A wonderful Saturday night of wrestling in the books. The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club hosted an event taking on a variety of competitors, most from the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan. All-in-all it was 13 fun matches involving high-level competitors.

Results

Rick Durso tech fall Malik Amine, 10-0

Jordan Wood dec Nick Nevills, 6-4

Jennifer Page dec Desiree Zaval, 14-10

Domenic Abounder dec Jamie Espinal, 7-2

Zain Retherford dec Alec Pantaleo, 3-2

Jason Nolf dec David McFadden, 5-2

Vincenzo Joseph dec Dan Vallimont, 5-0

Greg Kerkvliet tech fall Youssif Hemida, 10-0

Logan Massa dec Bekzod Abdurakhmonov, 4-3

Jane Valencia dec Julia Salata, 6-6

Thomas Gilman tech fall Darian Cruz, 14-4

Kyle Snyder tech fall Mike Macciavello, 12-0

Bo Nickal dec Alex Dieringer, 1-1

Now, let's dive into the details.

Malik Amine vs Rick Durso

Ricky Durso! This match only lasted 1:40 and it was all Durso. A variety of attacks including two low singles and some par terre to pick up 10-0 tech fall. The Franklin & Marshall All-American should hang around and wrestle some more.

Nick Nevills vs Jordan Wood

This match started out slow like a stereotypical heavyweight match, but the finish more than made up for it. Nevills got up 4-1 using a lefty single, which he was looking for all night, and then a gut wrench as Wood relaxed on the edge. After Woods picked up a step out, Nevills once again looked for a lefty outside step, but Wood defended with a crotch lock that transitioned into a head head-to-feet leg lace. Nevills still lead 4-4 on criteria, so Wood transitioned to a normal leg lace and picked up the winning points with about four seconds left in the match.

Jennifer Page vs Desiree Zavala

The elusive comeback from down 10-0, this is one Desiree Zavala will want back. Zavala was able to get up 10-0 using a fireman’s cary/dump, leg lace, a chin whip, but Page immediately scores a takedown so officials call continuation and the match continues. Page gets two leg laces and the first period ends 10-6 Zavala.

Page scores in the second with an interesting outside trip right into a gut wrench to tie it up at 10. Righty single from Page, and she methodically finished to take a 12-10 lead. One more go behind made the score 14-10 Page. A good comeback and gutsy performance from Page.

Domenic Abounader vs Jaime Espinal

Right as Abounader is picking up his shot clock point he shoots a single and Espinal counters with a hard chest wrap. Abounader sticks with it, however, and gets the takedown plus transitions to a lace for two more. 5-2 Abounader at the break.

Not much happened in the second until about 30 seconds left when Espinal picks up his pace a bit. Espinal threatened a chest wrap once again but can’t quite get it and Abounader picks up a late two as Espinal tries to roll.

Espinal was clearly looking to score off of Abounader's shot the entire match. The one time he did, he did it very cleanly.

Alec Pantaleo vs Zain Retherford

A lot of hard hand fighting but no score until Pantaleo gives up a shot clock point and that’s how the first period ends. 1-0 Zain.

Early in the second Pantaleo sets up a blast double beautifully by taking a half sweep single attempt, getting Zain to come into him, and then blasting through him for the takedown. After this, however, Pantaleo goes into defense mode, palming Zain’s head and circling away. Retherford is finally able to a righty single and finishes to take a 3-2 lead with one minute left. Now Zain goes into defense mode and Pantaleo isn’t able to come close to getting past the head hands defense of Zain and doesn’t chain attacks together like he did for his lone takedown in the match. 3-2 Zain is the final.

Jason Nolf vs David McFadden

An early righty single from McFadden leads to Nolf’s patten Winn-Dixie counter. The officials call 2-2, but it should have only been two for Nolf, IMO. Blast double for Nolf off of a restart and he gets a step out. With 26 seconds left in the first Nolf gets another step; this time using a righty single. McFadden shoots off of the restart and Nolf gets yet another step out with his reattack. 

