No. 10 Arizona State shocks No. 1 Penn State, 19-18 in Tempe
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by Assorted Sources, Arizona State athletics and Penn State athletics
Photo of Jacori Teemer of Arizona State celebrating his win at 157 pounds courtesy of @ASUWrestling Twitter
No. 5 @ASUWrestling Takes Down No. 1 Penn State, Snaps 60-Match Win-Streak
Arizona State press release by Colton Mccrea
TEMPE, Ariz. – In front of an uproarious, record-breaking crowd of 8,522, the Arizona State wrestling team handed Penn State its first loss in a dual since 2015, defeating the Nittany Lions 19-18 Friday night at Desert Financial Arena.
The Sun Devils started off strong out of the gate thanks to an 18-7 major decision victory by Brandon Courtney (125 lbs.), giving ASU an early 4-0 lead in the dual. With the victory, the redshirt-sophomore moves to a perfect 9-0 on the season.
Penn State then pulled ahead with consecutive victories at 133 and 141 lbs.
ASU would regain the lead at the 149 lbs. weight class as No. 21 Josh Maruca fought a tough battle to earn a 5-4 decision over childhood teammate Josh Verkleeren.
In the first home match of his Sun Devil career, redshirt-freshman Jacori Teemer (157) followed up with an 8-4 decision, bringing the score to 10-8 in favor of the Sun Devils heading into the intermission.
After the Nittany Lions won the first two matches coming out of the break to go ahead 15-10, a Penn State forfeit at the 184 lb. weight class saw ASU pull ahead yet again, this time regaining the lead at 16-15.
Wrestling for the first time in almost a year, junior Kordell Norfleet put on a heroic performance, earning a 10-4 decision which extended the Sun Devils' lead to 19-15.
The decision ultimately gave ASU what they needed to put the Nittany Lions away, as Penn State's win at 285 lbs. was not enough to give them the edge in the dual.
Next up for ASU, the team heads to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational Friday-Saturday, Dec. 6-7. Fans can follow along by following @ASUWrestling on Twitter.
No. 5 Arizona State 19, No. 1 Penn State 18
125: Brandon Courtney (ASU) MD Brody Teske (PSU), 19-7
133: #3 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) DEC #11 Josh Kramer (ASU), 7-6
141: #3 Nick Lee (PSU) TF Cory Crooks (ASU), 18-3 (4:28)
149: #21 Josh Maruca (ASU) DEC Josh Verkleeren (PSU), 5-4
157: Jacori Teemer (ASU) DEC Bo Pipher (PSU), 8-4
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph (PSU) DEC #5 Josh Shields, 7-4
174: #1 Mark Hall (PSU) MD #8 Anthony Valencia (ASU), 11-3
184: #1 Zahid Valencia (ASU) forfeit
197: Kordell Norfleet (ASU) DEC Kyle Conel (PSU), 10-4
285: #1 Anthony Cassar (PSU) DEC #5 Tanner Hall (ASU), 9-5
A word with Coach Zeke Jones:
On the upperclassmen who bought into the program early:
"It took vision, it took Zahid and Anthony (Valencia), Tanner (Hall), Josh (Shields), Josh (Maruca) - they were the first believers. They were the first believers that we could get to this place. I've said it before. Now their belief is coming true. Just the first belief that it could be done, and now they're the first doers."
On how it felt going into the second half with a lead:
"Well, I felt really good that - you know, how many dual meets have we all watched that when we go into (165 lbs.) we're feeling really good - however, Penn State feels probably a little better than we do. However, I think our group responded, I think they stepped up, I think they took the challenge."
On Kordell Norfleet's performance:
"He's a world-class athlete. He'd be an NFL all-pro if he were playing football. He has a tremendous ability, speed, strength. He has excellent technique and he loves to compete. I think he's just going to start showing people how good he is. But like anything, he needs to continue to improve and I think he will."
Penn State drops tough 19-18 dual at Arizona State
by Pat Donghia, Penn State Athletics
TEMPE, Ariz.; Nov. 22, 2019 – The Penn State Nittany Lions (1-1, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 1 nationally on InterMat’s Tournament Power Index (TPI), lost a hard-fought dual at No. 6 Arizona State (5-0) in a top ten non-conference meeting in Tempe, Ariz. The two teams split bouts five each, but Arizona State won the bonus point battle and posted a 19-18 victory in front of an Arizona State record-setting crowd of 8,542.
