COLLEGE PARK, Md. – No. 11 Shyheim Brown nabbed a victory at 141 pounds, but the Maryland wrestling team fell, 38-3, to No. 4 Penn State in front of 2,779 spectators at the XFINITY Center Thursday night.
The Terps (4-5, 0-3 Big Ten) wrestled hard against the four-time defending national team champion Nittany Lions (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), but ultimately came up short. Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy, a Penn State alum, was honored for his induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in a pre-match ceremony.
“It was a packed crowd,” McCoy said. “We had a lot of energy and a lot of excitement. It's great for the sport of wrestling. It's great for Maryland wrestling. It means that we've got a lot of people in this area who care about wrestling. It was a great showcase.”
The dual started at 125 with true freshman Michael Beck making his home debut against No. 10 Jordan Conaway. The Nittany Lion junior gained steam as the match progressed and notched a 15-2 major decision win.
At 133 pounds, No. 7 Geoffrey Alexander took on No. 5 Jimmy Gulibon in a matchup of top-10 competitors. Alexander was able to secure the first takedown of the match in the opening period before Gulibon used a strong final stanza to win 9-2.
Brown put the Terps on the board at 141 pounds, using a third period escape to overcome Michael Waters, 1-0. No. 9 Zack Bietz righted the ship for the Nittany Lions, defeating senior Ben Dorsay, 9-0.
The 157-pound affair saw junior Lou Mascola and Cody Law go back and forth until the final whistle with Law ultimately securing a 3-2 win. Penn State's Garett Hammond won by major decision over sophomore Tyler Manion at 165 pounds before No. 3 Matt Brown pinned junior TJ Guidice in the 174-pound contest.
Penn State performed strongly in the final three matches. Matt McCutcheon defeated senior Tony Gardner, 17-6, before No. 5 Morgan McIntosh pinned senior Rob Fitzgerald. Jimmy Lawson got past redshirt freshman Ryan Kail to finish the night for the road squad.
Maryland returns to action Dec. 21 at Madison Square Garden for the annual Grapple at the Garden. The Terps will take on Hofstra at 10 a.m. before facing Duke at noon.
No. 4 Penn State 38, Maryland 3
125: No 10 Jordan Conaway (PSU) major decision over
Michael Beck (MD), 15-2 (4-0)
133: No. 5 Jimmy Gulibon (PSU) decision over No. 7
Geoffrey Alexander (MD) 9-2 (7-0)
141: No. 11
Shyheim Brown (MD) decision over Michael Waters (PSU), 1-0 (7-3)
149: No. 9 Zack Beitz (PSU) major decision over
Ben Dorsay (MD), 9-0 (11-3)
157: Cody Law (MD) decision over
Lou Mascola (MD) 3-2 (14-3)
165: Garett Hammond (PSU) major decision over
Tyler Manion (MD), 15-4 (18-3)
174: No. 3 Matt Brown (PSU) fall over
TJ Guidice (MD), 1:12 (24-3)
184: Matt McCutcheon (PSU) major decision over
Tony Gardner (MD), 17-6 (28-3)
197: No. 5 Morgan McIntosh (PSU) fall over
Rob Fitzgerald (MD), 0:51 (34-3)
285: Jimmy Lawson (PSU) major decision over
Ryan Kail (MD), 20-8 (38-3)
-Maryland-
