Wrestlers upended by inspired Mountaineers

In the first meeting of the year between the Penn State and West Virginia wrestling teams the match was dead even after the first six bouts. It was up to the Nittany Lion upperweights to win the match and they came through, giving the Lions a 24-13 victory at the National Duals.

In the rematch on Friday, the match was again tied after six bouts, 9-9. This time, though, it was the Mountaineer upperweights that sealed up the match, winning three of the last four bouts to give West Virginia an 18-13 victory.

The match came down to the final seconds of the final bout of the evening. West Virginia heavyweight Vince Pellis took down Penn State's Mark Janus with 13 seconds left in the third period to win 6-5, sealing the match up for the Mountaineers.

Pellis wasn't in the lineup the last time Penn State and West Virginia met. This was the sophomore's first match back after recovering from mononucleosis. The Mountaineers got another big win from someone who didn't compete at the National Duals at 190 pounds when Sean Hage defeated Rob Neidlinger 11-9 to give West Virginia the lead.

Penn State's top individual performances came at the middleweights. The Lions' Jamarr Billman, ranked No. 7 at 142 pounds, defeated No. 12 Dorian Hager 4-3. This was the second time Billman, a freshman, knocked off the senior. This was the first Lion victory since 118-pounder Jeremy Hunter won by decision.

Then in the top bout of the evening, Penn State's Clint Musser, ranked third at 150, faced No. 4 Mike Mason. Musser had defeated Mason 6-0 in their previous meeting this season.

Musser was in control of the bout at 5-3 before Mason escaped in the third period forcing overtime. No one scored in the first overtime period and Mason chose the down position in the second overtime. Musser rode him out for 30 seconds and won the bout.

After Musser's victory, the Lions' John Lange fell to No. 6 Sam Kline, 10-4. Glenn Pritzlaff gave Penn State its last victory of the night at 167 pounds. Pritzlaff major decisioned Justin Tracanna, 14-3.

The loss was the second time Penn State fell to an opponent it defeated earlier in the season. The Lions lost to Iowa 23-9 at the National Duals after beating the Hawkeyes 25-17 on Jan. 3.

Up next for the Lions is No. 2 Minnesota on Friday at The Bryce Jordan Center.

--by Brian Costello