One might think that Penn State wrestling starter Josh Barr would have had to have almost a perfect match to beat the No. 2 wrestler in the country, and although he won, he doesnโt feel he was close to perfect.
A B1G upset win for Josh Barr at 197 lbs ๐ค#B1GWrestling x @pennstateWREST pic.twitter.com/Uvp30ms7wG
— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) February 8, 2025
โHonestly, I thought I could have wrestled a lot better tonight,โ Barr, ranked fourth, said after beating Michiganโs Jacob Cardenas, ranked second, 3-2 in a tiebreaker that went past sudden victory.
Perhaps Barr is taking after his head coach.
To give an idea of the way Cael Sanderson operates, he said he felt his team โwrestled fineโ after it, you know, beat the No. 19 team in the country 39-0.
After shutting out Michigan, which hadnโt been shut out since 2010, Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said he thought his team โwrestled fine.โ
I wonder what โwrestling greatโ would look like?
๐ธ @yinzzzerr pic.twitter.com/I3DOflCtDK
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) February 8, 2025
What Else is New?: Penn State Wrestling Shuts Out Michigan, Runs Streak to 65
It might seem like Sanderson is underselling his teamโs success and Barr is underselling his individual success. But hey, itโs worked.
This โIโm not satisfiedโ mentality helped Sanderson to a 159-0 college record and four national titles, plus an Olympic Gold Medal in freestyle.
So far, itโs helped Barr quickly become one of the best at 197.
GETTING BETTER
Like the Beatles song says, Barr is focused on getting better.
The past week has given him great chances to do that.
Last Friday night, he took on the No. 1 wrestler in his weight class, Iowaโs Stephen Buchanan.
Although he fell 5-1, that experience was invaluable going into the next week, in which he had to take one No. 2 wrestler.
This time, Barr prevailed, and he loves the chances being in the Big Ten gives him to prove his worth against the best.
โIโm grateful for the opportunities, obviously, that the Big Ten brings,โ Barr said, โso just taking that, getting better from it and moving on (will be important).โ
โItโs a blessing. Being in the Big Ten at my weight class, with, our schedule it worked out well. Two big matches in the BJC, and itโs preparation towards nationals with a lot of guys watching and some of the best guys in the country. So Iโm grateful for it, and itโs just another matchup.
CARTER THE PROPHET?
Carter Starocci improves Penn State’s winning margin 26-5 with his convincing win over Iowa’s Angelo Ferrari.
Right now, Barrโs teammate, Carter Starocci, seems like a prophet.
Barr came to Penn State wrestling after a fantastic career at Michiganโs Davison High School, where he went 125-1 and won four state championships.
If Starocciโs prediction comes true, Barr isnโt down winning individual titles.
โI think heโll be a multiple time national champ for sure,โ Starocci told reporters last January.
For Starocci, Barr is โone of those kids.โ
โYou just got to kill him because heโs going to keep coming after you just nonstop,โ he said. โWhen I wrestle someone for the first time, just to see their breaking point. He just never stopped. I think having that (mentality), the skills are going to keep adding on every single practice.โ
Penn State looks to make it 66 straight dual meet wins against Maryland Sunday at Rec Hall. The dual meet is scheduled to begin at 1. The dual meet can be seen on BTN+.
