Notes on tonight's No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 2 Iowa from each school

Photos of Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) and Spencer Lee (Iowa) by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors

PENN STATE NOTES
by Patrick Donghia, Penn State Strategic Communications

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State (10-0, 3-0 B1G) will host Iowa (12-0, 5-0 B1G) on Friday, Jan. 27, in the second BJC Dual of the year for head coach Cael Sanderson's squad. The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes face off at 8:30 p.m. in another B1G Network national telecast in the Jordan Center. This is Iowa's first trip to Penn State since the 2017-18 season.

Penn State is coming off a superb two-win weekend in State College. The Nittany Lions dominated Michigan 30-8 in the first BJC Dual of the season last Friday, winning eight of ten matches including three from freshmen Shayne Van Ness (149), Levi Haines (157) and Alex Facundo (165). Two days later, the Lions took care of Michigan State in Rec Hall, 34-6. Penn State also won eight against the Spartans, including three from freshmen Gary Steen (125), Shayne Van Ness (149) and Alex Facundo (165). Penn State improved to 10-0, 3-0 B1G with the home wins.

The Lion line-up, which could feature four freshmen, begins with freshman Gary Steen, who is 5-9 at 125. Roman Bravo-Young is ranked No. 1 at 133 with a 9-0 mark. Beau Bartlett is ranked No. 4 at 141 and is 14-0 on the year. Freshman Shayne Van Ness is ranked No. 13 at 149 and is 11-2. Freshman Levi Haines is 12-1 and ranked No. 9 at 157 while Terrell Barraclough sports a 6-3 mark at that weight. Freshman Alex Facundo is ranked No. 5 at 165 and is 11-1. Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 174, is 10-0 on the year. Aaron Brooks, ranked No. 1 at 184, is 6-1. Max Dean is 12-2 and ranked No. 4 at 197 and Greg Kerkvliet is ranked No. 2 at 285 with an 8-1 mark.

Iowa enters the dual with a 12-0 record, 5-0 in the Big Ten. Iowa could send a line-up of ten ranked wrestlers onto the stage in the BJC. Spencer Lee is ranked No. 1 at 125 and Brody Teske is ranked No. 17 at 133. Real Woods is ranked No. 2 at 141 and Max Murin is ranked No. 7 at 149. Cobe Siebrecht is ranked No. 15 at 157 and Patrick Kennedy is ranked No. 13 at 165. Nelson Brands is ranked No. 16 at 174 and Abe Assad is ranked No. 12 at 184. Jacob Warner is ranked No. 7 at 197 and Tony Cassioppi is ranked No. 3 at 285. The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 28-11-2. Penn State won last year, 19-13 on Jan. 28, 2022, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Penn State has won three of the last four meetings.

The Nittany Lions hit the road for two duals next weekend. Penn State is at Ohio State on Friday, Feb. 3, for a 7 p.m. meeting and at Indiana on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m.

All rankings listed are InterMat individual/InterMat TPI. The 2022-23 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (10-0, 3-0 B1G)
125 Gary Steen Fr. Hermitage, Pa./Reynolds 5-9
133 #1 Roman Bravo-Young Sr.+ Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside 9-0
141 #4 Beau Bartlett Jr. Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 14-0
149 #13 Shayne Van Ness Fr. Somerville, N.J./Blair Academy 11-2
157 #9 Levi Haines Fr. Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville 12-1
Terrell Barraclough Jr. Kaysville, Utah/Layton 6-3
165 #5 Alex Facundo Fr. Essexville, Mich./Davison 11-1
174 #1 Carter Starocci Jr. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 10-0
184 #1 Aaron Brooks Sr. Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown 6-1
197 #4 Max Dean Sr. Lowell, Mich./Lowell 12-2
285 #2 Greg Kerkvliet Jr. Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley 8-1