The dual began at 125 where Lion freshman Brody Teske (Duncombe, Iowa) suffered a 19-7 major decision to No. 19 Brandon Courtney to give the Sun Devils an early 4-0 lead. Arizona native Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, took care of No. 16 Josh Kramer, posting a 7-6 win to get Penn State on the board. Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 3 at 141, put Penn State on top with a resounding 18-3 technical fall over Cory Crooks at the 4:28 mark in the second period.
Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) dropped a hard-fought 5-4 decision to ASU senior Josh Maruca at 149, and the Nittany Lion lead was cut to 8-7. With No. 5 Brady Berge held out of the dual, junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) moved up to 157 once more and lost a tough 9-4 decision to Arizona State’s Jacori Teemer. Teemer’s win gave ASU a 10-8 lead at intermission.
Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, rolled over No. 5 Josh Shields to begin the second half. Joseph notched the bout’s only takedowns on his way to a 7-4 win. Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, then put Penn State up 15-10 by dominating No. 8 Anthony Valencia. Hall posted the 11-3 major decision to put Penn State up 15-10. No. 2 Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) did not compete and freshman Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.) was not able to as well, giving No. 1 Zahid Valencia the forfeit victory at 184.
The six-point swing gave the Sun Devils a 16-15 lead. Graduate Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio), ranked No. 7 at 197, lost a tough 10-4 decision to Sun Devil Kordell Norfleet to give Arizona State a 19-15 lead. Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 285, needed something big to grab the dual meet for the Nittany Lions and nearly turned the trick in the first period. Cassar turned No. 5 Tanner Hall to his back midway through the period and appeared to have a fall twice, but no pin was awarded and Cassar went on to post a dominant 9-5 win. The victory cut ASU’s lead down to one but Arizona State posted the 19-18 upset victory.
Penn State won the takedown battle 19-16 but ASU had a 4-3 edge in bonus points, thanks in large part to a forfeit victory at 184. The loss snaps Penn State’s 60-dual win streak that dated back to the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
Penn State is now 1-1 on the year, 0-0 B1G. Arizona State improves to 5-0. Penn State will visit Lehigh in its next action. The Nittany Lions are at Lehigh on Friday, Dec. 6, in a 7 p.m. dual that airs live on SE2 and the Patriot League Network. Two days later, Penn State hosts Penn in Rec Hall. The Lions and Quakers battle on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m.
No. 5 @ASUWrestling Takes Down No. 1 Penn State, Snaps 60-Match Win-Streak
Arizona State press release by Colton Mccrea
TEMPE, Ariz. – In front of an uproarious, record-breaking crowd of 8,522, the Arizona State wrestling team handed Penn State its first loss in a dual since 2015, defeating the Nittany Lions 19-18 Friday night at Desert Financial Arena.
The Sun Devils started off strong out of the gate thanks to an 18-7 major decision victory by Brandon Courtney (125 lbs.), giving ASU an early 4-0 lead in the dual. With the victory, the redshirt-sophomore moves to a perfect 9-0 on the season.
Penn State then pulled ahead with consecutive victories at 133 and 141 lbs.
ASU would regain the lead at the 149 lbs. weight class as No. 21 Josh Maruca fought a tough battle to earn a 5-4 decision over childhood teammate Josh Verkleeren.
In the first home match of his Sun Devil career, redshirt-freshman Jacori Teemer (157) followed up with an 8-4 decision, bringing the score to 10-8 in favor of the Sun Devils heading into the intermission.
After the Nittany Lions won the first two matches coming out of the break to go ahead 15-10, a Penn State forfeit at the 184 lb. weight class saw ASU pull ahead yet again, this time regaining the lead at 16-15.
Wrestling for the first time in almost a year, junior Kordell Norfleet put on a heroic performance, earning a 10-4 decision which extended the Sun Devils' lead to 19-15.
The decision ultimately gave ASU what they needed to put the Nittany Lions away, as Penn State's win at 285 lbs. was not enough to give them the edge in the dual.
Next up for ASU, the team heads to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational Friday-Saturday, Dec. 6-7. Fans can follow along by following @ASUWrestling on Twitter.
