Tyler Kasak of Penn State wrestling was on the verge of a disappointing first NCAA Championships.
The true freshman, seeded seventh, was thought by many to be a dark horse at 149.
Then, he lost his first match, being upset by Stanford’s Jaden Abas, who came in ranked No. 26.
As disappointing as it still probably is for Kasak to not be wrestling for a national title Saturday night, he’s rebounded in a big way, currently riding a seven-match winning streak to finish third. The second-most recent triumph was the most noteworthy. After losing tough bouts to No. 1 Ridge Lovett of Nebraska in the regular season and Big Ten championships, respectively, Kasak beat Lovett convincingly, 11-1.
Lovett was the favorite to win the NCAA Championships before falling in the semifinal to Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson, 1-0.
Kasak wrestled fifth-seeded Ty Watters of West Virginia and won that match, as well.