IOWA HAWKEYES (12-0, 5-0 B1G)
125 #1 Spencer Lee Sr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 10-0
133 #17 Brody Teske Jr. Duncombe, Iowa/Fort Dodge 4-0
141 #2 Real Woods Sr. Albuquerque, N.M./Montini Catholic (Ill.) 9-0
149 #7 Max Murin Sr. Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria 13-3
157 #15 Cobe Siebrecht Fr. Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon 8-2
165 #13 Patrick Kennedy So. Kasson Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville 12-2
174 #16 Nelson Brands Sr. Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City West 4-3
184 #12 Abe Assad Jr. Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North 14-2
197 #7 Jacob Warner Sr. Tolono, Ill./Washington Community 11-2
285 #3 Tony Cassioppi Sr. Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah 16-0

Individual Rankings listed are InterMat and Team Rankings are Intermat Tournament Power Index (as of 1/24/23)

THIS WEEK
Penn State (10-0, 3-0 B1G) welcomes Iowa (12-0, 5-0 B1G) to the Bryce Jordan Center for the second BJC Dual of the season. The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes meet at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, in a B1G Network national telecast.

UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions head to Ohio State on Friday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. and then visit Indiana on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m.

ON THE AIR
TV- B1G Network
Radio online - Free all year via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Live Web Video – None

MILESTONES
Individual records and milestones that are in play as of now:
* 250 Career coaching wins (overall career)
Cael Sanderson, 229
* 100 Career Big Ten dual meet coaching wins
Cael Sanderson, 99
* 200 Career coaching wins at Penn State
Cael Sanderson, 185

IOWA MEDIA NOTES
By James Allan, Associate Director, Athletic Communications

BACK POINTS
• The Hawkeyes have won 15 consecutive duals dating back to the 2021-22 season.
• Iowa is making its first trip to Happy Valley since the 2017-18 season.
• Friday’s dual features 19 ranked wrestlers.
• Senior Tony Cassioppi is 16-0 this season with a career-high 10 falls. The 10 falls are the most by a Hawkeye since 2017-18 (Sam Stoll/Michael Kemerer).
• Senior Spencer Lee is riding a 48-match winning streak dat ing back to the 2019 season -- the ninth-longest streak in program history. Lee has six consecutive falls (four straight over top 10 opponents) -- a career-long streak.
• Lee was named the NCAA and Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 24 after recording back-to-back falls over top-five foes

ON THE MAT
The second-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team travels to Happy Valley for a Friday dual against top-ranked Penn State. The meet will be held at the Bryce Jordan Center beginning at 7:30 p.m. (CT).
• The Hawkeyes will also send wrestlers to the Pat “Flash” Flanagan Open in Dubuque, Iowa, on Jan. 28. The competition will be held at the Graber Sports Center beginning at 9 a.m.

FOLLOW ALONG LIVE
• Friday’s dual will be televised live on BTN with Shane Sparks (play-by-play) and Jim Gibbons (color) on the call.
• Iowa wrestling events are broadcast by AM-800 KXIC and streamed on hawkeyesports.com via YouTube. Steven Grace and Mark Ironside will call the action for Hawkeye Sports Properties, a property of Learfield.
• Follow Iowa wrestling on social media via Twitter (@Hawks_Wrestling), Facebook/iowahawkeyewrestling and Instagram (@iowahawkeyewrestling).
• Live results will be available via TrackWrestling with a link available on hawkeyesports.com

LAST MEET
Iowa defeated No. 16 Wisconsin, 19-18 on the third criteria, on Jan. 22 in Madison. The Hawkeyes won five matches in the dual, highlighted by Spencer Lee’s fall over No. 6 Eric Barnett. Iowa trailed 18-15 before No. 3 Tony Cassioppi posted a 4-1 decision over No. 11 Trent Hilger to tie the dual at 18. The Hawkeyes won the dual based on
a 31-24 advantage in match points in the decisions, major decision and technical falls.

THE SERIES -- PENN STATE
Iowa leads the all-time series 28-11-2. The Hawkeyes are 12-5-1 all time in University Park This is Iowa’s first trip to Happy Valley since the 2017-18 season.
• Penn State won the most recent meeting, winning 19-13 last season in Iowa City.

