UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -  Take a look back at Penn State's 29-6 victory over No. 24 Lehigh on Friday night.    

Welcome to live coverage of the two-time defending NCAA champion Penn State wrestling team's season-opening dual match against Lehigh.

Check back for updates after all 10 bouts.


125: #2 Nico Megaludis def. Alex Abreu - Tech Fall (5:07)
Sophomore Nico Megaludis, who was a national runner-up in 2012, kicked off the season with a dominant 19-4 tech fall against Lehigh junior Alex Abreu.  Megaludis notched three takedowns in the opening period en route to a 6-2 lead after one.  Megaludis got stronger as the match wore on, dominating the second frame with two takedowns, six back points and a reversal.  With an 18-4 lead after two, Megaludis notched an escape to score a technical fall at the 5:07 mark.  With one match down, the Nittany Lions owned a 5-0 lead in the match.

133: Jordan Conaway def. Laike Gardner - 3-2
In his Nittany Lion debut, redshirt freshman Jordan Conaway battled to a 1-1 tie with an early escape in the third period against Lehigh freshman Laike Gardner.  From there, the duo wrestled a scoreless third period until the final 10 seconds of action.  Conaway moved in for a takedown with under 10 seconds to wrestle to claim a 3-1 lead.  Garnder notched an escape, but Conaway walked off the mat as a winner in his first ever match after a dramatic sequence in the final seconds.  The freshman's victory set the match score at 8-0, Nittany Lions.

141: Bryan Pearsall def. Anthony Salupo - 7-6
Senior Bryan Pearsall faced a 2-1 deficit at the end of the first period, but he answered in the second with a takedown to go on top by a 3-2 margin.  Lehigh sophomore Anthony Salupo battled back with an escape to square the match at 3-3.  Salupo added a late escape in the final seconds of the second period, which sent the match into the third with Pearsall down, 4-3.  Nonetheless, Pearsall was not done.  After knotting the match with an escape, Pearsall moved in for a takedown mid-way through the third to go on top by a 6-4 margin.  Salupo scored a stall point and an escape in the final seconds, but with 1:09 in riding time, Pearsall earned a 7-6 victory to put the Lions on top by a score of 11-0.

149: James English def. #18 Shane Welsh - 5-2
Wrestling for the first time in more than a year due to injury, senior James English found himself in a heated battle with 18th-ranked Shane Welsh.  English drew first blood with an escape during the second period.  Welsh answered with an escape to open the third, setting the match score at 1-1.  The Nittany Lion senior found another gear in the third frame, tallying two late takedowns en route to a 5-2 decision.  English's victory set the overall match score at 14-0.

157: #13 Joey Napoli def. #2 Dylan Alton - 4-2
Second-ranked Dylan Alton scrambled to a late takedown and a 2-0 lead against 13th-ranked Joey Napoli through one period of action.  Napoli answered with an escape and a takedown in the second to grab a 3-2 advantage.  Napoli controlled the match in the third period en route to more than 2:30 of riding time and a 4-2 victory.  The Nittany Lions took a 14-3 lead into the halftime break.

165: #2 David Taylor def. Eric Hess - Tech Fall (5:46)
Reigning national champion David Taylor picked up where he left off at the end of the 2011-12 season.  Taylor scored a quick takedown before three back points sent the junior into the second period with a 5-0 lead over Eric Hess.  Taylor was just getting started.  He opened the second frame with a reversal, two back points and a takedown.  From there, the junior rolled to a 20-5 tech fall at the 5:46 mark.  Taylor scored six takedowns, five back points and a reversal in his debut for the 2012-13 season.  With the victory from the defending champ, the Nittany Lions took a 19-3 lead in the match.

174: #4 Matt Brown def. #18 Nathaniel Brown - 12-2
Matt Brown's presence in the Nittany Lion lineup on a nightly basis has been highly-anticipated following a standout freshman campaign.  Brown opened his match against 18th-ranked Nathaniel Brown with a takedown in the first period and reversal to open what evolved into a big second frame.  Matt Brown added two stall points and a second takedown for an 8-1 lead after two.  The Nittany Lion sophomore looked comfortable from start to finish in his 12-2 major decision victory.  The Brown victory put the Lions on top by a score of 23-3.

184: #1 Ed Ruth def. #3 Robert Hamlin - 11-9
The marquee match of the night came at 184 pounds between defending national champion (174) Ed Ruth and third-ranked Robert Hamlin.  Ruth jetted out to a 6-3 lead after one period following three takedowns, but Hamlin answered with a big second.  Ruth scored a takedown in the second, but Hamlin notched a pair of takedowns to trim Ruth's lead down to 11-8 heading into the third.  The Lehigh senior closed to within two (11-9), but Ruth fought off a late takedown attempt from Hamlin to score a big 11-9 win in a match featuring two of the nation's best at 184 pounds.  Ruth's decision handed the Nittany Lions a 26-3 lead in the overall match.

197: #3 Quentin Wright def. John Bolich - 10-4
Wrestling at 197 pounds for the first time, All-American Quentin Wright and Lehigh freshman John Bolich wrestled to a scoreless tie after one period, but that quickly changed in the second.  Wright notched an escape before a pair of takedowns put the Lion senior on top by a score of 5-1 after two.  From there, Wright cruised to a 10-4 victory in his 197-pound debut to hand the Lions a 29-3 edge on the scoreboard.

285: Jack Delia def. Jon Gingrich - 5-3
Sophomore Jon Gingrich got his first taste of a dual match on Friday against Lehigh freshman Jack Delia.  Delia tallied a takedown in the first period to claim a 2-0 lead before Gingrich quickly added an escape point.  Delia scored an escape to open the second to set the score at 3-1 heading into the third.  Gingrich closed to within one (3-2), but the Lehigh rookie notched another takedown en route to a 5-3 victory, which set the final match score at 29-6, Nittany Lions. 

FINAL THOUGHTS:
On a night where the Nittany Lions raised their 2012 NCAA championship banner, Penn State won eight bouts en route to a dominant 29-3 victory over 24th-ranked Lehigh.  Penn State scored two tech falls and two major decisions in the victory.  Give credit to James English who wrestled at 149 pounds after missing all of last season with a shoulder injury.  He scored a pair late takedown en route to a 5-2 win.  Additionally, Ed Ruth scored a nice early-season victory against an opponent he may see again in March.  Head coach Cael Sanderson said that the Lions looked good, but were a little flat in the season-opener.  Nonetheless, the Nittany Lions head to West Virginia on Sunday with a 1-0 mark.


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