No. 1 Penn State routs No. 2 Iowa, 30-8, in battle of Big Ten Conference leaders

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - University of Iowa received wins from Drake Ayala and Stephen Buchanan but Penn State dominated the rest of the dual.

The top-ranked Nittany Lions won its 66th straight dual, dating back to 2020, and dropped No. 2 Iowa, 30-8, Friday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The Hawkeyes (9-1, 3-1) face a quick turnaround, wrestling Maryland (8-6, 3-1) Sunday, starting at 1 p.m. (Iowa time).

“We have to get first takedowns, we have to get the last takedowns,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said in a news release. “We got run out of this arena in some matches, and what are you going to do coming back. We go to Maryland, Sunday. That’s where we are at.”

Ayala, ranked No. 2 nationally by Flowrestling, didn’t compete against Ohio State. He took on Kurt McHenry instead of No. 7 Braeden Davis. Ayala rolled to a 19-4 technical fall at 133 pounds.

Ayala tied the dual at 5 apiece, matching Penn State’s Luke Liledahl’s technical fall over Joey Cruz to open the dual.

Penn State won the next six weight classes, including top-ranked Mitchell Mesenbrink’s 19-4 technical fall over No. 2 Michael Caliendo and a 17-6 major decision from No. 3 Shayne Van Ness over No. 4 Kyle Parco at 149.

No. 3 Tyler Kasak scored the lone takedown in a 5-2 upset of Iowa’s top-ranked Jacori Teemer, who was just in his second match since a two-month layoff due to injury. Kasak’s win made it, 15-5, at the intermission.

The 184-pound weight garnered attention in the week leading up to the dual. Instead of regular starter Gabe Arnold, Iowa went with freshman Angelo Ferrari against top-ranked four-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci.

Ferrari competed well and kept it close. The pair exchanged escapes but Starocci’s riding-time point was the difference in a 2-1 decision.

According to media reports, Brands said that Ferrari will use his allotment of competitions and maintain his redshirt. Arnold will be the starter for the postseason, attempting to manage his workload to keep him fresh the end of the year.

Top-ranked Buchanan put the Hawkeyes back on the board, scoring a late takedown to secure a 5-1 victory over No. 4 Josh Barr.

Penn State heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet capped the night with a 12-2 major decision over Ben Kueter.

Iowa has dominated its opponents in a similar fashion all season but a huge gap exists between No. 1 and No. 2. Iowa and Oklahoma State also seem well in front of the rest of NCAA Division I dual field.

Penn State’s last dual loss was to Iowa. The Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany Lions, 19-17, on Jan. 31, 2020 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Iowa traveled to College Park, Md., to wrestle the much-improved Terrapins under Coach Alex Clemsen.

The dual promises five ranked matchups. Maryland’s lineup include No. 11 Braxton Brown at 133, No. 32 Kal Miller at 149, No. 6 157-pounder Ethen Miller, No. 10 Jaxon Smith (184) and heavyweight Seth Nevills, who is ranked 12th.

Iowa has won all previous six meetings with Maryland. The Hawkeyes outscored the Terrapins, 216-30, overall. Iowa blanked Maryland, 48-0, in the last meeting in 2019.

PENN STATE 30, IOWA 8

125 – #7 Luke Liledahl (P) tech fall. #26 Joey Cruz (I), 22-6

133 – #3 Drake Ayala (I) tech. fall Kurt McHenry (P), 19-4

141 – #3 Beau Bartlett (P) dec. Cullan Schriever (I), 7-3

149 – #4 Shayne Van Ness (P) major dec. #2 Kyle Parco (I), 17-6

157 – #3 Tyler Kasak (P) dec. #1 Jacori Teemer (I), 5-2

165 – #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (P) tech. fall #2 Michael Caliendo (I), 19-4

174 – #2 Levi Haynes (P) dec. #6 Patrick Kennedy (I), 10-3

184 – #2 Carter Starocci (P) dec. Angelo Ferrari (I), 2-1

197 – #1 Stephen Buahanan II (I) dec. #4 Josh Barr (P), 5-1

285 – #2 Greg Kerkvliet (P) major dec. #11 Ben Kueter (I), 12-2

Officials: Matt Sorochinsky, J.R. Johnson; Attendance: ]15,988

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com