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Penn State Wrestling’s top 25 dual meets in the Cael Sanderson era

By Chris Snyder

STATE COLLEGE, PA - JANUARY 31: A view of the sell out crowd during a match between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Michigan Wolverines on January 31, 2016 at Recreation Hall on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State won 35-7. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - JANUARY 31: A view of the sell out crowd during a match between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Michigan Wolverines on January 31, 2016 at Recreation Hall on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State won 35-7. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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Shakur Rasheed of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

No. 15

January 10, 2020
University Park, Pa
No. 24 Illinois 16, No. 2 Penn State 22

Full disclosure: This dual meet would be nowhere close to making this list if both No. 3 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) and No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (PSU) both wrestled. But as it stands, they did not wrestle, and it lead to an exciting match.

Illinois got out to an early 9-0 thanks to a decision and a fall in the first two matches.

No. 2 Nick Lee (PSU) then got Penn State Wrestling on the board with a major decision and Jarod Verkleeren (PSU) added a decision to cut the lead to 9-7 in favor of Illinois.

The Fighting Illini rolled the next two matches with a decision and a major decision pushing their lead to 16-7 with only four matches to go.

No. 1 Mark Hall (PSU) earned the rare stalling DQ when No. 8 Joey Gunther (ILL) wanted no part in wrestling after halfway through the second period. This gave the Nittany Lions six much needed points and the match was down to 16-13.

No. 8 Aaron Brooks (PSU) breezed to an easy decision and knotted the match up 16-16 with two matches remaining.

Shakur Rasheed (PSU) hit the mat in his season debut at 197 and fought hard to earn a gritty 3-0 decision thus pushing Penn State into the lead for the first time in the dual meet 19-16.

One match to go. Which normally wouldn’t have been a problem as No. 1 Anthony Cassar was the hammer in the 285 slot for the Nittany Lions. That is until Cassar had to shelve the season with a shoulder injury.

So in stepped true freshman Seth Nevills to make his Penn State Wrestling debut at 285. And the Fighting Illini’s Luke Luffman was no match as Nevills continued to use his strength and speed en route to a 6-3 decision and seal the dual meet for the Nittany Lions as they scored 15 unanswered points (22-16).

I have a feeling this match went a long way in helping Seth Nevills stay calm for his match against Nebraska two weeks later (No. 17).

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