Wrestlers give No. 2 Iowa holiday gift -- first home loss since 1988


Monday, Jan. 12, 1998	Wrestlers give No. 2 Iowa holiday gift -- first home loss since 1988 By J.P. GRAMLICH Collegian Sports Writer For Penn State wrestling coach John Fritz, the early stages of this month meant one thing -- trouble. Fritz's Nittany Lions, caretakers of one of the most treacherous schedules in collegiate wrestling, were slated to face Northern Iowa, No. 2 Iowa, No. 4 Michigan and Michigan State in an eight-day span after New Year's Day, the first two dual meets coming on the road. "With the way our schedule looks after New Year's, we're definitely going to have our hands full," Fritz said after his team's last dual of 1997, a 28-14 thumping of Wisconsin Dec. 13 at Rec Hall. "It'll definitely be a test."
At 177 lbs, Penn State wrestler Rob Neidlinger rolls over his Michigan State opponent in Penn State's 27-14 win this weekend. No. 6 Penn State also defeated No. 2 Iowa back on January 3 in Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It was Iowa's first home loss in 51 matches. (Collegian Photo / Shawn Knapp - click for full size image)	If the first four duals of 1998 were a test, the Lions passed with flying colors. No. 6 Penn State returned to Rec Hall this weekend, posting a solid 23-12 win over Michigan Friday night and an equally impressive 27-14 win over Michigan State Saturday night to wrap up a perfect start to the new year. The Lions (8-1, 4-0) previously completed a pivotal two-day road sweep in Iowa. Penn State handed Northern Iowa a vicious 34-9 shellacking Jan. 2, then went on to hand Iowa a stunning 25-17 defeat Jan. 3. "I'm really proud of the way the guys handled themselves these past couple of matches," Fritz said. "They've been proving a lot of people wrong." Penn State's landmark win at Iowa snapped the Hawkeyes' 51-match home winning streak, a stretch dating back to Feb. 6, 1988, when the Lions became the first-ever team to escape Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a win. Heavyweight Mark Janus, a redshirt sophomore, put the icing on the Lions' cake by pinning No. 8 Wes Hand in three minutes and 23 seconds, making the victory official and sending the Penn State bench into a frenzy. "I just think we had some guys out there that really started believing in themselves," Fritz said. "We reminded them that, hey, we were here years back when we won here, so just go out there and fight hard and good things will happen. Sometimes it works out that way, sometimes it doesn't. I just thank the Lord it did." Following the Lions' shocking win, three members of the team were arrested at an Iowa City nightclub, putting a quick damper on the thrill of beating Iowa.
CORRECTION:: This article incorrectly stated the charges against three members of the Penn State wrestling team. All three were charged with disorderly conduct. Only one, Clint Musser, was charged with the public intoxication.	Redshirt junior and starting 150-pounder Clint Musser was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct, while reserves Arturo Cabanas, a fifth-year senior, and Tim Vorhies, a redshirt junior, were cited for public intoxication. Fritz suspended all three for the Michigan and Michigan State matches. Despite the ugly post-match incident -- an incident which left Penn State minus the much-needed Musser -- the Lions returned to Rec Hall Friday night ready for Michigan, a team Fritz said was better than Iowa. Fifth-year senior Rob Neidlinger came through for Penn State. Neidlinger, making his return after sustaining a shoulder injury at the Penn State Open Dec. 7, pinned Joe DeGain in two minutes and 49 seconds to give the Lions an insurmountable 20-8 lead and the eventual victory. "Michigan was a big win for us," Neidlinger, a co-captain, said. "We were trying to prove that Iowa was no fluke, and we did it. Everyone's wrestling tough and we've really been together these past couple days. We energize each other out there on the mat."