UNIVERSITY PARK— Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson opened his first press conference of the new season Monday with a bit of disbelief on his face.
“16th season? Wow. I didn’t realize it was that many,” Sanderson said.
That’s right. If you can believe it, Sanderson is about to start his 16th season at Penn State, and the first sign anyone sees of PSU slowing down will be the first time in more than a decade.
The theme so far this season will be the amount of wrestlers bumping up a weight class. Braeden Davis (133) and Carter Starocci (184) are both bumping up a weight, while Levi Haines (174) is jumping two weight classes. Josh Barr is also better suited as a 184-pounder, but will be wrestling at 197 this season.
“We’ll use the preseason and these early matches and tournaments to get everything set,” Sanderson said. “The next couple months will give us a good idea who our guys are. We still have time to learn and grow, and keep making small steps of progress.”
Starocci has won four national titles at 174 pounds and will be going for an unprecedented fifth in Philadelphia in March. The grind of making weight at 174 was getting to be more than a hassle for Starocci, who chose to make the jump to 184 pounds after some questions about competing at 197 this season.
“I just feel like it was my natural weight,” Starocci said. “I think (the coaches) wanted me to go 184 last year, but I can be stubborn at times. I don’t want to be up until 3 a.m. cutting weight anymore. It kind of made sense for our lineup.”
Haines won his first NCAA title at 157 pounds last year, but like Starocci, he was also getting tired of cutting too much weight.
“Two years ago when Levi was going to go 57 and I saw him the summer before, I said, ‘Wow, that’s going to be a difficult move for him,’” Sanderson said. “He’s just disciplined enough. The next summer I said there’s no way he’s going to make 57 again, and sure enough, he was extremely disciplined. He was able to wrestle great. When he was ready to go up, he was ready.
“Carter was also a guy that it was getting tougher and tougher for him. I like the idea of him just going in and competing, and making weight management less of a factor.”
With incoming true freshman Luke Lilledahl likely starting the season at 125 pounds, Davis’ change of weight class is welcomed. Sanderson announced Monday that Aaron Nagao was injured in the offseason and is still making his way back to full health.
ANOTHER ALL-STAR MATCH AT REC HALL
The NWCA All-Star Classic will once again be held at Rec Hall Saturday to open the season. Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Tyler Kasak (157), Haines (174), and Starocci (184) will all compete in exhibition matches.
The Classic was held in Texas two years ago before making its way to State College last year, and the decision was made to bring it back to Rec Hall again this year.
Penn State has the first dual meet of the season Sunday afternoon at home against Drexel, so Sanderson believes the majority of the five PSU wrestlers will not be wrestling on Sunday.
“I think there’s a couple that are considering it, but I think their focus is the all-star match,” Sanderson said. “They’re wrestling some of the best guys in the country. We want them to focus on that match. It doesn’t count on your record, but if you’re a competitor every match counts and you want to wrestle well.”
AN ENERGIZED 141-POUNDER
Beau Bartlett February 20, 2022 David Hague/NSN
Bartlett has a different energy around the program this year, one which is bringing out more confidence in his last go-around as a PSU wrestler.
“I don’t think I’ve fully appreciated my time at Penn State as much as I wish I would have in each moment,” Bartlett said. “Whatever the amount of matches I have left, I’m grateful for it. I think the extra motivation to make the most of it, I think the fire is just burning brighter than ever.”
TWO DUALS AT THE BJC
Photo by Penn State Athletics
The Iowa and Michigan dual meets will both be held at the Bryce Jordan Center this year. It’s been done before, but Penn State wrestling only did one last season and it was on a Monday night against Rutgers.
“It gives more fans a chance to see us,” Sanderson said. “I think it’s great for student-athletes to wrestle on a big stage, and get a feel for what it will be like at the national tournament. It’s a win-win. Those matches bring in more revenue. It’s a great environment for us. We love Rec Hall. It’s just a little small.”