The action slowed down a bit in the second. The first attack/scramble comes 1:30 when Nolf shoots a righty single, but the two end in ankle to ankle and a stalemate. McFadden can’t break the head hands defense of Nolf and the match ends 5-2. Although McFadden lost and I question the legitimacy of his only score, I was impressed with his ability to scramble at least to a stalemate with Nolf. If he can continue to advance through the ankle to ankle position, he could be very good at scoring off of opponents’ attacks.

Dan Vallimont vs Vincenzo Joseph

Cenzo comes out on the attack early, looking for high-c’s, a slide by, and a double, but can’t score. It’s enough to get Vallimont on the shot clock first, however. Vallimont fails to score and Cenzo goes into the second up 1-0.

Lefty single from Cenzo about one minute and he scores the first takedown. Vallimont shot, but Cenzo turns into a toreador and scores the easy go behind to take a 5-0 lead with 45 seconds left. Cenzo looked incredibly relaxed the last 45 and Vallimont can’t break the head hands. 5-0 Cenzo final and he remains cool as a cucumber as David Taylor, who was on the mic, put it.

Youssif Hemida vs Greg Kerkvliet

Wow. Greg Kerkvliet. He picks up a 10-0 tech 2:43 into the first using a variety of attacks. HEAVY snap right away to get an angle for a step in single. Lace for two more. Next it was a low single. Then a blast double tackle. And I mean tackle because he did not hit a knee. Then finished it off with a lefty sweep single.

Need a Gable Kerkvliet match like I need air to breathe

— JD Rader (@rader_jd) September 20, 2020

Bekzod Abdurakhmonov vs Logan Massa

Bekzod got in decently deep on a single leg several times early, but couldn’t finish, so Massa went on the clock. Bekzod went into the break up 1-0.

Massa tied it up with step out off of a blast double and then picked up another shortly after. Bekzod shot and Massa hit a very slow chest wrap, so Bekzod got two for the exposure, but so did Massa as he kicked Bekzod over. 4-3 Massa.

Jane Valencia vs Julia Salata

A perfectly timed righty single for Valencia, with a double finish and beautiful transition into the lace got Valencia up 4-0 30 secs in, but that remained the score until the break. 

Low single attempt from Valencia, Salata threatens crotch lock, but ends up just coming behind. A heavy snap from Valencia led to Salata shooting and scoring out the back door. She then got a trap arm to take the lead. Valencia just muscled her way to a single leg and then drove Salata to the edge to pick up the takedown as time expired. Great job wrestling until the end from Valencia.

Thomas Gilman vs Darian Cruz

Well, Thomas Gilman’s game plan hasn’t changed since moving to the NLWC. Constantly move forward, get to an under hook, get a step out, and occasionally shoot a sweep single. And it still works.

Cruz came out attacking early with a righty low single and finished from quad pod, but Gilman did Gilman things and bullied Cruz around the mat. He was up 3-2 at the break with three step-outs. 

Another step out for Gilman before Cruz once again got to a single and finished in quad pod. It was all Gilman after that, however. The final was 14-4. Gilman got a couple more step-outs, a single, and gut wrench to pick up the tech fall with 40 seconds left.

Kyle Snyder vs Mike Macchiavello

Breaking news; Kyle Snyder is still very good at wrestling. Not a whole lot of attacks early and Mike Macc got put on the shot clock. Right off the restart he shoots, but Kyle reattacks and gets a step out. Then a righty step in from Snyder where he might have sneakily stepped on Macc’s toe (I couldn’t tell for sure, but it was close). Snyder then put on an incredible display of running your feet when he was barely able to get his hand around the back of the knee of Mike Macc, but just ran him off the mat with his fee. A single leg from Kyle leg to quad pod and a decent four-point throw for a 97 kg and Kyle ended the period up 8-0.

A go behind and a gut wrench from quad pod ended the match 16 seconds into the 2nd period.

Bo Nickal vs Alex Dieringer

An anticlimactic main event ended in a 1-1 criteria match. This was truly a chess match where neither man was willing to give an inch. Most of the match was spent with the two locked in ear-to-ear, righty collar tie position. The first score came when Bo attempted a lefty underhook, righty knee pick and Ringer countered with a fireman’s attempt that led to a step-out point. 

The only other point came when Bo was given a shot clock point in the second. Ringer really started his sprint with about 20 seconds to go. He fired off a good double, but Bo fed him some hips and that was that.