Penn State's Ed Ruth pinned Nick Heflin to remained undefeated on the season. (Penn State Photo).

The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team followed up a win over Iowa with yet another statement victory by hammering visiting Ohio State 34-9 in a key Big Ten dual. Penn State won eight of ten bouts in front of yet another sold out Rec Hall crowd of nearly 7,000 fans, not giving up a single takedown in its eight victories over the fifth-ranked Buckeyes.
 
True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 125, opened up the dual with a dominating 6-2 win over No. 15 Johnni Dejulius with 2:41 in riding time. Buckeye Logan Stieber, ranked No. 3 at 133, then pinned Nittany Lion sophomore Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) at the 1:38 mark. At 141, Lion junior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) battled No. 6 Hunter Stieber tough before dropping a 9-5 decision, giving the Buckeyes a 9-3 lead.
 
Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 1 at 149, began a Penn State onslaught with a thorough dismantling of Ohio State’s Alex Gordon. Molinaro posted a 12-0 major with an impressive 5:20 in riding time. Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) then hammered No. 20 John Demas, shutting out the ranked Buckeye 4-0 with 1:28 in riding time to give Penn State a 10-9 lead heading into the halftime break.
 
Coming out of the locker room, All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 1 at 165, posted a devastating 18-3 tech fall over Ohio State’s Derek Garcia (6:20). Keeping the Lion train rolling, All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) ranked No. 2 at 174, pinned No. 8 Nick Heflin in the first period, getting the fall at the 2:05 mark.. Defending national champion Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 184, then pinned Buckeye Craig Thomas at the 3:18 mark for Penn State’s third straight bonus point win. In a much-anticipated bout at 197, Lion true freshman Morgan McIntosh, ranked No. 12 at 197, took care of No. 20 Andrew Campolattano with a 5-4 win. Senior heavyweight Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 6 at heavyweight, then took care of No. 16 Peter Capone, posting a 9-0 major with 3:00 in riding time to cap off the 34-9 win.

The Nittany Lions are now 9-1 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten, while Ohio State falls to 9-3, 3-3. The Nittany Lions dominated the match from start to finish, winning eight of ten bouts, notching 10 bonus points off two pins, a tech fall and two majors, and winning the takedown war by a gaudy 16-4 margin. Penn State did not give up a single takedown in its eight victories and had five wrestlers get riding time points.
 
The Nittany Lions will trek to Lincoln, Neb., on Friday, Feb. 3, for a Big Ten dual with the Cornhuskers beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central (local to site). Penn State’s next home dual is against No. 10 Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. While seats for the dual are now sold out, a limited number of Standing Room Only tickets remain. Fans can purchase these SRO ducats by calling 1-800-NITTANY or in person at the Bryce Jordan Center box office.

No. 2 PENN STATE 34, No. 5 OHIO STATE 9
125: #8 Nico Megaludis PSU dec. #15 Johnni Dejulius OSU, 6-2         3-0
133: #3 Logan Stieber OSU pinned Frank Martellotti PSU, WBF (1:38)      3-6
141: #6 Hunter Stieber OSU dec. Bryan Pearsall PSU, 9-5                3-9
149: #1 Frank Molinaro PSU maj. dec. Alex Gordon, 12-0 (5:20 RT)        7-9
157: #7 Dylan Alton PSU dec. #20 Josh Demas OSU, 4-0             10-9
165: #1 David Taylor PSU tech fall Derek Garcia OSU, 18-3 (6:20)     15-9
174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU pinned #8 Nick Heflin OSU, WBF (2:05)          21-9
184: #2 Quentin Wright PSU pinned Craig Thomas OSU, WBF (3:18)       27-9
197: #12 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. #20 Andrew Campolattano OSU, 5-4    30-9
285: #6 Cameron Wade PSU maj. dec. #16 Peter Capone, 9-0          34-9

Attendance: 6,728
Records: #2 Penn State 9-1, 5-1 B1G; #5 Ohio State 9-3, 3-3 B1G