No. 5 Arizona State 19, No. 1 Penn State 18
125: Brandon Courtney (ASU) MD Brody Teske (PSU), 19-7
133: #3 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) DEC #11 Josh Kramer (ASU), 7-6
141: #3 Nick Lee (PSU) TF Cory Crooks (ASU), 18-3 (4:28)
149: #21 Josh Maruca (ASU) DEC Josh Verkleeren (PSU), 5-4
157: Jacori Teemer (ASU) DEC Bo Pipher (PSU), 8-4
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph (PSU) DEC #5 Josh Shields, 7-4
174: #1 Mark Hall (PSU) MD #8 Anthony Valencia (ASU), 11-3
184: #1 Zahid Valencia (ASU) forfeit
197: Kordell Norfleet (ASU) DEC Kyle Conel (PSU), 10-4
285: #1 Anthony Cassar (PSU) DEC #5 Tanner Hall (ASU), 9-5
A word with Coach Zeke Jones:
On the upperclassmen who bought into the program early:
"It took vision, it took Zahid and Anthony (Valencia), Tanner (Hall), Josh (Shields), Josh (Maruca) - they were the first believers. They were the first believers that we could get to this place. I've said it before. Now their belief is coming true. Just the first belief that it could be done, and now they're the first doers."
On how it felt going into the second half with a lead:
"Well, I felt really good that - you know, how many dual meets have we all watched that when we go into (165 lbs.) we're feeling really good - however, Penn State feels probably a little better than we do. However, I think our group responded, I think they stepped up, I think they took the challenge."
On Kordell Norfleet's performance:
"He's a world-class athlete. He'd be an NFL all-pro if he were playing football. He has a tremendous ability, speed, strength. He has excellent technique and he loves to compete. I think he's just going to start showing people how good he is. But like anything, he needs to continue to improve and I think he will."
Penn State drops tough 19-18 dual at Arizona State
by Pat Donghia, Penn State Athletics
TEMPE, Ariz.; Nov. 22, 2019 – The Penn State Nittany Lions (1-1, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 1 nationally on InterMat’s Tournament Power Index (TPI), lost a hard-fought dual at No. 6 Arizona State (5-0) in a top ten non-conference meeting in Tempe, Ariz. The two teams split bouts five each, but Arizona State won the bonus point battle and posted a 19-18 victory in front of an Arizona State record-setting crowd of 8,542.
The dual began at 125 where Lion freshman Brody Teske (Duncombe, Iowa) suffered a 19-7 major decision to No. 19 Brandon Courtney to give the Sun Devils an early 4-0 lead. Arizona native Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 3 at 133, took care of No. 16 Josh Kramer, posting a 7-6 win to get Penn State on the board. Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 3 at 141, put Penn State on top with a resounding 18-3 technical fall over Cory Crooks at the 4:28 mark in the second period.
Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) dropped a hard-fought 5-4 decision to ASU senior Josh Maruca at 149, and the Nittany Lion lead was cut to 8-7. With No. 5 Brady Berge held out of the dual, junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) moved up to 157 once more and lost a tough 9-4 decision to Arizona State’s Jacori Teemer. Teemer’s win gave ASU a 10-8 lead at intermission.
Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, rolled over No. 5 Josh Shields to begin the second half. Joseph notched the bout’s only takedowns on his way to a 7-4 win. Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, then put Penn State up 15-10 by dominating No. 8 Anthony Valencia. Hall posted the 11-3 major decision to put Penn State up 15-10. No. 2 Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) did not compete and freshman Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.) was not able to as well, giving No. 1 Zahid Valencia the forfeit victory at 184.
The six-point swing gave the Sun Devils a 16-15 lead. Graduate Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio), ranked No. 7 at 197, lost a tough 10-4 decision to Sun Devil Kordell Norfleet to give Arizona State a 19-15 lead. Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 285, needed something big to grab the dual meet for the Nittany Lions and nearly turned the trick in the first period. Cassar turned No. 5 Tanner Hall to his back midway through the period and appeared to have a fall twice, but no pin was awarded and Cassar went on to post a dominant 9-5 win. The victory cut ASU’s lead down to one but Arizona State posted the 19-18 upset victory.
Penn State won the takedown battle 19-16 but ASU had a 4-3 edge in bonus points, thanks in large part to a forfeit victory at 184. The loss snaps Penn State’s 60-dual win streak that dated back to the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
Penn State is now 1-1 on the year, 0-0 B1G. Arizona State improves to 5-0. Penn State will visit Lehigh in its next action. The Nittany Lions are at Lehigh on Friday, Dec. 6, in a 7 p.m. dual that airs live on SE2 and the Patriot League Network. Two days later, Penn State hosts Penn in Rec Hall. The Lions and Quakers battle on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m.
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