Over the previous eight seasons, Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson is 61-1 in Huge Ten matches. The one loss was to Iowa in 2020. Conversely, Iowa coach Tom Manufacturers is 35-1 within the Huge Ten since 2018. The one loss was to Penn State final season.
That is school wrestling’s principal occasion of the 2022-23 common season, the equal of a School Soccer Playoff championship recreation in November. Penn State and Iowa, the Huge Ten’s most dominant dual-meet groups of the previous decade, renew their rivalry Friday evening in State School, elevating school wrestling to the nationwide stage.
No. 1 Penn State hosts No. 2 Iowa at 8:30 p.m. ET on the Bryce Jordan Middle earlier than what may very well be the biggest crowd ever for an indoor school wrestling match. Penn State expects a sellout crowd of doubtless 16,000 followers at its second Bryce Jordan Middle match of the season. Huge Ten Community will televise.
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The match between unbeatens marks Iowa’s first journey to State School since 2018 and guarantees the Huge Ten’s most intriguing marquee of the season. Penn State (10-0) and Iowa (12-0) might deliver 19 ranked wrestlers, seven unbeatens, 4 No. 1s and 4 bouts between top-10 opponents to the get together.
In the meantime, Iowa seeks to finish some streaks, simply as Penn State did final season at Carver-Hawkeye Area.
Penn State has received 38 consecutive twin meets relationship to its January 2020 loss at Iowa. And since their 2015 loss to No. 1 Iowa on the Bryce Jordan Middle, the Lions have received 50 consecutive dwelling matches at both the BJC or Rec Corridor.
In the meantime, Iowa has received 15 consecutive duals since its 2022 dwelling loss to Penn State. One yr in the past Saturday, Penn State defeated Iowa 19-13, ending the Hawkeyes’ 28-match Huge Ten win streak. It was the most-watched wrestling match in BTN historical past.
Friday’s match would be the fourth between Penn State and Iowa when ranked 1-2 within the NWCA Coaches Ballot. The No. 1 group has received the earlier three conferences: Iowa in 1986 and 2020 and Penn State in 2022.
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Yet another factor: A win would mark Sanderson’s one hundredth profession Huge Ten victory.
The twin options some doubtlessly nice matchups. Listed here are 5 to look at.
141: No. 4 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Actual Woods
What makes Penn State’s roster so particular? Bartlett is 14-0, and his closest bout was a 3-1, sudden-victory resolution over teammate David Evans on the Black Open. Woods (9-0) is 4-0 towards ranked opponents and has six bonus-point victories.
149: No. 13 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) vs. No. 7 Max Murin
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Murin, a two-time Pennsylvania state champ at Central Cambria, returns needing a key outcome for the Hawkeyes. He is 13-3 with 10 bonus-point victories however has misplaced to 3 of the 4 ranked wrestlers he has confronted. Like Murin, Van Ness (11-2) has misplaced to No. 2 Austin Gomez of Wisconsin and No. 6 Paniro Johnson of Iowa State this season. However Van Ness has wins over 4 different ranked wrestlers, two by fall.
165: No. 5 Alex Facundo (Penn State) vs. No. 9 Patrick Kennedy
Facundo, 11-1 as a redshirt freshman, shot from 17 to five in InterMat Wrestling’s rankings after beating a pair of ranked wrestlers final week. That included an additional time win vs. then-No. 5 Cameron Amine of Michigan. Kennedy (12-2) is ninth in line with WIN Journal and averages 12.4 factors per match. Kennedy defeated Facundo 5-2 on the 2019 Who’s No. 1 highschool showcase.
197: No. 4 Max Dean (Penn State) vs. No. 7 Jacob Warner
Dean and Warner will wrestle a rematch of their 2022 NCAA title bout, which Dean received 3-2. Dean (12-2) is 2-0 in his profession towards Warner, who’s 11-2 this season and represents an necessary swing bout for the Hawkeyes. Since consecutive losses in December, Dean has received seven straight, getting bonus factors in 4.
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285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Tony Cassioppi
Kerkvliet, then ranked No. 1, misplaced his first bout of the season in additional time to Michigan’s Mason Parris final week. On Friday he faces a frequent nemesis in Cassioppi, who’s 3-0 of their earlier official bouts. Cassioppi (16-0) defeated Kerkvliet twice final season, together with a 6-4 additional time resolution within the Huge Ten event. However Kerkvliet (8-1) scored two takedowns to defeat Cassioppi 8-5 on the NWCA All-Star Class exhibition in December.
Noteworthy
Spencer Lee, Iowa’s top-ranked three-time nationwide champ at 125, brings a 48-bout win streak to Penn State. He is the one wrestler from both group who competed within the 2018 Penn State-Iowa match on the Bryce Jordan Middle.
