Penn State hands Iowa second straight loss

IOWA CITY — Iowa Coach Tom Brands extended his post-dual news conference to compliment the 14,311 fans and the head-table staff at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Brands called them the best, but the Hawkeyes are still searching for the best wrestling.

It was second-ranked Penn State that got the best of No. 3 Iowa, winning seven matches for a 26-11 victory in a Big Ten Conference wrestling dual Friday. The loss is Iowa's second straight against the two top-ranked programs.

The Hawkeyes (7-2, 3-1 Big Ten) announced unfortunate news before the dual started, releasing a statement that ninth-ranked heavyweight Sam Stoll is out for the remainder of the 2016-17 season with a knee injury. The sophomore had recently returned after having offseason knee surgery that forced him out of the NCAA tournament in March.

'It's tough but that's where we have a guy getting to step in and prove himself and figure something out about himself,' Iowa 133-pound senior Cory Clark said. 'It's a team sport but the individuals have to do their job for the team to work out.'

Video: Iowa's Tom Brands

 

Iowa had its moments and was within striking distance with three matches remaining and a top-four bout between Iowa's fourth-ranked Sammy Brooks and No. 2 Bo Nickal at 184.

As quickly as Alex Meyer sparked the crowd with his late win at 174 over Junior World Champion Mark Hall, pulling Iowa within one point, Nickal doused their hopes for a comeback.

Brooks opened the offense and tried to finish a single-leg shot, but Nickal countered with a spladle for a pin in just 38 seconds. Brands said Brooks was smart in his first reaction, but wasn't able to adjust at the right time.

'Brooks went to the leg and he went to the leg hard,' Brands said. 'I don't fault him for that. You can't leave a trail leg behind.'

Nickal, a returning NCAA finalist, is more dangerous than a year ago for Penn State (8-0, 4-0).

'He did a great job,' Penn State Coach Cael Sanderson said. 'That was big. He felt comfortable in there in a position where most people would bail out.'

One of the marquee matchups opened the dual. Iowa's top-ranked Thomas Gilman faced No. 3 Nick Suriano at 125 pounds.

Gilman drew first blood, fighting through a series of head taps for a low single and the only takedown of the bout. Suriano scored two escapes to tie it, but a third-period escape gave Gilman a 3-2 victory.

Gilman didn't seem pleased with the action in the match.

'I hit one move and scored on that move,' Gilman said. 'I need to hit more moves.'

The lighter weights provided heat for the matside pyrotechnics. Third-ranked Clark thumped George Carpenter, who is replacing No. 15 Jered Cortez, who will not return due to injury.

Clark scored six takedowns and posted four nearfall at the end of the first, keeping the crowd engaged. He amassed 4:33 of riding time in the seven-minute match, securing the 19-4 technical fall and giving Iowa an 8-0 lead.

Video: Iowa's Cory Clark

 

Clark looked solid after suffering his first setback in the dual against Oklahoma State. He is just four matches removed from a month off due to a shoulder injury. He feels closer to where he should be this time of year. Clark said he's trying to be strong from the first whistle.

'As simple as that sounds, it's tough when that first whistle blows to be your best self,' Clark said. 'To beat the best guys in the country and best guys in the world, that's where you want to be. You have to figure out how to get there.'

Momentum shifted in the third period at 141 between Iowa's Topher Carton and Jimmy Gulibon. After trailing 3-0, Gulibon scored four takedowns for an 8-6 victory.

'Told Carton at the beginning of the year the difference in your senior year and your career, this is your chance, is third-period takedowns,' Brands said. 'You have to score third-period takedowns. It's been a concern. He's ironed it out somewhat. We're not consistent there. We need to be more consistent in the third period.'

In a rematch of last year's NCAA final, Penn State national champion Zain Retherford and Brandon Sorensen produced a thriller that lasted 11 minutes. Retherford's escape in the final tiebreaker period gave him a 9-8 win.

The pair exchanged takedowns in the first, finishing it tied 3-3. The fireworks came in the third when they traded takedowns in the final 49 seconds for a 7-7 tie after regulation.

'There is some progress there, but slam the door on the guy,' Brands said. 'We take the guy down to go ahead, and this is a competitor we're wrestling, remember that, and he escapes and 'boom' right back in on us and takes us down.

'We were doing some things that were better than before where we weren't letting him get underneath us so much. We were getting our legs back, but on that one it was a competitor got his back against the wall.'

Sorensen showed improvement against a dominant Retherford. He was able to score from underneath and earn takedowns. The result was better than the 14-1 combined scoring advantage Retherford had on Sorensen in last year's conference and national final.

'He's not about moral victories,' Brands said of Sorensen. 'I saw him at the break and I liked what I saw. He wasn't a guy about a moral victory. That doesn't mean anything except we're moving forward the right way that I like to see.'

In a battle of top-ranked wrestlers, No. 1 Jason Nolf scored four takedowns for a 9-8 decision over second-ranked Michael Kemerer at 157.

Meyer posted Iowa's final win, dropping Hall, a freshman who came out of redshirt and made his debut here.

Hall tallied the first takedown, but Meyer rebounded with an escape and a second-period takedown that tied it at three apiece. He was down, 5-4, in the third when he escaped and scored the decisive takedown in the final 30 seconds.

Iowa will host No. 4 Ohio State next Friday, beginning at 7 p.m.

AT CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA

Penn State 26, Iowa 11

125 — Thomas Gilman (IA) dec. Nick Suriano (PSU), 3-2

133 — Cory Clark (IA) tech. fall George Carpenter (PSU), 19-4

141 — Jimmy Gulibon (PSU) dec. Topher Carton (IA), 8-6

149 — Zain Retherford (PSU) dec. Brandon Sorensen (IA), 9-8 TB2

157 — Jason Nolf (PSU) dec. Michael Kemerer (IA), 9-4

165 — Vicenzo Joseph (PSU) dec. Joey Gunther (IA), 7-4

174 — Alex Meyer (IA) dec. Mark Hall (PSU), 7-5

184 — Bo Nickal (PSU) pinned Sammy Brooks (IA), :38

197 — Matt McCutcheon (PSU) dec. Cash Wilcke (IA), 8-7; 11-21; TB2

285 — Nick Nevills (PSU) tech. fall, Steven Holloway (IA), 21-6

Attendance: 14,311

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