UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) — No. 1 Penn State wrestling came back to beat no. 2 Iowa in front of a record-tying 15,998 fans.
It was the Hawkeyes first trip to Happy Valley since the 2017-2018 season.
Iowa controlled the early goin s of the match, drawing wins from four of its first six wrestlers, including Spencer Lee’s major decision which got Iowa on the board 5-0.
The tides of the night turned as Penn State moved into the heart of its lineup where its last four wrestlers were all ranked nationally inside the top 4. After Carter Starocci used a ride-time point to edge Nelson Brands, Aaron Brooks gave Penn State a 17-14 lead with a tech fall. Max Dean and Greg Kerkvliet earned wins as Penn State scored the final 14 points in a 23-14 victory.
The win is Penn State coach Cael Sanderson’s 100th career Big Ten Dual win. The Nittany Lions are now 11-0 on the season, and on the road next weekend when they face-off with no. 6 Ohio State on Friday, February 3 at 7 p.m. On Sunday, the Nittany Lions travel to no. 25 Indiana for a dual on February 5 at 1 p.m.
| 125 | 1. Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech fall Marco Vespa 18-2 | 0-5 |
| 133 | 1. Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) pinned 17. Brody Teske | 6-5 |
| 141 | 2. Real Woods (Iowa) dec. 4. Beau Bartlett 4-1 | 6-8 |
| 149 | 7. Max Murin (Iowa) dec. 13. Shayne Van Ness 4-1 | 6-11 |
| 157 | 9. Levi Haynes (PSU) dec. 15. Cobe Siebrecht 3-2 | 9-11 |
| 165 | 13. Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) dec. 5. Alex Facundo 2-1 | 9-14 |
| 174 | 1. Carter Starocci (PSU) dec. 16. Nelson Brands | 12-14 |
| 184 | 1. Aaron Brooks (PSU) tech fall Drake Rhodes 22-7 | 17-14 |
| 197 | 4. Max Dean (PSU) dec. 7. Jacob Warner 2-0 | 20-14 |
| 285 | 2. Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) dec. 3. Tony Cassioppi | 23-14 |
