Penn State Wrestlers Thrash Ohio State 34-9 in Sold Out Rec Hall

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; January 29, 2012 – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team followed up a win over Iowa with yet another statement victory by hammering visiting Ohio State 34-9 in a key Big Ten dual. Penn State won eight of ten bouts in front of yet another sold out Rec Hall crowd of nearly 7,000 fans, not giving up a single takedown in its eight victories over the fifth-ranked Buckeyes.

True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 125, opened up the dual with a dominating 6-2 win over No. 15 Johnni Dejulius with 2:41 in riding time. Buckeye Logan Stieber, ranked No. 3 at 133, then pinned Nittany Lion sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) at the 1:38 mark. At 141, Lion junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) battled No. 6 Hunter Stieber tough before dropping a 9-5 decision, giving the Buckeyes a 9-3 lead.

Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 149, began a Penn State onslaught with a thorough dismantling of Ohio State’s Alex Gordon. Molinaro posted a 12-0 major with an impressive 5:20 in riding time. Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) then hammered No. 20 John Demas, shutting out the ranked Buckeye 4-0 with 1:28 in riding time to give Penn State a 10-9 lead heading into the halftime break.

Coming out of the locker room, All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 at 165, posted a devastating 18-3 tech fall over Ohio State’s Derek Garcia (6:20). Keeping the Lion train rolling, All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) ranked No. 2 at 174, pinned No. 8 Nick Heflin in the first period, getting the fall at the 2:05 mark.. Defending national champion Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 184, then pinned Buckeye Craig Thomas at the 3:18 mark for Penn State’s third straight bonus point win. In a much-anticipated bout at 197, Lion true freshman Morgan McIntosh, ranked No. 12 at 197, took care of No. 20 Andrew Campolattano with a 5-4 win. Senior heavyweight Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at heavyweight, then took care of No. 16 Peter Capone, posting a 9-0 major with 3:00 in riding time to cap off the 34-9 win.

The Nittany Lions are now 9-1 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten, while Ohio State falls to 9-3, 3-3. The Nittany Lions dominated the match from start to finish, winning eight of ten bouts, notching 10 bonus points off two pins, a tech fall and two majors, and winning the takedown war by a gaudy 16-4 margin. Penn State did not give up a single takedown in its eight victories and had five wrestlers get riding time points.

The Nittany Lions will trek to Lincoln, Neb., on Friday, Feb. 3, for a Big Ten dual with the Cornhuskers beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central (local to site). Penn State’s next home dual is against No. 10 Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. While seats for the dual are now sold out, a limited number of Standing Room Only tickets remain. Fans can purchase these SRO ducats by calling 1-800-NITTANY or in person at the Bryce Jordan Center box office.

The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven’s WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live, WIEZ (670 AM) in Huntingdon/Lewistown carries all Sunday events and further affiliates may be added soon. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State’s All-Access package, which will also feature live video streams of many home events. Ticket information is accessed easily online at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling’s facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

#2 Penn State 34, #5 Ohio State 9

January 29, 2012 – Rec Hall – University Park, Pa.

125: #8 Nico Megaludis PSU dec. #15 Johnni Dejulius OSU, 6-2 3-0

133: #3 Logan Stieber OSU pinned Frank Martellotti PSU, WBF (1:38) 3-6

141: #6 Hunter Stieber OSU dec. Bryan Pearsall PSU, 9-5 3-9

149: #1 Frank Molinaro PSU maj. dec. Alex Gordon, 12-0 (5:20 RT) 7-9

157: #7 Dylan Alton PSU dec. #20 Josh Demas OSU, 4-0 10-9

165: #1 David Taylor PSU tech fall Derek Garcia OSU, 18-3 (6:20) 15-9

174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU pinned #8 Nick Heflin OSU, WBF (2:05) 21-9

184: #2 Quentin Wright PSU pinned Craig Thomas OSU, WBF (3:18) 27-9

197: #12 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. #20 Andrew Campolattano OSU, 5-4 30-9

285: #6 Cameron Wade PSU maj. dec. #16 Peter Capone, 9-0 34-9