College wrestling: No. 1 Penn State dominates No. 3 Michigan 29-6

Penn State is favored in five matches: 133 pounds, 141 pounds, 174 pounds, 184 pounds, and 197 pounds, and the Nittany Lions have defending champions at four of those five weight classes.

PENN STATE CHAMPS: Nick Lee | Roman Bravo-Young | Carter Starocci | Aaron Brooks

If the dual starts at 125 pounds, though momentum could be in Michigan’s favor as the Wolverines are expected to field No. 1 Nick Suriano, the 2019 NCAA champion transfer from Rutgers, against Penn State’s transfer All-American Drew Hildebrandt for a top-ten bout. Suriano is undefeated on the year with a 5-0 record and 100% bonus. Suriano and Hildebrandt have never wrestled in college, but neither of them have taken a loss this year which raises the stakes even more on this match. Given the strength and power of Suriano, he’ll be the unquestionable favorite, and, if he can find his groove early, he could be looking for a bonus.

Penn State has hammers in Lee and Bravo-Young at 133 and 141, but Penn State will likely need both to wrestle to compete for a win in this bout. Bravo-Young, the Nittany Lion 133-pounder, sat against Indiana last week but made his return to the lineup on Sunday when he took down Joey Olivieri of Rutgers 11-5. No. 8 Dylan Ragusin is a tougher test than Olivieri, though Bravo-Young operates at a high level and will be expected to have the edge. If Suriano picks up bonus for Michigan at 125, expect Bravo-Young to try to turn up the pace and fight for bonus points of his own against Ragusin, though Ragusin's length and fearlessness may make that challenging.

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Following Bravo-Young will be expected to be fellow NCAA champion Nick Lee at 141 pounds, a steady, consistent champ for the Nittany Lions who has been absent for the two most recent duals due to COVID protocol. Lee is listed as probable to return against Michigan to take on No. 4 Stevan Micic, setting up an epic matchup. While these two also have also never met in college, both have championship experience, as Micic advanced to the NCAA finals in 2018 at 133 pounds and Lee, of course, won in 2021 at 141 pounds. Micic is 2-1 now up at 141 pounds, but he clearly has elite skills, evidenced by the fact that he represented Serbia as the No. 1 seed at 57kg in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Lee has the edge, mostly because of Micic’s mixed results at the weight, but this is a fun one that will be a can’t-miss match-up if it happens.

If these duals go chalk with no bonus, Penn State will lead 6-3 after three bouts, setting up a 149-pound bout that could shift momentum heading into a series of weights that lean Michigan's way on paper. The Nittany Lions have No. 19 Beau Bartlett listed as the team's starter at 149 pounds, and Bartlett has been a steady performer for the Blue and White, recording a 8-3 record with his few losses coming against Manzona Bryant, Yianni Diakomihalis and Mike Van Brill. The Wolverines will be expected to send out Cole Mattin in place of No. 16 Kanen Storr in this dual, and Bartlett is 1-0 against the Wolverine foe. He beat Mattin 8-4 in last year's dual, and this one will likely end in a decision as well unless something dramatic happens. The Penn State 149-pounder wrestles everyone (except No. 1 Diakomihalis) close, and he can absolutely compete for a win against Mattin with his trademark patience and fundamentals on the mat.

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Michigan will be favored one weight up, at 157 pounds, when No. 15 Will Lewan takes the mat against Penn State's Tony Negron, an unranked middleweight who has been embraced by his Nittany Lion fanbase. Lewan is 8-2 on the year with losses to Quincy Monday and Jacob Wright but a notable win over Elijah Cleary. He's never wrestled Negron in college, though he has an on-paper advantage over the 157-pound starter. Michigan will need a win here to keep things interesting heading into 165 pounds, and, if they roll out their expected starters at both 157 and 165, the Wolverines could set themselves up for a bit of a run here.

Penn State changed the game at 165 pounds last week when they introduced a new addition to their lineup in national qualifier Brady Berge, previously their 157-pounder who had retired and taken on a coaching role at South Dakota State before returning to his squad. Berge has wrestled just one dual so far this year and racked up a 5-1 decision over Andrew Clark, but he'll have a serious test if Michigan fields All-American Cam Amine. These two, like so many of the athletes in their lineup, have not wrestled in college, and it's hard to make a prediction about this one in particular. Amine is tough and talented, and Berge is making his comeback, so this one will likely be close, and the outcome could very well be reversed the next time they meet — that's how up-in-the-air this one is. Advantage Michigan on paper. Let's see if they can earn those critical team points here.

Entering 174 pounds, even if Penn State trails the Wolverines, this is where the Nittany Lions will want to turn up the heat, despite Michigan's stellar stars at this weight as well. NCAA champion Carter Starocci will hopefully take on No. 6 Logan Massa for a top-ten battle, one in which Starocci will need to win to set up some positive Penn State vibes before 184 pounds. The last time these two wrestled, Starocci beat Massa 7-1 in tie-breakers at last year's dual before going on to win NCAAs while Massa finished 5th. Starocci struggled to put up a bonus against Maryland last week, but he's been back to his offensive style with a fall and a tech against Indiana and Rutgers. If Massa can hold Starocci to a decision, he'll do what he needs to do for his team, but he'll certainly be pushing for an upset. This will be Michigan's third chance to take down a No. 1 seed in this dual in front of their home crowd, and the energy will be high.

Then, there's 184 pounds — this is where things get serious. Enter Aaron Brooks, the defending national champion, set to compete against Olympic bronze medalist Myles Amine. Just last month, Amine beat Penn State legend Mark Hall at the Matmen Open, and he's no doubt hungry for another win against a wrestler with Nittany Lion ties. Amine and Brooks have not wrestled in college, as Amine was up at 197 pounds last year, but both athletes come into the dual undefeated, and the winner will take the No. 1 spot at the weight.

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As if 184 pounds isn't exciting enough, Max Dean of Penn State and Patrick Brucki keep things rolling at 197 pounds where the pressure will be on Dean to hold on to his undefeated record. Brucki is 12-2 on the year with his losses coming against Stephen Buchanan and Jake Woodley, but he's tough and gritty and has a chance to keep pace with Dean. Much like Amine and Brooks, these two haven't wrestled in college, as Dean previously competed at 184 pounds, but the Penn State wrestler and former Cornell All-American looks like a full-size 197-pounder who wants to keep making noise for his team at this weight. This one leans Penn State on paper, but Dean was pushed last weekend by Greg Bulsak, so if Brucki wants a shot, he's going to need to take action early and keep driving the pace for seven minutes because Dean is a fighter.

Heavyweight will end the dual with fireworks, assuming both Michigan and Penn State send out starters in No. 2 Mason Parris and No. 4 Greg Kerkvliet. The last time these two met, Parris majored Kerkvliet, but the Penn State big man has only improved since then. Greg Kerkvliet is 9-0 on the year with 88.89% bonus, and he's been absolutely dominant every time he's stepped on the mat. The dual may come down to this final bout, and both of these guys are athletic, dynamic and sure to put on a show. Penn State has an opportunity here to create some shuffling in the individual rankings at heavyweight if Kerkvliet pulls off the upset, but, Parris, in front of the Wolverine faithful, will be doing everything in his power to not only hold down his spot but win with dominance.