Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490816
4 8 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M THREE BEST WRESTLERS Roman Bravo-Young | Sr.+ | 133 RBY had an impressive start to the 2023 portion of the schedule. The two-time NCAA champion kicked off the new year with a 14-5 major deci- sion over 27th-ranked Taylor LaMont of Wisconsin. He later defeated 12th- ranked Dylan Ragusin of Michigan 4-2, with an impressive 3:04 in riding time. Two days after defeating Ragusin, he took on Michigan State's 16th- ranked Rayvon Foley and was up 11-4 before pinning his Spartan opponent with 34 seconds remaining in the third period. Levi Haines | Fr. | 157 Prior to Penn State's showdown with second-ranked Iowa on Jan. 27, Haines had not yet burned his redshirt. However, it was expected that he would indeed forsake his chance to preserve his freshman eligibility. Haines won all three of his matches at the College Wrestling Duals in De- cember. He then decked Wisconsin's 16-ranked Garrett Model 16-6 on the road before upsetting No. 10 Will Lewan of Michigan 3-1 in sudden victory in front of an elated Bryce Jordan Center crowd. Carter Starocci | Jr. | 174 Starocci continues to be as solid as they come for the Nittany Lions and begins a run of top-ranked upperweights for the team when he is in the lineup at 174 pounds. The junior began the new year by dominating unranked Wisconsin wrestler Josh Otto in a 22-8 major decision. Against Michigan, he took a 6-2 lead on unranked Max Maylor before pinning the Wolverine at the 4:15 mark of the match. KEY MOMENT Back-to-back middle-weight upsets fueled Penn State's big win over a Michigan side that entered the Bryce Jordan Center unbeaten. The fun for a sellout crowd began at 157 pounds. Haines put on a defensive clinic, with both he and Lewan each registering an escape during the first three periods to force sudden victory. Haines fended off a great Lewan shot in the extra period, then got in deep and finished a shot of his own to earn the 3-1 upset. One weight class later, Penn State redshirt freshman Alex Facundo and Michigan's fifth-ranked Cameron Amine put on a dazzling performance at 165 pounds. Facundo took the lead after a late scramble led to an apparent takedown, but the ruling was overturned on review, and instead Amine was given a takedown and the lead. Facundo escaped to force sudden victory, and after a scoreless period, the Nittany Lion racked up 14 seconds of riding time in tiebreaker to win 6-5. Penn State rolled from that point on. BEST HIGHLIGHT Redshirt freshman Gary Steen has had a difficult start to his Penn State career. The Nittany Lion is unranked and often overmatched at 125 pounds. However, he may have turned a corner in the Michigan State match. Steen put his strength, speed, and stamina on display to outlast the Spartans' 24th-ranked Tristan Lujan 3-1 in sudden victory. Both wrestlers escaped over the first seven minutes, but neither could finish a shot, which forced sudden victory. Steen was the aggressor during the extra period, and that ultimately led to him finishing a shot for a takedown and two- point victory. Time will tell if this win can be the springboard needed for him to take the next step. BOLD PREDICTION Penn State will burn Haines' redshirt, even if it didn't decide to do so by wrestling him against Michigan State. Junior Terrell Barraclough is a good wrestler and would be fine as the starter at 157, but Haines gives the Lions an extra and needed edge that we think is the tiebreaker between the two teammates who are clearly close in the room. It's time for Penn State to make this decision and officially set its lineup for the postseason, which is still more than a month away. Coach Cael Sanderson said after the Michigan State match on Jan. 22 that the decision would need to be made "soon." Haines' presence will allow Penn State to put its best lineup on the mat in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, and he should be the starter because of it, even if it means losing a year of eligibility. — Greg Pickel PENN STATE WRESTLING SUPERLATIVES DEC. 19-JAN. 22 Super senior 133-pounder Roman Bravo-Young has earned several big victories in recent weeks, including a win over Michigan's 12th-ranked Dylan Ragusin in which he amassed more than three minutes of riding time. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE