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The gap is wide: #1 Penn State throttles #2 Iowa wrestling, 30-8

by:Tanner Lafever•about 16 hours•

TannerLafever

Iowa-Penn State cover photo
An upset loss by #1 Jacori Teemer was just one of many things that went wrong for Iowa against Penn State. (Photo Credit: Dan Rainville, USA TODAY Network - PA)

I spent a few thousand words the other day breaking down the Iowa wrestling team’s possible paths to competing somewhat-closely on Friday night with the juggernaut that is #1 Penn State.

My (long-winded) conclusion? Even if the second-ranked Hawkeyes wrestled darn near their very best, the chances of pulling an upset still would’ve been slim.

I didn’t bother breaking down the alternative scenario(s) because, well, I didn’t have to.

The non-best-case alternative was a dual that could get out of hand quick, fast and in a hurry.

And that’s exactly what wrestling fans saw Friday. Whether you were at the sold-out, 16-thousand seat Bryce-Jordan Center in person, or watching with a national audience on the Big Ten Network – there’s but one glaring conclusion to be drawn:

The gap between Penn State and Iowa (and the rest of men’s college wrestling for that matter) is a wide one.

For the second-consecutive year the Nittany Lions overwhelmed the Hawkeyes – winning 8/10 bouts. Add it all up – a 30-8 defeat – and PSU has outscored Iowa by a combined 45 points in their last two meetings.

As for the dual itself, let’s dive into an odd, then uneven, then incredibly lopsided night in State College.

Cruz’ing for an (unexpected) bruising

I referenced 125 pounds as a possible (though unlikely) spot for Iowa to pull an upset.

#7 Luke Lilledahl might as well have laughed in my face based on the performance he put up.

The four-time age-level World finalist not only beat Iowa’s #26 Joey Cruz but did so in dominating fashion. That dominance (a 22-6 win) was the biggest surprise of all.

Until Friday night, Lilledahl had wrestled many tight, one or two-score matches against his most capable opponents. Cruz – despite his recent good form – either didn’t meet that standard, or Lilledahl had completely transformed.

Cruz gave up a pair of eerily similar reattack scores (plus lengthy ride outs) in the first/second periods. After that the PSU freshman found another gear, playing catch-and-release to secure the tech. fall.

Back in the fight (at least momentarily)

Inauspicious start aside, Iowa appeared to be on decent footing two weights later.

At 133, #3 Drake Ayala immediately tied up the team score with a technical fall victory of his own.

The Hawkeye ran roughshod over Nittany Lion backup, Kurt McHenry – who’d stepped in for #7 Braeden Davis.

Ironically, Friday was much like when Ayala missed last weekend’s Ohio State dual and 125-pound freshman Keyan Hernandez bumped up in his stead.

McHenry – a sixth-year senior and two-time U17 World champion (2016-17) – provided little resistance to Ayala in a 19-4 blowout.

That dual-tying result was followed by a quasi ‘victory’ at 141.

There, Cullan Schriever (3-6) got the nod and competed smartly/tough enough to prevent bonus points in a 7-3 defeat to third-ranked Beau Bartlett.

The avalanche begins

Trailing just 8-5, it felt as though Iowa had a real opportunity to steal back some momentum entering intermission.

Instead, two losses to ‘lower ranked’ Nittany Lions essentially spelled the end for the Hawkeyes’ already slim chances.

#2 Kyle Parco led #4 Shayne Van Ness, 6-5, with 45 seconds left in the second period.

A back-and-forth bout at 149 pounds had, to that point, seen both wrestlers trade scores befitting the top-four matchup.

That’s when everything flipped on its head.

Van Ness parlayed an upper body tie into a double leg takedown of the Hawkeye. Then, splitting Parco’s legs on the finish, he’d pick up four additional near fall points to blow the match wide open.

As he rode out the second period, the Nittany Lion was suddenly ahead 12-6 after trailing just moments prior. The sequence also seemed to sap the energy of Parco – who’d already appeared uncharacteristically heavy-legged during the match.

An escape, another takedown and another ride out gave Van Ness an unforeseen 17-6 major decision victory.

Iowa’s fortunes continued their downturn at 157, as #1 Jacori Teemer fell 5-2 to #3 Tyler Kasak.

In just his second bout back from a nine-week injury absence, Teemer again employed his customary bob and weave techniques. The problem was that this time it wasn’t accompanied by several explosive takedowns.

The Arizona State transfer never truly threatened his own offensive score other than a near-reversal. Meanwhile, Kasak converted a low single leg attempt 30 seconds into the second period and was sticky enough on top to add a riding time point to his overall tally.

He’d hold off a late sprint from the Hawkeye – actually coming close to several counter scores of his own.

If Iowa’s hopes weren’t sunk already, this result effectively did the trick.

(Several) steps above

I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but Michael Caliendo is a tremendous wrestler.

His biggest ‘fault’ just happens to be that he isn’t Mitchell Mesenbrink.

In the fourth meeting between the two competitors – and first time as a one-versus-two matchup – the Nittany Lion overwhelmed once again.

As much as anything, the tale was told on a nice early shot that Caliendo somehow couldn’t quite convert, followed by a Mesenbrink attack that the Hawkeye had seemingly stymied only to be scored upon anyway.

