolation rounds. The first, third and fifth place matches will be wrestled simultaneously at 3 p.m. (ET).
BTN2GO and Flowrestling are set to live stream all remaining matches except for the championship bouts, which will be televised on Big Ten Network.
Updated brackets from the Big Ten Championships can be found at Trackwrestling.com.
2019 Big Ten Championships
At Minneapolis, Minn., March 9-10
Team Standings
1. Penn State 131
2. Ohio State 111.5
3. Nebraska 84
4. Iowa 83.5
5. Minnesota 76.5
6. Wisconsin 63.5
7. Michigan 62.5
8. Rutgers 45.5
9. Northwestern 43.5
10. Purdue 38
11. Illinois 30
12. Michigan State 25.5
13. Indiana 24.5
14. Maryland 8.5
Finals Matchups
125 pounds
Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) vs. Spencer Lee (Iowa)
133 pounds
Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) vs. Nick Suriano (Rutgers)
141 pounds
Chad Red (Nebraska) vs. Joey McKenna (Ohio State)
149 pounds
Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) vs. Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
157 pounds
Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. Tyler Berger (Nebraska)
165 pounds
Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
174 pounds
Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. Myles Amine (Michigan)
184 pounds
Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. Shakur Rasheed (Penn State)
197 pounds
Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
285 pounds
Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. Anthony Cassar (Penn State)
Semifinal Results
125 pounds
Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) maj. dec. RayVon Foley (Michigan State), 14-6
Spencer Lee (Iowa) maj. dec. Sean Russell (Minnesota), 8-0
133 pounds
Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) med. for. Stevan Micic (Michigan), 0:00
Nick Suriano (Rutgers) dec. Austin DeSanto (Iowa), 6-3
141 pounds
Chad Red (Nebraska) dec. Kanen Storr (Michigan), 4-1
Joey McKenna (Ohio State) dec. Nick Lee (Penn State), 5-4
149 pounds
Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) dec. Thomas Thorn (Minnesota), 5-1
Micah Jordan (Ohio State) maj. dec. Brady Berge (Penn State), 13-4
157 pounds
Jason Nolf (Penn State) dec. Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), 7-1
Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. Steve Bleise (Minnesota), 6-3
165 pounds
Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) fall Logan Massa (Michigan), 6:41
Alex Marinelli (Iowa) dec. Evan Wick (Wisconsin), 2-1
174 pounds
Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. Devin Skatzka (Minnesota), 4-2
Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. Dylan Lydy (Purdue), 6-5
184 pounds
Myles Martin (Ohio State) dec. Emery Parker (Illinois), 8-3
Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) dec. Tyler Venz (Nebraska), 6-5
197 pounds
Bo Nickal (Penn State) maj. dec. Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 10-2
Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. Jacob Warner (Iowa), 5-2
285 pounds
Gable Steveson (Minnesota) dec. Trent Hilger (Wisconsin), 10-4
Anthony Cassar (Penn State) maj. dec. Conan Jennings (Northwestern), 10-2
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