1 VS. 2
Friday is just the fourth time Iowa and Penn State are meeting as No. 1 and No. 2 in the NWCA Coaches’ Poll.
Jan. 5, 1986 - #1 Iowa 35, #2 Penn State 6
Jan. 31, 2020 - #1 Iowa 19, #2 Penn State 17
Jan. 28, 2022 - #1 Penn State 19, #2 Iowa 13
• Iowa’s last win over the No. 1 ranked team was on Nov. 14, 2015, at the Grapple on the Gridiron (No. 3 Iowa 18, No. 1 Oklahoma State 16).

RETURN TRIP TO PA
Iowa’s probable lineup includes two Pennsylvania natives in Spencer Lee and Max Murin and a third-Hawkeye -- Kolby Franklin -- hails from the state.
• Lee was a three-time Pennsylvania State champion (and runner-up as a senior) at Franklin Regional High School. Murin was a two-time state champion and three-time finalist at for Central Cambria in Ebensburg.

TESKE IN HAPPY VALLEY
Junior Brody Teske began his career in Happy Valley, competing for the Nittany Lions from 2018-20. The Iowa native redshirted during his first season, posting a 6-2 record unattached, before going 5-2 in 2019, competing during the first semester.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS
• Abe Assad is 0-2 all-time against Aaron Brooks at 184, falling 7-3 in the 2020 dual and 8-3 in the 2022 dual.
• Jacob Warner is 0-2 against Max Dean at 197, falling 8-3 in the dual last season in Iowa City and 3-2 in the NCAA final last season.
• Tony Cassioppi is 3-0 all-time against Greg Kerkvliet at heavyweight. Cassioppi posted a 9-0 major decision in 2021, won 7-2 in the dual in 2022 and 6-4 in sudden victory at the 2022 Big Ten Tournament.
• Kerkvliet did beat Cassioppi, 8-5, at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Aus tin, Texas, in November. The match, however, was an exhibition, so it did not officially count toward NCAA records or the season’s RPI.
• Patrick Kennedy and Alex Facundo met in the Who’s Number One in 2019 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Kennedy won 5-2.

TOP 10 MATCHUPS
Friday’s duals will feature 19 ranked wrestlers. Depending on the vari ous rankings, there could be four top 10 battles in the dual.
• No. 2 Real Woods will face No. 3 Beau Bartlett at 141. Both wrestlers are undefeated. Woods is 9-0; Bartlett is 14-0.
• No. 9 Patrick Kennedy will square off against No. 5 Alex Facundo at 165. The two met at the Who’s Number One in Iowa City in 2019. Ken nedy is 12-2 with both losses coming to top-six ranked foes; Facundo is 12-1.
• At 197, there will be a rematch of the 2022 NCAA finals between No. 7 Jacob Warner and No. 2 Max Dean. Warner is 11-2 this season; Dean is 12-2.
• At heavyweight, it will be a No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchup between third ranked Tony Cassioppi and No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet. Cassioppi is 16-0 with 10 falls; Kerkvliet is 8-1 after suffering his first loss of the season last Friday against Michigan’s Mason Parris.

48 STRAIGHT
Senior Spencer Lee ran his fall streak to a career-long six matches, pin ning No. 7 Liam Cronin of Nebraska and No. 6 Eric Barnett of Wisconsin last weekend. In Lee’s last four matches, he has pinned four consecutive top 10 ranked foes (No. 9 Matt Ramos, No. 3 Michael DeAugustino, Cronin and Barnett).
• Lee’s pin over Cronin came in just 38 seconds -- tied for the third-fast est fall of his collegiate career. It was Lee’s 10th career fall in under one minute and it was his 27th first-period fall.
• The Pennsylvania native is 10-0 with 10 bonus point victories -- seven falls (in a combined 13:31), two majors and one technical fall. In 10 matches, Lee is outscoring his opponents, 104-23, and has been on the mat for 31:79
• The Pennsylvania native has won 48 consecutive matches dating back to the 2019 season, where he has outscored his opposition, 567-64. It is the ninth longest winning streak in Iowa wresting history: Jim Zalesky (89), Troy Steiner (74), Tom Brands (69), Brent Metcalf (69), Mark Ironside (67), T.J. Williams (67), Lincoln McIlravy (56) and Joe Williams (53).
• Lee is 88-5 in his collegiate career with 76 bonus point victories -- 33 pins, 29 technical falls and 14 majors (86.4 percent).