Former Penn State wrestler Brody Teske (133) returns for the primary time since transferring to Northern Iowa in 2020 after which to Iowa this season. He’ll seemingly wrestle two-time NCAA champ Roman Bravo-Younger, whom he joined in Penn State’s No. 1 2018 recruiting class.
Penn State’s top-ranked Carter Starocci (174) has scored 59 takedowns with out permitting one this season.
Attendance for Penn State-Iowa on the BJC in 2018 was 15,998, the biggest crowd ever for an indoor school wrestling match. Might the constructing wedge in two extra to host school wrestling’s first indoor match with an attendance of 16,000?
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In 2022, Penn State returned from its two-year detour
AllPennState is the place for Penn State information, opinion and perspective on the SI.com community. Writer Mark Wogenrich has coated Penn State for greater than 20 years, monitoring three teaching staffs, three Huge Ten titles and a catalog of nice tales. Observe him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And take into account subscribing (button’s on the house web page) for extra nice content material throughout the SI.com community.
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
University of Northern Iowa posted a signature win over Nebraska Sunday at the McLeod Center. Iowa City High claimed Zimmerman Invitational title. Clear Creek Amana boys’, Vinton-Shellsburg girls’ earn runner-up finishes in the Wrestling Weekend That Was.
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UNI SHUCKS THE CORNHUSKERS
The 10 th-ranked Panthers earned a marquee victory, defeating No. 4 Nebraska Sunday at the McLeod Center. UNI came up one point shy of knocking off the Cornhuskers last season, but this time they left no doubt in their 24-9 triumph, winning seven of 10 bouts.
“They’re really a good team,” UNI Coach Doug Schwab said in the post-dual interview. “That’s a good win for our program. Feel like things have been building and that’s just evidence for everybody we’re building and where we’re going as a program.”
It was UNI’s first win over Nebraska since 1991, tying in 2000 when current Nebraska Coach Mark Manning was the Panthers’ head coach.
“That’s a long time,” Schwab said. “I didn’t know. None of these guys were alive.”
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The Panthers had a little fun with the history lesson. They were quick for a quip on the streak-snapping win.
“That’s on Doug,” 157-pounder Ryder Downey said to extract laughs during the news conference.
“That was my parents’ wedding,” said NCAA champion Parker Keckeisen, who had a crucial pin at 184.
Everything seemed to go UNI’s way. Well, the Panthers imposed their will to force things into their favor. They nearly won all of the key toss-up matches and converted key moves, like Trever Anderson’s takedown at 125, a seven-point cradle from Cael Happel at 141, the third-period comeback from Wyatt Voelker at 197, heavyweight Lance Runyon’s reversals, Keckeisen’s pin and overtime takedowns from Downey and 165-pounder Jack Thomsen.
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Schwab noted the performances represented the grit, heart and fight of the program and how the wrestlers trust the preparation for competition.”
“As close as the matches were, we found a way to win a whole bunch of them,” Schwab said. “I think that makes it a whole lot of fun.”
UNI’s Trever Anderson celebrates after a win over Nebraska’s No. 5 Caleb Smith at 125 pounds in the Panthers’ 24-9 win Jan. 5, 2025 at McLeod Center, Cedar Falls. (Photo courtesy of Nic Ryder)
Anderson, Happel, Downey and Keckeisen scored wins over highly-ranked foes. Anderson beat No. 5 Caleb Smith, 5-2, with a second-period takedown. Anderson said he takes pride in providing a spark to ignite the rest of the lineup. He lit the powder keg Sunday.
“It’s my job to go out and start it off,” said Anderson, who was third at the Soldier Salute. “I go out and do that just rolls, like a snowball. It just keeps going.
“I think it’s a job that’s under emphasized … I think it helps the other guys.”
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Happel, ranked No. 8, extended his win streak over No. 5 Brock Hardy. He trailed 4-0 in the second when he locked up a cradle for a takedown and four nearfall, fending off a late takedown attempt for a 7-5 decision.
In a battle of top-five wrestlers who met for the second time in a month, No. 5 Downey scored a takedown in sudden victory-1 to beat No. 3 Antrell Taylor, 5-2. The win avenged a loss at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December.
Schwab said he isn’t surprised Downey has ascended the ranks and capable of wins over top-tier wrestlers.
“He puts a tremendous amount of time into his craft,” Schwab said. “He works his tail off every day.”
Keckeisen helped set the nail in the Cornhuskers’ coffin that Voelker hammered shut. Keckeisen led 4-1 in the second when he cinched up a cradle for his second takedown and flattened unbeaten and fifth-ranked Silas Allred for a pin in 3:38. Keckeisen was asked if he was looking for a cradle.
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“No,” Keckeisen said. “I was just thinking wrestling.”
UNI improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12 Conference. The Panthers have notable dual wins over South Dakota State, Missouri and now Nebraska. They next step is to have the same effort for each dual.
