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By Todd Irwin
sports@altoonamirror.com
UNIVERSITY PARK - Bonus points were hard to come by in Penn State's wrestling match against Oregon State in front of 6,511 at Rec Hall.
The top-ranked Nittany Lions could only muster two major decisions and Greg Kerkvliet's 18-2 technical fall over J.J. Dixon at 285. While the Lions held a 28-3 edge in takedowns, they didn't have any back points until Kerkvliet racked up eight nearfall points in his bout.
The Lions didn't appear to be at their best in only the third meeting of the programs, but they still rolled to a 31-3 victory and a 4-0 record.
"Looking at the lineups going into the dual, it had the potential to be a really good dual," Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said. "Our guys were able to win some close matches and kind of separate the score a little bit. (Oregon State) came in here and wrestled well, I think. We're going to keep getting better as we move along."
The Beavers (2-2) picked up their only win at 125, where 12th-ranked Brandon Kaylor shut out Gary Steen, 4-0. Kaylor amassed 3:03 in riding time over Steen, who dropped to 4-4.
"Gary's in the match," Sanderson said. "He's just missing things by a second here and a second there. A lot of times that's just experience and attitude. We've got to choose the attitude and the confidence that we have."
At 133, two-time NCAA champ Roman Bravo-Young actually gave up the first takedown to unranked Gabe Whisenhunt. But Bravo-Young scored three takedowns in the first period, three more in the second and one more in the third in a 17-8 major decision.
At 141, Beau Bartlett was leading Cleveland Belton, 3-2, in the third when the Nittany Lion junior got a takedown. Belton escaped, but Bartlett avoided danger to win, 5-3.
Penn State redshirt freshman 149-pounder Shane Van Ness took a 2-1 lead over Noah Tolentino into the third period, but an escape, takedown and a 2:10 riding time advantage gave Van Ness a 6-1 win.
"Shane is a beast," Sanderson said. "He wrestles hard. He moves forward. Even today, I think it was the end of the first period, where most wrestlers would have cut their opponent loose, he chose to put in a little extra work and get a mat return. The crowd really appreciated that, and it took a lot out of his opponent."
Terrell Barraclough was leading Isaiah Crosby, 7-1, in the third at 157 and looking for a major, but Crosby escaped and took him down. Barraclough won, 8-4, to give the Lions a 13-3 lead at halftime.
Penn State redshirt freshman 165-pounder Alex Facundo was tied, 2-2, with Matthew Olguin entering the third. Facundo escaped in the third, and won, 3-2.
At 174, two-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci racked up six takedowns in a 14-3 major decision over Aaron Olmos, giving the Lions a 20-3 lead.
Donovon Ball stepped in for two-time NCAA champ Aaron Brooks at 184 and took Jackson McKinney down with about 12 seconds left to break a 1-1 tie. The crowd erupted in celebration with the takedown and the eventual 3-1 win.
"Donovon has done a great job for us," Sanderson said. "He did a great job for us last year, especially in December. He stepped in and won some big matches. He keeps getting better. He makes everybody tougher around him. He's always ready to step in."
Asked if he was just giving Brooks the day off, Sanderson said, "Uh, yeah, something like that. Yeah, he's good. You saw him. He's bouncing around on the sideline coaching and stuff. He's doing well."
At 197, NCAA champ Max Dean had lost two straight, including 11-9 to former teammate Michael Beard, who is now at Lehigh. Dean snapped the losing streak with a 6-3 win over 11th-ranked Tanner Harvey.
The top-ranked Kerkvliet took Dixon down easily and put him on his back for four points. He added two quick nearfall points later in the first for an 8-0 lead. Kerkvliet notched a reversal, three takedowns and a two-point nearfall to get the technical fall in 5:08.
"I'm treating each match like practice," Kerkvliet said, "and just going out there and trying new things and getting better every time."
The Lions are off until Dec. 19-20, when they'll wrestle in the Collegiate Wrestling Duals in New Orleans.
125--Kaylor, OS, dec. Steen, 4-0; 133--Bravo-Young, PS, maj. dec. Whisenhunt, 17-8; 141--Bartlett, PS, dec. Belton, 5-3; 149--Van Ness, PS, dec. Tolentino, 6-1; 157--Barraclough, PS, dec. Crosby, 8-4
165--Facundo, PS, dec. Olguin, 3-2; 174--Starocci, PS, maj. dec. Olmos, 14-3; 184--Ball, PS, dec. McKinney, 3-1; 197--Dean, PS, dec. Harvey, 6-3; 285--Kerkvliet, PS, tech. fall Dixon, 18-2, 5:08.
Records: Oregon State (2-2), Penn State (4-0)
Extra bout: 157--Gambrall, OS, dec. Dunbar, 4-3
Attendance: 6,511