Penn State Wrestling Routs Michigan in a Prime-Time Big Ten Match

Freshmen Levi Haines and Alex Facundo shine in overtime as the Lions affirm their No. 1 ranking.

Penn State's wrestling roster already boasted the star power to repeat as NCAA team champs. But with the freshmen asserting themselves, the Nittany Lions are assembling another unstoppable force.

Freshmen Alex Facundo and Levi Haines delivered upset wins, at least per the rankings, as the top-ranked Nittany Lions dominated No. 4 Michigan 30-8 in a Big Ten match Friday at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Before a crowd of nearly 16,000 fans, and with football coach James Franklin and athletic director Patrick Kraft sitting matside, the Lions buried Michigan under eight straight wins after losing the opening bout. Michigan had topped Penn State at last year's Big Ten tournament, which appears highly unlikely this season.

Penn State (9-0, 2-0 Big Ten) won its 37th consecutive dual match dating to the 2019-20 season. The Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 27 to host Iowa for another epic Big Ten dual. If they beat Michigan State on Sunday, the Lions will wrestle for coach Cael Sanderson's 100th career Big Ten win against Iowa.

Here's the breakdown of Penn State's win over Michigan, starting with the battle of unbeatens that closed the match.

285: Mason Parris (Michigan) dec. Greg Kerkvliet 3-1

Kerkvliet, the nation's top-ranked heavyweight, defeated No. 2 Parris three times last season, including at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. They entered Friday's dual unbeaten, with Parris ending his losing streak on a third-period takedown.

Kerkvleit (7-1) defeated Parris (18-0) in the NCAA consolation semifinals last season, and the two are destined for more postseason action in March. Friday was a primer.

197: Max Dean (Penn State) dec. Brendin Yatooma 10-1

Dean continued the cleanse from an early season detour, when he lost consecutive bouts at Rider and Lehigh (to former teammate Michael Beard). Dean dominated Yatooma for his sixth consecutive win.

184: Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec. Matt Finesilver 14-4

Brooks' first major decision of the season was dominant and economical. Brooks, sharpening for a run at his third NCAA title, improved to 6-1. His lone loss was a surprising 9-7 decision against Iowa State's Marcus Coleman in December. Brooks remains the nation's No. 1 at 184.

174: Carter Starocci (Penn State) pin Max Maylor 4:15

Starocci, among the nation's best pound-for-pound wrestlers, improved to 9-0 with his eighth bonus-point victory of the season. Starocci, who has not allowed a takedown this season, has generated an impressive 40 dual-match points despite wrestling just nine bouts.

Carter Starocci gets the pin!#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/Gn8fj9BW4C

— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) January 21, 2023

165: Alex Facundo (Penn State) dec. Cameron Amine 5-5 (Riding Time Criteria)

Facundo, a redshirt freshman wrestling his first Big Ten bout, scored the stunner of the night. Facundo (10-1) outlasted the fifth-ranked Amine, a returning NCAA semifinalist, with the riding-time advantage in the second tiebreaker. Facundo used two dazzling escapes, one near the end of regulation and another in the tiebreaker, to bring the Bryce Jordan Center to its feet. Kraft went particularly wild.

Facundo stood up to Amine from the beginning, scoring the bout's first takedown. Amine took a 4-3 lead with 20 seconds remaining, but Facundo caught the release to force overtime. The 16th-ranked Facundo, whose only loss is to third-ranked David Carr of Iowa State, could jump into the top 10 with the win. 

157: Levi Haines (Penn State) dec. Will Lewan 3-1 SV

Haines, the impressive true freshman wrestling at a weight class Penn State needed a jolt, scored the biggest win of his young career. Haines shed one of Lewan's few attacks in sudden victory and responded with a takedown for a 3-1 victory.

Lewan, 10-4 and a two-time All-American, entered the bout ranked 10th nationally, while Haines gradually had risen to No. 17. But Haines (12-1) scored his fifth win over a ranked opponent this season. He has beaten ranked wrestlers in consecutive bouts, including a major of Wisconsin's Garrett Model, and appears to have secured the lineup spot for the season.

Levi Haines wins a thriller in SV!#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/pv05e7oC63

— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) January 21, 2023

149: Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec. Fidel Mayora 14-4

Van Ness, who had lost his last two bouts to some of the nation's top wrestlers, rebounded with his second major of the season. Van Ness strung together early takedowns in dominating Mayora, wrestling his first bout of the season.

In his previous two outings, Van Ness fell to No. 2 Austin Gomez of Wisconsin (6-3) and No. 6 Panino Johnson of Iowa State.

141: Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec. Cole Mattin 7-2

Bartlett extended his perfect season to 13 wins with an exceptional win over the ranked Mattin. Bartlett (No. 4 according to InterMat) took control of the match with a deft second-period reversal. The move gave him a 4-0 lead, which he rode to victory.

Bartlett has allowed just two takedowns this season.

133: Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec. Dylan Ragusin 4-2

Bravo-Young, the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 133, extended his win streak to 44 consecutive bouts with his usual determination. Of course, he did so with a little drama.

After giving up a first-period takedown, just the second he has allowed this season, Bravo-Young opened the second period with an escape/takedown sequence to top the nation's fifth-ranked wrestler.

Bravo-Young (8-0) has wrestled a limited scheduled so far, something Sanderson hinted at before the season. But the two-time NCAA champ certainly knows how to prepare for March and will begin elevating his preparation accordingly.

125: Jack Medley (Michigan) tech. fall Gary Steen 19-5 in 5:38

Medley, ranked No. 23 nationally according to InterMat, took advantage of a gap in Penn State's lineup with a technical fall. Steen (4-9) is working his way through, a freshman, is working his way through his freshman season while Jimmy Howard is out with an injury.

PENN STATE FANS: SI Tickets is your one-stop shop for tickets to a variety of Penn State sporting events, from football to basketball, hockey to volleyball. Need tickets to the Penn State game? Check out SI Tickets.

Read More

Penn State NIL collective Success With Honor reaches a milestone

Flashback: When Saquon Barkley passed the baton to Miles Sanders at Penn State

Former Florida State receiver transfers to Penn State

Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton draw early Heisman Trophy odds

Pennsylvania's top linebacker commits to Penn State's 2024 recruiting class

Penn State's transfer portal strategy? Patience

Penn State makes staff change, lets go of receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield

Safety Keaton Ellis returns for 2023

Running back Keyvone Lee enters the transfer portal

For the next Big Ten commissioner, a lesson from Penn State

"I'm back," announces linebacker Curtis Jacobs

Defensive end Adisa Isaac returning in 2023

For Penn State, a new 'alignment' breeds playoff hopes

Calvin Lowry returns to Penn State as an analyst

In 2022, Penn State returned from its two-year detour

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.