CASS’ CAREER HIGH
Senior Tony Cassioppi has a career-high 10 falls (in 19:73) this season -- tied for the third most in the NCAA. Nine of Cassioppi’s 10 pins have come in the first period. He is the first Hawkeye since Sam Stoll and Michael Kemerer in 2017-18 to have 10 falls in a single season.
• The Illinois native recorded pin No. 10 in Iowa’s 34-6 win over Nebraska when he stuck Cale Davidson in 6:39. Cassioppi nearly won via a stall out early in the match before building a 16-2 lead with riding time secured for a tech fall. He cut the Husker with 30 seconds left before taking him down feet to back to complete the fall.
• Cassioppi is 4-0 against ranked foes this season with victories over Penn’s No. 24 Ben Goldin (MD, 9-0), Iowa State’s No. 9 Sam Schuyler (9-2), Northwestern’s No. 4 Lucas Davison (3-2) and Wisconsin’s No. 11 Trent Hilger (4-1).
• Cassioppi has taken the mat three times with the dual in the balance. He responded with a win against Iowa State, a stall out against Illinois’ Matt Wroblewski and a decision over Hilger, 4-1, to tie the dual (and Iowa won via criteria).
• Cassioppi had five consecutive falls for the first time in his career with a fall over Chattanooga’s Logan Andrew before pinning his way through the Soldier Salute with four first period falls where he was on the mat for a grand total of 7:38.
• In 16 matches, Cassioppi has been on the mat for a grand total of 53:69.
• Cassioppi is riding a 17-match winning streak dating back to last season. It is the longest streak of his collegiate career.

REAL DEAL
• No. 2 Real Woods has won three consecutive matches over ranked opponents to improve to 9-0 this season. He is 4-0 over ranked foes this season with wins over Iowa State’s No. 10 Casey Swiderski (4-2), Northwestern’s No. 6 Frankie Tal-Sharar (TF-17-2), Nebraska’s No. 4 Brock Hardy (6-4) and Wisconsin’s No. 26 Joseph Zargo (9-2).
• Woods is 9-0 with bonus point wins in six of his nine matches. He has four technical falls, one pin and one major decision.
• Woods won his 50th career match in his 4-2 win over Hardy on Jan. 20. He is 51-8 in his collegiate career.

MAD MAX
Senior Max Murin has a career-high 10 bonus point victories in his 13-3 start to the 2022-23 season. He has a career-high four pins and four technical falls to go along with two major decisions. (Murin had one career technical fall prior to this season.)
• All three of Murin’s losses have come against top 10 ranked opponents -- Iowa State’s No. 8 Paniro Johnson (3-1, SV1), Northwestern’s No. 5 Yahya Thomas (3-2) and Wisconsin’s No. 2 Austin Gomez (5-2).
• In December, Murin cruised to the Soldier Salute title at 149 pounds with two pins, a technical fall and two decisions. He downed teammates Joel Jesuroga and Caleb Rathjen in consecutive decisions to win the crown.

LAST MEETING | #1 PENN STATE 19, #2 IOWA 13 | JAN. 28, 2022 | IOWA CITY, IOWA
125 - #7 Drew Hildebrandt (PSU) major dec. Jesse Ybarra (UI), 9-0
133 - #1 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) dec. #3 Austin DeSanto (UI), 3-2
141 - #1 Nick Lee (PSU) dec. #2 Jaydin Eierman (UI), 6-4 (SV1)
149 - #10 Max Murin (UI) dec. #19 Beau Bartlett (PSU), 4-1
157 - #12 Kaleb Young (UI) dec. Terrell Barraclough (PSU), 2-0
165 - #5 Alex Marinelli (UI) major dec. #11 Brady Berge (PSU), 10-2
174 - #1 Carter Starocci (PSU) dec. #2 Michael Kemerer (UI), 2-1 (TB1)
184 - #1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) dec. #17 Abe Assad dec. (UI), 8-3
197 - #2 Max Dean (PSU) dec. #4 Jacob Warner (UI), 8-3
285 - #5 Tony Cassioppi (UI) dec. #3 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU); 7-2