All Penn State

Penn State Wrestling Dominates at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals

The No. 1 Nittany Lions win 29 of 30 bouts during a three-match day in Nashville that featured a duel between national champs.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson looks on during a freestyle Championship Final during the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials at Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State.
Penn State wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson looks on during a freestyle Championship Final during the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials at Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The No. 1 Penn State wrestling team rolled through three opponents, including No. 15 Missouri, at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville on Sunday, setting a program record in the process. With dual-match victories over Binghamton, Arkansas-Little Rock and Missouri, the Nittany Lions extended their win streak to 62 matches, breaking the former Penn State record of 60. Penn State coach Cael Sanderson now has two win streaks of at least 60 matches in his 16 seasons in State College.

Penn State's numbers at the Journeymen Duals were staggering. The Nittany Lions improved to 6-0 by winning 29 of the 30 bouts, losing only to a two-time national champ and a No. 1 wrestler in the country. Penn State shut out Binghamtom and Arkansas-Little Rock as part of a three-match shutout streak and outscored its three opponents by a combined 137-3. That included a 41-3 win over Missouri.

The tournament's marquee bout was the Keegan O'Toole vs. Levi Haines 174-pound matchup in the nightcap match. Missouri's O'Toole is a two-time national champ at 165 pounds who moved up one weight class this season. Haines is the defending national champ at 157 and ranked second nationally to O'Toole, according to InterMat. Sunday's bout was expected to be a national-championship preview, with O'Toole taking the first round.

The wrestlers felt out the bout for 2 minutes before O'Toole fought off a Haines single-leg shot to force a stalemate. O'Toole continued to defend through the remainder of the first period. Haines escaped to start the second period for a 1-0 lead, defended an O'Toole shot and attempted to counter. O'Toole slipped away and later took a shot that Haines successfully defended to force another stalemate.

O'Toole escaped from the down position to start the third period, but Haines forced the action with a near-takedown that O'Toole held at bay. In overtime, O'Toole countered a Haines shot and nearly turned that into a takedown, but Haines fought it off. O'Toole kept up the attack, however, and scored the winning takedown in sudden victory.

Otherwise, Penn State swept the action in its three matches. Beau Bartlett, ranked third at 141, hit a sudden-victory takedown to defeat No. 16 Josh Edmond 4-1. Top-ranked Carter Starocci added another bonus-point win, majoring No. 10 Colton Hawks 10-1. Penn State scored bonus points in six bouts against the Tigers, including falls by No. 2 Shayne Van Ness (149) and No. 7 Josh Barr (197). Penn State captured a 15-2 advantage in takedowns against Missouri.

The Nittany Lions made quick work in shutting out Binghamton (52-0) and Arkansas-Little Rock (44-0). Against Binghamton, Penn State scored four pins and three technical falls. Against Little Rock, the Nittany Lions recorded two pins and six technical falls. The highlight of that match was Barr's 4-1 sudden victory over Stephen Little, Little Rock's previously unbeaten, fifth-ranked wrestler. Barr, ranked seventh, jumped quickly out of a restart, hitting a shot for the winning takedown in the final 30 seconds.

Up Next

Penn State opens its Big Ten schedule against Michigan State on Jan. 10 at Rec Hall. The match is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.

More Penn State Wrestling

Penn State dominates Wyoming for 59th consecutive win

Carter Starocci scores statement win at NWCA All-Star Classic

Published
Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

Home/Wrestling