Cornell 24 Penn State 10

No. 14 Penn State Wrestlers Suffer Tough Loss at No. 4 Cornell‏  

Freshman Frank Molinaro downs No. 3 Mike Grey at 141 to lead Penn State

ITHACA, N.Y.; November 21, 2008 – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 14 in the nation, found the going rough at No. 4 Cornell on Friday night and fell 24-10. In a dual wrestled in front of over 4,200 fans, Cornell four straight close bouts after an opening loss to post the win. Penn State was led by talented freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), who dominated No. 3 Mike Grey on his way to an 8-3 win over the returning All-American.

Junior All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) got Penn State off to a rousing start, dominating Cornell’s Grant Daffin on his way to a 16-7 major decision. But after that win, Penn State suffered four straight close losses in the heart of its line-up. All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 2 at 157, lost a hard-fought 4-0 decision to defending national champion Jordan Leen. Senior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) gave No. 1-ranked Mack Lewnes all he could handle but fell 7-2 at 165. True freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) nearly upset his second straight All-American, but the 16th-ranked Nittany Lion fell 6-1 to No. 5 Steve Anceravage at 174. Senior Phil Bomberger (Port Royale, Pa.), ranked No. 13, suffered a 6-2 upset loss to No. 18 Justin Kerber at 184 and before Penn State could regroup it was down 12-4 heading into intermission.

After intermission, Cornell continued to roll with a pin at 197 before red-shirt freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) nearly upset No. 10 Zach Hammond at HWT. Hammond still got a 7-6 victory and put Cornell up 21-4. Nittany Lion sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) picked up Penn State’s second win of the night with a 9-6 decision over Cornell’s Frank Perrelli at 125. Senior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) lost a close decision to No. 2 Troy Nickerson at 133 before Molinaro put together his strong performance with an 8-3 win over Grey, the All-American.

The loss was Penn State’s first to Cornell since the 1999-2000 season. Penn State had defeated Cornell five straight times by a combined score of 132-53, including two lopsided wins last year. The Nittany Lions still hold a gaudy 55-12-3 edge in the all-time series between the two schools.

Penn State is now 0-2 on the year while Cornell moves to 1-0. The Nittany Lions will head to Binghamton, N.Y., on Sunday for the Sprawl and Brawl Duals. Penn State will tackle No. 24 Virginia at 10 a.m., No. 15 Edinboro at 12 p.m. and host Binghamton at 3:30 p.m.

Penn State returns to action in State College when it takes part in the 2008 Nittany Lion Open on Sunday, Dec. 7. Action begins at 8:30 a.m. and tickets can be purchased at the door. Penn State’s next dual meet is set for Sunday, Dec. 14, when the Nittany Lions host West Virginia in Rec Hall. Action starts at 1 p.m. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling 814-863-1000 or 800-NITTANY. Season tickets are $32 for adults and $24 for youth. Single event tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth. Penn State students get in FREE with a Penn State ID. All Penn State dual meets and post-season action can be heard live in the Centre Region on WRSC (1390 AM State College), WHUN (1150 AM Huntingdon) and live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package.


#14 Penn State 10, #4 Cornell 24
Friday, November 21, 2008 – Ithaca, N.Y.
149: #2 Bubba Jenkins PSU maj. dec. Grant Daffin COR, 16-7 4-0
157: #5 Jordan Leen COR dec. #2 Dan Vallimont PSU, 4-0 4-3
165: #1 Mack Lewnes COR dec. Mark Friend PSU, 7-2 4-6
174: #5 Steve Anceravage COR dec. #16 Quentin Wright PSU, 6-1 4-9
184: #18 Justin Kerber COR dec. #13 Phil Bomberger PSU, 6-2 4-12
197: Cam Simaz COR pinned Clay Steadman PSU, WBF (4:38) 4-18
HWT: #10 Zach Hammond COR dec. Cameron Wade PSU, 7-6 4-21
125: Brad Pataky PSU dec. Frank Perrelli COR, 9-6 7-21
133: #2 Troy Nickerson COR dec. Tim Haas PSU, 5-2 7-24
141: Frank Molinaro PSU dec. #3 Mike Grey COR, 8-3 10-24
Final Score: #14 Penn State 10, #4 Cornell 24
Attendance: 4,239
Records: #14 Penn State 0-2, 0-0 Big Ten; #4 Cornell 1-0
Up next: At Sprawl and Brawl Duals, Sunday, Nov. 23, Binghamton, N.Y.; vs. #24 Virginia at 10 a.m., #15 Edinboro at 12 p.m. and host Binghamton at 3:30 p.m.