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Penn State, Oklahoma State face off again for NWCA title

UNIVERSITY PARK — The Penn State wrestling team, ranked No 1 in the nation, will take on No. 2 Oklahoma State in the NWCA Dual Championship Series title event this Sunday.

The Nittany Lions are 13-0 overall while the Cowboys are 14-0. The match will take palce inside Gallagher-Iba Arena at 4 p.m., with the winner being declared the 2017 champion.

The dual meet could feature 19 ranked wrestlers. Penn State, winners of 30 straight dual meets dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season, won the title last season by virtue of a 29-18 win over Oklahoma State last February in Rec Hall.

Penn State is coming off two dual victories last weekend, downing No. 11 Illinois, 34-7, and Maryland, 45-6.

The Nittany Lions feature a lineup with seven underclassmen in their starting rotation. True freshman Nick Suriano is 16-1 and ranked No. 2 at 125. Sophomore George Carpenter is 1-11 and redshirt freshman Triston Law is 0-2 at 133. The lone senior in Penn State’s starting lineup, Jimmy Gulibon, is 13-6 and ranked No. 10 at 141. Junior Zain Retherford is 18-0 and No. 1 at 149. Sophomore Jason Nolf is 18-0 and ranked No. 1 at 157. Redshirt freshman Vin-cenzo Joseph is 13-3 and No. 4 at 165. True freshman Mark Hall, one of two true freshmen in the lineup, is 23-2 and No. 7 at 174. Sophomore Bo Nickal is 17-0 and ranked No. 2 at 184. Junior Matt McCutcheon is 14-3 and No. 9 at 197. Sophomore Nick Nevills is 15-2 and ranked No. 3 at 285.

Oklahoma State’s veteran lineup could feature four seniors and a junior. The Cowboys are coming off a 37-3 win over Oklahoma. All 10 of OSU’s potential starters are ranked by InterMat. Freshman Nick Piccininni is 18-6 and ranked No. 11 at 125. Freshman Kaid Brock is 22-1 and No. 3 at 133. Junior Dean Heil is 23-0 and ranked No. 1 at 141. Senior Anthony Collica is 17-1 and ranked No. 2 at 149. Sophomore Joe Smith is 8-3 and ranked No. 6 at 157.

Sophomore Chandler Rogers is 17-4 and No. 8 at 165. Senior Kyle Crutchmer is 15-4 and ranked No. 9 at 174. Senior Nolan Boyd is 18-3 and No. 4 at 184. Sophomore Preston Weigel is 15-4 and No. 8 at 197. Senior Austin Schafer is 18-1 and No. 6 at 285.

Oklahoma State owns a 13-7-1 lead in the all-time series against the Lions. The Cowboys won the last meeting in Stillwater, a 21-18 victory on Feb. 15, 2015.

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