“You’ve seen indications of our team being able to do that,” Schwab said. “I told our team if we’re going to go from a good team to a great team we have to do that in competition and we have to be consistent with it.”
IOWA CITY HIGH WINS ZIMMERMAN INVITE
Iowa City High started 2025 with success. The Little Hawks scored 234.5 points, beating runner-up Iowa City Liberty by 62, for the team title at Maquoketa’s Zimmerman Invitational.
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Kendall Kurtz (120), Chase Williams (126) and 190-pounder Blaine Heick each won titles for City High. Kurtz and Williams won each of their matches with bonus points. Kurtz tallied three technical falls, outscoring foes, 57-11. Williams had a pin and two major decisions.
Laith Alawneh (150), Marshall Sheldon (165), Mason Tilley at 175, Raphael Etuma (215) and heavyweight Shaaban Naim all placed second for City High, which wrestle at Cedar Rapids Jefferson on Thursday.
CLEAR CREEK AMANA RUNNER-UP AT VALLEY DUALS
Clear Creek Amana finished second at the West Des Moines Valley Duals on Saturday. The Clippers went 3-1 with victories over Muscatine (71-7), Ankeny Centennial (40-35) and Dallas Center-Grimes (43-33). Indianola went 4-0 to win the team title, topping CCA 41-29.
Iowa City West went 2-2 at the tournament, tying for third.
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VINTON-SHELLSBURG GIRLS’ PLACE 2ND
Vinton-Shellsburg finished second at the Denver Invitational on Saturday. Waverly-Shell Rock scored 198.5 points, 33.5 ahead of the Vikings.
Chloe Sanders at 140 and Sadie Burke (170) won championships for V-S. The Vikings’ Ellie Weets (115) and Camden Erhardt (130) posted runner-up honors.
LATE HEROICS FOR INDEPENDENCE
Independence received a pin from 190-pounder Braylen Bieber in the final match against Western Dubuque for a 39-33 dual victory Saturday.
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The teams split the 14 weight classes, but Independence won all by bonus points. Western Dubuque stormed back with three straight wins to tie the dual before the final match. Bieber capped the win with a 2:20 pin over David Theisen.
The Mustangs are ranked No. 6 in Class 2A, while the Bobcats are No. 14 in 3A.
Following the conclusion of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 2024 season, star offense tackle Mason Richman recently shared a heartfelt message to the Iowa community.
The Hawkeyes’ former cornerstone left tackle expressed his gratitude towards the program in an Instagram post last week.
Richman, a former three-star recruit out of Stilwell, KS, did not receive many D1 offers out of high school. However, he briefly discussed his journey to Iowa in the post, claiming that he was the “easiest recruiting job ever.”
“I was the easiest recruiting job ever. 11 Days from camp to commit. No money. Sure as heck no guarantees on playing time or living situation or any wack stuff. In fact if anything it was disincentive to put on knee braces and 60 pounds over 3ish years. But heck for a free education, I’d do it again.”
– Mason Richman via Instagram
After redshirting his freshman year in 2020, Richman became a four-year starter for the Hawkeyes at the left tackle position. Over the course of his career at Iowa, the former three-star developed into a core piece of the offense, as he was named honorable mention All-Big ten by league coaches and media in 2023.
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This year, he became one of the best offensive lineman in the country. Richman finished the 2024 season with a PFF run blocking grade of 81.4 while allowing two sacks in 743 total snaps.
Richman ended the post by stating his love for Iowa and everyone in the Hawkeyes’ program.
“I love this place and everything that it and god have given to me. I can say honestly and positively that I would rather struggle and fight with these brothers and this team than to go out scared. God Bless and Thank you for reading.”
Utah Utes (8-5, 0-2 Big 12) at Iowa State Cyclones (12-1, 3-0 Big 12)
Ames, Iowa; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: No. 3 Iowa State is looking to extend its nine-game win streak with a victory over Utah.
The Cyclones have gone 8-0 at home. Iowa State ranks fifth in the Big 12 in team defense, allowing 65.0 points while holding opponents to 40.9% shooting.
The Utes have gone 0-2 against Big 12 opponents. Utah has a 3-5 record against opponents above .500.
Iowa State scores 86.6 points, 16.7 more per game than the 69.9 Utah allows. Utah scores 17.7 more points per game (82.7) than Iowa State gives up (65.0).
The matchup Tuesday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams in conference play.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Joshua Jefferson is averaging 11.2 points, eight rebounds and 1.9 steals for the Cyclones.
Gabe Madsen is shooting 36.9% from beyond the arc with 3.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Utes, while averaging 16.5 points.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cyclones: 9-1, averaging 87.4 points, 33.6 rebounds, 17.2 assists, 9.9 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 50.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.3 points per game.
Utes: 5-5, averaging 78.1 points, 35.5 rebounds, 19.9 assists, 6.6 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.2 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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