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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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Mark Hall of the Penn State Nittany Lions  (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

No. 2

December 21, 2013
Iowa City, Iowa
No. 1 Penn State 24, No. 3 Iowa 12

Beating Iowa at wrestling is always going to be a challenge. Beating Iowa in Iowa City is downright impossible and it’s about as rare as a Penn State Men’s Basketball appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

A Sanderson coached Penn State Wrestling team traveled to Iowa City twice prior to the 2013 tilt, and both times the Hawkeyes were victorious. But the 2013-2014 team finally had the wrestling prodigies to possibly upend Iowa on its home mat.

The first three matches (starting at 125) saw the Nittany Lions win two decisions and the Hawkeyes earn a fall to tie up the score (6-6). Red-shirt freshman Zack Beitz (PSU) topped Iowa’s Michael Kelly in a bit of a shocker, however Iowa quickly answered with a decision of their own from the No. 1 ranked James Vollrath.

It seems like all of Penn State’s championship teams had a murderers row at some point in the lineup. And between No. 1 David Taylor (PSU), No. 3 Matt Brown (PSU), No. 1 Ed Ruth (PSU), and No. 3 Morgan McIntosh (PSU) they had just that in the 2013-2014 team. This group of experienced Nittany Lions racked up two majors and two decisions to put Penn State up 20-9.

Finally, the Iowa City monkey was off Cael’s back. Two years later the Nittany Lions were again able to take down the Hawkeyes at home. And as last year’s (2020) loss will tell you, it’s never going to be easy.

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