From there, the indefatigable Penn Stater put the pedal down and Caliendo simply couldn’t keep up.

The result? 19-4 – an all-too-similar outcome to each of their matchups in 2024 (12-6, 23-7 and 17-9).

‘Close’ doesn’t mean winning

At 174, sixth-ranked Patrick Kennedy stood toe-to-toe with #2 Levi Haines for the better part of five minutes.

PK even had the best scoring opportunity off a deep first-period shot which was eventually scrambled through to a stalemate.

Leading just 1-0 with 25 seconds left in the second period, Haines finally struck with his own offense. Two more takedowns in the bout’s final minute – as Kennedy gave chase – pushed the final margin to a comfortable 10-3.

Finally, the moment arrived (or a slight variation of it) that fans from both programs had all been waiting for. Four-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci would toe the line in his home arena against…Angelo Ferrari?

Yep, that’s what happened following a pre-dual reveal that the Iowa true freshman would get the nod rather than #5 Gabe Arnold.

Previous trash talk between Arnold/Starocci now all for naught, fans were left this (arguably) equally compelling matchup instead.

(Big Ten Network reported on its pre-game show that Arnold did not even weigh in tonight.)

What we saw was both old routine and tantalizing potential.

Angelo Ferrari looked every bit like he belonged against Starocci, warding off several good attacks while also getting to legs himself.

The difference in the bout – a 3-1 win for Starocci – was an early pair of stall calls (the second one somewhat dubious in nature) and a mind-numbing ‘veteran’ riding time point.

That’s not to say that Ferrari was inches away from pulling off the monumental upset. As I said in my preview, beating Starocci is an entirely different matter than keeping it close.

He’ll wrestle several close matches per season. But he hasn’t lost a contested bout since March of 2021.

Even so, Ferrari impressed – and leaves one to wonder what exactly Iowa’s plan for 184 is this postseason.

Youth is served

At 197 and 285 pounds a pair of sixth-year seniors showed two redshirt freshmen how to win a big match.

Up first, Iowa got its second (and final) win of the dual courtesy of #1 Stephen Buchanan.

The 197-pounder remained composed and in control against high-paced newcomer, #4 Josh Barr.

While there were no offensive scores through two periods, the Nittany Lion was clearly conscious of Buchanan’s threat.

Barr took zero committed attacks, which is completely against his nature. Meanwhile, Buchanan prodded for openings, plus put a savvy ride on Barr to begin the second period.

That ride was just long enough, as the Hawkeye earned a four-second escape in the third to preserve his riding time advantage.

Effectively trailing by one, Barr’s pace would quicken slightly. However, Buchanan matched it with fakes/threats of his own, ultimately converting a go-behind to seal the match.

But the last laugh would go to Penn State on this night.

Reigning national champion heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet owned every second of his 12-2 win over Ben Kueter.

A pair of powerful double legs, a third-period go-behind and oodles of riding time left the 11th-ranked Hawkeye no chance.

Not that anyone expects Gable Steveson to be ‘challenged’ this season, but #2 Kerkvliet seems like the best (bad) bet.

Short time

So, there you have it.

#1 Penn State – 30, #2 Iowa – 8

I don’t need to look at social media or message boards to know that hell is being raised by Iowa wrestling diehards right now.

They can’t stand losing, period – much less in the sort of fashion handed down by Penn State both tonight and far too often over the past 15 years.

But we can break down that existential crisis and any possible remedies at a later date. For now, this was about the night that was (or wasn’t) for the #2 Hawkeyes (9-1, 3-1 B1G).

And while fans can stew for as long/intensely as they’d like, Iowa has another dual in 37 hours.

A Sunday, 1:00 p.m. (CT) matinee against #25 Maryland awaits.

I’ll be back to cover things then – and hopefully, tonight’s disappointment aside, you guys will join me.

Look at it this way: the 37-hour gap you must overcome to reach another Iowa wrestling dual feels a lot more ‘bridgeable’ than the present chasm between the Hawkeyes and Penn State.

(Wait, that didn’t make you feel any better…did it?)

Full dual results

#1 Penn State – 30, #2 Iowa – 8

125 – #7 Luke Liledahl (P) tech fall. #26 Joey Cruz (I), 22-6

133 – #3 Drake Ayala (I) tech. fall Kurt McHenry (P), 19-4

141 – #3 Beau Bartlett (P) dec. Cullan Schriever (I), 7-3

149 – #4 Shayne Van Ness (P) major dec. #2 Kyle Parco (I), 17-6

157 – #3 Tyler Kasak (P) dec. #1 Jacori Teemer (I), 5-2

165 – #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (P) tech. fall #2 Michael Caliendo (I), 19-4

174 – #2 Levi Haynes (P) dec. #6 Patrick Kennedy (I), 10-3

184 – #2 Carter Starocci (P) dec. Angelo Ferrari (I), 3-1

197 – #1 Stephen Buahanan II (I) dec. #4 Josh Barr (P), 5-1

285 – #2 Greg Kerkvliet (P) major dec. #11 Ben Kueter (I), 12-2

Officials: Matt Sorochinsky, J.R. Johnson

Attendance: 15,988

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