Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916653
B arring one of the bigger upsets in recent college wrestling history, Penn State will head into the new year having not suffered a dual meet loss in nearly three years. Entering the Nit- tany Lions' Dec. 17 dual against Indi- ana, Cael Sanderson had coached 35 matches in a row since he was last beaten – a 21-18 setback at Oklahoma State in February 2015. Difficult matchups loom large on the horizon now that the Big Ten season is under way, but the streak as it stands already gives Sanderson another school record to his name. But on the night that he was to sur- pass the all-time mark, Lehigh gave him a run for his money. Penn State trailed into the 197-pound bout, and it needed a victory in the heavyweight match to escape the PPL Center in Al- lentown, Pa., with a win. The Lions got that victory, a 2-0 decision by third-ranked Nick Nevills over Lehigh's 14th-ranked Jordan Wood, and finished off a 23-19 win over the Mountain Hawks. "Lehigh is a very good team, which helps us go back and work on some things we need to improve on," Sanderson told reporters afterward. "We got out of here by the skin of our teeth." Prior to the match, Sanderson faced some tough decisions during the weigh-ins. With 133-pound Corey Keener held out due to a minor injury and 165-pound Vincenzo Joseph side- lined for undisclosed reasons, Penn State entered the neutral-site venue with two of its starters out of the lineup. Those absences proved costly. The Mountain Hawks secured consecu- tive pins at 125 and 133 to open the dual and won by decision at 141 to jump out to a 15-0 lead. Bo Pipher, a natural 149-pounder, bumped up a couple of weight classes to fill in for Joseph. He fought hard for the first two peri- ods, but Gordon Wolf outlasted him in the third and earned a 24-12 major decision that gave Lehigh a 19-11 lead with four matches to go. Penn State wouldn't lose again. Keener wasn't expected to miss much action. It was believed that he would be back in the lineup by the time the Hoosiers visited Rec Hall, but as of BWI's press time, the status of Joseph was more undefined. Other lineup moves could be brew- ing behind the scenes. Freshman Nick Lee has been performing well on the open tournament circuit at 141, and he weighed in before the Lehigh match, only at 149. – T.O. Shorthanded Lions use late surge to edge Lehigh "In years past, whether it was because of weight management or not [learning from] that situation in the practice room, I kind of struggled in situations like that," Keener said on the floor of the Bingham- ton Events Center. "If I gave up a reversal [late], I stopped wrestling. Being at Penn State now, I'm just wrestling through sit- uations a little better." Head coach Cael Sanderson has seen growth from Keener since he arrived on campus this past off-season to pursue his graduate studies in educational leadership. "He's been a great addition," Sanderson said. "It's been a real smooth transition, him jumping on the team. Great kid with a really good attitude." When Keener is in, he helps round out Sanderson's lineup. When he isn't, Penn State struggles at the two lightest weight classes. Following the Binghamton dual, Keener won his next two matches at the Key- stone Classic in Philadelphia, pinning Joshua Finesilver of Duke in 1:03 and then edging Hunter Starner of VMI, 5-2. During one of those matches, Keener suffered an injury that forced him to take a medical forfeit in the semifinal. It also kept him out of the following dual meet against Lehigh. Without him, Penn State surrendered a pin at 133 and was forced to come from behind in order to win the match, 23-19. It was the team's 35th con- secutive dual meet victory, a program record. Keener was expected to return to the lineup for Penn State's dual meet against Indiana on Dec. 17. ■ RALLY CATS Sanderson coached the Lions to a 23-19 comeback win over Lehigh. Photo by Mark Selders/ Penn State Athletics