Michigan
Penn State
Wolverines Drop First Dual of the Season at No. 1 Penn State
2/1/2019 11:27:00 PM | Wrestling
» No. 4 Michigan won three of the first four matches but could not hang onto its lead, falling to No. 1 Penn State, 25-11, in front of 15,703 at PSU's Bryce Jordan Center.
» Drew Mattin (125 pounds), Stevan Micic (133) and Malik Amine (149) earned individual wins for Michigan; Micic improved to 10-0 with a technical fall -- his seventh straight bonus win.
» Michigan lost by two points or fewer in three straight matches at 165, 174 and 184 pounds.
Site: State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
Score: #1 Penn State 25, #4 Michigan 11
Records: U-M (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten), PSU (10-0, 5-0 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 10 -- vs. Northwestern (Cliff Keen Arena), noon
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team built an early lead, winning three of the opening four matches, but could not hang on through the middle and upperweights, falling to No. 1 Penn State, 25-11, on Friday night (Feb. 1) in front of a crowd of 15,703 at the Bryce Jordan Center. It was the Wolverines' first dual loss of the season.
Sophomore Drew Mattin, senior/junior Stevan Micic and fifth-year senior Malik Amine earned match victories for the Wolverines and put U-M ahead, 11-3, after four bouts.
Mattin, ranked 15th at 125 pounds, opened the dual with a 6-0 decision over Devin Schnupp, scoring on takedowns in the first and third periods and accumulating 1:42 in riding-time advantage. He converted quickly on high crotch in the first and rode out the remainder of the frame -- earning a one count on a suck back but not two. He iced the match with a counter attack off a PSU single-leg attempt.
Micic, the nation's No. 1-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds, cruised to a 20-5 technical over Scott Stossel after riding time. He scored on seven takedowns, including three in the first period after fighting off a single leg for nearly a minute, and added a four-point tilt to break the match open in the second. Micic finished on three more takedowns in the third, including a late high crotch and rideout -- he finished with 2:53 riding time -- to earn the technical fall. He improved to 10-0 on the season, with eight bonus wins, including each of his last seven matches.
After Penn State got on the board with a decision at 141 pounds, Malik Amine gritted out a 7-5 decision over Jarod Verkleeren at 149 pounds. Amine took the first lead, coming out on top of a double cradle scramble in the first period, but trailed after a third-period escape -- though holding riding time -- until scoring on a low single leg and riding out the final minute of the bout. He finished with 2:19 in riding-time advantage.
The Nittany Lions claimed each of the final six matches, though earned just two bonus wins over the stretch which features four NCAA champions. Michigan lost by two points or fewer at three consecutive weights -- 165, 174 and 184 pounds.
Fifth-year senior Alec Pantaleo, ranked fifth at 157 pounds, could not dig himself out of an early six-point hole to No. 1 Jason Nolf, falling to the two-time NCAA champion, 9-2, just before the intermission break. Nolf scored out of an early scramble off a Pantaleo shot and added four near-fall points on a bow and arrow late in the first. Pantaleo scored the only takedown for the remainder of the match -- a third-period double -- but it was too little to overcome the sizable deficit.
Senior/juniors Logan Massa and Myles Amine were doomed by late takedowns in close losses at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Massa, ranked seventh, lost to No. 1-ranked and two-time defending NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph, 4-2, on a rear standing takedown with just one-second remaining in the first sudden-victory frame. Amine, ranked third, gave up a late counter takedown in the third period to fall, 3-2, to No. 1 Mark Hall.
Sophomore/freshman Jelani Embree also dropped a two-point decision, 5-3, to No. 2-ranked Shakur Rasheed at 184 pounds -- in his first appearance since mid-December. Rasheed scored two takedown in the first period before shutting it down. Embree earned a one count on a tilt early in the third and couldn't finish on an inside-trip attempt late.
Michigan (9-1, 4-1 Big Ten) will return home next Sunday (Feb. 10) to host Northwestern in its third straight Big Ten Network-televised dual at noon inside Cliff Keen Arena. Tickets are still available through the U-M Ticket Office.
No. 1 Penn State 25, No. 4 Michigan 11
Individual rankings by InterMat
125 -- #15 Drew Mattin (U-M) dec. Devin Schnupp, 6-0Â [U-M, 3-0]
133 -- #1 Stevan Micic (U-M) tech. fall Scott Stossel, 20-5 (7:00)Â [U-M, 8-0]
141 -- #7 Nick Lee (PSU) dec. #5 Kanen Storr, 10-4Â [U-M, 8-3]
149 -- Malik Amine (U-M) dec. Jarod Verkleeren, 7-5Â [U-M, 11-3]
157 -- #1 Jason Nolf (PSU) dec. #5 Alec Pantaleo, 9-2Â [U-M, 11-6]
165 -- #1 Vincenzo Joseph (PSU) dec. #7 Logan Massa, 4-2 SV Â [U-M, 11-9]
174 -- #1 Mark Hall (PSU) dec. #3 Myles Amine, 3-2Â [PSU, 12-11]
184 -- #2 Shakur Rasheed (PSU) dec. Jelani Embree, 5-3Â [PSU, 15-11]
197 -- #1 Bo Nickal (PSU) pinned Jackson Striggow, 5:50Â [PSU, 21-11]
Hwt -- #4 Anthony Cassar (PSU) major dec. #8 Mason Parris, 19-8Â [PSU, 25-11]
Players Mentioned
